Chapter Six: Tennessee, Indiana and Mississippi
"Woooohooo!" Indiana whooped and floored the gas peddle. Mississippi screamed while Tennessee laughed and stuck his head out of the window, the wind whipping at his face. I gripped the seat, and let the blood drain from my face.
"Slow. The. Flip. Down." I shouted, which Indiana didn't acknowledge.
"Indiana!" Mississippi shouted. "If we die, I am going to kill you!" Indiana slowed down when Mississippi smacked his head.
"Would you please not hit the driver, Michaela?" I shouted. Mississippi glared at me but uneasily sat down in her seat. Indiana slammed the brakes, sending us flying forward. Tennessee slammed into the airbag, which blew up in his face. Indiana's chest hit the dashboard, then groaned something. Probably just gibberish. My face plowed into the back of the driver's seat, and Mississippi was thrown in-between Indiana and Tennessee.
"That," Indiana started. "was AWESOME! Let's do it again!" Indiana shouted and pumped his fist in the air.
"No freaking way, dude." Mississippi growled then opened the door to get out of the car. "I'm out."
"Me too." I said and got out of the car.
Indiana rolled down the window. "Come on Dad! I expected Mississippi to be a buzz kill-"
"Hey!"
"-but not you!" he protested.
"No way. Don't you try to use peer pressure on me. That won't work." I said sternly.
"Come on!" he whined. "You're way more fun to hang around with than Tennessee!"
"Shut up! I am way fun!" Tennessee protested.
"No you're not! You always turn the radio to the country stations!" Indiana protested.
"What's wrong with that?"
"Country sucks, man!" Indiana shouted.
Tennessee got out of the car and stormed towards me. "Let's leave Car Boy alone. How about we get ice cream or something?" he suggested and glanced over his shoulder at Indiana, who was struggling to get his seat belt off. He loved ice cream.
I grinned. "Sure!" I agreed. "Hey! Michaela! Want to go get some ice cream with us?" I called.
"Sure, why not?" she exclaimed, and waltzed over to me and Tennessee. Indiana had finally undone his seatbelt, then struggled to open the door. When he succeeded, he fell out of the car and landed on the cement. He scrambled up and speed walked over.
"I want some too!" he panted and tried to give a smile.
"Pfftt. No way, man. You stay here and speed around in your car." Tennessee said. "I thought you wanted to have fun."
"Ice cream is fun!" Indiana objected.
"You can come," I started. "But on one condition."
"Anything!" Indiana pleaded. He was desperate.
"You have to stop driving around like a maniac." Mississippi interjected. Indiana nodded vigorously and agreed.
"And-"
"But you said on one condition!" Indiana whined.
"-you have to pay for the ice cream." I said and grinned. Indiana grumbled and pulled his wallet out of his pocket, then opened it up.
"You guys are lucky I have cash on me." he muttered and shoved his wallet back in his pocket.
"Oh my God! Oregon is going to kill us!" Indiana muttered as he tried to put together the now broken popsicle stick horse and buggy she had made. "Why are we in here anyway?"
"Because she owed me some cash, never gave it to me, so I decided to come in here and take it!" Tennessee whispered furiously and opened and closed drawers in search for cash.
"Jesus Billy!" I growled. "you could have just asked her!"
"Now is not the time, Dad!" Tennessee shot back. "We have to get out of here befo-"
"What are you losers doing in my room?" a voice shouted from behind them. Tennessee, Indiana and I whirled around to see a fuming Oregon.
"Casey!" I exclaimed and grinned. "I'm so glad to see you darling. Oh, how you've grown since I last saw you!"
"You saw me not even an hour ago, Dad," she said flatly. "now, I will ask again. What are you guys doing in my room?" she said slowly.
"Well, you see..." Tennessee started, but Indiana cut him off.
"He was going to take some cash from you! I tried to stop him, believe me! I-" Indiana gushed, but then Oregon started to laugh.
"Cash? That's all? I just stopped at the bank to get some money, here's your twenty bucks, Tennessee." Oregon said and took out a crisp, twenty dollar bill. Tennessee scrambled up off the floor and snatched the twenty from Oregon, then quickly left the room.
"Well, we better be going. Lots of stuff we gotta do." I said and got up off of Oregon's floor. Indiana agreed and we both hurried out of the room, with Oregon glaring after us.
"Michaela!" I called up the stairs.
"What?!" came the snapped response of my daughter.
"Well, uh, I was wondering if you wanted to go to the zoo with me?" I replied.
There was a pause, then she said, "Who else is going?"
"Just me and you." I hollered back.
She walked out of her room with baggy sweat pants and one of my old t-shirts on. "Let me change, then." she said grudgingly and disappeared back inside her room. I shrugged then plopped down on the couch.
"You might wanna wear a sweatshirt!" I called. "It's kinda cold out!"
"Don't tell me what to do!" she called back.
I didn't reply. When she finally came down, she put one of her volleyball t-shirts on and a different pair of sweats on. "Alright, old man. I'm ready." she said and shoved her hands in her pockets.
"God, you take forever." I said and opened the door for her. "We takin' my car or yours?"
"Yours. My radio was stolen." she said.
"Stolen? How was it stolen?" I asked and got into my car.
"My ex." she said shortly.
"Your e-?" but I was cut off by the radio.
AN:
HAHAHAHA I CUT YOU OFF AND DIDN'T EXPLAIN THE ZOO PART.
I actually just wanted to get this done as quick as I could, but school and family problems have prevented that. Sorry this is so short and I kept you in the dark for so long!
Hope this will hold you over until the next chapter!
