Authors Note
Another deleted scene lurks in this chapter below, I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 65
May forced the ornate wooden church entry door to the open position from within, causing a gust of frosty air to enter the building. The blonde girl nervously held the door as Marie slowly exited the building, struggling to carry the fast-asleep Lee.
With May's assistance, Marie had flung the much taller and heavier Lee over her shoulder, and carried her down the series of five steps leading to the entrance of the church. Lee's pelvis rested on Marie's shoulder, her legs hanging limp in front of Marie, while her arms and red hair hung freely behind her.
As the girls made their way down the concrete path leading to Tabby's car, Marie decided to strike up a conversation.
"Geez, this girl weighs a ton," said Marie, "No wonder Eddy was able to get so buff just by lifting her."
"She's out cold!" said May, "That medication sure is potent."
"Unlock the door," said Marie as the girls approached the car.
May ran towards the vehicle, and pressed the button mounted on the car key. As the four way emergency lights briefly flashed, the sound of the door latch activating filled the air. May proceeded to open the rear door of the vehicle, and moved out of Marie's way, allowing her to place Lee into the back seat.
As Lee continued to sleep, Marie unwound the seatbelt and passed it over her torso, eventually clicking it in place.
"This bitch owes us big time for this little stunt," said Marie in a sarcastic, yet playful manner as she pulled the seatbelt tight.
Once she ensured Lee was strapped in, the black haired girl closed the rear door and turned towards May.
"Well chauffer," said Marie, "Are ya ready to get us home?"
"Why do I have to be the one to do it?" asked May in a nervous manner, "Why can't you, you're closer to driving age!"
"Hello!" said Marie as she brushed her hair away from her exotropic right eye, pointing to it as she continued speaking, "I have no depth perception! I can barely see in the daytime let alone at night! I'll never even be able to get a driver's license because of this."
May remained silent, continuing to display a nervous expression, at which point Marie walked towards her. She placed her hand on Mays shoulder, while staring into her eyes with a stern expression.
"Listen you," said Marie, "You know how you always get butthurt cause we rag on you about being sweet and innocent, and how you never got in trouble as a kid? Well guess what, tonight's the night you come out of your shell, and reveal the true Kanker that's been hidden inside you for as long as you've been alive. Now is the time!"
Marie remained still for a few more seconds. She then proceeded to swallow heavily, after which she adopted a determined expression, flicked her ponytails over her shoulders in front of her, and pulled on the two strings of her hoodie; a common ritual May used to prepare herself for challenging situations. Marie grinned as she watched her sister make her way around to the driver's side, while simultaneously opening the passenger door, taking a seat in the passenger seat.
Once inside the vehicle, May nervously placed the keys into the ignition, and started the engine. Due to the tremendous difference between her height and Lee's, the seat was much further back than she expected, preventing her from comfortably reaching the pedals or seeing over the steering wheel.
"I can't reach the pedals!" yelled May.
"Adjust the seat you moron!" yelled Marie, "And make sure you turn the headlights on before you move."
"Calm down Marie," said May as she adjusted the seat to her liking, "I ain't stupid!"
May placed placed both of her hands on the steering wheel, appearing quite apprehensive, as Marie continued to coach her, despite her lack of any driving experience.
"Okay," said Marie, "Adjust your mirrors, put your foot on the brake, and shift it into reverse."
May followed Marie's guidance, shifting the vehicle into reverse with an audible click. She proceeded to turn backward, staring out of the rear window as she released the brake, allowing the vehicle to slowly move out of the parking space.
As the vehicle cleared the space, May began to turn the wheel, in an effort to angle the vehicle towards the parking lot exit. At that point, feeling slightly more confident, May decided to place her foot on the accelerator; unfortunately, as with many first time drivers, she underestimated the sensitivity of the pedal. This caused the vehicle to suddenly accelerate in the reverse direction.
"Jesus Christ!" yelled Marie, "Brake, Brake BRAKE!"
May slammed her foot onto the brakes, stopping the car instantaneously, and forcing her and her sister into the seat fabric.
"What the hell was that!?" asked Marie.
"I tried to press the gas, but it's stronger than I thought!" said May with distress.
"Alright, calm down!" said Marie, "Let's drive around the parking lot for a bit so you can get used to how the car feels. Go ahead!"
May once again lifted her foot off of the brake pedal; however, in lieu of traveling forward as expected, the vehicle began traveling in reverse once again, due to May forgetting to shift.
"Whoops." said May rather dopily as she stopped the vehicle, "Sorry!"
As May shifted the vehicle into drive, Marie clasped her hands and glanced toward the sky. She silently prayed to God as May began slowly driving the car around the lot, getting used to the feel of the accelerator and the steering.
