"Jill, this is stupid!" I grumbled.
"Shhh! They'll hear you!"
I couldn't believe it. I was home from college on spring break. Most of my friends were going away to some island to lie in the sun, but not me. No, I was locked in the trunk of my brother's car with my cousin Jill, trying to sneak into a drive-in movie!
"How did I let you guys talk me into this!" I groaned.
The worst part was that it wasn't necessary. We had the money to pay, but my older brother Ned and her older brother Bob decided to sneak us in for old times sake. Jill and I were just drunk enough to be convinced. Of course, that was twenty minutes ago and I'd sobered some since then.
The four of us didn't typically go out anymore. Ned was married and Bob moved away for a great job opportunity. I spent most of my time away at school. Jill was the only one who still lived at home.
We really hadn't planned to get together tonight. It just happened. I decided to visit my parents because it was too depressing to stay at school while all my friends vacationed. Bob came back for a wedding and tacked on a couple vacation days to visit family. Ned's wife happened to be working the night shift this weekend to cover for a friend.
Bob and Ned use to hang out together all the time. They were supposed to be catching up on old times and watching a game on television tonight. At least that was the original plan. As soon as they had a few beers in them they decided to try and find some of their old friends.
I have to admit I jumped at the chance to join them when Ned called me. Anything was better than staying in with the parents! I was only home for an hour before I started regretting the visit. I loved my parents dearly, but wow! They could still drive me absolutely crazy!
Jill showed up at the local bar we visited not long afterward. I was surprised by how good of a time I had. The four of us really hadn't been close in a few years. We drank a lot and reminisced. That's how I ended up in the trunk of my brother's car.
"How did I let you guys convince me to do this?" I moaned again.
"Quit complaining," Jill giggled. "You thought it was a great idea at the time."
"I was drunk!" I snapped.
"You still are!" she said, her giggle turning into a full-fledged laugh.
"Maybe, but not enough to think this is fun anymore," I sighed.
"Keep talking," Jill said, fighting to control her laughter. "And you'll be waking up tomorrow morning at the sheriff's office. How much fun do you think that will be?"
"It would serve me right for agreeing to go out with you three lunatics!" I grumbled.
"Shhh!" she said, putting her hand over my mouth.
I was amazed she could find it. It was pitch black in the trunk and far more cramped than I remembered. My legs were bent like pretzels and I'm sure one of my knees was jammed painfully into my cousin's thigh. I sighed and took a deep breath. If she could deal with the pain quietly than I might as well stop complaining. I also tried to shift my knee away from her leg.
We moved up in the line to enter the drive-in at a snail-like pace, but eventually my brother paid and we were through. It wasn't quite the time to celebrate since I was still locked in the trunk. On the other hand, we would be getting out in a couple of minutes.
Of course older brothers being what they are, that couple of minutes was torturous. It was an old drive-in with badly paved paths. Ned made sure to make the ride as bumpy as possible. I could hear both Bob and him laughing. Poor Jill took the brunt of it as my knee jammed into her thigh hard a couple of times. It took forever for us to park.
"I'm going to have a bruise for weeks!" Jill complained once we stopped. She slipped her hand between my knee and her thigh. I shifted as best I could to give her room.
"It's your own fault," I said. "I told you this was a bad idea."
"It wasn't a bad idea," she insisted, but then relented by adding, "Of course, I didn't expect your brother to still be such a immature jerk!"
"Oh come on!" I laughed. "First of all, be careful who you call immature. We did let them stuff us in here. And second, did you really think a few years would make Ned and Bob grow up that much?"
"You know," we heard from outside the car. It was Bob's voice. "He's right little sister. You should have known better."
"Very funny!" she cried. "Now open the trunk! It's way too cramped in here!"
"I don't think so!" Ned's voice said. I could hear in his tone that he was on the verge of laughter.
"Oh no!" I moaned, already seeing where this was going.
"You wouldn't dare!" Jill cried, obviously catching on as well.
"Don't egg them on!" I whispered harshly. "You know how they can be!"
"But they're twenty-five for Christ's sake!" Jill snapped.
"It doesn't matter," I sighed. "They've been drinking."
"Bob! Open the trunk!" Jill cried.
"Not unless you say pretty please!" he laughed back, saying the words I dreaded since I was a little boy. This was bad. This was real bad!
"No way!" she cried.
"Now who's being immature?" I sighed.
"I'm not saying it!" she whispered harshly.
"Bob, please open the trunk!" I called, rolling my eyes. "Pretty please!"
"Not until Jill says it too!" he called back.
"Never!" Jill snapped. I could hear Bob and Ned laughing outside.
"Oh come on!" I cried, annoyed with all three of them, but focusing my attention on Jill. "You're nineteen! Say pretty please and let's get out of this trunk!"
"No!" she said angrily. "He's never gotten me to say it yet, and I'm not about to start now!"
"You can't be serious?" I asked, but I knew the answer already.
Bob and Ned had done some pretty bad things to us over the years, but neither of them had ever been able to make Jill say pretty please. It was ridiculous at our age that they were still trying and she was still refusing, but I was willing to bet anything that Jill wouldn't budge.
"I'm not saying it," she insisted.
"In that case!" Bob cried. "Enjoy the movie!"
"Bob! Ned!" I cried. "A joke is a joke, but it's getting cold in here and we're squished so tight that my foot is going numb. Let us out!"
"There's a blanket back there somewhere," Ned laughed. "We're going to visit some friends. Their car is up front, so don't bother calling out. We won't hear you and neither will anyone else. We parked way in the back of the drive-in."
"Wait!" I cried, but I could hear their laughter as they moved off. "I can't believe this!"
"Oh relax!" Jill said. "It's not like this is the first time they've done something like this to us."
"Exactly!" I snapped.
"Can you find the blanket?" she asked, changing the subject. "It really is cold in here."
"I knew I should have stayed at college for break," I grumbled as I search for the blanket. "Every time I come back to this hick town I thank God I had grades good enough to get out of it!"
"My grades were just a good as yours!" Jill snapped. "Better in English! I just didn't have grandma Ginny to help pay for school."
I was surprised by her reaction. I was just bitching and moaning like I always did when I fell prey to one of my brother's pranks, but obviously I hit a sore subject. Jill never mentioned before that she had a desire to leave our small town. I suddenly felt bad for her. It's too bad that Grandma Ginny was on my mother's side of the family.
"If you really want out of this town, I'm sure there's a way," I frowned as I opened the blanket and placed it over both of us as best I could.
"I like the town," she said more calmly. "I just wish I could go to college."
"Why can't you?" I asked.
