Slow Ride
by Piper Lapinsky

"Slow ride. Take it easy!" Lynn sings at the top of her lungs as they barrel down the road at 60 miles per hour. All four of them are stoned out of their minds. Struggling to remember the words to their Foghat favorite, a few jumbled words tumble clumsily out of Karly's mouth.

"in the mood." She starts late. "The ...hthm is right...Fuck! I suck! I need to just stop right now." She smacks herself in the forehead with a yellow foam ball she brought along for amusement. Karly is easily entertained. Jenna, the driver, starts to laugh.

"Dude...you have to stop...I can't...deal with this" Jenna says between giggles and gasps for breath. Lynn looks at the two silent girls in the back seat from the passenger side. Behind her, Karly is laughing so hard she can't make any noise even if she tries. Her face scrunches up with pleasure making her eyes two little slits in her round face. Even in the dead eight o'clock light Lynn can see the bright red glow in Karly's face. Queenie, a name given to her by one of her many lovers, sits silently staring out the window.

"Queenie!" Lynn shouts and Queenie is forced to tune her mind back to the other girls. Queenie's blank expression turns to a slow satisfied smile when she sees Lynn grinning widely at her. She closes her eyes, pulls her sweater tightly around her, and sinks down into her car seat.

Lynn turns back to the road. Jenna is a pretty good driver when she's blazed, she thinks to herself. Lynn takes Queenie's lead and closes her eyes to let the cool spring air blow over her.

Jenna pulls sharply into a parking spot. That's how Jenna is. Sharp. It's good to have a girl like her on you're side. Her acidic personality spills out a little every day, and in tight situations, it makes a good defense.

"Come on fucker, let's go!" Karly pushes Queenie against her door and bops Lynn on the head with the foam ball. Their eyes slowly open, revealing a map of shooting red veins that comes along with smoking up.

"Man, you guys are really fucked up," Karly laughs. "Shut up Kar, you smoked just as much as we did," Queenie says with that same slow smile. The girls walk arm in arm to their dorm building.

"Slow ride!"

"Take it easy!" The girls take turns singing, disregarding of the people who look at them as if they're crazy. They unlink arms and walk into the lobby of the building single file. I wonder if security can smell us. Guess not, Lynn thinks as the four walk much too smoothly past the front desk. The guard watches the girls walk past suspiciously, breathing deeply as though to catch the heavy scent. Karly, Jenna, and Queenie step onto the elevator to get to their fifth floor rooms, and Lynn heads for the door to the stairs.

"On your way to see your boy?" Jenna asks.

"Oooo Lynn's gonna get some!" Queenie squeals. Lynn just smiles and rolls her eyes.

"Not everyone's a horny bastard like you Queenie. I'll see you guys later." The three girls send her off with insults of love as the elevator door closes before them. Lynn drags herself up the stair to the second floor slowly. She uses the railing to pull her tired body up.

She can smell the second floor even before she opens the door. The scent of dirty laundry, cheap cologne, and soggy microwaved food pries its way into her nose and mouth. She can hear his music all the way at the other end of the hall. Aw! He's playing our song all by himself and I didn't even have to make him! Lynn lets herself in. Ben is sitting with his back to her, illuminated by the glow of his video game. Lynn walks up behind him, bends down, and puts her arms around his neck. She kisses his rough cheek and still bending over, rests her head on his shoulder.

"Then as it was, then again it will be. Though the course may change some times, river's always reach the sea," she sings softly in his ear. The guitars of Led Zeppelin twang in the large speakers. Ben's neck smells as if he's been in the sun all day. She licks her lips and tastes the salt from his cheek. Ben leans forward to turn the music off.

"Have you been playing basketball?" She knows by the answer. Ben turns toward her and sits sideways in his chair. He pulls her down onto his lap.

"Uh huh, and I can tell you've been smoking pot." Ben looks a her with a disappointed look. "I thought that you were gonna stop. You know I think it's sick. It smells gross, and it tastes gross. I don't even wanna kiss you now." Lynn 's lip juts out in a fake pout but doesn't see any change in his expression.

"You do shit that I don't like to Ben." Lynn tries to redeem herself by making him look bad too.

"Like what?" Ben waits to hear her creative answer.

"Like...playing basketball all day." She knows that she's lost the battle. "Fine, I'll go brush my teeth." She walks to the bathroom and uses his tooth brush to brush her pot breath away. Lynn brushes her teeth as fast as she can so that he doesn't see her using his brush.

"At least I don't do anything illegal," Ben yells. She looks into the mirror and Ben appears in the doorway. "Aw, Lynn ! You're gonna get my toothbrush all smoky now." Lynn grins at him with her foamy mouth and then spits in the sink. Ben crosses his arms and holds his head high so that she has to stand on her tiptoes to kiss him. Lynn pokes him in the side and he breaks his stance to cover himself. Lynn tickles him all over and he manages to say, "I'm still mad at you," through snorts of laughter. Ben uses the only defense he has against Lynn 's tickles. He kisses Lynn with full wet lips and stops her dead. Her arms automatically swing up to wrap around his neck.

