If Only It Were That Simple

Chapter 3- Opened andClosed

Connor-

The girl sitting next to me leaves me with so many unanswered questions. One being, 'Why, is she still so standoffish?'

"Do you think you can tutor me in English?" I blurt out before I could stop myself. Where did that come from?

"How bad are your grades?" She asks keeping her eyes locked in front of her.

"D-" I wince as I say it, I really could use a tutor, English is totally lost on me. I fix the rear-view mirror then ease the car to a stop at the light. The car behind me blasting the horn. "Chill it was yellow. I'm not about to blow a red for you!" I speak out loud not that the car behind me would hear.

"You're just full of  surprises aren't you?" Lorrie asks me smiling to herself and laughing quietly.

"How do you mean?" I ask her happy that I finally got her to smile and laugh.

"You're the fastest runner in the state, yet you take your time when it comes to driving on the road. It's impressive." She  tells me with a smile.

"Hey now." I pretend to be offended by her statement, "Have a little faith in your driver."

"Most teenage drivers, like me, tend to want to go fast, not that I can go fast, breaking too many rules. I think half the teenage population forgets there's a brake-pedal."

"Well, we just need to remember our friends from drivers ed who taught us about this wonderful brake pedal." I tell her grinning, "Right here." I stomp my foot against it and the truck lurches forward before jerking back.

"Yes," Lorrie says sitting up straighter and her back leans against the door and the seat. She continues giving directions, but she does go back to her shielded demeanor. It would happen just as we were getting to know each other. I pull onto her street and she begins gathering her things, "That's the house. The stone Victorian at the end."

"How long have you lived there?" I ask staring in awe at the huge house. A castle compared to the other houses in her neighbor hood.

"About three months. We're still unpacking."

"But we've been going to school together since second grade."

I never said I moved from out of town, just to a different house. A smaller house."

"Smaller?" I ask louder than I had meant. If I had something in my mouth there would've been a spit-take. "This place looks huge. What kind of house did you live in before?"

"It's not important." Lorrie brushes it off easily as she waits for me to turn into her drive way and turn off the car.