(This is a repost)
"Hey Conner, you want to take her for a spin before you leave?" AJ offered, dangling the keys to his favorite car on a golden chain in front of Conner's face."
"You know that's your best ride right there. I don't even think I would drive this in my dreams!" I retorted, gently sliding his hand across the fine paint job.
"It's the least I can do for ya if you're really planning on leaving and never coming back… Is that still your plan?"
I paused for a moment looking at the ground before speaking. "Ya, I've only got two weeks before I'm out of here, but my little sis still has a couple of years to go. It's gonna suck having to be shuttled across the country without me. Divorced parents, am I right?"
"Ya life sucks. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there. It's like I always say, you gotta 'Look out for Number One.'" AJ said, knocking his fist on his chest like it was something to be proud of.
"Ya. Once I'm eighteen, I'll only have to look out for myself."
"Now you're getting it!" He said, giving me a friendly punch to his shoulder.
"I just hope my flight doesn't cancel. I heard that this virus is moving fast. You can't leave the country, and pretty soon they might be saying that you can't leave the state. My mom was watching the news this morning. People were talking about getting sick and then developing strange abilities." I said.
"What baloney! I don't buy that virus nonsense, and you shouldn't either. I'm sure that it's just a bunch of politicians blowing off some steam. Having to deal with escaping your divorced parents and their problems is enough stress as is. Heck! I barely know my old man; only ever saw him on Christmas and Easter. I've learned not to worry about others' problems too much because they have to deal with them themselves or they won't be any tougher than when they started. Ya know, you should just relax, ignore the crazy for a moment, and since you're here… Take her for a spin!" He suggested tossing the keys at me.
"Ight, if you insist, AJ." I gave in looking at the keys now in my hand. I slipped into the driver's seat and took in the familiar feeling. "I'm gonna miss racing. That's for sure!"
I leaned out of the open window to say one more thing to AJ. "Ya know what, if I find myself back here, will you squeeze me a spot into one of your next races?"
"Sure thing kid, but you better not get rusty while you're gone. Oh, I enjoy betting that you're gonna win a landslide victory like you always do!" He bragged pretending that he had a thick wad of cash in his hands before kissing the imaginary bills.
"I don't know about that, but I sure do enjoy the force on your body making tight turns and the thrill of pushing ahead of the lead racer." When AJ saw the look in my eyes, he stepped back grinning, and I let the engine roar to life before putting the car into gear ready to feel the thrill of driving fast one last time.
***
I got home late that night. After pulling up the driveway, I walked up the porch steps knowing that I was going to be in trouble. The kitchen light was on and Mom could be seen pacing back and forth in the kitchen still waiting for me to get home. I checked my phone and found fourteen missed calls. Swearing under my breath I realized what had happened. I had left my phone in the car so that the safe driving app wouldn't pick me up, but I forgot to check my notifications until now. When I stepped in I found Mom tapping her finger on the counter in frustration. It was past curfew.
"Where were you?" Mom questioned giving me a chance to explain myself.
"I promise, I wasn't at another race, just saying goodbye to a buddy of mine." I defended.
"Really? The GPS says otherwise. You were out by the racetracks for over two hours."
"As I said, it wasn't a race. I just met at the track with some friends. Besides, it's my last day here anyways. Cut me some slack." I knew I shouldn't argue with my mom. It was rude and disrespectful of me but it seemed that arguing was the only thing this family was ever good at.
We talked some more, but the conversation ended when Amanda, my younger sister, walked in the door unexpectedly. She dropped her keys on a shelf instead of tossing them like she usually did, and took off her shoes slowly. Her movement was burdened as she kept her head low.
"Where were you, Amanda?" She said with a softer voice feeling that something was wrong.
"I was at a party saying bye to my friends," she began crying, "Wha.. when Kenneth said, 'We should break up!'" She barely got those words out before bursting into tears.
"Hunny, it's going to be alright." She said, hugging Amanda close to her chest. "I'm sorry."
I left soon after. It wasn't that I didn't care about my sister, but that I didn't know how to react to the situation. Mom had it taken care of anyway. In actuality, she knew it was coming. It happens every year. She starts dating a half-decent guy before getting dumped saying that they could get back together in 6 months, but when she gets back in town, the guy is dating the hottest chick in the school, and he doesn't even acknowledge her existence.
I dated before, but I also saw how stupid it was to date when you're young and when you get ping-ponged around by your parents. I won't have to deal with that anymore because I recently graduated and I'll turn 18 in a few weeks. I also wasn't going to college till next year, so dates will be harder to come by until then.
Our flight is tomorrow evening, and I still needed to pack. I was planning to get it done tomorrow, but the idea of maybe never coming back was keeping me awake, so I packed my most important belongings. I had a few boxes set aside for things that I didn't want to get rid of, but that I couldn't take with me. Maybe someday I will be able to go through it again. As I packed I noticed a drop of water hit an article of clothing I was holding. I looked up searching for a leak in the ceiling but found none. I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't even noticed that I was crying. This was stupid, why was I crying? I'm not sad that I'm leaving. Am I? I dismissed the thoughts as quickly as they came, wiping the tears from my heavy eyes. I put down what I was doing and finally crawled into bed.
Author's commentary:
Thanks for reading!! I hope you enjoyed it!
If you're waiting to see the magic, the zombies, and the magic zombies, be patient. The story is unfolding. ;-)