Page 6 of Bending Under Pressure

“How did you get that car?”

Her question surprises me. “It was my dad’s, and I’ve always loved it. He let me have it once I turned sixteen.”

“That’s cool. My next question is, which lunch do you have?”

“Third,” I answer automatically, wondering where she’s going with this.

Haley seems almost shy as she says, “Me too. Could you save me a seat? I’ve been way too worried about being an outcast Monday and having to sit alone or figure out a way to skip lunch all together.”

“Yeah, sure. Cam and Jess sit with us and I can introduce you to some of our friends.”

Her smile is grateful. “Thanks.”

We’ve finished our banana splits, so I pull out my wallet to leave some cash for Mrs. Elsie. I wave to my parents as we leave, sighing internally that the night is already over. As a last ditch effort to spend more time with her, I scramble to come up with an idea. “Can I show you something?”

“Like what?”

“Are you scared of anything related to cars?”

She glances over, confused. “No?”

“Can I show you something?” I repeat. “You’ll either love it or hate it, but I’m hoping you’ll love it.”

Haley shrugs. “Sure.”

I turn down a road, driving away from our houses and closer to my destination. After a few minutes, I’m close to the county line and coming to a stop on the road I just turned on. Haley glances at me, and this time, she looks a little worried.

“Why did we stop?” She looks around, but she won’t see much. There are fields on both sides and there are no painted lines on the road. It’s one of the true backroads.

“Countdown from three,” I tell her.

“Um, okay. Three, two, one.”

On one, I press the gas, quickly shifting gears, and smile as Haley yelps in surprise. This poor road hasn’t seen any racing in a few weeks, but hopefully, next Saturday, we’ll be out here. I know this road better than any other. I love driving on it, especially when racing, because while it’s straight, there are some hilly parts that’ll cause your stomach to drop like you’re on a rollercoaster.

I sneak a glance at Haley to see her pressed against the seat, eyes closed, but wearing a tiny smile. God, I knew she would be just the kind of girl I’d want around. I’m coming up on the deadly curve toward the end of the road, so I start downshifting.

“Now I know why you wanted this car,” she whispers, causing me to laugh. “That was better than a rollercoaster.”

“It’s nothing compared to how it can be.” I take the curve at the posted speed limit, fifteen miles an hour. It’s that sharp. There’s a reason the road is named Dead Man’s Curve.

“What do you mean?”

“Can you keep a secret?”

“You trust me that much already?”

I shrug, turning onto another road to track back. “You returned my wallet, so sure. A couple other guys and I race on that road.”

Her eyes widen. “The road is barely big enough for one car! This town has a serious issue with that.” After a moment, she adds, “God, I bet it’s an adrenaline rush.”

“It is,” I agree. Haley doesn’t say a word as I drive the rest of the way to her house.

“Thanks for the ice cream.”

“You’re welcome. Maybe we can do it again?”

She smiles, nods, and pulls on the door handle to get out. Haley closes the door gently before disappearing down the driveway and down the side of her house. I’m already looking forward to seeing her Monday.

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