Playing For Keeps (Harry Styles)

Chapter 2

I slide on my favorite pair of shades, recline my seat and throw my legs up on the dash. After popping in my favorite Guns n' Roses mix, I stretch my arms behind my head and undo my ponytail and let my waves loose. "Mom crack a window! I need to feel the breeze in my young face!" I yell, beaming while enjoying the high off of the fresh air, music, and laughter I was sharing with my mother.

"You were born in the wrong generation," she grinned to herself while shaking her head. I look over and widen my smile, sure that she could see every tooth. "Rock and roll, wahhhhh," I scream in a hoarse voice and stick out my tongue.

"Stop, you fool," my mom shuddered and used her hand to push my face away. I lean back and continue to grin, until my mom's expression grows slightly reminiscent.

"You know, Izzybaby, you remind me alot of him, your fath-"

I cut her off by quickly leaning forward and turning up the volume of the music. I dart a glance at her before leaning back again and resting my head against the window.

"Honey, you can't always do this. Everytime I bring him up, you grow so despondent..." she trailed off. I noticed her reaching for the power button on the radio console out of my peripheral vision, and I cut her off with a single, quiet word: "Don't."

We are silent for a moment before "November Rain" begins to play. I again reach for the console, this time for the skip button. "That shouldn't be on a roadtrip playlist," I grumble under my breath. I wouldn't mind if she'd heard. 

...

"Mooooooooooooooom," I whine. I've moved on from our early incident. 

"Iiiiiiiiiiiizzzzzzzz," she mimics. She's used to my bouncing mood.

"I'm hungry. Starving, even. When are we pulling over for food?!" I beg, my hands clasped together.

She gives me an astounded look. "What?" I ask.

"You just demolished two sleeves of Ritz crackers not even ten minutes ago. How are you hungry?" She asked. To that, I placed my chin in my hands and bat my eyelashes twice innocently. "I'm a growing girl, mommy. I need the eats." I recline back into a relaxed position before continuing. "Besides, I saw a sign for McDonalds a  little while ago. Succumb to your American ways momma. Succumb."

"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine," she grunted, putting on the blinker and beginning to turn onto the exit.

...

We were seated in the Jeep again after stopping to get some food. I was too distracted by mine to hear my mom's question the first and second time. I feel her grip on my elbow and I jerk my head up, fry in hand. "Whaaaa?"

"I said how do you feel? We're more than three quarters of the way there. You're gonna be a college girl," she looks at me expectantly and I give her a confused look in return. "Nothing?" She said with a slightly exasperated tone. "You don't have anything to say?"

"Moom..." I begin before I tuck away the remainder of my lunch under my feet. I turn back to her before I continue. "It's amazing. You know this is what I've wanted for forever. I'm glad everything finally worked out. Ecstatic. I've just learned not to show it too much or I might jinx myself. Cross your fingers!" I wink at her. She smiles before I turn to looked at the road again. 

"I just want to tell you now how proud I am of you. You worked yourself through a tough situation, and didn't stop working. You've worked yourself to this amazing place and still managed to stay yourself. I'm just so proud of you, I- I-" I can hear her tear up, so I raise my hand as a sign to stop talking. 

"Moooom I love you too, thank you for being proud of me. I know you are. But we don't have to think about where we would be now if things had gone differently- lets enjoy the now." Just as I finish my little speech, "Paradise City" starts playing on the CD.

"You know what that means!" I screech at my still sniffling mother. "CONCERT TIME." I grab my hockey stick to use as a microphone and lipsync serenade my mother as she wipes away some tears and giggles. The atmosphere grew lighter again, but I couldn't shake the thought of what life would be like if I hadn't picked up hockey when I did from the back of my mind. I shudder at the thought.

...

"ISABELLA," I hear somewhere far away. "Five more minutes, please," I mumble. I didn't even realize that I'd fallen asleep.

"We just passed the Barnett sign."

At that I bolt awake. We're here. I'm that much closer to my dreams, away from all the bad memories.