Seriously Unhappy

The falling snow increased in intensity, the headlights from Ethan's BMW illuminating the large, white flakes as they danced across the road in the dark. With one hand on the wheel, he reached over and turned up the radio.

"I like this song." Sam tapped her foot to the beat of Anything But Mine and hummed along with Kenny Chesney. "I'm reading a book by the same title."

"Any good?"

Sam shrugged. "Yeah, actually, it is. But the author's sort of left me hanging. Kinda sucks."

"Hate it when that happens." Ethan smiled and turned the wheel. Nothing happened. His brow creased, and he eased his foot over to the brake. The pedal pushed in with little effort, but the car didn't slow.

Sam sat up and glanced over at him. "What's wrong?"

"Something's not right."

Her eyes widened. "What do you mean 'not right'?"

"I mean, nothing's happening here."

The car continued on the same straight path. Ethan lifted his hands off the wheel and tried to stay calm. A flashing sign up in the distance read, "Attention".

"I have a bad feeling about this," Sam said quietly.

The sign grew in size as they approached, orange letters flashing in the dark. "Stay calm. Don't panic. I'll get back to you soon."

"Oh, crap."

"What?" Sam asked frantically.

"She's ditching us! We're in the car and she's ditching us to go work on something else!"

"No." Disbelief laced through Sam's words. "She wouldn't do that to us. Not again. Not now. We're on our way to a party. I'm dressed in this hot outfit and I was planning on jumping you when we got back!"

His eyes widened, and he glanced her direction. "Oh, baby." Frantic fingers reached for the door. "This is so not fair. Quick, try the door. See if we can jump free."

She reached for the door handle, but nothing happened. The window was locked as well. "It's not working. It's not working! We're trapped!"

Ethan let out a deep sigh and leaned back against the seat, crossing his arms. "Son of a bitch, she's leaving us in limbo."

Sam dropped her hands in defeat and frowned. "Think she dumped us for the wall-backing-alpha-ass?"

"God, I hope not. I don't need to listen to him again."

"Yeah. Me, either." She sighed. With a smile, she reached out to run her finger down his arm. "You know, we are in a car. I teach high school. I'm sure we could think of some things to keep ourselves occupied until she comes back."

A grin quirked his mouth, and he looked over, his face brightening. "Oh yeah? Tell me what you have in mind, Ms. Parker."