The Other Me- Flash Fiction

The Other Me

Nancy was driving home one night, her hands gripped firmly to the steering wheel. She had just returned home from a party with many of her high school friends, which her parents forbade her to go to. The party was something, alright. Mostly underage drinking and uncomfortable encounters. The only reason Nancy was going to the party at all was to talk to Peter, who, as she learned that night, had a girlfriend already. She wasn't surprised. Is this what teen melodrama is? Jesus Christ, she never thought she'd be one of those kids. She turned up the radio a bit more, only to find the song she hated playing on her favorite station. Nancy sighed and just accepted it, not wanting to flip through tons of radio stations she wasn't familiar with. Listening to the generic beat, Nancy looked in the rear-view mirror, which was strangely one of her favorite things to do, just to see the world disappearing behind you. Only this time, she didn't see a road and trees. No, her mind must be playing tricks on her, it can't be.

"I thought I hated this song!" A familiar voice from the backseat yelled out, causing Nancy to swerve her car and go off to the side of the road.

Nancy's car swerving was the least of her concerns at that moment. Had she just seen herself in the backseat? No. That's impossible. Of course, the logical thing to do was to turn around and check who or what was back there, if it was even anything at all. Slowly, Nancy turned her head around, to see a much different version of herself in the backseat. She was wearing an odd white coat, devices all over her body. Nancy didn't know what to do.

"Now I know this must be confusing," stated the doppelganger, looking at Nancy with a look of curiosity in her face. "but surely you're smart enough to figure this out for yourself."

Nancy said nothing, her eyes widened, just looking her other self up and down with a face full of different emotions: fear, amazement, shock, and curiosity.

"Obviously not. Dang, me in this timeline sure is dumb." Said the twin, pulling out an odd holographic tablet as thin as a piece of notebook paper. "And an incredibly bad driver."

Nancy, offended, gave herself, well, her other self, a dirty look, which was impressive given her state of mind.

"Just turn that off!" The twin forcefully slammed her hand on the radio's power button, mummering expletives. "You also have a terrible taste in music."

"M-maybe you could explain yourself, just a little bit?" Stuttered Nancy, finally speaking up as the silence in the car became somehow deafening.

"Fine. My name is Nancy Tyler, and I'm a timeline traveler. Unfortunately, I need your help."