Just Fake It

CH6 : Gotta Letter Know

Magdalena would scold me if she could hear me now. I go through every curse word I can possibly think of and then some. I start to wind down when I realize that it's getting hot. Really hot.

The last thing I want to do is die in Chase's car. Okay, that's a lie. The last thing I wanted was to go into a store in my underwear, but I'm starting to change my mind.

I don't know if the panicky feeling I'm having is making me sweat or if it's the spiking temperature, but I'm sweating like a pig. Super gross. Not cute. And now it kind of matters to me that Chase is going to find me melting.

I start digging through his compartments, looking for something to fan myself with, until I see an envelope. I'm nosy, so when I notice the envelope is blank I want to read what's inside so bad. I give in and pull out a single sheet of notebook paper. I start scanning the page until I recognize that it's a breakup letter. Someone broke up with Chase in a letter which is like two steps away from a text message, which is right next to completely fucked up. I don't want to read it, but I can't stop myself from getting all the way until the end.

It wasn't him, it was her. She wanted to stay friends. Basically, the bitch threw every line in the book at him in the span of a college ruled piece of paper. The last paragraph was brutal, though. She'd fallen for someone else and apparently it was someone Chase was close to.

Holy smokes.

I feel like a bitch for reading the letter, but I can't go back now. It's signed Caroline, although it should have read 'Caroline the lying whore' but maybe I was being dramatic. The last thing I want is for Chase to know that I read something so personal. I stuff the paper back in the envelope, and then back into it's compartment.

While peering inside, I find the owner's manual to the car. The thing is at least three inches thick.

I start fanning the pages near my face to cool off. I must look crazy. I wonder if Chase read the manual. He seems like the type of person to read something like that. I get distracted until I fan myself a little too close and clap myself in the face with the book.

I hear someone clapping from outside the car, only to realize it's Chase. He saw me hit myself in the face and now he's laughing his ass off. I start flipping him off, yelling for him to fix the situation I just got myself into. I want to forget all about his breakup letter, because God forbid I start sympathizing with him.

He tries to open the door but it's locked. I have to lean all the way over to the driver side to help. The first thing he says when he climbs in is, "Why didn't you turn on the air?"

I try my best to keep it together before answering.

"The stupid key broke!" I yell at him anyway. He flinches at the high octave my voice hits, but then says something that makes me want to hurl the manual at him, or myself.

"And why didn't you just open a door?"

I turn to stone instead, reevaluating my life decisions up to this point.