A driving lesson
Melina wanted to put the entire Matt ordeal behind her. She got her lick in and didn't get in trouble for it. She had to focus on softball and picking up hours over the summer as she had been working three days a week at her job and promised to be available to her boss over the summer for the full hours required to be just part time. On Melina's sixteenth birthday her mother bought her a nineteen eighty seven vulswagon car. It looked just like the vulswagon her and her sister Mia stole when they ran away that time. Melina's mom reasoning for the eight hundred dollar purchase was because Melina loved it so much she would sleep in it often. Lara McNally was completely useless when it came to observation of her daughter's need to sleep in the car she just focused on the action not the reason behind the action. Dana being a spoiled little brat got offended her dad spent eight hundred dollars on a car for mia as she demanded on her sixteenth birthday her day pay for her car too. Dana got a three thousand GT which cost eight thousand dollars compared to melina's eight hundred dollars. Melina remembered her mother handing her the driver's hand permit book the day before she had to take the paper test . This action was doom to be a failure . Melina sat outside the D M V and studied an hour before her test. Melina went in and failed the three test as she knew she had to get a permit if she ever wanted to drive her car. Back then there was five versions of the test and was five dollars a peice. Melina accepted her failure due to her last minute study notice. Then the instructor gave her one more chance and Melina passed the test. Melina came out the victor in an already failed attempt of failure set up. Melina got in the car as it had rolled down windows as she cranked the car. Grant Melina had been driving on a race when she was eight when she was doing farm work in the system so she knew a little how to drive. David sat in the front seat and Lara in the back seat. Melina had no idea the cruelty of her mother and her meaness until this moment. Melina proceed with caution as Lara screamed at her turn left turn right without warning and if she missed the turn she would slap the back of Melina's head while she was driving and tell her to pull the car over. Lara Mcnally was a tterrible mother and an even terrible driver. She remembered as a small chile the littered yard of broken cars because of her mother's driving. She remembered how her mother would try to do her makeup for church as she drove as she thought it would save time. As she ran a stop sign and was hit by an semi truck . Lara McNally was the worst person to teach driving skills as traffic violations was her middle name and she didn't care if her license was suspended Lara did what Lara wanted when Laura wanted. Right now lara wanted to slap her daughter every time she messed up learning how to drive. Melina was allowed to drive to softball practice or a game but Lara would drive back home. One night after a game Lara began down the road with no head lights on. Lara fumbled while driving in the dark. The road to the ball park was on a mountain side and only thing between Melina and death was a mountain drop off. Melina screamed at the stupidity of her mother's reckless behavior as she didn't know where the head lights were as Melina reached over and turned them on as they skirted over the edge as Melina jerked the wheel back onto the path as Lara back handed her for the correction of her bad driving habits. " Don't touch me when I'm driving!" Scolded Lara not caring she almost killed both her and Melina that night. " How do you drive a car with no headlights." Exclaimed Melina which earned her another slap in her head. Lara liked to slap people as it was her favorite thing to do. She was a scrapper and any means to hit someone was like a power play according to Laura . Melina was going to use her car for drivers ed this year because she decided right then she couldn't let her mother teach her how to drive if she could drive herself. David would let her drive to the school as to practice with her when her mother wasn't looking. One day Melina was driving to the park as usual as Lara once again slapped her in the back of the head while driving. Melina was tired of this behavior as she grabbed the parking break pulled it up and spun the wheel sliding over gravel as she slammed on her breaks as the car slid three hundred and sixty degrees then stopped . Lara McNally sat in the back seat stunned. " If you ever slap me again while I'm driving next time I will flip this car and damn it to hell if I kill you in the process. How stupid do you have to be to slap the driver. Do you want to be slapped every time you drive bad which is often." Yelled Melina tired of her mother's treatment of her. " You will never drive again." Screamed Lara as she didn't like her daughter pointing out her flaws. " That is fine by me. I will also never play softball again if I don't drive. So you chose you leave me the hell alone while driving or I will flip this car so help me and end us both." Said Melina as Lara sat back in the seat as David in the front seat held the oh shit handle as he watched the interaction. " Good now we have that clear." Said Melina as she lowered the parking break and hit the gas as she flew up the hill to the softball fields. Lara held on as Melina parked the car as she felt proud of her accomplishments. Melina made it to the ball park as Lara snatched the car keys out of Melina's hands. Melina narrowed her eyes at her mother