That I Would Be Good

Chapter Five

“Sometimes people change, and they become the person they said they would never be.”—Unknown

    The drive with Leo was quiet.  The radio wasn’t even turned on, even though I was itching for some sort of sound to fill the car.  The thought of Leo changing the station on my radio stopped me from turning it on though.  It always bugged me when people played around with my car radio.  It’s my car, my radio, my decision on what we listen to, is it that hard to comprehend?

      ^^^

     One time Fritz had been driving with me to go pick up his car from the shop a ten minute drive away.  What could happen within a ten minute drive?  He changed the channel form my usual country all the time station to some stupid top forty station. He knew better than to do this, but instead of yelling at him I turned the channel back to my favorite country station.  He then started complaining about how this music was for rednecks and old people.

    “Seriously, Elly, this music is shit and you know it!” Fritz had said.

      I rolled my eyes and gave him a look that said “say that again and I will smack you”.  He wasn’t intimidated by it though.  He just laughed it off and turned the channel back to his top forty.

     “Fritz, it’s not your car! Stop touching my stuff!”  I turned the channel back, and kept my hand there so he couldn’t change it back.  Sadly though, it didn’t stop him.  He just twisted my wrist out of the way making me yelp in pain.  Taking the opportunity he changed the channel again and grinned at me smugly.

     Pulling off the side of the road, I killed the engine and glared at him.  What the hell was the matter with him?  Didn’t he think twisting my wrist might have just caused an accident?  That I could have lost control and made us crash?

     “What the hell is the matter with you?!” I yelled at him.  “It’s just a radio station!  What do you care what we listen to?  You’re the guest in here so I expect you to act as such.” The last line was one that my dad used when we were little and sneak into his and my mom’s bedroom and start laughing and screaming when we were hiding under the covers from our mom.

     He chuckled and met my glare confidently.  One thing about my brother he was never intimidated by anyone.  Not even our dad.  He stood up for everything he believed in.  And it irked the shit out of my more than anything.  “It’s just a radio station, Elly,” he mimicked.  “Why do you care what we listen to? I’m the guest you should want to meet my needs.”  He smirked wickedly.

     Another thing about Fritz: he always made it sound like you were in the wrong even if you weren’t.  He couldn’t stand being wrong, and neither could I.  That’s probably why we argued so much.  We had even argued to my parents about me driving him to pick up his car for just a ten minute drive.  Ten minutes alone together would not end well, and it didn’t.

     We ended up finishing the drive to the repair shop in silence, the radio turned off, each of us smoldering in our annoyance for the other.  I gripped the steering wheel tightly with my hands making my knuckles turn white, and Fritz just cracked his knuckles.  A sign that he was more annoyed with me than usual.

     When we got to the repair shop, I no sooner stopped the car, he swung open the door jumped out, slammed it shut and I sped off.  I hadn’t cared whether his car was actually fixed or not.  If it wasn’t and needed a ride home he could call one of his lunk-head football buddies.  They’d be more than happy to give him a ride home.  They could all listen to their top forty shit together.

      ^^^

     “Take a right turn here,” Leo told me.  It was the first thing he’d said since we entered the car and pulled out of the school driveway.  I didn’t bother saying anything to him, but just nodded.