Teen Idols And Happy Meals

Coconuts and Car Keys

Jacen’s POV

Driving to Nikki’s house was like trying to go through a gay bar without getting groped; near impossible. The Davenport house was nestled so deeply in the woods; Magellan couldn’t find the place with a GPS. In the dark, everything looked the same; or maybe I was just going in circles.

It took a few wrong turns and two illegal U-turns for me to reach my destination, but I knew I arrived when I saw the willowy brunette with the messenger bag standing at the edge of the gravel driveway, sheathed arms crossed over her full chest.

I grinned to myself, bringing the car to a stop beside her. I rolled down the window to behold Nikki, her stern expression illuminated by the orange light coming from the house behind her.

“Well hey there pretty lady,” I teased, dropping a wink at her, “Need a ride?”

She didn’t laugh; to my surprise. “Finally!” she exclaimed instead, “I’ve been freezing my nips off for a half an hour waiting for you! What took you so long?”

“I got lost,” I explained, brows furrowed in confusion. I’d known something was up when she called, but I assumed it was car trouble or misplaced keys. Her attitude told a different story though.

“You’ve only been here a thousand times,” she grumbled as she stomped around the front of the car to throw herself in the passenger side, slamming the door behind her. I eyed her with obvious suspicion.

“Everything okay?” I asked, well aware that it was a stupid question.

She sighed heavily. “Just roll up the window,” she instructed, pressing her hand to her forehead in a gesture I had come to learn was a sign of stress in Nikki.

“. . .Okay,” I mumbled, rolling up the window, “You cold or some-,”

My sentence was cut off by Nikki’s sudden scream. Startled, I jolted back, shrinking back against the door to better regard Nikki as she shrieked. I covered my ears from the painful frequency, but she just continued to wail for what couldn’t have been more than a minute but felt like a year, before suddenly stopping. 

She turned to regard me, pressed up against the door in alarm, with a bright smile. She looked so beautiful then, so happy, I could almost forgive what had just occurred. Almost.

“Jesus Christ!” I exclaimed, “What in the fuck was that?”

“I’m sorry Jay, but I needed that,” she apologized, though her unwavering smile made her somehow seem less contrite, “Haven’t you ever had one of those days were all you want to do is scream?”

Only all the time. “Well, yeah,” I said, still confused, “But I don’t.”

“Oh but you should!” she insisted, reaching forward to place her pale, spindly fingered hand on my shoulder. “It feels good, to just . . .” She closed her eyes and exhaled loudly. “Let it all out. C’mon, try it.”

“I don’t think so,” I said, chuckling as I shifted the car into drive and put my foot on the gas. When Nikki had called earlier she’d asked for a ride to the Docks, I still wasn’t sure why, but I figured I might as well start heading over.

“Oh c’mon Jacen,” she pouted playfully, “Scream with me.”

I couldn’t keep myself from laughing. “You know,” I said, glancing at her through the darkness with a smirk, “When I imagined you saying that, you had less clothes on.”

She smacked my arm, which only made me laugh again. “Oh shut up you perv and just scream.”

“I don’t see how I can do both,” I commented, eyes trained on the road ahead of me. Of course, only the five feet in front of me were actually visible. It was pitch dark out; the kind of darkness that didn’t exist in the city. There wasn’t a streetlight around for miles, just trees and silent houses.