Life is a Highway

“Who the heck are you??”

“Um are you deaf, Trey? I literally just said my name’s Jocky, man.”

“No no no, what I was trying to say was WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE WE’RE FRIENDS??”

And how does he know my name!

The punk in the driver’s seat thought for a second while waiting for the light to turn green. “I mean, I saved your life doesn’t that, like, make us buds?”

“No…but you do kinda have a point,” I said as I pictured an angry Shinji chasing me across school. I folded my arms and slumped into the back seat of the convertible.

“So uh…where are you taking me anyway?”

“Well, as the great Albert Einstein once said; ‘Life is a Highway’ replied Jocky in a theatrical impression that did not suit him at all.

“Um that does not answer my question and isn’t that a song from Cars?”

“Wait really? Wow man, I never knew Albert Einstein was a singer…and he was in Cars??”

“Ugh, no Jocky,” I said with a sigh, “nevermind, just forge-“

Suddenly, the car took a sharp turn that threw me out of my seat.

I groaned in pain as I tried to prop myself up against the car door, “Hey watch it you-“

Jocky as he slammed on the brakes of the car and whirled around to face me with a scowl on his face, “No, you watch it. Seatbelts save lives!” he said sternly, “Until you buckle up, I’m not driving a single meter further young man!”

That’s the best idea you’ve had all day.

“Look…J-Jocky,” I said, still recovering from the impact, “I didn’t even w-wanna go anywhere in the firs-“

“Oh wait would ya look at that we’re home!” he shouted suddenly as he cut the engine and jumped out of the car.

Finally, he’s gone…wait did he just say home? And how does he change character so fast??

“Hey wait, don’t leave me here!” I said, stumbling out the car after Jocky as he ran up the pathway of his house and fumbled around in his pockets.

He paused and turned back to face me, “Do you have the keys or do I?” he asked.

“Oh sorry my bad let me check my- WHY WOULD I HAVE YOUR KEYS I DON’T EVEN LIVE HERE!“

“Oh nevermind, I left them in the door silly me,” he said with a laugh that somehow made me feel even more pain than the car incident.

“I-I’m losing braincells by the minute here,” I said as I watched him enter his house like a giddy school kid.

“You coming?” he called from upstairs….wait, upstairs? How did he get there so fast?!

“Jocky um…we need to talk.”

“Um yeah sure you can man, but I probably won’t respond it’s kinda hard to hear you from up here!” he shouted.

I shook my head before stepping inside Jocky’s home and closing the door behind me. As I made my way up the stairs I tried not to be distracted by the numerous photographs that lined the stairway like wallpaper.

“Look…man. I appreciate you helping me out back there don’t get me wrong.”

There’s a picture of Jocky with his mom.

“but this whole situation is just getting out of hand!”

There’s one with Jocky in a tux.

“I mean it’s one thing to help me escape a lunatic trying to chase me…”

There’s one with Jocky at an office desk.

“…but this? Driving across town, missing school,

There’s one with Jocky shaking the president’s hand.

…going to your house! Look, you’re a very generous guy and all and maybe I gave off the wrong impression.”

There’s one with Jocky acquiring Sycamore High.

“I don’t even know you, scratch that, I don’t know you at all!”

There’s one with Jocky and his dog.

“So if you could be so kind as to drop me off back at school or something I’d be more than happy to pay you ba-…wait…

“Jocky who-“

“Sorry man no can do. According to your schedule your class ends in about forty minutes and by the time we, like, drive back that time will be halved and since you have Miss Kuronuma…wait you’ve got English right, man?”

I nodded in bewilderment.

“Right, she lets you guys out ten minutes early on Fridays so technically you’ll be getting, like, no lesson time at all and that my friend,” he said, finally breathing after about thirty seconds of nonstop talking, “is as we call it in the business world:

pretty lame.”

“…”

“..”

…who are you exactly?”

________________________________________________________________________________

If you told me yesterday that tomorrow I’d be meeting Jocky Saunders I would’ve laughed in your face. If you told me that he was gonna give me a ride in his car I would’ve started writing a will. But if you told me I was gonna be listening to his life story and GENUINELY LIKING IT…I would’ve directed you to the nearest mental hospital. Yet here we are, sitting on his bed and looking through old photo albums like he didn’t just drive through ten red lights with me in the backseat just an hour ago….

“Wait, wait,” I said for about the fifteenth time, “So you’re the CEO of ten top tier companies and the founder of five of them!?”

