Instant

~~<>~~

giving you a portion of my li

't was

~~<>~~

n yelled after me with a smile. I tilted my head back towards him and

hoes clack against the linoleum like an iambic pattern, givin

y, the school empty of every student

45

ctice is a

adcasting class, I had weekly video projects to shoot and turn in for various reasons. It had been my idea this year to not only have a student yearbook, b

as well as shots of sports games, theatrical p

the empt

e hood of the car once I reached it, crossing my legs at the ankles. My backp

e that brushed past me. The sun shown down through the clouds,

were together, I shouldn't need to drive myself to school - even though I had a car. I thought it was sweet. I didn't mind being driven p

when I had tutored him through math class. He made me smil

of the locker room, blond, shaggy hair wet and dripping. I leaned

dog. Water droplets splashed on my face and shirt as I screeched and tried to push h

and brushed his lips against mine. He started laughing as I wiped off my wet face dramatically. "

g fun of my inability to curse, his s

his strong shoulders, and chiseled face, he could easi

e me!" He exclaime

e what to say. I'd never before said

g face, Nate asked, "So

ways called my theater practices nerdy, so

for the car keys, wanting to get awa

d me, and said, "Look, I'm sorry, babe, I j

but it only made me want to stab Nate's car

hem to me. The keys glinted in the sun before landing in the palm

reached over to put the key in the ignition

bed into

for the one-hundredth time this year. My seatbelt buckled with

of the school parking lot. There were still a dozen or s

l, I thought Nate's choice of a sport - fo

side of the street. We passed the sign near the front opening that read "Brewer Hig

d we were speeding away to

treet - a half mile long stretch of random stores and cute diners,

ng to call it because of the general size of the town to begin with. Safe to say, the entire town

ugh the town itself, and a fifteen min

He had the largest house in town because his father was the mayor of the

Street, I stared

t your sea

, a you've-got-to-be-ki

e car made an angry humming sound, as if it abhorred the sound of Nate and I arguing. We crossed from the empty road and

were a very sensitive topic for me. They

My mother?" He sp

ke that. Why couldn't he just put on th

t const

ure a navy blue Montana van, speedin

can't see the man's face. It shows his chest,

-I closed my eyes tightly, and bit m

zing I'd been holding my breath. There was

on, " I whispered, bare

se. "Just because your dad died in a car

squeezed my eyes shut to keep

hard the metallic taste of

past us, and fields of c

y, attempting to change the subject so he wouldn't

f profanities. I took it as prac

anything." He turned to me, not even bothering to gl

my head, making sure to watch

going

hrowing isn't 'up to standards'." He used finger q

was glu

going

is putting in the backup

swerve into the l

my eyes snapped shut for a moment before I grabbed th

was pounding, not that

s killed, " I muttered shak

my head pounded in the inside of my skull. It terrified me to know that

veway. The brick house in front of us stared down at me, watching the scene play out. The gr

ttering a "nothing", and sta

and pulling me back into the car. I stumbled, my shin

let go of my arm. His nails were digging into my skin, threatening to

cringing inside, and rubbe

thought to myself. I'd have to wear a

first time i

reaching in my backpack for the

f a clock ticking, and the ding of the hour. I stra

nothing but the s

ck counting off a second passing,