Vignette Eight: Waterlogged
FRIENDS: Will help you learn to drive.
BEST FRIEND: Will help you roll the car into the lake so you can collect insurance.
"Thanks for helping me do this," Lettuce said as she pushed on the car.
"What exactly are you going to use the insurance money for?" Ichigo asked as she gave the car a hefty shove.
"To buy a new car," Lettuce explained.
"Good, 'cause this one stinks, na no da," Pudding said as she pushed her back against the bumper.
Lettuce sighed.
"I know, the engine is bad, and you can only get radio on every other Tuesday, and the air conditioning won't work at all-"Lettuce started.
"No, she means it literally stinks," Mint said. "Did some animal die in it or something?"
"Well, um, there was this squirrel…" Lettuce said, biting her lip.
"You know what, I think we can be spared the gory details," Zakuro said.
"I hear the water, na no da!" Pudding said excitedly.
"Almost there," Ichigo grunted.
A few minutes later, the girls were standing at the top of the deserted cliff-top, overlooking the lake, staring at the car's headlights slowly disappeared underneath the black water.
"Parked at the top of the hill," Mint said, jerking her head towards the hill behind them.
"Then the parking break gave out," Lettuce followed.
"All we wanted to do was go for a swim," Zakuro said, shaking her head sadly. "And the car decided to join us."
"I feel bad that we just murdered the car," Ichigo said.
"We didn't murder it, na no da," Pudding said. "It was already mostly dead. We just put it out of its misery, then gave it a burial at sea, na no da."
"But, it's a lake," Ichigo said, confused.
"Yeah, but burial at lake doesn't sound as good," Zakuro said with a shrug.
"Yeah," The other girls said in unison staring at the water.
"Well, let's go," Mint said, turning on her heel.
The other girls shrugged and followed her.
The following week, they went with Lettuce to pick out her new car.
"What exactly were you doing out near the lake?" Pie asked as he sat beside Lettuce in a small, lime-green car she was studying the interior of.
"Oh, you know, hanging with the girls," Lettuce said nonchalantly as she studied the dashboard. "Ooh, look, it's got seat warmers!"
Pie decided not to press the issue.