"Anyone want to play the license plate game?" Teddy asked, once they were driving again.

Chris was busy trying not to swear at the driver ahead of him because it was just a little old lady and he didn't want to swear at grandmas. The sun was slowly descending and he had to squint to see in the bright glare.

"Come on guys, I'm so bored," Teddy complained. "Doesn't anyone want to do something that's not so fucking boring?"

"I'd take my shirt off, but I don't think that would interest you," Cale offered.

"Screw you," he said back apathetically. "How about rock paper scissors?"

"Oh man, I am so great at that game," Vern cried. "Okay, go! Rock--paper--scissors!"

Vern had shook scissors, whereas Teddy was sitting there with his hand in a fist and his thumb sticking up.

"What the hell is that?" Vern demanded. "Is that a rock?"

"It's a bomb," Teddy shot back impatiently. "I win."

"Screw you, man, there's no such thing! You're cheating!"

"Are you guys gonna shut up or do I have to throw your asses from the speeding vehicle?" Chris asked.

Scowling, Teddy and Vern slumped back in their seats. Vern went to cross his arms over his chest, and in doing so, elbowed Teddy in the ribs. Teddy elbowed him back.

"It was an accident!" Vern claimed.

"So is this," he retorted, and punched him on the shoulder.

Claire threw a piece of lettuce from her sandwich at them. "You drive me nuts."

"Okay, who the fuck has been drinking my coke?" Gordie barked crossly.

"Not me!" Cale piped up cheerfully.

All at once, everyone began to sniff the air. Teddy yelled, "Vern, put your damn shoes back on!"

"But my feet need to breathe!"

"So do we!"

Chris massaged his temple with one hand and steadied the wheel with the other. He wasn't sure if it was time to start regretting this whole trip or not.

"I have to pee," Cale whined.

"We just stopped," Gordie told her. "Why didn't you go back there?"

"Because at that point, I hadn't guzzled your coke."

"Well, I hope you pee your pants."

"How did you not notice she was drinking your coke?" Chris asked, laughing. "I even noticed and I'm concentrating very hard on the road because I'm an excellent driver." Of course, he noticed pretty much everything Cale did, but he didn't feel the need to tell that to anyone else.

"I sorta have to relieve myself too," Teddy announced.

"That's nice," Chris muttered.

"Come on, man, pull over," he said.

"Pleeeease," Cale joined in.

"Pee out the window," Chris said.

"Cool, for real?" Teddy asked excitedly.

"Whatever, but if you spray my truck, I'll throw you out into the road and run you over."

"I can't pee out the window, I don't have the accessories that would enable me to do so!" Cale grumbled.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Chris told her, met her eye and smiled. He decided that just that one look she gave him was worth the whole trip.

Teddy was busy fiddling with his pants.

"Teddy," Claire snapped. "Please, no."

"Hey, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do," he said, shrugging.

"Um, yeah, well, if you want to stay a man, then you'd better keep your little friend in his cage."

"And what are you gonna do about it?"

Vern's eyes widened and he patted Teddy on the shoulder. "Teddy man, when my sister says she's gonna rip off your nuts, she's not lying."

"Fine," Teddy growled. "I'll just sit here and suffer. Okay? Happy now, Claire?"

Claire crossed her arms over her chest and looked out her window. "You're still not safe."

Gordie turned around in his seat. "Vern, I think I'm in love with your sister."

"You can have her then," Vern said. "This isn't even as bitchy as she gets."

"There will be no falling in love with me, buster," Claire told Gordie, but she was smiling lightheartedly.

"That shouldn't be hard to do," Chris said, to which Claire laughed.

"But I'm free!" Cale announced, giggling. "Do with me as you wish, fellas, just make it legal."

"I can't promise you anything," Teddy said, and she turned around and grinned at him.

Chris sighed softly. He should've known that Teddy would capture Cale's attention. He was rebellious and he was cool without even trying…he wasn't like Chris. Cale wouldn't like someone like him, and she could send him all the smiles in the world, but Chris would always know that she'd never be interested in him because there was always someone better out there for her.

"Gordie, did you fucking eat my Twinkies?" Cale shouted. "Did you fucking eat my Twinkies?"

"I didn't eat your Twinkies!" Gordie protested, trying to fight her off as she tried to strangle him.

"It was REVENGE, wasn't it?" she demanded. "You hate me for drinking your coke, so you ate my one and only joy!"

"Your one and only joy is a Twinkie?" he asked, and then proceeded to laugh at her.

Claire noticed that Cale's one and only joy was smeared across Vern's face and the wrapper that used to contain her one and only joy was crumpled in his hand. But she decided to let her attack Gordie. As long as she wasn't hit by a flailing limb, this would serve as suitable entertainment for the moment.

Gordie screamed. "Get her off get her off! She's biting me!"

"I'm not biting you!" she shouted back.

"That must be someone's ELSE'S teeth marks on my neck then!"

"Are you saying I'm a vampire?"

"That would give you an excuse for being so evil!"

"I didn't eat your Twinkies! Only evil people eat Twinkies that don't belong to them!"

Taking hold of her ponytail, Chris slowly pulled her away from Gordie. "Simmer down."

She sighed and knocked her head against his shoulder. "Did you eat my Twinkies?"

"No, I did not eat your Twinkies," he assured her, and was surprised that she let him put his arm over her shoulders.

"Well, at least you're likable." She grumbled for a moment to herself. "Unlike stupid Gordie…Stupid Gordie."

"I wish I had eaten your damn Twinkies!" Gordie said to taunt her. "Because then I would've at least gotten something for all my pain!"

"Boy, I sure am glad she doesn't know it was me who ate her Twinkies," Vern whispered to Claire.

"You ate her Twinkies?" Claire gasped in mock surprise.

Whirling around and letting Chris' arm fall from her shoulders, she yelled, "YOU!"

Smiling, Claire rested her head against the window, watching the little short girl in the front turn rabid on her little brother.