May 10, 2014
Wanda's Bedroom
11:21 A.M.
Saturday morning: the best time of the week. Most mornings, of course, Wanda was slow to rise, and was generally a groggy mess when she did eventually emerge from her room. This morning was special though—today she got presents! While her birthday wasn't for another two days, Wanda's family was celebrating a few days early; Mr. Li was leaving on a business trip to China later in the day, and the family wanted the chance to celebrate together. Wanda was all in favor of the plan—anything that got her presents sooner was alright in her book. Plus, she could probably milk a few guilt-presents out of her mom the following Monday.
Wide awake, Wanda leapt out of bed and ran out the door. She hurried through the hall and down the stairs, feet pounding loudly on the ground. She burst into the kitchen where her parents sat, a large grin on her face. "Presents?" she asked, now out of breath.
Mrs. Li laughed at the display. "They're in the other room, hon."
Breathlessly, Wanda turned and dashed into the living room. On the coffee table, a small pile of presents sat, waiting to be opened. Wanda frowned. This was it? She'd expected a mountain of gifts for her 16th birthday, not this measly pile. Not to sound ungrateful, but there were certain expectations surrounding a 16th birthday.
Mr. and Mrs. Li followed Wanda into the living room. "Now, I know it doesn't look like much…" Mrs. Li explained, "but your big gift isn't here."
Wanda let out a sigh of relief. So there was more. "Well, where is it?"
"We haven't gotten in yet," Mrs. Li replied "Your father and I discussed it, and we thought that we might buy you…" she paused as she and Mr. Li exchanged a knowing glance. Wanda raised a brow. "We're going to buy you a car."
"Nothing fancy," Mr. Li quickly clarified. "Something used, nothing too expensive."
But Wanda didn't care. All she heard was the word car. She could imagine it now, driving around town with all her friends in tow. Maybe it wouldn't be glamorous, but a car of her own was the key to freedom. She could just see road trips to LA, San Francisco, anywhere her heart desired. This was the present she'd been waiting her whole life for.
"There is a condition, though." Wanda was brought back to reality. Of course there was a condition. There was always a condition. "We won't get the car until you get your learner's permit."
Wanda groaned. It made perfect sense that she wouldn't get a car until she could actually drive it, but that didn't make the wait any less unbearable. It was at that moment that Wanda made it her mission to get her license, impress her parents, and own a car of her own.
May 10, 2014
Arnold's Basement
11:57 A.M.
Wanda ran all the way to Arnold's house, eager to share the morning's news with her friends. Soon, she wouldn't have to make the trek by foot, and how she couldn't wait for that moment to arrive. Sure, the walk wasn't actually that long, but who would walk when they could cruise in their very own automobile?
In the basement, Wanda found the usual crowd, sans Ralphie and Phoebe. Last she'd heard, the two were in trouble for the events of the frog dissection, so she wasn't too surprised to find them missing. To the rest of her friends though, she wasted no time in making her announcement.
"I'm getting a car!" She cried once at the bottom of the stairs.
On her friends faces appeared various expressions of astonishment. "Are you serious?" Arnold questioned, eyes wide. His parents still saw him as too immature for a vehicle of his own; how Wanda had convinced her parents otherwise was beyond him.
Wanda nodded her head vigorously. "My parents said they'll get me one as soon as I get my permit!" she explained excitedly. "So we have to get me a license immediately!"
"Definitely!" Tim enthused. "You could drive us to school in the morning—no more school buses!"
"We could drive down to the beach on weekends," Carlos mused, just imaging the sun beating down on his face.
Arnold perked up as a new thought crossed his mind. "Maybe you guys could finally go somewhere besides my basement!"
"We can do all of that!" Wanda exclaimed. "No more parents telling us where we can and can't go, no more boring weekends in Walkerville—we can do whatever we want!"
"Slow down, guys," Keesha reminded, ever the voice of reason. "This is all assuming Wanda gets her permit anytime soon. Do you even know what the requirements are for a permit?"
