248: STUCK IN TRAFFIC ARIEL’S POV I couldn’t help but laugh upon hearing Luke’s words: “Okay, okay. There was no way at boy was going to do anything.” Luke widened his eyes, staring at me. “Is that what you think?” “No, I know that.” “It seems like you didn’t see how he clenched those fists. He was getting ready to deliver a Superman punch, like Roman Reigns or something.” “Please don’t start now. Let’s just go home.” “My home, you mean?” He smirked at me. What the hell was he feeling like? Anyway, I replied, “Yes, you’re home.” I held Janice’s hand, and the three of us left the candy store after that. We entered the car, and I laughed a little, recalling what Like said while we were still at the candy store. It was really fucked up, WWE stuff, seriously? Although I never liked that, I could not say the same about that psycho. Luke glanced at me. “Why are you laughing?‘ “Oh, it’s nothing,” I answered, shaking my head. “I was just thinking about something.” “What were you thinking about?” “Why are you so curious, huh?” “No big deal. I just love seeing you smile like that. “Lovely words. For a moment, I thought you were going to start talking sh*t.” “Why would you think like that?” ] gave him a knowing look, crossing my arms. I didn’t say anything, though. But he totally understood with that expression on my face. He also didn’t say a word; he simply turned his face away. Perhaps he didn’t find that funny. I didn’t mean to make him upset. I was just trying to, you know, joke around here. Luke turned on the engine and began driving. I noticed the sky was turning a deep shade of orange. It was getting darker, and the traffic was only getting Worse, We were stuck in the midle of a sea of cars, barely moving an inch. this traffic is ridiculous,” Janlee groaned from the backseat. know, right? It’s like everyone decided to leave work at the same time,” 1 replied, trying to make light of the situation. “Both of you should calm down. We just have to wait and hope for this traffic to be over soon.” “We’re not freaking out,” I told him. “I never said you were freaking out.” “But you told us to calm down.” “Technically, you guys were losing it.” “Yeah, right,” I whispered to myself, leaning on the car seat. And while we sat there, with our car slowly inching forward, I had to notice the chaos around us. People were honking their horns, yelling at each other, and even getting out of their cars to argue. It was like a scene from a bad movie. “I bet that boy from the candy store could handle this traffic better than all of these people,” Luke said, breaking the tense silence in the car. I rolled my eyes at his comment but couldn’t help but laugh. I never knew Luke had this side of making someone laugh, even in frustrating situations. Minutes passed that felt like hours, and the traffic only seemed to get worse. We were barely moving, and I could feel my patience wearing thin. “Seriously? What the hell is going on now? What’s causing all this?” Luke turned to me. “Who are you asking?” “I wasn’t talking to you. I was just… you know what? Nevermind. “Come on, talk. I’m not going to make fun of you.” “Even if you did, I wouldn’t give a damn.” He laughed. “Man, I love you.” I laughed forthwith, and Janice began to clap. “Daddy loves Mommy. Daddy loves Mommy. It’s time for a kiss. It’s time for a kiss. Daddy loves Mommy. Daddy loves Mommy. It’s time for a kiss. Time for a kiss,” she sang, clapping her hands. “Nice one, Janice. You should go be a singer; you got the voice,” Luke teased. I looked at him immediately because I knew he was making fun of her, even though she wasn’t going to realize it. Her singing was sort of terrible, so technically, he was mocking her. I wanted to say something to Luke, but then something unexpected happened. A man in the car next to us started cursing and yelling at another driver, who responded with even more aggression. Before we knew it, a full–blown argument had broken out between the two drivers, causing a major delay in traffic. “Great, just what we need,” I muttered, feeling my frustration grow. But Luke turned to me. “Hey, maybe this will turn into a wrestling match, and we’ll have some entertainment while we wait.” I couldn’t help but laugh at his ridiculous comment. “Only you would think of that in a situation like this.” But as we sat there, watching the two drivers continue to argue, It was really annoying, and I wished this shit could just stop. The two drivers continued to argue, and the tension in the air grew thicker. I could feel the anger and frustration radiating off of them. Suddenly, a loud gunshot filled the air, causing everyone around to freeze. People started to panic and try to move their cars, but with the heavy traffic, it was nearly impossible. Another gunshot rang out, and this time, I could see the fear in Janice’s eyes. “Janice, honey, come sit in the front with me.” Luke tried to sound calm. “I’m scared,” Janice stuttered, and it looked like she was about to cry. “It’s okay, sweetie. Just come sit with me and Luke,” I said, trying to reassure her. Janice climbed over the seats and sat between me and Luke, burying her face in his chest. “What do we do now?” I asked, my own voice shaking. “I don’t know, but we have to stay calm for Janice,” Luke replied, trying to keep his voice steady. Suddenly, another car pulled up next to us, and a man with a gun stepped out. He was yelling at the two drivers fighting, but they were too caught up in their argument to even notice him. The man fired a shot into the air, and that’s when everyone in the surrounding cars started to panic. People were honking their horns, trying to get out of the way, but there was nowhere to go. cover your ears.” Luke sald, pulling her even closer to him. 1 could feel my heart racing as the man with the gum continued to yell and fire off shots. I prayed that we would make it out of this situation unharmed Finally, the police arrived and were able to diffuse the situation. The man with the gua was taken into custody, and the two drivers were separated. As we finally started to move through the traffic, I sighed in relief. Janice was still shaking, but she had stopped crying. I reached over and took her hand, giving it at gentle squeeze. Are you okay, sweetie?” I asked, looking back at her. “I think so,” she replied, her voice still shaky. “Everything’s going to be okay. We’re safe now,” I reassured her. “Mommy, I don’t like traffic. Can we go home now?” Janice asked, her eyes still filled with fear. “Of course, baby. As soon as we got out of this mess, I smiled at her. Minutes passed, and I didn’t know how, but we finally made it out of the traffic and onto the open road. Life, my friend, could be really unpredictable. One moment, we were making jokes, and the next, we were stuck in the middle of a dangerous situation. Claim Bonus For Free Every Day**