"Where are we?" Harriet asked looking blankly at the rather sparse surroundings of the Australian outback from the passenger seat of her best friend Annabelle's 1996 Holden Apollo.
          "How the hell should I know?" Annabelle groused. "You're the one reading the map."
          "Well we're supposed to be near Allendale," Harriet declared motioning to the map in her lap. "But I just saw a sign that said Arckaringa and that's in completely the wrong direction."
          "What?" Annabelle gasped her fingers gripping the steering wheel more tightly.
         "How can we be going in the wrong direction." "Stuffed if I know," Harriet shrugged. "You must have taken a wrong turn somewhere."
          "Or maybe you just read the map wrong?"
          "I'll have you know I spent five years as a scout and was a champion map reader." Annabelle frowned and glanced over quickly. "Idiot," she hissed. "You've got the map upside down!"
          "What? I haven't…" Harriet looked blankly at her lap for a moment and then turned a bright shade of red. "Oops."
          "Stupid, stupid blonde woman," Annabelle spat as she pulled the car to a stop. "I've been driving four hours in the wrong direction."
          "Still, it was a nice drive right?" Harriet smiled weakly as she righted the map. "I mean it could be worse, we could have ended up being kidnapped Peter Falconio style or something."
          "I hate you," Annabelle groused unfastening her seatbelt and stepping out of the car onto the dusty road. She took a couple of deep breaths, sucking in the dry hot air.
          "It's not so bad is it?" Harriet asked nervously as she joined Annabelle who was glaring at a shrub accusingly.
          "Hmm, let's think that over shall we," Annabelle replied, sarcasm in her tone. "We spend four long, hot hours driving in the wrong direction using up precious fuel…"
          "We can get more fuel though," Harriet piped up and then fell quiet again as Annabelle shot her an angry look. She could tell when Annabelle was really angry as her eyebrows nearly joined because of her deeply furrowed brow and her nostrils flared like a horse.
          "How many petrol stations have you seen in the last four hours Harri?" Annabelle scorned. "None, not one, zero, nil."
          "There's got to be one around here somewhere though…"
          "Where? Oh wait, there might be one behind that rock," Annabelle snapped and marched over to a rock near the shrub she'd been glaring at. "Oh what a surprise, there's not."
          "Don't you think you're overreacting just a little?" Harriet asked starting to feel frustrated. She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. "We'll find somewhere to get fuel and then head back the way we came. It's not brain surgery."
          "Maybe I'm tired huh? What are you going to do then since you're vehiclely inept?"
          "Vehiclely isn't even a word!"
          "Inept is though."
          "Oh well excuse me for making a mistake," Harriet snapped now totally fed up of Annabelle's mood. "We can't all be goddesses of the road like you."
          "Didn't you even notice the place names were upside down?" Annabelle snapped back throwing her arms in the air. "Are you that stupid?"
          Harriet pondered a moment, she actually had no excuse for missing that small but vital detail. "Hey, it was early when we left. I wasn't quite awake yet."
          "It was 9am," Annabelle hissed waving her finger frantically at Harriet. "If you'd gone to bed earlier you wouldn't have been so tired."
          "Well if you were so bothered about what direction we were going in you should have checked the map yourself," Harriet spat before turning on her heel and kicking up dust as she marched back to the car.
          Annabelle stared after her for a moment before making her way back to the car and flumping into the driver's seat. She looked cautiously over at Harriet who glared at her and turned away sulking like a child. Annabelle let out a huff and did exactly the same. They stayed that way for several minutes until both girls took a quick look at each other.
          "So what do we do now?" Annabelle breathed breaking the silence deadlock.
          "There's a town about twenty minutes up the road, we should be able to get some fuel and start heading back," Harriet replied and made an absurd gesture to show the map was the right way up this time.
          "Right," Annabelle nodded, pulling on her seatbelt. "Sorry," she added quickly. "For going off."
          "So you should be," Harriet mused. "Apology accepted."
          "It's still your fault though," Annabelle sneered as Harriet clicked her belt into position. "If you'd just looked at the bloody map…"
          "I personally blame your sense of direction," Harriet chided and poked her tongue out at Annabelle who reciprocated the gesture as she kicked the engine into gear and was greeted with several unflattering noises and a puff of smoke from the beneath the bonnet. "No," she wailed smacking her head against the steering wheel.
          "Ha!" Harriet laughed. "Can't blame me for that one."
          "I don't know," Annabelle announced. "Did you top up the water like I asked before we left?"
          Harriet looked blankly and then frowned. "Well at least the map's up the right way this time."
          Annabelle rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. "Just so you know, we're never, ever travelling together again."