The Boy I Hate

Two.

I remembered Margie once ranting to me about the science of sneezing. I'de complained about the way it felt to sneeze, and she ended up on a tangent about how the purpose of sneezing is to expel mucus containing irritants from the nasal cavity, or something. I wasn't one for science - or most school subjects, really. However, I had never resented Margie's AP Biology knowledge as much as I did hiding in the back of Richard's Porsche.

With my legs tucked up to my chest - and an awful neck cramp from the position I'de been in for however long - I plugged my nose with a death grip. Cursing my sinuses for the irritated mucus they needed to expel. But even with my nostrils stuck closed by my pinch, I failed to realize that mouths play a big roll in the act of sneezing as well.

"Achoo."

Immediately after my shriek of a sneeze hit his ears, Rich whipped his body around to find me tucked behind his seat. The car swerved with him. "Mabel? What the fuck?" He wrestled the car to the side of the road where he could pull over, get out, and open the door from behind me. I was hesitant to turn around and see the disappointment on his face, but nonetheless leaned back to see his upside-down figure glowering at me. "Oh, hey there."

"Babe, are you actually fucking kidding me with this? What went through your head to think this was okay? Oh my god, does your mom know?" To other cars driving along the streets we must have looked comical - a girl dangling halfway out of a car while a guy waves his arms frantically ranting in front of her. In hindsight, this hadn't been my most well thought out plan. I didn't know what we were doing, how far we were going, or anything, at all. I hadn't thought this far through. He was bound to discover me eventually; whether like this or later at the destination. So what was I planning to say to him?

"Perhaps... not my brightest moment," I reasoned.

"No fucking kidding, Mae!" Rarely did Richard get mad at me, let alone yell at me. I could understand his frustration - I mean, I did directly do something he asked me not to and hide in the back of his car for a while. Still, I thought he might be overreacting. What was the big deal about me hanging out with him and his baseball buddies for a night?

"Well it wouldn't have had to be this way if you would have just let me come!"

"Oh, I get to be the bad guy now?" He scoffed, "may I remind you that you're the one who lied to me? You didn't even ask to come this time!"

He was right. He was always the reasonable one. Sitting up from my backwards position, taking his hands in mine, I said, "I'm sorry, okay? You know how much I've always wanted to do this with you."

He groaned, lightly yanking his hands from mine to rub them across his face. I hated disappointing him like this. "Just, get in the front seat."

My heart swelled under the assumption that this meant he would take me to the west for the prank. With lightning pace I darted from my sitting position, fought the urge to hug him, and made my way to the front of the car. You can imagine my disappointment when he u-turned and went in the opposite direction. He even went so far as to voice command his car to text his buddy - gonna be late, gotta deal with Mabel.

"Excuse me?" I gasped. "I'm not something to be dealt with! I'm meant to be loved and cherished."

He ignored my remarks - but only one person in the world was better at the silent treatment than Richard White, and that was me. So silently we sat; no music, no words. Just a thick layer of tension hanging over us like a storm cloud. For an entire fifteen minute car ride. The only sounds to be heard were our breath, and the steady motion of the car.

When we arrived back at my house neither of us bothered to move. There was clearly a conversation to be had; it was just a question of who would be willing to break the silence. To my surprise it was him, "look, Mae. This whole rivalry thing is a lot more complicated than you can imagine."