knowing she would lose her driving privileges because of that stunt she pulled but it was so worth it. Melina had a ritual before games she would always order fries and chicken tenders and sweet tea as she sat at the table of the previous team playing to watch them while her team would arrive. She came early just for the food. Melina sat there minding her own business as a young umpire came up mid game and sat his drink on the table beside her. She payed him no mind as her food was the most interesting thing to her at the moment. He came back between innings off the first base line as he drank his tea and winked at her. He was younger than the other umpire as she nodded at him as she didn't really appreciate being bothered before the game. She ate as he came back over as he flashed a smile. Melina at this point was wondering what the hell he wanted . " Hi." He said in a casual tone. " Hi there." Replied Melina as she tried to return to her food. " I'm Micheal. " He said as he took a sip of his drink and sat it back down. " Melina. But they call me mickey." Said Melina as her jersey said Mickey. He nodded his head like he was digging her. " Nice to meet you. You play next game?" He asked as Melina was wondering if he had a game to return to. " Yep." Melina replied as she drank her drink as she wished he would stop coming over there. " You have a phone? He asked as Melina pulled out her phone and waved the relic at him. He grabbed it and put his number in it. Then handed it back. Melina looked at what he did and was bewildered why he did that she thought he needed to make a call . " Don't be a stranger okay. I'll see you later." He said returning to the game . Then came back to drink some more of his drink. Melina thought that's a bad idea to drink so much on the field. " Your sixteen?" He asked more of a confirmation instead of a question. Melina nodded her head . He nodded his head . "I'm eighteen . This is just a summer job." He admitted . " Do you work?" He asked. " Yes. Chick fil-a." Melina replied as she was wondering when he would let her eat in peace. " That's cool. " He said as the field cleared up as Melina got up and got ready for her warm ups as her team mates had arrived. A few girls ran up screaming like they had lost their minds. Melina looked at them like they had lost their minds." Oh my god were you talking to the hott umpire ?" Said her friend named Tiff. " Who him. I guess. I was eating apparently his drink was where I was eating." Admitted Melina. " Wow. What did he say?" Squilled tiff. " He asked my name if I was sixteen, if I worked and then he used my phone to save his number." Said Melina as the girl dropped her glove as Melina hit her with the ball. " Tiff your supposed to catch the ball not drop it." Said Melina as tiff mouth gaped open. " You have the hott umpires number." She screamed as she ran to Melina. " Yeah." Melina said backing away from the hysterical friend. " Are you going to call him." She cried. " Why?" Melina said not interested. " Because he is hott. " Yelled tiff Melina was beginning to feel creeped out over the stimulation of excitement from tiff. " Is he?" Said Melina as she didn't really pay attention to him just ate her food. " Let me see your phone I want to see his number." Said tiff as Melina rolled her eyes as she handed it over as they were supposed to be warming up. Then it happened tiff pressed call as Melina reached for her phone as she looked to see if the umpire picked up. She closed the phone ending the call as she shook her head at Tiff and her antics. Melina wasn't going to call him. She was just going to delete the number but now he had her number too. " Do you mind. You know Coach says no phones on the field. " As Melina put her phone in her softball bag. Melina pitched that night as they played Dana's team and Melina made a lot of good plays as she watched Micheal watching her as she got up to bat. She felt self conscious as he yelled. " Hey Mickey . Get a good hit mickey ." As he was very distracting as Melina hit a ball to the outfield and ran. She noticed Michael say something to his other umpire fried as he stood on the first base line where she was on base. Melina tried to pay attention to the game as she looked at him. "Weren't you just at home plate?" Melina said as she jumped off the base to take another base but jumped back on the base as Dana looked at her . Then ran . She made it around to think base as Michael came down to the third base line . " Are you following me. You know stalking is illegal in all fifty states." Melina said as he smiled at her comment. " So are you going to call me when you get home tonight." He asked as he smiled at her. Melina didn't answer him ." Run " he said as the catcher dropped the ball and Melina ran to take the home plate. Melina was packing up to leave when the game ended as Micheal came around casually . " You never answered my question ? Are you gone to call me tonight." He repeated. " Isn't that the guy's job to call the girl. " Melina asked as she pulled off her cleats. " I would but I don't have a personal phone. That was my home phone number.i gave you." He said as Melina realized how stupid smtiff had called his home phone and he was here. " I already tried the number." Said Melina as she felt weird. " I got ya. Hey Mickey. You play well . Really well. I'll call you when I get home. It will be late but I will call you." He said as Melina nodded her head as tiff waited for her . Melina left to the car as David drove home since Lara was still mad at Melina for her driving escapades.