I turned and saw, to my surprise, Teresa. This was weird. She rarely talked to anyone, let alone me. I know I looked puzzled, because she said...
"What? Is something wrong?"
"...no. I'm just a little surprised. I don't remember the last time we said more than three sentences to each other."
"We can talk on the way. If you'll let me ride you...WITH YOU! I mean ride with you!" She gasped and shrunk back when she realized what she'd accidentally said. I didn't think too much of it. Sometimes I accidentally omitted words too. I smiled my least-mocking smile.
"Sure, you can ride...WITH me." She blushed, and thanked me quietly. I smiled and got in, but stopped when I noticed she wasn't doing the same. I got most of the way out. "You comin'?" She looked at me like she was just snapped out of a dream.
"Oh! Uh, right...sure, i'm...coming." She adjusted her glasses and got in.
After asking where to take her, I realized the trip would take about 20 minutes. She lived outside of town, just barely within my school district. She asked nervously if i'd still take her home, and I, being a gentleman, said I would. She seemed nervous the whole trip.
"What's wrong," I asked her about ten minutes in.
"Hm?"
"You look a little worried. If you're afraid i'm gonna rape you or something..."
"No, it's not that! I just...i've never ridden in a car with a boy before..." A 'boy'? What was she, in junior high? I decided to have some fun with her.
"Yeah, i'm not surprised. You always seemed like the cautious type, and, well, you can get pregnant from riding with a boy."
She gasped. "Oh, my gosh!" I almost couldn't help laughing when she said 'gosh' so sincerely. I was starting to think this girl had skipped a couple grades. Like all of high school. I couldn't stop now, my inner prankster wouldn't let me.
"Yeah, and not just by the boy who owns the car, but anyone who's ever ridden in the passenger seat. And, I gotta be honest with you, i've given a couple boys (I don't know how I kept a straight face saying boys) rides. Mort, the linebacker. Steve, the weaselly little guy who won the science fair last year. Even your brother, Mitch." Her eyes filled with a terror that grew with each name, but when I said her brother, she looked like she was going to scream.
"M-m-Mitch was in this seat? And...I could get...pregnant?! Oh, my gosh, I don't wanna get pregnant by my brother!!" She said gosh, even when contemplating something like that. "This is a nightmare! Oh, I should've just paid the bus fare!"
Funny as this was, and it was REALLY funny, I felt kinda bad for making her genuinely believe she may have been knocked up as she spoke. Or shrieked, I guess.
"I'm kidding."
"...what?"
"I'm kidding. You can't really get pregnant from riding in a car that's had guys in it." She looked at me, concerned. "Seriously. It was a joke! You're not pregnant right now." She sighed in relief.
"That was mean! Why did you lie to me?"
"Woah, woah! There's a difference between a joke and a lie. Besides, you always do good in class, I figured you knew better."
"I do WELL in class."
"See? It's things like that that made me think you wouldn't fall for it." I looked over, and she was fuming. "But I have been wrong before..." i looked back and she...smiling?
"I knew you were joking! To be honest, your sense of humor is partly why i've always li- *GASP!*."
"You've always 'li-' what?"
Her face looked like it was about to catch fire. "Why i've always...liked you. Gosh, you must think i'm such an idiot now! I'm so sorry." |