Judy Witwicky walked into the garage, humming to herself as she went to place the potted plant in her hands on a shelf. Suddenly, she stopped and stared. Sam's Camaro was sitting there; nothing unusual about that. But something about the car looked different. That wasn't the same car he'd come home with a few days ago, was it? This one was newer, nicer.

Gaze still locked on the Camaro, she moved unsteadily to the door. "Sam? Sam!"

After a minute, the boy came stumbling down from his room. "Yeah, Mom? What's up?"

Judy pointed at the yellow and black vehicle, confusion all over her face. "New car?"

Sam's eyes widened and he started to panic. How in the world was he going to explain this? I bought a car that turned out to be alive? No, that didn't have quite the right ring to it. It made itself newer? No, that wouldn't work either.

Regardless, he had to find an answer—fast. "Uh, no, Mom, I've always had that car. It's the same car."

"It is? It doesn't look the same." His mother stole another glance in the direction of the object in question.

"How many times have you seen my car, Mom? It's not like you spend a lot of time in the garage."

"Why are you getting so defensive? It was just a simple question."

"It's not just a simple question. I—I don't like what you're insinuating," he managed, shifting his gaze back to her face.

"Now, Sam, I understand that a boy has a need for a nice car, to impress girls and have confidence in himself. If you—"

"Mom! Just stop! It's the same car, okay? I think I would know!" Maybe he was being a little harsh, but he wished she would just let it go.

"Alright, fine. I was only wondering," his mom replied, raising her hands in mock surrender and taking a step backwards. "You don't have to get all uptight with me."

"I'm not getting uptight. I'm just—just—I don't see why it's so important to you."

She smiled and patted his arm. "Mere curiosity, dear. Forget it."

"Good. Okay," was all Sam could think to say.

But as she walked out the door, he heard her muttering to herself, "If he got that for only four thousand, he's a better bargainer than I thought." He waited until she was out of earshot before releasing a huge sigh of relief.

"You're going to get me into trouble," he grumbled under his breath, frowning. "Why does all this weird stuff happen to me?"

Behind him, the radio crackled to life, and he thought he heard a quiet "Sorry." "Someday you'll understand," then drifted over to him, carried by a vaguely familiar tune.

"Yeah, alright. I just wish I knew what in the world is going on," Sam mumbled after a moment, and began to walk away. At the door he stopped, turning back to look at the Camaro. His Camaro. "A car chooses his driver," he murmured, reflectively, then shook his head and left, the door closing after him and shrouding the garage in darkness.

A/N: Does anyone else wonder what Sam's parents would have thought of the car's change from old Camaro to brand new one? It's a funny thought to me. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this, and I'd appreciate anything you have to say about it. :)