Landscapes for the Dead

N is for Nightmare

"Hey that was quite a mouthful, but I guess you're used to that."

Melinda's face turned red with embarassment. She slowly turned around, gripped Ben by his upper arm and walked away.

"That Ursula..." Ben said as they made their way out of the school building and onto the lawns. "She mistook her hairbrush for a tampon today or something?" Melinda still had him by the arm and she kept her face stony. Ben flexed his hand. "Do you think you could, like, release my arm maybe? My fingers are going numb."

"Are they actually?" she said with a scowl, but let go anyway.

"No, they weren't. Where are you going?"

"Away. I'm sick of that Ursula bitch. I can't stand her any more, Ben. I can't."

"Are you liking Home Ec?" asked Ben. Home Ec was the only class Melinda and Ursula shared, and it constantly pushed her to the edge. Ben knew how much she hated it, but he still made quips about it. She didn't respond. Hopefully not acknowledging him when he tried to be funny would make him understand just how pissed off Ursula had made her right now. "Are you going to drop out of it?"

"I'm going to drop out of this school. Either that or Ursula is going to have to, I swear."

"Hey, now what about me? You wouldn't leave me here would you?"

"Well you'd best hope that it's Ursula who leaves." She smiled angrily at him.

Up ahead was Ben's shiny grey 2004 Toyota Camry that his parents had bought for him. He saw that was where Melinda was heading and stopped. Melinda didn't wait. Fuck him. I'll drive away in his car and leave him stranded here.

"Hey! Melinda, come on, we've still got the last two periods. It's Health. I don't want to miss that."

"I just want to sit in it and get away from everyone," she said without looking back. She climbed in behind the steering wheel, and eventually Ben opened the passenger's side door and sat next to her. She ran her hands up and down the sides of the wheel. "This is a nice car, Ben."

He nodded. "When are you getting one?"

"I don't need to whilst I've got you as my taxi."

"I'm not a taxidermist, and nor will I ever be." Usually a remark like that would have made her laugh. She didn't even look at him. Her breaths were coming in quick and deep. Oh god I'm about to cry in my boyfriend's car, she realized. People were drifting around them, and to Melinda they all seemed to look in as they went past. I can't cry, not here. She keyed the ignition and the radio crackled to life.

"Hey!" cried Ben. "No! I agreed to just sit here, not to leave."

"I just want to listen to the radio..." she said quietly. Ben settled back into his seat, but eyed her curiously. So what. He's not going to be able to do anything once we're moving.

It was an automatic. Easy. Slyly, she pushed against the brake pedal. Ben was watching her face, not her feet, wondering how best to comfort her. He didn't even notice her hand grip the gearstick.

CHUNK.

She threw it into reverse. Ben's eyes widened, and his arm leapt out, groping for the wheel.

"No-" he gasped.

She planted her foot on the accelerator and they zipped back, nearly folding a couple of geeky-looking girls beneath their back wheels. Melinda tossed the stick into drive and they charged forwards. Ben reached for the wheel, the gearstick, anything. He knocked the lever for the blinkers.