He smiled, “Well when you put it like that it seems really impressiv-“

“But it is! Jocky that’s incredible!”

“Thanks,” he said with a sheepish smile.

“I’ve got a question though,” I asked as I flicked through some old high school year books.

“Hm?”

“Why did you buy Sycamore High? I mean, I get that you’re a businessman but what value does a small little high school have?”

Jocky went a little quiet as he took the book out of my hand and smiled before handing it back to me. “Let’s just say it had sentimental value to me.”

“I…see,” I said a little quietly, not wanting to disturb whatever memories were running through his head. “Well um, you sure do run it well, I mean you knew my name, my schedule, everything!”

He smiled once again, “Yeah thanks, I like to keep a good eye on my companies but uh…you know I, like, went to Sycamore too man, that’s how I knew your schedule ’cause it hasn’t changed in, like, forever. I’m only twenty you know.”

“Whaaaaaat? Look, I heard you were young but I didn’t think you were that young! But anyways, I guess you heard my name from your time at Sycamore too then? Wow, I didn’t think I was popular enough to be noticed by 12th Graders.”

“Yeah no you’re not, I just heard that weirdo in glasses who was chasing you being all like; ‘Treysooooooon Brawlerrrrrr’ like what was that about?” he asked curiously.

“It’s Baller first of all”

“Got it”

“And well…”

Should I really be telling this guy my situation? I mean he DID save my life after all. Besides, who could he possibly tell?

“Well???” said Jocky, nearly falling off the bed as he pressed his face up to mine.

“Okay, okay cut it out! So there’s…well there’s this girl-”

“I KNEW IT! And that was her brother chasing after you?”

“Huh what? No!”

“Husband?”

“NO!”

“Father? Wow these teenage pregnancies are really getting out of ha-“

“WILL YOU STOP IT! That was Shinji Nakamura and he’s my only lead to finding out who she is.” I put my head in my hands, “Ugh it’s all so confusing.”

“Wait let’s reload the tape deck there buddy, you’re telling me you don’t even know who your crush is?”

“Yes! I know, I know it’s dumb. We just met yesterday while working at the Spring Fair, except I was in a tent and- okay long story short she was really nice, I think she was into me, her hand was really soft and I just wanna meet her again!…I did not just say that out loud.”

“…You did…moving on, um what does Shinji have to do with any of this?”

“Well she’s definitely not from my grade so I figured she was a volunteer, only problem is Shinji’s the only one with the list.”

Jocky raised one finger up in the air, looked up briefly as if he was doing a calculation, then suddenly he jumped off the bed, leapt into his dusty desk chair and started up his computer.

“What are you doing?” I said, walking over to him.

“Shinji isn’t the only one with that list…” he said while furiously typing on his keyboard.

“Wait…” I couldn’t believe my ears, had all this actually happened for a reason!

“Gotcha!” he shouted as he clicked a button on his computer. A dusty old printer suddenly whirred to life.

“But how did you-“

“All volunteers had to fill out through an online participation form first. I own the school Treyson, man, I gotchu!” he said as he handed me the list of names from the printers’ mouth.

“This…this is perfect! I honestly don’t know how to thank you Jocky you’re wonderful!” I said, giving him a hug without thinking. 

“You’re nothing like I expected at all! I can’t imagine why Mr Saunders wouldn’t feel proud of you!” I said, motioning to the room full of memories as I spun around in joy, but as I turned back to Jocky he did not share the same happy expression.

“I guess…sometimes we try and do the right thing but we forget the people…closest to us along the way,”he said slowly.

“Wait, Jocky what’s wrong I didn’t mean to-“

Jocky raised a hand up and gave me a small smile as he got out of his chair and placed a hand on my shoulder, “Look, whatever happens in your wild goose chase man, just promise me one thing.”

“S-sure…anything.”

“If life is a highway and you gotta drive to make it through…before choosing your destination…make sure you ask your passengers what they think about it too.”

He patted me on the shoulder one last time before leaving me in his room, spellbound.

“C’mon man, your mom’s gonna be worried sick if we’re late!”

I smiled, “On my way…bud.”

________________________________________________________________________________

Did I just say bud?

Don’t make me say it again.

And what do these new interventions mean for Mission Malva Girl?

Hey that’s kinda catchy!…But never say it again either.

Find out next time on the next thrilling episode of Eh…Malva Girl?