No Way You Like Nickelback

The radio finally crackled back to life after a particularly long stretch of highway. Even though conversation was more than enough to keep Rick and Anna occupied, it was nice to have some background noise that wasn’t static.

Rick kept his eyes on the road as Anna adjusted the radio volume and changed it to a clearer station. It wasn’t long before Nickelback’s “Burn It To The Ground” was audible throughout the old Ford.

“We would have been better off if it was still static,” Rick chuckled at his own comment.

“What? I love this song!” Anna turned the volume up slightly and started moving her head to the music.

“It’s Nickelback,” Rick said, glancing over to Anna with narrowed eyes and a raised eyebrow.

“So what? Their music is great,” Anna started to sing along and Rick huffed, using his turn signal and pulling over to the side of the road.

“Woah woah woah woah,” Rick turned the volume down until he could block out the terrible sound. “You like Nickelback?”

“Yeah, so what? Let me enjoy the song,” Anna turned the radio volume up again and started to nod her head with the guitar, looking at Rick as she mouthed the words as if that would change his confused and concerned look.

“So what? They’re terrible. All their songs sound the same, do you have no taste?” Rick argued as he turned the radio down again.

“Do you? Seriously, listen to this,” Anna turned the dial again so it was loud enough she had to raise her voice. “They do not all sound the same!”

“Okay, okay,” Rick turned it down again, wanting to spare himself from as much of the musical torture as possible. “Maybe there are a few exceptions, but there are so many other good rock bands you could listen to instead! Green day, Wheezer, Aerosmith, Queen-“ Rick was drowned out as Anna blasted the radio’s volume.

“All good bands, but so are they!” Anna yelled before singing along loudly to the song, now purposely trying to irritate her boyfriend.

The music died and Anna cut her loud singing off as she looked over to Rick, who now showed off the car keys dangling from his hand.

“I win!” He teased with a wide grin, Anna shaking her head in disbelief and reclining her chair slightly. Rick almost felt remorseful as she crossed her arms and stared at the roof of the car.

“Come on, you can’t be mad about me being right!”

“I’m mad we can’t agree to disagree,” she mumbled. “They’re not as awful as you think. I swear ninety percent of the people who hate them are just jumping on the hate train because it’s fun. I can’t believe you’re one of them.”

“Hey!” Rick scoffed. “I can think for myself… I just happen to think they suck.”

“But they don’t! You can’t admit that you like even one song of theirs?”

Rick scanned his brain for a moment, pursing his lips for extra effect. “Nope.”

Anna scoffed and shook her head. “Can you even name more than one of their songs?”

“Uh,” Rick had to genuinely think for a moment. “‘Photograph’, the burn it one that we were listening to… ‘How You Remind Me’?”

“Any others?” Rick shook his head in response.

“See!” Anna yelled, her own version of a checkmate that was about to explode. “You have no right to be so judgmental until after-“

“Okay, okay, okay! Here,” Rick held his hands up in sacrifice as he turned his keys in the ignition. The car revved back to life, and the sound of the turn signal and radio filled the cabin once again. Rick knew he was in trouble as he realized a new song was playing, but he was more relieved that he wouldn’t have to listen to Nickelback anymore.

“See, you made me miss the song!” Anna exclaimed with a huff as she fell back into her seat.

Rick pulled back onto the road, occasionally glancing at his girlfriend to see whether or not she had simmered down at all. Eventually, he decided to test the waters.

“You know, you’re lucky I love you, because liking Nickelback is a genuinely break-upable offense,” Rick tease with a smile, only half joking.

“I hope you know I am going to buy every Nickelback CD at our next stop and make you listen to it,” Anna glared over at Rick, only partially serious.

“You do that, you’ll be walking the next thousand kilometers.” Thankfully Rick’s comment earned a laugh from both partners.

***

“Yep, the antenna is busted,” Rick sighed as he got back into the car, a look of defeat clear on his face.

“Well, it’s a good thing we have this,” Anna's normal cheer was a little too mischievous for Rick’s taste, and he realized why as soon as he looked over at his girlfriend.

“No, no! Anything but that,” Rick dragged out, falling back against his seat with his eyes clenched closed as Anna held up the Nickelback CD that she had indeed bought at their last stop.

“Good thing you don’t need an antenna to listen to CDs!” Anna said as she slipped the disc in. Shortly after, a song by Nickelback that Rick didn’t know was audible in his car.

Rick groaned as Anna leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, moving to whisper in his ear rather than pull away.

“Honey, this is a little thing called karma.” She gave him another peck before moving back to her seat and buckling up the seatbelt.

With a shake of his head, Rick pulled the car back onto the highway, sincerely regretting messing with the song that had played hours ago.