Heroes & Villains

Ex: 15 | The Coward and The Jerk Pt. 1

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-KaL POV-

I don't say anything and neither does she, but then again, it seems we're both lost in our heads. My thoughts are on a rampage, growing louder to the point that the tires hitting the asphalt or the whizzing of the cars is not enough to drown out the noise.

A static sound fills the car and as I look over, I see Seraphine fiddling with the stereo. The knob stops on some kitschy radio station playing the same music I hear while driving through Central Chatham.

Hell no, I think. I rather take the deafening silence of my thoughts. Just as those words prepare to leave my mouth she scrunches her nose and then turns the dial all the way off switching to pressing the buttons to the cassettes underneath.

A familiar tune starts spewing from the speakers and she sinks back into her seat gazing out the passenger window.

She hums along to the cords before the words cut through the melody:
She had a face straight out of a magazine
God only knows but you'll never leave her
My balaclava is starting to chafe

Her humming follows perfectly with the words, as if she's innately memorized them. "How do you know this—"

"Shh" she says lightly, "This is my favorite song." I watch as she leans her head against the car door, rolling the window down further so the air gushes to her face making her eyes flutter.

I nearly miss the exit, but catch myself just in time to ungracefully jerk the Mustang two lanes over. A thud is heard from the passenger side as I look to find an annoyed Seraphine scowling at me.

"Ow" Sera says clutching her head as her eyes widen at me, "You scared me, I could have surged all these cars! Did you even take a driving test? Buying a car doesn't make you fully equip to drive on the road" she says gesturing to the vehicles surrounding us.

"My bad" I say as I watch her lean over and increase the volume. An image of the car being covered in yellow lightning due to Seraphine's surge, floods my mind. I see the sleek paint chip off the car, as it widdles down to just a rusted engine. Then I see it explode.

"My bad won't make us even, Kal" she says while glancing at me.

"Who said I wanted us to be even?" I say back, "And actually, I passed my driving test with flying colors. All five times that I took it". She bites on her bottom lip, but it doesn't seem to be of any use because I hear her lightly laugh even through the blasting music: And when she's leaving your home//she's begging you to stay, stay, stay, stay, stay

"Stay, stay!" Sera shouts, lunging across the console and grabbing my right arm. She startles me so much that I drift between two lanes causing a slew of cars to honk at us.

"What the hell" I shout in reciprocation, swerving and then finally regaining my hands on the steering wheel. "What the fuck was that?" Her hands leave my arm just as I start to feel the friction forming between us.

She's laughs as a smirk spreads across her face "My bad won't get you even, but revenge will."

I chuckle unexpectedly, which causes her to suddenly shift to me. I shuffle in my seat to regain my composure and she seems to make herself busy by popping out the cassette, once the song is over of course, and admiring it.

I wonder a lot of things as we continue to fall in and out of silence, but mostly her rushed words take the limelight: Shh, this is my favorite song.

How does a girl living in the South Chatham suburbs accept apologies, yet hand out revenge? How does she go to vouch for people she doesn't know, yet continues to fall victim to believing every stereotype about them? How the hell does she wear that hideous yellow ribbon, but listen to one of my favorite bands?