Drive || B.C ||

| one |

My skull bounced against the headrest in tune with the bass that rattled the car.

One hand on the wheel as I lazily swerved into a turn before coming to a complete stop.

Peeling out as the smell of burnt rubber filled my senses that accompanied the screeching of tires.

I promised I'd quit this.

The same way I swore those cigarettes weren't mine.

Head hitting the headrest with a thud and a bright smile, a hand reaching down as I turn the volume down.

A buzzing in my ears quickly followed. My arms outstretched holding the wheel, catching the breath I didn't know I lost.

"Rematch, now."

Looking over at the car beside me with a smirk and heavy breathing, "Again?"

There were no other voices or sounds of life, just us and our engines.

The revving of his engine was an nonverbal agreement.

The back of the car hit left then right, giving him a head start purely to fix his ego.

It wasn't long before I was ahead again, slowing just before I reached our point.

The lime green blur inched just before me.

Shutting the car off, pushing the door open as I hold one leg out.

"Good job, Johnny."

I smiled proudly up at him as he walked closer to me.

One arm on the roof of my car, the other dangling beside him as he stood between my legs.

"What happened there, Mariposa?" His proud boosting smirk and tilt of head as he watched me lean across my seat and search through the glove compartment was enough to convince me he was convinced he fairly won.

"You want one?", a cigarette hung from my mouth as I pulled a lighter out. Taking the lighter from me and flicking it on with ease.

"Here," he hummed, leaning closer to watch the flame, "Are you busy later?"

Pulling the flame away and tucking the lighter into his basketball shorts, now standing straight up.

"I'm busy now", I simply replied.

Dragging the cigarette out my mouth with my eyes more focused on it than him.

"Damn girl", resting his hands resting on top of my car once again. Blocking me in as he hit the metal once.

"Don't mess up my paint" I coughed, with now his torso in a clean white tank top that hugged his skin blocked my view.

A silence that if you listened close enough you might hear a cricket or two feels the void of our once roaring engines.

With a sigh, Johnny pulled away, "See you around, Valentine."

Throwing my cigarette to the ground as I blurted "Leaving?"

Stepping out the car, and snuffing out the cigarette bud on the floor, my eyes follow Johnny sulking back to his green car.

Closing the driver door before leaning against it, I fight the urge to relight the cigarette on the floor.

"Is there any reason to stay?" The playful easygoing now lost in his tone.

"Do you wanna be in a news article?" I humored, crossing my arms.

I don't earn a response.

With a flock of his hand, Johnny's car roars to life.

Driving away without a single ounce of flare.

A sigh escapes from between my lips as I watch the moonlight devour the neon green car.

With my head against the car, I let the stars above take hold of my vision.

A view like this was hard to get in the city. With a deep breath and a count to five, I open my car door and climb across the console.

Reaching for the glove-compartment and pulling out that oh so familiar red and white box. Flicking the top open as I stare at its sparse contents.

With a roll of my eyes, and a toss of the box outside, I sit myself correctly into the driver's seat and start my own engine.

Closing the door as I slowly creep out of the lonely lot.

As I get into the city, blinding lights of every color replace the once comforting darkness. Looking up at the traffic lights, asking them if it'll be alright.

Yellow

Tapping my steering wheel in frustration. There weren't many on the streets this deep in the night, this far to the edge of town anyway.

The physical evidence of entering the main part of the city wasn't subtle. From a vast open road to flashing lights of every color with life bursting around every inch of it, time was only a concept here. Not a rule.

A sweet lullaby escaped my phone as it buzzed on the seat beside me.

Flickering my eyes over to it for a moment before flipping it over. Pulling over in front of a stripe of shops that were closed at this hour, and a red light that quickly turns green.

I immediately groan as I read the contact, a mental debate as I wonder if I should answer it like a reasonable person, or simply toss it under the seat.

Considering my personal finances and career could be on the line, I answered.

"Seth?" I called out for the person on the other side.

One hand holding the phone, the other lowering the radio to silence.

"I'm tired of defending you" Seth retorts over the phone, "When have you once done that?"

"People Magazine, are you serious?"

Brows tugging together like magnets as I contemplated all the reasons I could be defamed for.

Instead of incriminating myself, I give a simple answer, "What about them?"

"The photo? You slut."

The word didn't sizzle into my skin and burn my eyes as it once did, it was as if I chose the name for myself.

"Give me a second", I reply with a sigh while I put the phone on speaker and erase the first tab I found to just replace it with another.

"I don't see the issue?"

"You and Kai just couldn't keep it in your pants, huh? Unbelievable."

I couldn't help but imagine Seth's hands in his hair as he slouched over his desk over a photo of two twenty-something-year olds holding hands and smiling.

"You're weird, Seth."

Putting the gear back into drive as I crawl into the middle of the road.

"I'm on the road, have a goodnight"

Blinking furiously in confusion and denial while shaking my head, baffled as I threw my phone back to its place, leaving the rest of Seth's rant unheard.