A Little Bit More

I.

"I'm on level fourteen actually so fuck off." shouts my annoyingly immature twenty year old brother Eric. He's one of those confident I-can-text-and-drive sort of males. "All I ask is that you focus on watching the road and not have me die today because of a stupid game." I fold my arms across my chest and sink further into the sticky tan leather.  He throws one of his signature stupid eye rolls in my direction. "You're just pissy because you couldn't get passed level two. I  have mad skill in capturing those suckers." I focus on the rain drops competing against one another down the car window. 

So this is what my Sunday morning has come down to, a petty fight about Pokemon Go. We don't seriously fight too often, my brother and I, we just have these lame heated arguments. Mom lent us her Dodge Durango to go pick up some supplies for her classroom. My mom is a fourth grade teacher at our town's elementary school. She's taught for twenty something years and loves what she does so I mean you can't go wrong. She wants me to follow in her footsteps but between you and I, I can't deal with a crying five year old who just dropped their ice cream cone in the sand, a devious little hot head who cheats off of other innocent people's tests (I am a victim of these scumbags) or one of those pitchy and pyschotic pre teen girls. Hell, I couldn't even deal with the people in my grade. 

In fifteen days, I will begin my college career at Eastern State University, the college in which my brother is also enrolled. My brother and I attend the same college for various reasons but one being that my dad had attended ESU so the tuition was cheaper. Another being for its criminal justice program. Someday I really want to be a Forensic scientist. Or something. I haven't exactly decided yet. As for Eric, he's got his whole life figured out. By the time of his graduation next school year, he'll have all the credentials and class time he needs in order to get into the police academy and become a police officer. 

 As he screeches into a parking spot and cuts the engine, I grip the car door handle and start to walk towards the entrance in my white toms that now look black. Slamming his car door behind me, Eric takes folded white paper from his coat pocket. 

"Okay so the lists says colored pencils, tissues, construction paper, uh some Elmer's glue and what does that say?" Snatching the list from Eric's hands I finish off what he so irritatingly couldn't read. "Are you at a second grade reading level or something? It says reusable blue bags and black pens." Eric signs audibly and matches my pace.  "Why are you being so salty? Her handwriting sucks, I'm fully capable of passing an elementary level reading pace, damn it" he finished defensively. 

It begins to pour as I hear heavy boot steps from half an inch behind mine. "Go catch some Pikachus or something, I can probably handle this myself." I say breathlessly. 

Eric starts to laugh humorlessly."Well, in that case, lemme go gotcha some tampons real quick, it's on me." I slap him playfully and try my hardest not to break out into a laugh. "Shut up, you can't just assume that because I'm in a bad mood I'm on my period." He pretends to ponder my question. 

"Uh, actually I definitely can because girls confuse the absolute shit out of me and act like wild, emotional, chocolate loving demons half the time." I pick out a cart and check the list again. "What aisle are colored pencils in?" Eric clucks his tongue smirking. "Probably the Home and Office section but I mean, I could of read the sign wrong considering I'm incompetent of reading" 

Rolling my eyes, I shake my head."Why don't you wait in line for Panda Express next door and I'll meet you at the car. You're too annoying." I roll the cart passed my brother and glance back to see his retreating figure exit through the entrance. 

------

Aside from the continuous loop of 90s songs echoing throughout the store, I find all that I need in peace and decide to attempt the Self Checkout. For some reason I don't trust these things so I don't usually use them. The annoying robot lady almost drives me up a wall but I manage to get all my things bagged and head out the door. I'm stuck with one of those annoying carts that has like one askew wheel and veers to one side. My inner mechanic tries to fix the problem at the same time that I manage to collide with another cart in front of mine. I watch as laundry detergent and a gallon of milk bursts everywhere on the concrete. 

"I am so sorry, let me help." I begin to uselessly gather up liquid laundry detergent in my hands in an effort to put it back into the bottle. An old man with a leathery looking face and beer gut mutters a plethora of colorful words under his breath before he actually voices his thoughts."For fucks sake, don't worry about it. I'll just go back inside and buy some more shit. Just go back to whatever it is you ditzy girls do. This is why we need Trump." The grumpy man storms back inside, leaving the dropped items on the pavement. 

As I debate with myself on whether or not I should of cussed that guy out, another one walks up to me."Do you need a hand? Don't bother picking up that mess, I'll do it." I look up to find a warm and inviting smile of a boy probably a few years older than me and let me tell you... I have never felt so embarrassed in my entire life. Not only did he stand at least 6'3, but his short brown hair cascaded over his ears a little bit but was kept in one of those cute quiff styles. 

"Hi, yeah I'm sorry. Was that your dad?" I take his soft hand as he helps pull my fat ass off the concrete. I watch as he wipes what I suspect to be the remains of laundry detergent from my hands off of his and onto his shorts. Strike two. 

"Ah, no actually that was my uncle. My dad died last year fighting in Iraq." I felt the world shrivel around me. I blinked consciously trying to rid my mind of Take Me out to the Ball Game as the song shouts "Three strikes you're out!" 

"I'm so sorry again. Wow. Well is there anything I can do?" I might as well of tattooed "Loser" onto my forehead. I really don't do well with male confrontation. 

"Nah, he'll be fine, he just has to cool off. It's not your fault. He's been in rough shape ever since my dad passed. They were twins so they were really close." I nod awkwardly in response and I notice him curse silently. Shuffling his feet he begins to pick up some of the bags. "That's no excuse for how much of a douchebag he is but I don't know how else to explain him." I take the cart from where I frantically parked it and begin to push it towards the Durango in which I see Eric shooting daggers. 

"Well, I'm sorry again and please tell your uncle not to hate me." I watch as he stands with his arms linked with bags and chuckles softly. "No worries, I'm Jack by the way." "Olivia."  "Olivia. Well it was nice to meet you and I hope this made your life a little more eventful." "Oh it sure did, nice meeting you Jack." I stroll the cart back to the car with one of those big ole sloppy smiles on my face. 

When I get to the car, a strong aroma of Chinese food overwhelms the vehicle. Eric loudly chews and swallows his food before announcing, "I almost choked on my general chicken seeing you play bumper carts over there." Making way to the back of the car, I lift the trunk to put the bags in and train my eyes on the back of Eric's head in the passenger seat as he continues to chew obnoxiously.

"What makes you think I'm going to drive? You hardly did anything but eat?" I say. Eric snapchats an ugly selfie of himself off to someone before answering."Um, I drove here so you can drive back. Plus my knee hurts again from playing lacrosse yesterday." I watch as he takes yet another selfie of himself. 

Closing the hatch, I jump into the drivers seat and start the engine, cranking the heat. "That's bullshit and you know it. When you get a girlfriend, she's going to be the one changing the tire on the side of the road while you worry about your damn knee and taking selfies." Just as I'm about to pull through the spot in front of mine, a black Honda Civic decides to speed into the spot. "Mother -" The Durango hits the front of the Honda ever so slightly. 

Eric's eyes widen as we both try to gather what just happened. It's utterly silent aside from the noise of Eric's phone taking a picture of the scene before us. The Honda backs up and speeds away before I even have time to get out and give my insurance information. I turn to my right to see Eric offering the rest of his Chinese food to me.