“Listen up, buddy! I can only go as fast as the car in front of me! And, the way you’re tailgating my ass, I’m not really feeling the urge to!”
     “Jamie, your road rage gets worse and worse every time you drive. Maybe I should….”
     “Chloe, I’m sorry, but we can’t be late for another meeting! Nick will have our ass!” Jamie exclaimed, edging the car to the left in hopes of spotting a passing zone. She groaned and moved the car back in place just as the eighteen wheeler flew by, the air rocking the small Focus.
     “He may have your ass, but not mine. It isn’t MY fault that we’re going to be late…again. Who was it that just couldn’t get away from the computer?” Chloe questioned, flexing her fingers, the color slowly returning to them. Jamie glared at her from the corner of her eye.
     “You could have informed me of the time, you know.” She mumbled sourly. Chloe snorted from the passenger side seat.
     “Isn’t there a clock on the computer?” Chloe retorted.
     “Hold on..” Jamie said suddenly. Chloe barely had a chance to react before Jamie swerved left and stomped onto the acceleration.
     “Jamie! Are you trying to kill us!?” Chloe shouted, her voice edging closer to its panicked peak.
     “No, I’m trying to keep us from getting killed,” She answered casually, easing the car back onto the correct side of the road. “Like I said, Nick will kill us if we’re late again. We’ve been late the past three meetings…”
     The lights from behind were bright when they suddenly flipped on. The piercing blue was bright enough to see a mile away. Jamie groaned, her forehead suddenly meeting the steering wheel.
     “Dammit...” She muttered, turning her blinker on and easing off onto the shoulder of the road. She glanced over to see Chloe’s pale face. She couldn’t determine whether it was from her driving or the fact that they were being pulled over. She sat back in her seat and sighed.
     “Chloe, can you hand me my stuff out of the glove box?” She cleared her throat when Chloe didn’t move. “Chloe, please?”
     There was a knock at the window causing Jamie to twitch in agitation. She turned and smiled politely at the invisible face outside of her window. Rolling down the window, she glanced over at Chloe once more.
     “License and registration, please?” Jamie swallowed a groan when she heard the female police officer speak. Well, there goes any chance of getting out of this ticket. She sighed and waited for Chloe to respond.
     “Chloe! I need my stuff out of the glove box!” She said, raising her voice a tad. Chloe snapped from her stupor, her head slow shaking.
     “Yeah, I’ll get it.” Her voice was shaking slightly. Jamie knew right there that it hadn’t been her driving or the police officer. She had to get to Nick right away.
     “Ma’am, have you been drinking tonight?” The woman asked. Jamie heard a small clicking noise and noticed a small beam of light reflect off of the passenger side mirror. Great… Just what she needed.
     “No, we haven’t officer. May I ask why you jumped to that conclusion or would I be overstepping my boundaries?” Jamie asked, turning back to the officer and raising an eyebrow. The woman narrowed her eyes and stepped back from the car door.
     “Keep your hands where I can see them and step out of the vehicle.” It wasn’t a request, it was a demand. Jamie bit her tongue, frustrated with herself.
     “Yes, ma’am.” She reached outside of the car to open it from the outside like she had seen done before. She stepped out and to the left, letting the door close behind her.
     “Ma’am, I’m really sorry for my misbehavior. I was out of line. Please, if you’ll just issue the speeding ticket, I’ll gladly accept any charges.” Jamie tried to reason. The police officer wouldn’t hear it.
     “Turn around and face the car.” She demanded. Jamie scowled and reluctantly turned around. She grunted in surprise when she felt the woman shove her hands into her lower back, pushing her against the car.
     “Hey! Watch it, lady.” She said, trying to look over her shoulder. She cursed when her head was pushed against the car. “What the hell is your problem?”
     “Quiet!” The woman shouted in Jamie’s ear. Jamie resisted the urge to jerk free. She hated the feeling of being pinned down. She ground her teeth together, the gnawing causing a mild headache to immediately form.
     “I have one question for you, Miss Gayle,” the woman asked, her breath low and steady. Jamie’s eyes widened at the mention of her name. She strained to turn her head, but the hand held her firmly in place.
     “Why is it that you’re always late for Nick’s meetings even though you’re speeding almost twenty miles over the speed limit?” The voice, filled with undeniable amusement, finally dawned upon Jamie.
     “Sandra?” She asked in shock. She pushed up from the car, not caring anymore. The hand holding her down disappeared and quiet laughter followed.
     “Yeah, you’re lucky it was me behind you, missy.” Sandra said, taking her police hat off. Her long, raven black hair cascaded down her back. “I’m off duty, anyways.”
     She leaned over and looked into the window.
     “Hey, Chloe. How are…” Sandra cut off and looked over at Jamie. “Did she…?”
     Jamie nodded slowly, her fingers rising automatically to massage her forehead.
     “Right before you pulled me over. I thought that was the reason she went quiet,” Jamie paused a thoughtful second. “That or my driving..All that aside, I realized a moment afterwards that she had had another one…”Sandra sighed and reached back to gather up her hair.
     “Come on,” she said, placing her hat back onto her head. “We need to get to Nick as fast as possible to report it. It’s a good thing you have me here to escort you there with no further delays. Think you can keep up?” Jamie smiled appreciatively at the challenge.
     “Just try me...”