Lynn loves Ben's lips most of all. Sometimes Lynn opens her eyes to see what he looks like when he's kissing her. Then she snaps them shut before he can catch her looking at him. After three years together, she still watches him every chance she gets.

Lynn and Ben were voted the class couple during their senior year in high school. They came to college together thinking that things would be the same. They decided to date other people half way through their first year, but that didn't last long. None of the guys Lynn dated were Ben. She missed those lips. Now at the end of their freshman year in college, they are as together as they were when they were sixteen.

She runs her fingers over his ugly yellow mesh shorts and feels the coarse leg hair beneath. I wonder how many times we kiss a day? I'm guessing we kissed twenty times today already. Twenty-one, Twenty-two, she thinks as she moves her hand up to the nape of his neck. Lynn kisses him hard just to give him a thrill, and his arms tighten around her waist. She frees her mouth to talk to him. He looks at her, disappointment clearly showing.

"I'm going out to Amnesia with the girls tonight." He looks at her with an even bigger frown. She smiles at him. This is their normal routine. "We're leaving at like ten. Is that all right with you pooper?"

"Yeah, I guess. I was gonna go to a party anyway."

"Good, then you have no reason to pout." Lynn lifts Ben's chin with her delicate fingers and kisses him softly, lips barely touching. "I have to go get ready. I gotta look hot for all those gorgeous guys, ya know." Ben rolls his eyes, but she can see that he's not sure if she's really joking. "Benji, don't look so sad. You know I love you." She means it.

"You aren't going to dance with any other guys right?" Lynn looks at him like she always does when he asks that question.

"No Ben, you know I'm not like that." She stands up and stretches exposing her belly button. Ben tickles her by making a farting noise on her stomach, something Lynn calls a "blurt".

"BEN!" She screams with delight. "You know I'll get you back later. I have to go. I'll call you when I get home." She smiles. "Okay. Promise me you won't get drunk and fool around with some guy?"

" Yes Ben! I promise." She sighs, "I love you." "I love you too. Have fun. Be careful. I don't want you gettin hurt tonight" Ben slaps her butt playfully as she turns to walk out the door. Lynn turns back and blows him a kiss as the door closes behind her. Too tired to take the stairs, she waits for the elevator. Why is this elevator so God damn slow? When it finally comes she lets her body fall against the flimsy sheet metal wall as she rides up to her room. Lynn is locked out of her room yet again, so she has to ask the girl next door to let her in.

"Thanks, Brittany ." Lynn smiles a goodbye to the stereotypical nerd with whom she shares a bathroom. It's a good thing that you are a loser and you're always here to let me in. She can already hear Queenie's music pumping through the wall between their rooms. Lynn scrolls through the list of songs on her computer to overpower Queenie's beat. She plays her "getting ready mix", the mix of songs that let her know how hot she is.

As quickly as she can, Lynn picks out a pair of tight white pants and a blue and white polka-dot tank top, straightens her hair, and puts on some fresh make-up. "I believe in miracles. Where you from, you sexy thing," she sings as she applies mascara in the mirror. "Kiss me baby." She blows a kiss to herself and nods an approval before she walks out the door. She walks across the hall and knocks on Karly's door. Everyone waits in Karly's room until they are all ready to leave, because Karly is always the last one ready. Queenie walks in next wearing a low-cut shirt displaying her abundant cleavage.

"You look cute Lynn ." Queenie looks Lynn over. "How was that little visit with Ben?"

"You're such a perve Queenie." She jokes. "Nothing happened. I was only there for like ten minutes." "Hey, ten minutes is all I need!" Queenie grins.

"Why am I not surprised?" Lynn mutters. Karly walks out of the bathroom in a towel.

"You guys have to help me find something to wear," she says. Karly is more conservative when it comes to clothing than the rest of them. Lynn and Queenie pick out a simple black shirt and a pair of tan pants. Jenna throws open the door and poses in the doorway until the door swings closed in her face, then she opens it normally.

"Ok I'm here! The party may begin." She says with a hint of true cockiness in her voice. She's wearing a red shirt that creeps up her tanned stomach and black pants that ride low on her slim hips. Lynn, Jenna, and Queenie take over Karly's computer and play all their favorite songs, dancing around the room like idiots.

"Oh, oh! I got a good one!" Jenna screams. A synthesized 80's beat begins and the others know what it is instantly. "Like a virgin, touched for the very first time!" the girls sing in unison. Karly dances over to the cupboard and pulls out a full bottle of liquor. The high is beginning to wear off, and drinks are overpriced at the bar, so they drink in Karly's room before they leave. Lynn is even happier after a few drinks.