After around a minute of cruising the lot, Marie decided that it was time to begin their trek home.
"Okay," said Marie, "Time to go. Turn out onto the Main Street, but make sure to stop and look for cars."
"Already!?" asked May, "Are you sure?"
"Yes!" said Marie, "Remember we're on a time limit. Mommy and Daddy will be home in an hour and a half. Let's go!"
May nodded, at which point she began accelerating the car towards the exit. As she reached the she glanced down the avenue in the direction of oncoming traffic. The light at the end of the street was currently red, stopping the flow of traffic, and allowing May the right of way.
"Use your turn signal," said May as the car approached the turn, "Don't bring any unnecessary attention to yourself."
"Right," said May as she flicked the handle to the upward position with her left hand, causing the green indicator on the dashboard to intermittently light up while simultaneously emitting the characteristic "tick-tock" sound.
May slowly inched the car out onto the dark street, turning onto the asphalt as she watched for approaching vehicles. Once she was in the clear, she lifted her foot off completely off of the break pedal, and placed it on the accelerator, causing the vehicle to cruise down the street at a gentle 35 mph.
Marie, while attempting to keep cool, was quite nervous as she sat in the passenger seat next to her rather air headed sister. After a few brief stops at traffic signals, Marie seemed to calm down slightly, releasing her death grip on the seat cushion as she became comfortable with May's driving; a skill which she seemed to pick up rather quickly.
As the car approached another traffic signal, Marie, using her phone as a guide, lifted her hand in the air and proceeded to point to the left.
"Turn left here," said Marie, "It's the on-ramp to the expressway."
"The expressway!" yelled May, "I can't drive the expressway, it's too fast!"
"That's the point!" said Marie, "The clocks ticking, remember."
May nodded nervously as she forced the lever on the left side of the steering column downward, activating the left turn signal. Using her mirror to check for vehicles approaching from the rear, she merged into the "left turn only" lane.
As May approached the intersection, she was forced to postpone her left turn due to oncoming traffic in the opposite direction.
"I can't turn!" said May in distress, "They won't stop!"
"Just wait," said Marie as she continued to keep her eye on the green light mounted over the intersection. Eventually, the green signal extinguished, at which point the amber light mounted above it activated for around three seconds.
As soon as the yellow light extinguished, the red light illuminated, causing the oncoming vehicles to slow to a stop. Almost instantly, Marie suddenly yelled.
"GO!"
May slammed her foot onto the accelerator, causing the vehicles tires to squeal slightly as she made the turn onto the expressway ramp. A few seconds passed after which the tires finally regained their grip on the asphalt, allowing the vehicle to smoothly cruise around the long entrance ramp.
"Damn Speed Racer!" yelled Marie, "You didn't have to peel out and bring attention to us like that you moron!"
"You yelled GO!" yelled May in a distressed manner, "What did you expect me to do!?"
"Whatever," said Marie, "Here comes the final turn, then we have to merge on!"
May watched nervously as a green sign passed by, depicting a blue shield containing the number "76" in white digits. May squeezed the steering with both of her hands even tighter than before, so much so that it seemed the skin of her digits matched her red fingernails.
As the path straightened out, the expressway came into view. It was a three lane highway, chock full of vehicles ranging in sizes from small sports cars to semi trucks, currently cruising by at highway speeds of 65mph.
"Alright, here we go," said Marie, as she glanced backward through the rear window "Speed up to match their speed, and use your turn signal. You can get in right in front of this guy."
May, while sweating bullets hesitated slightly, but eventually obliged, activating the turn signal as the engine began to throttle up. The blonde girl observed the position of the vehicle behind her through her mirror, noting that the headlights seemed to be approaching at an even fast rate than before.
"He's coming up fast!" said May, "I'm not going to be able to get in!"
"Yeah you will!" said Marie, " Speed up, he's just an asshole."
May pressed the accelerator, increasing the speed of the vehicle once again. However, the aggressive driver behind did not seem to get the message, and throttled in an attempt to block May out.
"He's right up on me!" yelled May in a panic, "What do I do? The lane's ending!"
Marie paused, staring nervously out the back window as the vehicle approached the rear left side of the car. Suddenly, Marie's nervousness got best of her.
"CUT HIM OUT!" yelled Marie.
At that point, an extremely frightened May suddenly whipped the steering wheel to the left, bringing the car onto the expressway and cutting out the driver behind her out. Adding to May's stress, the driver behind her honked his horn for around six seconds, after which the car suddenly zipped into the lane beside her. The driver rolled down his window, and uttered a few powerful words.
What the hell's your problem you dumb bimbo!?
