I twisted the keys in the ignition, but nothing happened except for a quick rear of the engine and a few pathetic sputtering noises.
"Aw, c'mon... Not today..." I muttered.
I tried once more, but the car did the exact same thing. I let my head fall forward onto the steering wheel. Then, after continuously smacking my forehead against the horn a few times, I sighed and pulled my keys out of the ignition. I tossed them into my bag before getting out of my old maroon Taurus station wagon.
My dog, Blizzard, came bolting out of my little brother's room, expecting a stranger at the door that he could jump on. His barking stopped, however, when he figured out that it was just me again. Blizzard wagged his tail as a greeting and went back into the bedroom.
"Car won't start up again..." I yelled, pushing the front door closed behind me with my foot. My mother hopped past the hallway, attempting to put on one of her black high-heeled shoes without losing her balance.
"Darn it. Again? How about you ask your brother for a ride?" she suggested from her bedroom.
"He already left. Got a lift from one of his friends on the basketball team," I replied.
Leave it up to my brother to make friends on the fourth day we move to a new town. We hadn't even started school yet, but Jaime had managed to meet some new people at the pre-season practices for anyone who was interested in getting a spot on the team.
That's just the way Jaime was. He was one of those people who was instantly accepted into a new high school. He could make friends no matter what the circumstances; I was the exact opposite. And not just in that area, either. We were about as different as twins could get.
"I wish I could drive you, sweetie, but I've gotta be at work in..." My mother, having put on one shoe and working on the other, hopped back into the kitchen and glanced at the clock. "Ten minutes."
"Huh. Guess I can't go, then. Really is a shame..." I muttered, taking my book bag off of my shoulder. I slid it across the tile floor so it hit the back of the couch. Then, taking a running start, I hopped over the backrest and landed comfortably on the cushions. Before I could reach for the remote control, however, my mother grabbed it off the coffee table.
"Not so fast, Andrea. I told you. You're starting school the same day as everyone else around here."
I sighed and slumped further into the couch. "But we just moved here, mom! Can't we take a few days just to get settled?" I whined. "Possibly a month or two?"
"You'll stick out even more if you start later than everyone else... You'd be better off if you would just face the music and go, Andrea."
"I'd love to face the music, Mom. But I can't. For two reasons. One, my entire CD collection is still packed away in a cardboard box somewhere,"
"Don't be fresh."
"And two, I have absolutely no means of getting to school."
My mom seemed to be stumped on that one. She stood with her weight on one leg more than the other, thoughtfully tapping her finger against her chin.
I tried to stealthily snatch the remote out of her other hand, but she quickly pulled it out of my reach. "I've got an idea," she stated.
