“Damn it!” I cry. “Damn it, damn it, damn it!” I look to the front wheel of my hand me down Toyota Echo, which is flat. The air whooshes out of it with a little “wheeee” as the tire just slowly becomes a pile of rubber attached to my car.

My little sister, Keira, hops out of the passenger seat. Keira just got her permit, so she and I decided to take a road trip together in attempts to not only sister bond, but also to help her learn to drive.

Keira is thirteen years younger than me, so by the time she could actually think rationally, I was ready to move out. This trip was supposed to help us get closer, but the whole hour we’ve been in the car was just Keira blabbing on and on about all twelve relationships she’s been in the past year.

“Um… do we really need all four wheels to drive?” Keira asks. “I mean, we have three more.”

“I wish that was the case,” I say, kicking the car out of frustration.

Keira takes the purple scrunchie around her wrist and twists it in her long brown hair so it’s out of her face.

“You know how to change a tire? Dad taught me how to change a tire when I was, like, twelve when he got a flat on the freeway. I think I remember most of it.”

I almost roll my eyes at the mention of our dad. I never had a great relationship with dad. He was never that present throughout my childhood, so we just never got that close. Keira on the other hand seems to have no problem spending time with him. They go out to dinner just the two of them every Friday and have daddy daughter days every other Sunday. Dad never made time like that for me.

“I know how to change a flat,” I say. “I just don’t have any of the stuff to change it. I don’t even have another tire!”

"That sucks,” Keira says, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

“What are you doing with that?” I ask, frustration creeping into my voice. “Now isn’t the time to do your BeReal or TikTok.”

“I’m calling Dad. His work is only fifteen minutes away, he’ll help.”

As Keira begins to dial on her phone, I let out a string of curse words that I hope Keira thinks are to the car, but are actually about how I know Dad will drive right on over to help Keira, but he’d never help me.

Favorite child much?