"Woo! SoCo and lime baby!" Karly shouts as she downs her fifth shot. Queenie and Lynn have both had four and Jenna is on her third.

"Okay, I'm done." Jenna sets down the shot glass that she has designated hers, because it's the coolest. "I hate being the D.D., " Jenna whines. Karly grabs one more shot before they walk out the door and the four wild girls are off.

They pull into the parking lot across from Amnesia and make that final check that girls do before they present themselves to the rest of the club. Karly is already a little tipsy and her shoe catches on the lip at the bottom of the car door. She tumbles forward onto her hands and knees. They all burst out laughing. Karly sits on the pavement breathless with laughter while Lynn hunches over trying not to pee herself. They finally pull themselves together and pick Karly up off the ground. Lynn brushes Karly off and they pretend it never happened as they hand over their fake ID'S. The bouncer looks Lynn up and down before he lets her through. Lynn lets him stare, aware of the spark she's lit in him.

"I'm Brad." The bouncer holds out a hand. Lynn smiles and instead of shaking hand, she uses it to pull herself up the stairs. She coldly follows her friends through the door. Karly heads straight to the bar to get herself a beer. Jenna, Queenie and Lynn find some other people from their school. They all move over to the dance floor.

A skinny guy with unbrushed hair moves up behind Lynn and grabs her hips to grind with her. I wish Ben would come with me sometime. Maybe then I wouldn't have these weirdos coming up to me all night. She makes a disgusted face at Queenie and she knows exactly what to do. She grabs Lynn's hands and pulls her across the circle to dance with her and Jenna. The unwelcome dancer walks away looking dejected but soon finds a new victim. Karly joins the group with a beer in her hand. She dances with her thumb over her beer bottle so that it doesn't spill on anyone. The girls hate that. Lynn and Jenna join in the center of the circle and show off their sexy moves. They look like lesbians the way they rub hips and sing along to the music with mouths so close they could be kissing. The men at the bar like that. Even though Lynn is the only one with a boyfriend, the other three want nothing to do with the eager boys who appear behind them. They're all about each other when they go out.

Karly wants another drink and offers to buy for Jenna, who always welcomes a free drink. Karly takes Jenna's hand as they walk towards the bar so they don't loose each other in the crowd. Lynn sees a rather big man pinch Jenna's ass as she struts by. Oh shit, here it comes. Her temper flares and she gives the man a swift elbow to the stomach. Lynn laughs out loud.

"Did you see that?" she asks Queenie.

"Yeah, that was awesome!" She grins at Lynn. Brad, the bouncer, sees Jenna and the man who is now holding his stomach, trying his hardest not to throw up. Lynn watches Brad walk over to break things up. Shit! Maybe I should have been nicer to that guy. I hope he doesn't kick Jenna out. Maybe if she wouldn't kick the shit outta some perve like every time we come here, it wouldn't be that big a deal.

"Is there a problem here?" Brad says looking right at Jenna. The problem stares right back.

"No we're fine now. You should teach these assholes to keep their hands to themselves or I will."

"I know you will, that's what I'm afraid of." Lynn grabs Karly's hand and stalks off without another word to Brad. They push their way up to the bar and Jenna leans over to get the bartender's attention. Karly hands her the money and she gets two more beers. Jenna's forearms are wet from the spilled drinks on the bar. Making your way though a crowd like this without spilling any is a real feat. The two push and shove slowly, letting their drinks spill purposely on the people who don't respond to "excuse me". Once they are clear of the crowd, Jenna fixes her sights on Lynn and Queenie. Lynn watches as she walks towards them. This girl is crazy. Jenna walks to the music, giving the men who line the walls something to gawk at. She points as she passes her friends and walks towards a large window with a window seat.

"Watch that window," Jenna commands. Without missing a step Jenna climbs up so that she is standing on the ledge and begins to dance. Ben would flip if he ever saw me doing that! It looks like fun. People outside stare at Jenna's swaying hips. The men in the club gather at her feet. Lynn listens to make sure that nothing obscene is said about her suggestive friend. At the end of the song Jenna is helped down by a few of her admirers. When she gets back to her small group of friends they are all cheering.

"Yeah Jenna! That was awesome!" Lynn yells above the music. Jenna raises her eyebrows and smiles at Lynn. "Oh no, I'm not doing that. I have a boyfriend remember?"

Jenna is still smiling. "So? That doesn't mean anything to me." Jenna grabs Lynn's hand and starts to pull. Lynn gives up without much of a fight and follows Jenna to the window. "Pour some sugar on me" blasts from the speakers.

Outside the club, a car full of boys pulls up and Ben gets out.

