“So, where are we off to?” he asked, rumbling the engine to a start.
I gave him the directions to the room I was renting. I liked being out of the dormitories and enjoyed the responsibility of living alone and free.
The car vibrated and hummed as he pulled into the street, as though there was a purring kitten sitting on my lap.
We pulled to a light, and not a single person was around. I felt a little nervous again, and I think he could tell.
“Wanna have some fun?” he said.
I inched away from him slightly, assuming something nefarious.
“Not that kind of fun,” he inferred while revving the engine.
I sighed with relief and giggled at my own misunderstanding; I had a feeling we were about to be very irresponsible.
He stared at the hanging light, with his hand firmly grasping the shift lever. I wrapped my arm around the handle on the door, feeling my heart starting to race.
The light turned green. His hammered the gas hard and the tires began to screech and howl. Grey dust filled the air, and we shot down the road like a bullet from a gun.
He sped past more green lights, building up more speed until we reached my turn.
“Here!” I shouted and pointed to the right.
He smiled, revved the engine and shifted down, making the cars tail spin into the turn, causing the car to go sideways.
An odd thing occurred during my brief glimpse of death; I found that I wasn’t so nervous anymore. I even loosened my grip on the door and started enjoying the feeling of swaying with the motion of the car. The engine thumped, and I could feel each and every patter strike me in ways I hadn’t felt before. It felt like liberation.
“Woo!” I shouted.
He laughed as he continued to drive like a maniac. And, before I wanted it to, our ride had come to an end. He slowed down as we approached the house in which I stayed.
I sat for a moment in the passenger seat, shaking with excitement. I couldn’t stop myself from giggling with giddiness.
“Okay, you better hop out,” he said, “I don’t want people to start talking.”
I slid from the car seat, my legs still feeling a little rubbery from the excitement. With the door shut, I leaned over the open window and blew him a kiss. I immediately regretted it; feeling a little embarrassed as he drove off.
My heart still raced, and my skin was still flush. I felt more alive now than any other time I could remember. I danced to my room, barely feeling the ground as I went along.
I wonder how often he gives people rides.
2.
“Isn’t Brad just gorgeous,” Jennie said as we sat in the stands watching them practice.
I rolled my eyes like I usually would; I doubt she ever saw me do it. She was always so absorbed by her boyfriend playing to ever really pay attention, anyway.
I adjusted my glasses, putting them to rest on the bridge of my nose. They were just slightly too big, but there was nothing I could do, new glasses weren’t in the budget.
“You know, I think Brad said that Mike was making eyes at you, I bet I could introduce you two, and you’d hit it off right away,” she said, rubbing my shoulder and shaking my glasses back down to the tip of my nose.
I furiously tucked them back to their usual spot.
“Mike is pretty cute,” I managed to squeak out.
“Perfect! Come with me to the party tonight and you can meet him. I think you guys would make a cute couple,” she said.
I hadn’t much interest, but I knew that Jennie would find another excuse to bring me to the party. Might as well just accept the first and move on.
I set aside my books; they weren’t holding my interest. I dwelled on the ride from last night and still felt the pangs of excitement shoot through my head.
I closed my eyes and relaxed my muscles. I somehow wasn’t feeling very anxious or nervous today as I usually did. It was as though a switch had clicked on in my head last night.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the coach, watching from the sidelines and barking out orders. His clean and pressed button down belayed his more mischievous demeanor. He was quite attractive. Tall and sinewy, but still very muscular; his broad shoulders tapered down in a V-shape towards his waistline. His close-cropped hair framed his face while his sharp brown eyes gave him a stern but lighthearted gaze.
I found myself watching him as he waved his clipboard through the air, and blew his whistle. My heart skipped a beat; the only other time it had done that was when I met my old high school boyfriend.
“Alright guys, get in here,” he shouted.
The crew of players did as told, huddling around the coach. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they listened intently to his words. Then they all broke off and headed towards the showers. Mr. Reynolds grabbed his bag and shoved the clipboard inside.