The New National Anthem

Kissing In Cars

I was softly shaken awake, and groaned loudly, squeezing my eyes shut and cuddling closer to whatever was holding me. I heard a chuckle rise in their chest and my memories came flooding back to me. Had I really fallen asleep at the beach? What time was it? Who was under me? I froze. It was Tony. A boy I'd just met. How long had we been there? Did this make me a slut? My mind was racing when I remembered I was still laying on him. Deciding to play it cool, I slowly sat up and stretched, ruffling my hair. "What time is it..." I managed to mumble. I pulled my phone out of my jeans pocket and tried to unlock it to no avail. Great, my phone died.

"It's around ten P.M. So much for showing you around, huh?" Tony said with a laugh. I nodded and rubbed my stomach as it growled. "Wanna get a bite before we head back?" He asked and I simply nodded again. I was worn out from all of the crying and confessing. I know he said he'd be there for me from then on, but I didn't really know who to trust anymore. I lagged behind him, staring at my feet and playing with my hands, racking my brain for something to say. I suddenly bumped into his chest and looked up, seeing that he was now facing me. He looked down at my hands and grabbed them, staring at me intently. "What's the matter?" He looked concerned and I shrugged, breaking eye contact. He took one of his hands from my grasp and put it under my chin, forcing me to look straight at him. "Please tell me..." he probed. I sighed and shrugged again.

"I just don't want you to think any less of me because I got pregnant in my sophomore year of high school." I trailed off, thinking about all of the names I'd be called if I wasn't forced into homeschooling. Tony smiled and pulled me into a tight hug.

"Don't worry about that. We've all gone through some rough times. It's all in the past. All that matters is this moment." He whispered into my hair, and with that it felt like all my worries had disappeared. For the first time in years, I felt relieved and renewed. He pulled away after a minute and took my hand again, interlocking our fingers and leading us off of the sand and onto the streets. I looked at our hands and smiled warmly at him. "Now, food." He stated. "There's this new diner called the Indigo Diner." Tony smiled, leading us there. On the way, I started swinging our hands back and forth and I felt a squeeze. I laughed and stopped, seeing a dim lit purple sign that read INDIGO. Opening the door, we walked into a quaint little resturaunt. It held a large front bar with stools and two booths to the left and right of the enterance. The far right wall was lined with tables and four chairs sat around them, and the left held a jukebox with a familiar song playing from it. I recognized it as Kissing In Cars, it was one of my most played songs on my iPod, but I had no idea who it was. As I faintly sung along while we sat at a booth, waiting for the waitress, Tony stared at me with an unreadable expression. I raised an eyebrow at him and he smiled. "Do you know who this is?" He questioned and I shook my head in embarassment. "That's Vic." He stated and my jaw gaped open.

"Please be kidding." I said quietly, thinking back to how many times I'd cried over that very song. "Now that you mention it, from what I gathered in practice, it is the same voice." I thought about Jose, my previous boyfriend and how he dedicated this song to our relationship. Since everything had ended, it'd been hard to listen to it. Things were getting better though, and it was a fresh start in America. It wouldn't be a second chance for Jose, but for me at a normal teenage life. My thoughts were interrupted when I felt a tap on my hand, and I saw a menu being waved in front of my face. I took it and blushed, hiding my face.

"Welcome back to Earth." I heard Tony's voice from the other side of the menu and a light chuckle, causing me to duck my head lower. "The waitress said she'd be back in five with our drinks and to take our orders. I ordered you a Coke, by the way, I hope that's okay." He informed me as I lowered my menu onto the table and nodded. As I was about to speak, I heard the Star Wars Imperial March tune ringing from Tony's phone that he had put on the table. I giggled as his face flushed and he answered. "Yeah?" he paused. I could hear yelling as he pulled the phone from his ear. "Dude! She's right here! Yeah. We hung at the beach for a while and now we're at that Indigo place." I was still lost on who it was. I lowered my eyebrows at him, asking who it was. He mouthed back that it was Vic and I nodded, looking down at the menu, having trouble deciding between a cheeseburger and chicken fingers. "Yes, I realize what time it is, MOM. Calm down, we'll be home in a few. No, not minutes, we haven't even ordered yet. Yeah. Okay, whatever man. See you then." He rolled his eyes, taking his phone away from his face again, hanging up. "Vic was worried. We'll get home when we get there, there's no rush." Tony smiled warmly at me and I returned it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a petite figure in an apron walk over to us and I looked at her enviously.