Beauty & the Geek

Chapter 11

As the group made a swift escape from the pit of doom, Katie took the wheel. The moment she grasped Jen's keys, the elder Sinclair sibling couldn't resist a jab: "You know your driving is something else when every road sign seems to scream at 300 feet, begging for a complete stop and a quick exit from the vehicle."

"Lies," Jen said in disgust.

Joking, Mike told everyone, "We need to make Jen a t-shirt that says If you don't like my driving, stay off the sidewalk."

Lucas and Dustin couldn't contain their laughter, snorting like a pair of wild boars. Lucas, trying to console Jen, patted her shoulder and quipped, "Don't worry, Jen. You're still my favorite babysitter. May you live to be so old that your driving becomes legendary. Oh, wait. It already is."

Jen narrowed her eyes at the group. "Ha, ha, ha. You're all hilarious. Next time you need someone to drive you anywhere, don't ask me."

"We won't," they all said in unison.

The petite brunette turned in a huff and entered the front seat, locking her door in irritation. The rest of them followed, cramming into the car. When Maddy went to crawl over Steve, who had already sat down, to sit in the middle, he pulled her into his lap. She turned her head to look at him. He wore a cheesy grin and raised an eyebrow as if daring her to change positions. Maddy smiled back at him, snuggling into his warmth.

The moment the car started, the blonde in Steve's arms remarked, "If you all think Jen's driving was bad, you haven't seen anything yet. Katie is worse, so much worse."

Heads turned to her in question, and Dustin, sitting by Steve, grabbed all the seatbelts and strapped himself in using a crossover pattern. Maddy told him, "You definitely won't need those. If Jen drives like a bat out of Hades, Katie drives like a snail. No, seriously."

Katie started the car and groaned at her friend's statement. "I do not," she said.

Maddy laughed and explained, "When the light is green, you go, but for Katie, it's like, oh, the light is green, I'll slow down just in case."

Lucas couldn't contain his laughter because he knew it was true. His sister told Maddy, "I'm not slow. You're just impatient."

"Nope," the blonde stated, "You drive like a grandma. Sometimes, I want to yell, why are you driving so slow? But I don't."

Katie muttered, "Lies, all lies."

"Welcome to my world," Jen commiserated.

Before driving off the patch, Katie proved Maddy correct by asking, "Is everyone wearing a seatbelt?"

Lucas responded, "Sis, we're crammed into a sports car. There are no seatbelts on the floor. I don't think it matters anyway because Hopper would give us all a free pass. He understands."

Katie turned her head to look at her brother sitting on the floorboard. "If I get a ticket, this is on you, Lulu."

Cries of "Lulu" were heard throughout the vehicle. Lucas gave them all dirty looks.

As they reached the first stop, Steve and Jen made their way to their respective cars. The group had previously agreed that Katie would drop them off first and then return to the Byers' residence to wait for the others. Steve, stepping out of the sportscar, extended his hand to Maddy and kindly inquired, "Would you like to come with me?"

"Yeah," she replied before thanking Katie and promising to catch up later. As Maddy turned to leave with Steve, Jen wrapped her in a warm embrace. The two girls held each other tightly, and Jen reassured Maddy, "I'll come by tomorrow, but if you need anything before then, don't hesitate to call me."