If Only It Were That Simple

Chapter 2- Car ride

Lorrie-

Why does everyone have to be so happy all the time. I just don't understand their desire for being so peppy 24/7. It doesn't make sense. No one can be that happy all the time. Maya was my best friend, but now, it's hard to get even a minute to talk to her. She's a popular now and I can't stand them. I talked to her occasionally, but it just wasn't our usual happy go lucky friendship anymore.

I'm not the biggest fan of changes. My father, he's an amazing director and producer for overseas documentaries and movies. They make tons of movies every few years, but he stays so far away. The stage, for me, its more than just lots of planks of wood. Its the only way I'll ever be close to my father. I riffle through my purse to find my keys and my phone. 'Crap.' I can't find them. I race to where I parked the car. Or where I thought I parked it. Why wasn't my car where I parked it.

"No, this cannot be happening." I look around before walking around the school to see if I could get inside. Locked, "No! Why! Why me!" I yell out in anger and desperation. No phone. No car. Who wants to steal an old car that works half the time anyway? Who?

"Hey Lorrie." Someone speaks from behind me. "Do you need something?"

I quickly turn around to see who it is, "Uh, hey Connor, you ran great." I tell him then I hesitate, "You don't happen to have a phone I could borrow to make a phone call do you?"

"Yeah, here." He hands me his smart phone and I take it carefully dialing in the number.

He's watching me, I can feel it. "Mom?" I speak into the phone as the line picks up.

"Yes Sweetie?" My mother asks, she's going to be so mad.

"I think someone stole my car, again."

"Oh honey, that's three times-"

"I know mom, in three months. Could you come pick me up?"

"Honey, I'm sorry, but I'm all tied up at the office until late tonight." I roll my eyes as I cover the mouth piece.

"You're always at the office late."

"Could you get a ride with someone?" she asks.

"Most of the people are gone. The event ended a half hour ago." I tell her. Connor pulls out his keys spinning them around on his index finger. "I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow." If you remember to call. I hang up taking a deep breath to calm down and try to calculate the walking distance to the house. "Thanks for letting me borrow your phone."

"No problem." He answers shoving it in his pocket when I hand it back, "Do you need a ride home Lorrie?" He asks.

"Connor, you don't even really know me, for all you know I could be some complete psychopath killer hiding my identity as an innocent teenager." He just grins shaking his head before nodding to his black four door pick up.

"The day you turn into a psychopath is the day the sun dies and zombies take over the world." He opens the passenger door for me gesturing for me to get in. I get in with a quiet thank you and my heart starts racing. 

'Why?' I wonder to myself, 'Is he being so nice to me?' I was so busy trying to figure it out I hadn't noticed he's started the car.

"Lorrie, relax." He smiles as he pulls out of the bus loop waiting to see which way to go. "I'm just taking you home." My cheeks heat up, "Do you know how to get home?" No matter how hard I try I can't seem to relax.

"Left out of the parking lot. Past three stop lights right at the fourth. Left at the end of the road. I'm the last house on the left." I tell him.

"So, Lorrie, I'm not used to seeing you at sporting events, any particular reason you were at this one?"

"I was supposed to meet someone. They bailed last minute. After I bought my ticket. I didn't see any reason to waste good money, so I stuck around until it was over." Way over.

"If you don't think I'm prying, who were you waiting for?"

"Johnny Williams." I tell him not looking at him, I keep my gaze locked on the passing landscape through the passenger window, "I tutor him in math and history."

"Neat, I didn't know you tutored." So he hadn't seen the signs on every wall in school okay, this guys is completely oblivious. The signs are every where. Every classroom, every locker-bay. In the gym hall. In the cafeteria, library, everywhere.

"Yeah, I tutor kids in sports that need to get their grades up so they can stay on the team." He nods as if he understands, but his mind remains elsewhere.