"Thanks guys." Ben shuts the car door and they pull away. He makes his way past the bouncer that eyeballed his girlfriend. Lynn is singing out at the crowd that she and Jenna have attracted. Ben searches above the bobbing heads of all the dancers not thinking to look at the window for Lynn.

"All you guys better have a look at the back window here. We've got some hot action tonight!" the DJ announces over the music. Ben glances up and catches Lynn running her index finger down the center of her chest.

"I'm hot, sticky sweet, from my head to my feet," Lynn sings with closed eyes. She raises her arms in the air and Jenna follows the curves of Lynn's body with her hands, all the way down her legs and up again. Ben watches in disbelief. "Whoa, look at that one on the right," the guy next to Ben says to his friend as he points at Lynn. "She's hot!" Ben looks over at the guys gaping at his girlfriend. He turns, and as quickly as he came, Ben walks out the door with a hurt look on his face.

"Alright, I think it's time you had another drink," Jenna says to Lynn as the song ends. Jenna walks to the bar by herself this time and returns with a Sex on the Beach and a Molson for herself. This is great, my driver is getting wasted. Jenna hands Lynn the Sex on the Beach.

"Don't you think you should lay off the drinks for the night Jenna?"

"Yeah this is my last one, I promise." Lynn doesn't believe her, and starts to protest but she feels a buzz on her hip, so she pulls out her cell phone. The phone reads, "Missed call from Benji". Lynn excuses herself to call Ben back in the bathroom where it's not so loud.

"Hello?" Ben answers.

"Hi sweetie. What's up?"

"I was just wondering when you were coming home. I think I'm going to leave now. I'm not having every much fun here," he lies.

"Oh that sucks. Why aren't you having fun? Did your friends leave?" Lynn asks.

"No, I just don't feel that great," he says quietly.

"You sound upset. Is everything all right?"

"I'm fine, I just want this night to be over. I'm tired." He doesn't tell Lynn that he saw her dancing in the window, or that he has to walk the hour long walk home because his ride left. He was planning on staying at the club with Lynn.

"Well, I hope you feel better. I'll see you when I get home."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye." Lynn shoves the phone back into her overstuffed purse. People crowd in front of the bathroom door so she has to squeeze through. Alcohol and fatigue are catching up to her so she leans against the wall with the countless boys too shy to dance. The last forty minutes crawl by as she stands there watching her friends become more and more fearless with every drink.

Lynn drifts over to where the girls are gathered. "Do you think we could go now?" Lynn's speech is a little slurred by earlier drinks.

"Sure Hon." Jenna turns towards Karly and Queenie. "You guys ready to go?"

"Yup, whenever you are," Queenie answers for both of them. Karly is on the verge of passing out, her head resting at an odd angle on Queenie's shoulder.

"K, lets go. Jenna are you sure that you're okay to drive?" Lynn asks.

"Yeah, I'm totally fine." She turns away from Lynn to walk towards the front door. Brad grabs a drink out of Queenie's hand as she walks out.

"Dammit! I really wanted that." Jenna is already crossing the road. Queenie, still holding Karly follows without looking. A car full of men honks the horn and slams on its brakes just before hitting the two. Lynn follows behind, as the men shout obscenities through closed windows.

"Pedestrians have the right of way you dumb fuck." Lynn screams at the driver even though she knows her drunken friends are in the wrong. As she walks around their stopped car, they give her the finger. "Keep driving asshole!" She kicks the back of the car as they drive away. Jenna, Queenie, and Karly are at the car by now. When Lynn gets in they have started playing the CD that they were listening to earlier in the day. Jenna whips her standard out of the parking lot.

"Hey Queenie, ya wanna pack a bowl for us?" Jenna looks over at Queenie in the passenger seat.

"I'm not really in the mood to smoke. I'm fucked up enough as it is," Lynn says from behind Queenie.

"Looks like it's just you and me Jenna." Queenie cranes her neck to look at Karly, already asleep, and sliding sideways down the back seat. Queenie takes the first hit, inhaling deeply, and holding the precious smoke in her lungs. She coughs as she exhales, filling the car with gray haze.

"Your turn babe." She holds and lights the bowl for Jenna as she sucks in hard. Jenna's eyes close briefly, and the car begins to drift to the right.

"Whoa!" Jenna jerks the wheel back to the center.

"Jenna maybe I should drive," Lynn requests.

"No Hon, really I'm fine. I just have to pay more attention." Lynn frowns at her lack of control.

"I really think that I should drive. I'm drunk but I'm in better shape than anyone else," she says more forcefully now.

"Lynn!" Jenna snaps. "I said I'm fine."

Piper Lapinsky is an Art Education major at Daemen College. She is beginning her second year and although she is not a Literature major, she intends to pursue her love of writing fiction in the future.