Seventy Times Seven
Chapter 2
When I reached Jack's beat up 1984 Mercedes 380 SL, he was honking the horn impatiently. I opened the door and climbed in the passenger seat, turning the radio up. Brand New blared from the speakers as Jack started the car. As he started out of the parking lot, he reached up to ruffle his wavy hair, then immediately slammed on the brakes sending me into the dash board. I attached my hands to my head, wincing. Jack looked over at me said something but I couldn't understand him over the music and my splitting headache. He reached over and turned the radio down.
"Do you have my hat?" he asked in a panic.
"No! You throw a fit every time I try to touch it!" I screamed. I gasped and quickly moved my hands from my head to my mouth.
His intense expression of worry faded to one of sympathy and his eyes softened as he turned and drove back closer to the park. He climbed out of the car and jogged over to the jungle gym, leaving the car running so I could sit in the air conditioning. I stared up at the tattered upholstery as Jesse Lacey sang to me. My head was throbbing, and I felt horrible for yelling at Jack. Yelling was something I rarely did, and I hate it when people are mad at me. Soon Jack was back in the car, hat placed on his head where it belongs. He turned to me, and I looked over at him slowly.
"You okay?" He asked softly.
I sighed. "Yeah..."
"I can take you home, we can hang out there... or stay here, or I can leave you alone... whatever you like."
"No, I said we could go to the mall, and if that's where you want to go, then let's go."
He smiled at me and I weakly returned the favor as he pulled out of the parking lot.
It was your average California summer day. Kids outside playing, basking in their last day of freedom before school. It was hot, as per usual, but you get used to it. Jack was quiet for once, and I stared out of the window as The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot played on the stereo. I was basking in my last day of freedom. My last day of being with my best friend non-stop, my last day of lazing around the park, my last day of wandering the mall people-watching while Jack was off doing... whatever it is Jack does. Tomorrow I would be shoved into a building with hundreds of kids who couldn't care less about me, people who don't even know my name and they don't care. I'd be surprised if they knew I existed, if I stood on a table and screamed at the top of my lungs, no one would look up from admiring their flawless make-up in the mirror... And I didn't care. Or so I thought.
"Char?" The next thing I knew, Jack had killed the motor and was waiting for me to snap from my stupor. I looked over at him, and he kissed his hand and tapped me on the head, a little too hard, then leaped from his seat, slammed the door, and ran up to the doors, leaving me holding my head and scowling.
"Do you have my hat?" he asked in a panic.
"No! You throw a fit every time I try to touch it!" I screamed. I gasped and quickly moved my hands from my head to my mouth.
His intense expression of worry faded to one of sympathy and his eyes softened as he turned and drove back closer to the park. He climbed out of the car and jogged over to the jungle gym, leaving the car running so I could sit in the air conditioning. I stared up at the tattered upholstery as Jesse Lacey sang to me. My head was throbbing, and I felt horrible for yelling at Jack. Yelling was something I rarely did, and I hate it when people are mad at me. Soon Jack was back in the car, hat placed on his head where it belongs. He turned to me, and I looked over at him slowly.
"You okay?" He asked softly.
I sighed. "Yeah..."
"I can take you home, we can hang out there... or stay here, or I can leave you alone... whatever you like."
"No, I said we could go to the mall, and if that's where you want to go, then let's go."
He smiled at me and I weakly returned the favor as he pulled out of the parking lot.
It was your average California summer day. Kids outside playing, basking in their last day of freedom before school. It was hot, as per usual, but you get used to it. Jack was quiet for once, and I stared out of the window as The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot played on the stereo. I was basking in my last day of freedom. My last day of being with my best friend non-stop, my last day of lazing around the park, my last day of wandering the mall people-watching while Jack was off doing... whatever it is Jack does. Tomorrow I would be shoved into a building with hundreds of kids who couldn't care less about me, people who don't even know my name and they don't care. I'd be surprised if they knew I existed, if I stood on a table and screamed at the top of my lungs, no one would look up from admiring their flawless make-up in the mirror... And I didn't care. Or so I thought.
"Char?" The next thing I knew, Jack had killed the motor and was waiting for me to snap from my stupor. I looked over at him, and he kissed his hand and tapped me on the head, a little too hard, then leaped from his seat, slammed the door, and ran up to the doors, leaving me holding my head and scowling.