With the conclusion of his statement, a proverbial flint seemed to strike within May's head. The stress level of bring forced into driving the vehicle, merging on the expressway, and dealing with the aggressive driver seemed to push May to her breaking point. Her face turned red, and adopted an angry scowl. She then used the button located on the door to lower the driver's side window, and as Marie watched in surprise, decide to react to the driver's statement.
"Shut the fuck up!" yelled May in an uncharacteristic manner, "The only bimbo you know is your wife, and judging by the way you drive your little dick ain't satisfying her enough so you gotta prove yourself on the road! Eat shit and die asshole!"
At the conclusion of her statement, May lifted her left hand in the air and extended her middle finger; displaying a common obscene gesture in the driver's direction. The driver remained in complete shock, his jaw wide open as May accelerated the vehicle to around ten miles faster than highway speeds, leaving the malcontent in the dust as she closed the cars window.
The driver was not the only individual in surprise; Marie sat in the passenger seat, stunned beyond belief that May was capable of such "verbose" language. After a few seconds, her expression of surprise turned to a slight grin.
"Wow, go ahead May!" said Marie, "You didn't even talk like that when you got your braces tightened last spring!"
"He saw me trying to come over!" said May in an angry manner as she held the streering wheel at ten and two, "He was just being a big jerk!"
"Alright, alright," said Marie, "Calm yourself down, you're speeding!"
May calmed down slightly, her scowl disappearing as she glanced toward the speedometer. She then let off of the accelerator slightly, allowing the car to slow down to the 65 mph speed limit. After a few seconds, May cracked a smile.
"I guess I got a little too mad back there." said May.
"Ah, don't worry about it!" said Marie, "It's in your blood."
May paused for a few seconds, eventually deciding to reply.
"I guess I'm a finally real Kanker after all." said May in a slightly disheartened manner.
"May, cut that crap out!" said Marie, "You've always been a real Kanker. If this is about us teasing you about being innocent and what I said earlier, well it's just what sisters do!"
Marie turned towards May.
"Look," said Marie, "If you really want the truth, I see you as the glue that's always held together. Those good girl traits are something me and Lee wished we always had, and we really admire you for it. It's something to be proud of, not ashamed of!"
Marie paused briefly as she placed her feet on the dashboard, leaning backwards as she crossed her right leg over her left.
"I have to admit though," said Marie, "Lee has confided in me that she was afraid she coddled you too much, and made you afraid to solve your own problems and stand up for yourself if she wasn't around. But what I just witnessed definitely would have put Lee's fears to rest. There's nothing wrong with defending yourself against anyone, and if Lee wasn't knocked on her ass by those mood stabilizers, I'm sure she'd congratulate you on a job well done!"
May and Marie shared a smile for a brief instant, after which May returned her eyes to the road. The blonde girl kept her hands at ten and two, observing the road markers as she cruised at a brisk 65 mph, being sure to keep the vehicle centered.
After a few minutes of driving, Marie took notice that several vehicles in front of them had activated their rear mounted red lights, indicating that the vehicles were breaking.
"They're slowing down up there May," said Marie, "You might want to start pumping the brakes."
"Got it," said May as she placed her foot on the brake pedal. Due to May not being used to the brake pedal, the car did not slow in a smooth, controlled manner; rather, the car jerked violently as May pressed and released the brake pedal repeatedly. May was eventually able to bring the car to a sudden stop; so sudden in fact that it caused the driver behind her to have to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting her rear bumper, his tires emitting an audible screech as he did so.
"Jesus May," said Marie, "Are ya trying to get us hit!?"
"Hey, I've only been driving for ten minutes, give me a break!" said May, "And he should be paying attention!"
Marie turned back towards the front of the car, observing the wall of vehicles in front of her as she did so with an expression of annoyance.
"What's with this traffic?" asked Marie, "We're not ever going to get home before Mommy and Daddy at this rate!"
At that point May activated the button controlling the driver's side window, causing the glass to begin retracting.
"Don't worry Marie," said May in an exuberant manner, "It looks like things are starting to move again."
As the window reached its fully open position, May leaned her head out the window to gain a better view of the road ahead.
"See!" said May as she pointed forward, smiling dopily as she did so, "The cops are right up there, I can see the lights. I'm sure they'll help direct the busy traffic!"
"What!?" said Marie in a nervous manner as she began rolling her window down. The black haired girl peered out the window with an expression of distress, as she laid eyes on the flashing lights of a police cruiser parked around a hundred feet in front of their vehicle. The officer was currently standing next to his vehicle, signaling each and every vehicle to briefly stop in front of him, seemingly inspecting the driver's for sobriety.
"Shit," said Marie in a long drawn out manner, "Those cops aren't helping with traffic control, this is one of those checkpoints to check for drunks."
"Oh No!" yelled May, "Don't worry, I'll get off before we get there."
