Less Than Three

Chapter 7: A Plume of Dust on a (not so) Lonely Road

Wile E. Coyote stood on the top of a mesa, watching a plume of dust trace a lonely road. He fired up the jet pack strapped to his back, cinched his crash helmet on tight, and lowered his visor. He flipped a switch and was off.

I smiled over at Brady. He didn't smile back. "How was the race?" I said.

"Okay. We met some --"

The roadrunner BEEP BEEPED and stole his concentration.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Never mind." He grabbed the remote and started flipping through channels.

I pulled the controller out of his hands and clicked back to the cartoon. "Either we have a real conversation, or the coyote is toast."

"So what do you want to talk about?" he asked.

"Anything," I said. Then I rushed to fill the silence before the television sucked him back in. "You were saying you met someone last night?"

He opened his mouth to speak but the BWHAAAAA of a train whistle interrupted. We turned to the TV screen in time to watch poor, unsuspecting Wile E. get flattened, yet again.

"Last night?" I said.

He shrugged and reached for the remote. "We met girls."

"Yeah, right."

"You don't think that's possible?"

"At a racetrack? Not really," I said.

"Some girls are actually interested in cars," Brady said.

"Good for them."

"Aren't you jealous?"

"Should I be?" I asked. "Are you interested in girls who are interested in cars?"

"I didn't say that." He stretched for the remote again.

I accidentally dropped it behind the couch. "What are you saying?"

After a little more prodding, he started by saying there happen to be a lot of girls at the racetrack. One of those girls had dark hair, like Madison's, and a dimple in her chin. "And she knows all about engines." Brady practically gushed once he got going.

"Did she flirt with you?"

Brady smiled. "You are jealous."

"I didn't say that."

"But you are. I can tell," he said.

I flicked his arm.

"Jeez." He rubbed the spot. "Do you really think you have a right to be mad? All I did was talk to a girl for a few minutes while you – " He stopped talking and turned back to the TV where Wile E. was busy setting a trap.

"While I what?" I asked.

"While you spent the whole night hanging out with boys."

"Hanging out with boys? I was with Craig."

"And Dave."

"Yes. And Dave. I was hanging out with our friends, not with some girl who probably researched motors on the internet just so she could flirt with guys she doesn't even know."