Make It Count | ✓

04 - thunderstruck

[ passenger's seat ]
stephen speaks
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—four—

thunderstruck

LIKE BELLE WANTED, we went for a joyride, but not after a series of arguments, forcing me to bring my black convertible car. Before this, I already had planned to bring my motorbike when Belle said she didn't like riding one, immediately saying the case was closed. I could just settle with the bike—after all, I was the one who was going to drive.

As a dispute, I told her to fly a kite and let it bring her to her destination. And then she just had to play the guilt card, saying it was one, simple request and I just had to take the wheel. Logic was simple; the conclusion of who the loser was...?

Me, of course.

"Where are we off to?" I queried, starting the ignition. She hoisted a small plastic bag with seeds in it and a basket loaded with planting tools and I instantly took the hint. And I couldn't help but brush a hand on my face, giving the sky a cursory glance. "Are you kidding me right now? We're going to plant?"

"Uh−huh. Sunflowers," she said, displaying her unfailing wide grin.

"I am not going to do that!" I gritted my teeth in annoyance. I didn't even like to wash the dishes or do the laundry, and now she was going to make me do the lamest things?

"You wanna die?" Her eyebrow raised, putting the things in the backseat.

I soughed aggressively, complaining up in the sky. "Please, let me out of this pisshole. I'll try to be a good boy."

"You're being dramatic." She backhanded my head. Backhanded my head! Can you imagine? I simmered, bottling up my pent-up agony.

"Who gives you the—"

"Shut up and drive." She simply batted her eyelashes, leaving me twitching my fingers like I was about to slap her as I panted with annoyance. Of course, I wasn't going to do that. Give the devil his due. My fingers curled around the steering wheel tightly, pushing and pulling myself at full tilt as if to pour my angst on it.

"You done?" She only smirked; I wanted to wipe that off her face, but mentally punching myself instead.

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"Where are we going exactly?" I asked her moments later. We had been traveling for nearly an hour now, and judging by the way she was craning her neck as she glanced around in random directions, I had a hunch that something was a little off. "Don't tell me we're lost," I gruntled then, my grip tightening around the steering wheel once more, which was fast becoming a second nature to me now.

"'Course not. I'm still searching for a nice field to plant this," Belle replied without looking at me, resuming on what she was doing minutes ago.

My foot stepped on the breaks abruptly, lurching us both frontward. "What?! So I'm driving to bumfuck nowhere this whole time?"

Belle crossed her arms, her demeanor calmer than ever. "You've just been driving for nearly an hour. What's the big deal?"

"What's the big deal? Seriously?" I kvetched, the dents in my forehead growing a lot deeper while she simply shrugged. I paid for the gas, I was fucking tired, and I was starving like an animal. "Okay, I'm done. I am so done!

She went stiff for a millisecond before scratching her eyebrow as though tolerating a defiant shit-factory. "Calm your tits. Okay, look, do you really want to undo your work? What's the purpose of us going here? We've already come a long way. Think about it."