DA cleared her throat. "According to my research," she cut in, eyes glued to her phone, "it's not too hard. She'll just have to complete Driver's Ed and pass a written exam."
"Pft, easy," Wanda replied confidently. Keesha raised a suspicious brow. "Have you seen the idiots they let on the road? How hard can it be?"
"Maybe we should all sign up!" Carlos laughed. "Just to drive the lessons home."
Tim rolled his eyes at the attempt at a joke, but chose not to comment. "That's not actually a bad idea, Carlos. When can we next sign up for a class?"
"On it." DA scrolled through her phone for a few more seconds before answering. "There's a course being offered after school starting Monday."
Keesha sighed. "Well, there goes all my free time. Fine, sign me up." The rest of the gang agreed to the class, some more enthusiastically than others.
Wanda squealed in joy. "I'm going to get a car!"
May 12, 2014
Classroom
3:00 P.M.
After a quiet day in school, the gang promptly met up at the location of the Driver's Ed course, conveniently in one of Walkerville High's many classrooms. The group sat in a cluster in the middle of the room, with DA making sure to pick a seat in the front row and Carlos and Wanda aiming for desks in the back.
Keesha leaned back in her chair, already bored with the class. "Well, this should be fun," she remarked sarcastically.
As she spoke, a middle-aged man walked into the classroom, stacks of papers filling his arms. He quickly dropped the papers onto the desk at the front of the room and adjusted his glasses, taking a look at the faces before him in the process. "Good afternoon, class. My name is Mr. Ford, and I will be your driving instructor. "
"That has to be a joke," Keesha murmured. The man, however, seemed sincere in his introduction and continued with his speech, paying no mind to the girl.
"Now, before you can even think of getting into the driver's seat, it is important that you understand how the car itself works." With that, Mr. Ford dove into a lecture on the anatomy of the car, leaving no screw out of his verbose description. As DA began keeping detailed notes, preparing herself for any exam the teacher may throw at them, Wanda stuck out her tongue at Carlos, bored. Carlos pulled a face back at the girl.
It was going to be a long two weeks.
May 14, 2014
Classroom
3:31 P.M.
Three days into class, and already the gang had fallen into a predictable routine. They would all file into the room and socialize until Mr. Ford arrived, at which point Dorothy Ann would pull out her notebook and begin writing as if her life depended on it. Carlos and Wanda, less interested but easily amused, had started a paper airplane competition, with the goal of flying a plane as close to the blonde's head as possible. On the few occasions that one would hit its target, DA would glare at the back of the room, but eventually she would return to her notes and the game would resume.
Meanwhile, Keesha would lazily watch the airplanes fly over her head, counting the minutes until the class ended. No plane ever hit her, for Carlos and Wanda knew better than to mess with Keesha in that way. As for Arnold and Tim, the two would try and listen to the lecture as closely as they could, but eventually the two would begin passing notes to each other to make the time pass.
On that particular day, Tim and Arnold were comparing sketches of them driving their dream cars when Mr. Ford cleared his throat. "Now class, today, we're going to be moving on to a more exciting topic."
All attention returned to Mr. Ford. The gang knew that it was only a matter of time before they got behind the wheel of a car, and everyone was anxiously awaiting that time. "Now that we've discussed the anatomy of the car, we can begin to dissect the variety of signs you will see on the road."
With a sigh, the gang resumed their previous positions. It was bound to be another long day of Driver's Ed.
May 15, 2014
Classroom
4:27 P.M.
After discussing signs for most of the period, Mr. Ford had finally reached the end of his content on the topic. The class gave an audible sigh of relief. Somehow, signs had proven to be even less interesting than the anatomy of the car.
"Now that we've discussed what signs of different colors mean," Mr. Ford continued to teach, never pausing for a moment. "I thought we could move onto a related topic. Does anyone in the room know what is the best color for a car?"
Carlos groaned. "Signs, cars—this guy is just obsessed with colors," he muttered only loud enough for Wanda to hear.
