Peaches

mattered much anyway; it drove like it was running on grape jelly. This thing is a piece of lemon, she thought. And then she wanted to cry.
    Murphy shifted her feet along the dashboard. “Well, we’d better do it soon because you’re gonna run out of gas.”
    “I get the concept of a gas gauge, thanks,” Leeda said airily. This made Murphy glare at her, then shake her head and laugh.
    “What?” Leeda asked.
    “Nothing. It’s just you’re funny, that’s all.”
    A piece of tape had come undone from one of the holes in Murphy’s backseat and was sticking to Birdie’s thigh. Her hair kept getting in her eyes. She was beginning to think she knew what the inside of a volcano might feel like. She felt like something was going to explode out of her. It started as a rumble way down at the base of her gut.
    “What do you mean?” Leeda snapped, obviously seething.
    “You’re just so petty. It’s great.”
    “ I’m petty?”
    Birdie clenched her fists against her thighs. But it didn’t stem the tide. She slammed one into the back of Murphy’s seat. “You’re both petty! You’re both the pettiest, most selfish people I ever met in my life!”
    Murphy turned to goggle at her. The look of astonishment on her face made Birdie want to scream.
    “All you think about is yourselves. You know what? I don’t care if you guys ever make up! Just leave me the hell out of it! I don’t need it from you.”
    Birdie was breathing hard. Leeda had slowed to granny speed and shot nervous glances back at her.
    “Birdie, I…”
    “Murphy didn’t even kiss Rex back, you know. She told him off!”
    Murphy whipped around in her seat. “Birdie!”
    “And the thing is, she’s in love with him. And you’re not. He’sjust your crutch. And she still didn’t kiss him back. Because she loves you more.”
    Birdie turned on Murphy now. “And you’re loyal enough not to hook up with her boyfriend but not loyal enough to put aside your pride and just explain. What a joke! You’re both a joke! And you’re sitting here seeing who can be more vindictive, not even noticing what the hell is going on with anyone else. God! You saw what just happened with Enrico, my parents are getting divorced, I’m losing my goddamn house, my dad’s moving God knows where, and if I go with him, I’ll probably never see you guys again. I can’t stand either of you!”
    As Birdie finished, she swiped at where her hair had pasted into her eyes.
    Leeda was driving very slowly and steadily. Murphy was still staring over the seat at her.
    “I’m sorry, Birdie,” she finally said.
    Birdie just peeled the tape off her thigh and looked out the window.
    She didn’t say another word. She didn’t understand herself. She felt like a monster inside.
    After that, the car was silent as a grave.
    It had started to rain.

    By the time they reached Bridgewater, it was pouring. Leeda leaned forward over the steering wheel of Yellowbaby like an old lady, trying to peer through the huge, relentless drops as they smacked the windshield. She didn’t want to make a wrong turn and give Murphy a reason to make fun of her, even though Murphy had been quietly staring straight ahead, her bare feetclenched together and resting against the glove compartment.
    Birdie was curled into a ball in the backseat, like a heroin addict going through withdrawal. Leeda could see her in the rearview, her big brown eyes staring out the window but not really focusing. They navigated their way to the back side of the orchard, driving slowly along the property line. The potholes in the road were filling and overflowing with rain, and the car shook and bobbed as it dipped into one and then another. Big leaves pasted themselves against the windshield, only to be crushed to either side by the wipers. They had just made it a few hundred yards when the car gave a gasp and then went silent, rolling to a complete stop.
    “Crap,” Murphy said, not moving, not even shifting her gaze from straight ahead.
    Leeda yanked it into park.
    They sat for a few seconds, thinking. “Well, maybe we should wait out the storm a little and…”
    Crack.
    Birdie had thrown the car door open. In another moment she was up and out, running into the orchard.
    Murphy and Leeda exchanged one dumbfounded look.
    “Birdie!” Leeda called, throwing her door open and leaning over the top of the car. She was immediately drenched.
    Murphy jumped out of the car too. “Where’s she going?” she yelled.
    Leeda