affluenza (1.) | ✔️

Drive-in Disasters

        I follow her eyes to an indeed sickly-looking couple. They were in an old Chevy and had popcorn filled to the brim. I smile softly. They were adorable.

        The man glances over at me and frowns. "What are you kids doing, looking at my wife?"

        I balk. "Nothing, you two are just a beautiful couple, is all!" I respond, blushing.

        "My husband is a war veteran! He always keeps a gun on him! No lip, young man!" the woman shouts her voice haggard and dry.

        Hayley gasps. "Haven't you ever heard of gun control?"

        "Haven't you ever heard of shutting your mouth, ninny?!" Gramps shouts and I fume.

        "Don't talk to my date like that!"

        "That's your date? She's way too pretty for you, boy!" the woman sneers, laughing loudly.

        Hayley grabs my forearm. "Let's just go."

        "No way! They're the ones who should leave. Who the hell trash talks at a drive-in showing of Peewee Herman's Big Adventure?!"

        "We were here first, idiots!" Grandma yells.

        "Well, duh!" I shout back, hair whipping in my face. "Of course you were. You were born during the Ice Age, after all!"

        I start the car back up, fuming. Hayley sticks both middle fingers up as we pull out before laughing. "Oh, that was so awful!"

        I turn to her as I pull back onto the traffic-filled roads. "I'm so sorry. I used to go there with my aunt and cousins. I thought it'd be fun."

        "Are you kidding? That was the most fun I've had all week," Hayley laughs. "Some old people just have lots of anger in their hearts!"

        I glare at her. "I'm glad you were so amused. I've got no plan for a date, now."

        "Why don't we go to Ash's party?" she muses. "To be honest, I kind of thought that's where you were taking me tonight anyway."

        I frown. "You really want to go?"

        She nods, giggling. "I'm in the mood to get drunk. You don't mind, right?"

        I shake my head and she grins, pulling out a blunt and a lighter. She takes a long drag and then hands it to me. I shake my head again, gesturing to the wheel. It was part of the reason I didn't want it, but not the only reason. "You don't smoke or something?" she asks, a teasing tone in her voice.

        My knuckles turn white as I grip the wheel, unwanted images flooding my mind. I just shake my head. "Not my thing," I say but my voice cracks as I speak.

        I pull up to Sebastian's house in less than twenty minutes. Hayley squeals and jumps out of the car, eagerly rushing up to the door. I sigh deeply and pull my own car door open, following her in.

        The scent of booze and sweaty bodies fills my nose. I catch up to Hayley and protectively wrap an arm around her waist. She smiles up at me and kisses me deeply, but I can't even focus on the feel of her lips on mine. She only tasted like weed now and it made me feel sick. I break the kiss discreetly, leading her into the kitchen. "Thirsty?" I ask but she begins squealing in my ear.