May activated her right turn signal as she peered into her right mirror, beginning an attempt to shift into the right lane. However, before she was able to take action, Marie took hold of the steering wheel, stopping her.
"There ain't no exit ramp before the checkpoint you nimrod!" yelled Marie, "You'll just be drawing attention to yourself!"
"What are we gonna do!?" asked May, "If they find out I don't have a license, we are gonna be in big trouble."
"Relax," said Marie, "We're just gonna play it cool, act natural, and hope for the best. Just drive carefully, keep both hands on the wheel, and don't make any sudden movements or say anything stupid."
May gulped as she tightened her grip on the steering wheel, observing the vehicle in front of her approach the officer. After a few seconds, the vehicle was on its way, at which point the officer began waving his hand, signaling May to pull up to his position.
"Okay, he's waving you in, go!" said Marie, "And easy on the brake pedal."
"Right," said May as she released the brake, causing the car to slowly crawl towards the officers position.
As the car came to a stop next to the officers cruiser, both Marie and attempted to act as calm as possible. May maintained both hands on the steering wheel while staring forward, while Marie continued to sit with her feet resting on the dash board as she pretended to search the Internet using her phone. However, both girls eyes widened as the officer greeted them, for the sound of his voice was quite familiar; that of Mr. Van Bartonschmeer's.
Nazz's father served as a city police officer, and on this night was assigned the duty of screening the expressway for drunk drivers. The relatively stern man froze upon seeing his best friend's daughter in the passenger seat, with her sister one year her junior (and obviously ineligible for a license) driving the car.
Both the girls and officer Van Bartonschmeer remained silent for a few seconds, after which the man adopted an expression of distress; he lifted his head over top of the car, gazing back and forth towards the two other officers assigned to scanning the parallel lanes. After ensuring both were occupied with vehicles of their own, he leaned back toward the inside of the Kankers car, uttering a few simple words:
What the hell are you girls doing, have you lost your minds?
The girls elected to remain silent, as Mr. Van Bartonschmeer peered towards the rear of the car, spotting the incapacitated Lee in the rear passenger seat. The head head sat in the passenger side rear seat, her head slumped over and leaning on the window glass as she slept peacefully under the calming influence of her medication.
Mr. Van Bartonschmeer sighed, at which point he rose back up to a standing position. He proceeded to raise his voice to a level that could easily be heard by his companion officers.
Okay Miss you are clean. Thank you for your cooperation and have a blessed holiday season. Please, PLEASE, drive carefully now!
Mr. Van Bartonschmeer proceeded to wave his hand, signaling the next vehicle to come forward as he subtly titled his head backward while maintaining his gaze on the girls; a subtle signal to May to continue on her way with no questions asked. May, being the absentminded person she was, did not seem to get the hint; a quick nudge in the leg from Marie finally combined her to release the brake pedal and continue her trek back to the cul-de-sac.
As the car retuned to highway speeds, May decided to initiate a conversation.
"Whoah, that was close." said May.
"Yeah, good thing Paulie was on duty, and decided to cut us some slack." said Marie, "Else we might have been done for!"
The girls remained silent for around five minutes, after which May decided to initiate a conversation.
"How's Lee doing?" asked May.
Marie turned head head towards the back seat to check on Lee. The red-headed girl was still fast asleep, her head cocked slightly to the left due to the motion of the car.
"Sleeping like a baby," said Marie as she turned back around, emitting a sigh, "I wonder how long she's gonna be depressed over this."
"Hopefully she get's over it before Christmas!" said May, "We gotta find some way to cheer her up."
"Yeah," said Marie, "The first thing we gotta do is get her home safe and put her to bed. Then I gotta figure out how to make all this up to my Oven Mitt. I put him in a really bad spot by pulling him into all of this, and I can't blame him for being mad."
At that point a scowl appeared on Marie's face.
"And most importantly," said Marie, "Me and you are gonna get some sweet revenge on Lindsay, not only for what she did to Lee, but for all the stuff she put us through because of it."
"I don't know if that's a good idea," said May, "That might just make things worse."
"Well we have to do something!" said Marie, "We can't just sit by and let Lee keep suffering. Would Lee ever do that to us?"
May remained silent as Marie continued her rant.
"Here's what we'll do." said Marie, "We'll put Lee to bed as soon as we get home, then we're gonna dig up some good dirt on our dear old friend. There's gotta be something crazy floating around about her on that Internet, and we're gonna find it."
May sighed.
"Whatever you say Marie," said May
At the conclusion of their conversation, Marie turned towards the passenger side of the vehicle and placed her elbow on the doors armrest. She leaned her face on her palm, watching the lit up city skyline pass slowly before her, while pondering the situation she was faced with.
