"That's it. I'll never learn to drive. I should just quit right now." Sam Puckett snapped the car back to park and pulled out the keys. With her left hand, she pushed the door open, and with her right, she punched me in the arm.
"Hey! What was that for?" I asked from the passenger seat. I squinted out the window at our surroundings. Sam had somewhat successfully drove until we were completely lost. Sure, she had drifted over and across the middle of the road a few times and kicked up a few blades of grass as she strayed to the edge, but she hadn't gotten us killed. That was victory in itself.
"Do I need a reason?" Sam replied, as she crossed the road behind the car.
I was starting to feel a little nervous. There wasn't a soul in sight along the dusty, deserted road, but it was still not a good idea to be parked in the middle of the road. "Well, I would sure appreciate one. I mean, I don't exactly live for you beating me up everyday. Could you give me some pointers? You know, on how to not annoy you?"
"I think you're a lost cause," she said. By now, Sam was flopped out on the grass, arms stretched out from her body and eyes closed. The sun was setting, and it cast light and shadows on the girl's face. "It's just in my nature to be annoyed by you."
"Well, if I annoy you so much, then why did you ask me of all people to teach you to drive?" I opened his car door and joined Sam on the grass, crossing my legs and running my fingers through the cool grass. I studied the sky, which was a dark, backwards rainbow that would soon turn pure, deep blue.
"Because," she said, like that was a satisfactory answer. "Have you seen Carly drive?"
I grinned and nodded in agreement. Carly had her license, but she really was awful. Her foot was constantly hitting the brake, and she frequently screamed out when she saw a pothole or small animal in the road. I think it was more the tight outfit she was wearing on the day of her driving test than her actual driving ability that earned her a passing grade.
Sam, on the other hand, had already tried everything. She'd been failing tests left and right since she turned sixteen in April. Now, it was mid-August, and she was determined to get her license before school started up again.
"You could've asked your mom or Spencer or a million other people. So, why'd you pick me?"
"Can you stop interrogating me?" she snapped, rolling over onto her stomach. She laid her head on her hands and stared out into the distance. When I thought she had fallen asleep, she said, "It's weird how you can drive forever, but still feel trapped."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I don't know. I just said it. Whatever." She flopped her head back down, her blond hair spreading out in a thin sheet across the ground.
She didn't say anything for a long while, and I laid down in the grass too. We stayed like that until the sun disappeared entirely. Not a single car passed by our way. Finally, I said, "We should head back. You're going to try driving again."
"But it's night. It's dangerous."
"You love danger."
"Not when it involves a vehicle that weighs several thousand pounds and me inside of it," she said. I actually detected a hint of actual fear in her voice. "You do it."
"Hmm... Sam Puckett chickening out? I guess she's not as fearless as everyone says. This could be an interesting story to tell," I said, smiling, though you couldn't tell through the night.
"Shut up," Sam said. "Get in the car." I laughed. She was serious now. After unlocking the car with a click, Sam slipped the keys in the slot and turned the car to drive. She turned around effortlessly, and we began the trek back. I wasn't entirely how to return home from here, but Sam sure was. She didn't ask my help even once.
About half an hour later, Sam carefully parallel-parked the car beside my apartment and made a motion to shoo me. However, I didn't move. I looked at her and said, "Well, you certainly weren't having any trouble driving right there."
"What are you talking about?"
"I mean, this afternoon you were drifting across the road and nearly got us killed twice. Now, you just parallel-parked better than I can."
She stared at me, then said, "Damn it."
"Huh?"
"I forgot, okay?"
"What do you mean, you forgot?"
"I forgot that I'm supposed to be a terrible driver. It just slipped my mind, sorry for that." Then she shooed me again, her gesture wider than before.
"I don't understand."
"I can drive perfectly fine. I had some trouble at first, but I learned. Now... Now, I just pretend that I'm a hopeless case. Are you happy now?"
"But... why?"
"Do I really have to say it?" she asked, her voice slightly whiny. At my nod, she admitted, "So, I can see you. Okay, see you later. Bye."
When I still didn't move, she got angry. "What is your deal? Leave!"
"Did you just say—"
"Yes, I just said that I can tolerate your presence. But now I just want you gone. So, get out already."
"Fine," I said, leaning over and opening the door. "See you later, once you remember that you're supposed to be clueless about driving again."
She glared at me at first, but then she said, "Don't worry. I'll remember." As I shut the car door again, I waved as she pulled out of the parking spot. She forgot her turn signal at the intersection for effect.
Author's Note: Just a short one-shot that I wrote in about thirty minutes. It's not super original or anything, but I decided to just post it. Chapter 8 is coming up on Don't You Remember soon, but it's not done yet. Thanks for reading, and review if you like.
