A Little Bit Pyro

14: Backwash Roulette

 Dedicated to iramilham, who leaves the longest, awesomest comments ever. I ♥ them!

Chapter 14: Backwash Roulette

While speeding down the road I toss Ajay’s phone onto the backseat next to him. Then I hang a left onto the six. The black car behind us follows suit. I know he is tailing us, but every time I turn, I still hope that he will go the other way and prove me wrong.     

“She’s letting me have it back?” Ajay’s tone is disbelieving, yet hopeful. He’s completely oblivious to the stranger danger behind.  

Kenz didn’t specifically give me permission to return his phone, but since I will probably be getting my own back in a few minutes there isn’t much sense in keeping his.

“You should apologize,” I say instead of dashing his rising spirits.

“No way! This time I’m not going to be the one to give in. How many times have I caved when it wasn’t even my fault?” he asks, shaking his head with conviction.

The answer to his question would be—maybe—five times out of a hundred. Kenz is almost always right, but I can see how years of losing battles to the same girl would get frustrating. But Jay doesn’t wait for my response.

“Dude, she’s the one who is going to apologize this time. Not me. Nope.”   I don’t plan to carry on the argument, but Millie speaks up, turning her head to watch his reaction.

 “You should apologize.”

“What do you know?” is Jay’s snide comeback.

“More than you.” Millie shrugs, turning forward once again. Ajay’s patience is cracking, not that he had much to begin with.

“You don’t know more than me. You don’t have any idea what were even talking about.”

“I’m a girl.” She rotates her torso to resume spearing him with her eyes. “It doesn’t matter what the details are. I know ten times more about what a girl is thinking than you do.”

“Then what’s she thinking, huh? If you are such an expert on this situation, then what is Kenzie thinking?”

“If she is actually in the wrong, then she probably knows it, but she’s too embarrassed to admit it. So the best way to get an apology out of her is to guilt her into it. You say ‘sorry’ first, and then she’ll admit it. But if you’re the one who is in the wrong, then you need to apologize anyway; unless your longstanding relationship means so little to you that it isn’t worth mending. In that case, by all means, don’t apologize.”

A moment of silence fills the car while Jay tries to think of a rebuttal. But I have to tip my imaginary hat at her skills. She might have just answered the age old mystery of why men are always expected to apologize first. It just makes sense, but that might be because Millie’s presence is influencing my higher thinking capabilities. Jay finally breaks the silence.

“And let’s say if I were to try apologizing, how in the world am I supposed to do that when she won’t answer my calls, or text me back, or acknowledge me at school?” He delivers this brain-buster with an air of triumph, like he’s given her a problem with no solution. As far as the male psyche goes, there is no solution, so I’m also interested to hear Millie’s response.

“Ooooh, tough one.” She rolls her eyes. “Do you happen to know where the girl lives? It’s much more difficult to ignore someone who won’t stop banging on your door, or throwing pebbles at your window, than it is to turn off a phone. You know, a tiny bit of proactive effort goes a long way.”