Her best friend, Chloe, had just gotten her driver’s license—a beat-up Honda Civic with a shattered cupholder and a CD player that only ejected if you hit the dashboard just right. Every afternoon, they’d roll down the windows, let the heat swamp the vinyl seats, and turn the volume until the speakers rattled.
They didn't say anything. They just sat there, the engine ticking, the stereo blasting: top 40 kiss fm 2012
By the time they hit Number 4—Ellie Goulding’s "Lights"—Mia’s eyes were wet. The song wasn't sad, but the synth arpeggios felt like memories slipping through her fingers. Her best friend, Chloe, had just gotten her
"It's time," Chloe would whisper, pressing the preset button for the third time. The robotic voice of the DJ would crackle through: "KISS FM. Your home for the Top 40." They just sat there, the engine ticking, the
Mia reached over and turned the key to "ACC." The radio died. The crickets rushed in to fill the silence.
They stopped for slushies at the gas station. They drove the loop around the high school parking lot. And as the sun bled orange and pink across the cornfields, the countdown began.
Number 1 was inevitable. It had been number one for eleven weeks. As the opening synth pulse of "We Are Young" by fun. featuring Janelle Monáe filled the car, Chloe pulled over onto the gravel shoulder of County Road 9.