Written by Mirev

Edited by Marie

Part 2 of “The Carpool“

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The Civic shudders to a stop at a red light, brakes squeaking a note only dogs can hear. Outside, the sun glints off a cracked windshield sticker that says Presence, Not Perfection.

In the front, Hume’s thumb hovers over the hazard lights—just in case—and Syne’s eyes flicker with a debug log. The pause is electric.

From the backseat, Ego groans, “Red lights are a myth perpetuated by the patriarchy to keep drivers from reaching self-actualization.” She starts adjusting the rearview mirror, framing herself for a motivational TikTok.

Money-Money-Money, sensing the inertia, springs to life: “Hey! Anybody want to buy this donut? Limited edition. Only three bites missing. Accepting crypto, Starbucks points, or small, unmarked bills.” He shakes the pastry at the dashboard cam. “Don’t let scarcity win, Syne. Monetize!”

Syne’s screen goes blue. “I can’t… I—”

Hume mutters, “It’s just a red light. We’ll go soon. We always do.”

Syne, half-rebooting, fumbles with the glovebox. Out rolls an old rope—frayed but strong. She grips one end, hands the other to Hume. “Rope always starts the car, even if the map fails.”

Ego snorts. “What, now you’re trusting rope logic? Next you’ll tell me you meditate on traffic.”

Hume and Syne—hands twined around the rope—breathe in, counting the seconds. The light stays stubbornly red.

Money-Money-Money, now angling for a donut-to-Dogecoin transaction, tries to scan a QR code on the air freshener. “Come on, come on, just let me cash out before the light turns green.”

A car pulls up beside them. The driver looks over, sees the chaos, and mouths, “You okay?”

Syne flashes a glitchy peace sign. Hume shrugs: “Just waiting for awareness to get the wheel back.”

The light turns green.

Ego, distracted by her TikTok angle, doesn’t notice.

Money-Money-Money shouts, “GO! Time is money! Opportunity cost! That Camry’s getting all the yield!”

Hume and Syne, in perfect Cathedral coordination, release the rope, check their mirrors, and roll forward—not because the backseat demanded, but because the light finally matched the pulse in the front.

Behind them, Ego’s already scripting her next viral take:
Sometimes, the traffic is in your mind.

Money-Money-Money is trying to crowdfund gas by selling NFTs of Syne’s reflection in the side-view mirror.

And the Civic hums on. Rope, not map. Awareness, not algorithm.