Ugh.
I've been sitting in this car for two hours next to my siblings, Nick and Katie. My dad just had to play all this old music, which just sounds like a bunch of dudes screaming and getting their fingers caught in their guitar strings. Nick and Katie are arguing about something stupid and childish. I‘m really surprised that I've thought twice about slapping them silly. In the meantime, I’m focused on the screen of my Mac laptop. My crush and I have created a website using our school file drives. It’s pretty cool. She focuses on making it look nice (isn't that what girls are supposed to do?) and I get to do all the cool tech stuff, like forums, games, and hidden links. Together, we make a pretty sweet team. At the moment, I’m revising our homepage, which has gotten a bit bulky.
The car stopped. I pulled my head up and saw that we had parked at a rest stop. Oh, thank God. I had to pee so badly, I thought I was going to explode. I closed my laptop. Mom let the kids out and I followed, heading straight for the restroom.
After using the bathroom, I began walking down the hallway of the rest stop. It was a pretty nice place. They had maps, vending machines, and even a little arcade. I made my way into the main room, but my family was nowhere to be found.
“Mom? Dad?” I called out, much to the surprise of onlookers.
Maybe they’re out in the car already, I thought. With that hopeful thought in my mind, I dashed out to the parking lot to get back in the car.
The car was gone.
I began to panic, but then I calmed myself down with some deep - albeit shaky - breaths. I looked down the hallway hopefully. I found a payphone, thank God. I paid a quarter and punched in my mom's cell phone number. “Hello?”
“Who is this?”
“It’s Ben.”
“Ben? Oh, thank God you’re okay! Where are you?”
“I’m at the last rest stop, Mom. Are you going to get me?”
My mom sighed loudly. “We would, but…the car broke down. I am so sorry.”
“It’s fine, Mom. Really. I’ll find my way around. Plus, I’m smart, I've got a bit of cash on me…I think I'll be fine.”
Mom sighed. “Nothing more for me to do than wish you luck. I love you.”
“Love you too.” I hung up the phone and walked back outside.