"Then even the bravest soldier, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will melt with fear" - 2 Samuel 17: 10
1
THE FIRST OF MANY
My heart pounded with adrenaline as I jumped over each of the hurdles. This was how I spent my free time. I ran obstacle courses. I knew it wasn't the coolest thing to do, but it kept me in top physical condition. I wasn't entirely sure when my next track meet was, but I'd ask someone later. Tomorrow maybe.
I was only halfway through the course for the third time when I looked down at my watch. It was a quarter to three. I still had fifteen minutes left before the final bell rang. My schedule included a free period to do whatever I wanted for forty-five minutes at the end of every Friday. I chose to exercise. When I could. It could get very wet in Archer, Florida. Today, there was a lightning storm. It was taking a break now. It rained a lot here. I was one of the only people in this town that actually liked the rain. One of the one thousand, two-hundred eighty people in this town that actually liked the rain. I ran the rest of the course and headed into the building to pack my bag.
I passed many people I knew in the overcrowded hall, but there were only two faces I noticed in particular. They belonged to Alyssa Bailey, the short, round girl with blue eyes and brown hair, and Jennifer Sanderson, the tall, slender, beautiful blonde with the chocolate brown eyes that was awesome at basketball. My best friends.
Alyssa was leaning casually against the locker next to mine. "So....Do you have any plans for the weekend? Danny's been staring at you all week!"
I rolled my eyes at her. I didn't have any plans for the weekend, but frankly, I didn't want any. "Why? Last time I checked my teeth were clean."
She sighed in an annoyed way. "Come on! You're gorgeous, rich, and you have a real personality! What else do you want?"
"I'm single and happy with it! 'Kay? Oh. Do you need a ride?" I asked. She pointed her head in Jennifer's direction. I nodded. The final bell rang at last, freeing me from the prison called school.
My car smelled a little too strong for my nose. Maybe it was the seats. I got in the driver's side and closed the door anyway. I held my keys tightly in my right hand, but didn't put them in the ignition. Instead, I waited for all the other cars to disappear from my sight.
I looked all around me to make sure I didn't kill anybody, taking in the familiar high school setting. I saw the green grass to my left, the empty school to my rear, the stupid shrubs cut to look like cats (thank you, gardener) to my right, the curb of the parking lot straight ahead, and the purple clouds above me. After I was done observing the scenery, I noticed that the last car had left. I sighed and started my black Porsche 911 Turbo.
I lightly pushed my foot against the gas pedal, preparing myself for the jolt, but nothing happened. I pushed it again. Still nothing. I peeked under the steering wheel to see what the problem was. There was nothing there. A few seconds later, I realized my foot was flat on the floor. I chuckled as I placed my foot on the gas pedal. I gently pressed it and the car bolted forward. I screamed at the top of my lungs and I was sure I was going to crash. I ran out of parking lot and hit something. Stupid curb! I swore loudly, wondering what the damage to my car had been, and for how long my mom would ground me. I looked up slowly, expecting to see a pile of scrap metal out the windshield. Instead, I saw my Porsche, still in pristine condition and about ten feet of space between the front of my car and the curb. Of course I was relieved that my car was okay, but I was also a little ticked. I looked around me to see what had made the car stop so suddenly. I finally saw some beautiful blue eyes staring at me to my left. Whatever it was turned and ran within the second. It looked a little strange for a dog, but once it was out of sight, I assured myself that it must have been Spunky, one of the neighbor's dogs that had gotten off his leash... again. I was going to have to tell those people to try and control their pets a little better. I didn't like hitting dogs. This was the first of the many strange things that happened that year. It was also an extremely boring event compared to the others.