Sunshiny Things (Original)

Ch. 12 Livin' On A Prayer

Freya

The drive is awkward. Everything silent except for the faint sound of Highly Suspect playing on the radio in the background. I know the song because this is one of my favorite bands. And I know the band because Becca is in love with lead singer. It's called Wolf, and of course I start to hum along with it. The lyrics really get to me. The song reminds me a little bit of myself. And the situation that's happened today. You think you know me. I wish I did too. Cause everything's changing, and I am changing too. The lyrics haunt my mind as they play. And it gets me humming along even more.

"You like this song?" Coles voice cuts through my brain causing me to break away from the mini concert going on in my mind. I stop humming and look over at him. He's not looking at me though. He's just focused on the rode before us.

"Yeah...it's not too bad," I say awkwardly. Why does he care? Cole reaches down to the radio and twists the nob to turn up the song a little bit more. He puts his hand back on the wheel and stares off in the distance again.

"I do," he says. I burrow my eyebrows as I continue to gaze at him. I wouldn't pin him for the rock music type of guy. More like that sleazy rap music type of guy. Well, I also didn't pin him for a poet either. "Does that surprise you?" he asks breaking my thoughts again. I shrug my shoulders a little.

"I guess," I say to him. He nods his head but doesn't say anything for a moment.

"You guess?" he asks finally. I shrug my shoulders again and he looks over at me.

"Well, I just always figured you listen to obnoxious trap music because that's what's always being blasted at your parties." I hear Cole chuckle at my response, which confuses me a little. "How is that funny?" Now this time it's Cole shrugging his shoulders.

"I can't believe you just said the word trap," Cole says as he breaks out into more laughter.

"Well...well it's true," I protest as I try to fight back my laughter. But I end up forfeiting and laughing along as well. We go silent once more after the laughing stops. Strange. I never thought I would be sitting in a car with Cole Sanders, laughing. I look over at Cole but he's just focused on the road. I watch as his hand goes over to the cup holder beside him, which as being holding his vape this entire time without me noticing. I just sit and stare at his hand as it lingers over the vape pen for a couple of beats. I look up at his face and I see that he's been looking at me looking at his vape. Our eyes hold and lock in place for a second before Cole slowly removes his hand away from his pen and put it's back on the steering wheel, before removing his eyes away from mine as well. Did he just do that for me? We continue to sit in silence for a moment longer before I decide to break it.

"So...what other music do you like?" I ask Cole. He doesn't respond for a moment. And just gazes off, hopefully contemplating his answer and not just ignoring me.

"Basically all Rock music. But mostly the old stuff like U2, The Rolling Stones, Chicago, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, ACDC. Modern rock theses days is just all shit." I look at him mouth wide open in shock and disapproval. How could he say that? Modern rock today is one of the best of our time.

"You've got to be kidding me," I say as I add in a little scoff. He then looks at me with a confused look.

"What?" he asks. I scoff once more and shake my head a little.

"You don't seriously believe that do you?" I ask answering his question with another question. This time he's the one who scoffs, like his answer should be obvious or something.

"Sure I do. Rock has defiantly gone to shit...I mean crap these days." I roll my eyes at him and cross my arms. I defiantly need to prove him wrong. Him and this whole incorrect propaganda he has going on here.

"You're telling me that My Chemical Romance, The Kooks, MGMT, Kings Of Leon, and Arctic Monkeys are all quote on quote crap! You're way out of line here, Buddy." Cole laughs and I smile a little at the sound. Gosh, he really makes me go off.

"Did you just call me Buddy?" he asks. A tiny giggle escapes fromm my lips but I cover my mouth with my hand to stop myself.

"Maybe."

"Well listen here, Missy, yes I do think they're all crap," he says as he uses air quotes around the word crap because I know he really wants to use the other word. "Have you heard the song Everybody Wants to Rule the World?" I choke on my own spit once the song title leaves his lips. Instantly images of me and dad out in our backyard start flashing though my mind. I want to accuse him of knowing about that song and he just saying that to hurt me. But that's impossible.

"Yes," I quietly respond to his question.

"Well okay then. I would much rather listen to that song on repeat then any song by Weezer. And I would especially rather listen to any song by The Rolling Stones." I shoot him a confused look as I point at the radio. Which is now playing a guitar solo in the song by Highly Suspect.

"But you like Highly Suspect," I contradict his reasoning. He tilts his head to the side as he contemplates on his response and ponders on my words.

"Yes, but only this song. Mostly because it has that old-school rock appeal to it. And I respect the artist for that."

"But what about Little One?" I challenge as I throw out another one of Highly Suspects songs.

"But what about Livin' On A Prayer?" he quickly snaps back.

"Huh." Confused, I watch him as he points to the radio and turns up the new song that is now playing.

"Oh, yeah," Cole says as he bops his head to the beat and places his hand back on the steering wheel. "She says we've got to hold on to what we've got!" Cole screams out which causes me to jump a little. His thumbs start tapping along on the stirring wheel as he continues to scream the lyrics and bop. "Oh, were half way there. Oh, living on a prayer!" I start to laugh as I watch him basically go insane. He holds out a pretend microphone to me with one hand wanting me to sing along too. I laugh even more and shake my head as I push his hand back towards him.

"I don't know the song!" I try to scream out to him over the music. Cole continues to scream along to the words and I continue to laugh at him.

"You're so uneducated, Annie!" he screams through his dimpled smile. I shake my head at his words but giggle a little bit once more.

"No, I think that would be you!" I yell back to him. He laughs a little and I do too. 

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