Wanda chuckled at the comment. "Maybe we should show him Ms. Frizzle's pinball machine," she remarked.
Carlos perked up. "Yea—or DA's purple book!"
Dorothy Ann spun around in her seat and glared. "It was violet!"
Mr. Ford shook his head. "No, Ms. Ewing, violet is not the correct answer. Does anyone else want to give a guess? Jason?"
Seeing how red DA's face grew, Carlos and Wanda giggled. Somehow, annoying their friend just seemed to bring the two closer together.
May 16, 2014
Walkerville High Parking Lot
3:12 P.M.
A week into Driver's Ed, Mr. Ford finally felt that his students might be capable of entering a car and driving a few feet. As such, he had set up a series of orange cones in a ring around the now-empty parking lot, a fitting obstacle course for the rookie drivers.
As Mr. Ford took the first of the students for a lap around the course, the gang stood huddled on the sidewalk. Wanda began bouncing in excitement. "We're going to drive!" she enthused, full of energy as per usual.
DA, meanwhile, stood staring at her notebook, reviewing the lessons Mr. Ford had taught the class. Arnold shot DA a questioning look. "Are you studying?"
"You never know what'll be important," the blonde replied, eyes fixed in place. "Maybe we'll be quizzed on which part is which."
Carlos pouted at the sentiment. "You know, you take all the fun out of driving."
"Driving isn't fun, Carlos," DA scolded. "It's a serious responsibility. When you get out on the road for the first time, you're not just taking your own life into your hands, but the lives of everyone around you!"
"Way to lighten the mood," Keesha retorted, arms crossed. Deep down, she was actually stoked about driving for the first time, but unlike Wanda, she wouldn't let her emotions get the better of her.
Tim nodded. "At least try to have some fun. This is a big moment."
"A huge moment!" Wanda concurred. "This is the day we finally get our freedom!"
As if on cue, the practice car pulled up and Mr. Ford exited with a student. He gestured for Wanda to come over and get in the car. Giddily, Wanda skipped over to the vehicle and entered the driver's seat. Not a second later, the car was barreling into a nearby trash can.
The gang winced from the sidelines. "Okay, maybe driving is serious," Carlos conceded as he watched Wanda leap out of the car, a smile plastered on her face. From his own spot, Mr. Ford looked dazed and about ready to be sick. Kids these days needed more help than he ever could have imagined.
May 16, 2014
Dorothy Ann
3:15 P.M.
Cautiously, DA pulled herself into the driver's seat. Stiffly, she placed her hands on the steering wheel, repeating under her breath the ten and two rule. Mr. Ford offered a reassuring smile to the girl, happy to see at least one of his pupils was going to be careful. DA stared back, eyes wide.
"What do you do first?" he encouraged, knowing the girl had the procedures memorized.
DA thought back to her notes. "Adjust the mirrors," she recited mechanically, slowly reaching for the rearview mirror. "Start the car. Turn on the headlights. Place the right foot on the brake and gently push it down. Turn the key clockwise." As she spoke, DA completed each of the steps, making sure not to complete any step too quickly or out of order.
Mr. Ford nodded. "And then drive."
DA sat, petrified for a minute. Mr. Ford gestured for her to continue and, with a deep breath, she gradually lifted her foot from the brake. The car crept forward a few inches. DA grinned at Mr. Ford.
"That's… good, but try adding some speed." To the teacher's dismay, DA ignored this advice, and slowly the car continued to make its way around the track, no pressure ever added to the gas pedal.
Mr. Ford inwardly groaned. Perhaps there was such a thing as too careful.
May 16, 2014
Tim
3:29 P.M.
"You're doing fine!" Mr. Ford shouted, struggling to make his voice be heard over the sound of the radio blaring throughout the car. "Just park the car and you'll be done!"
"What?" Tim strained his ears. "I can't hear you! I'm just going to park the car!"
Hands covering his ears, Mr. Ford shook his head in approval.
May 16, 2014
Carlos
3:36 P.M.
Mr. Ford plastered a smile on his face as his next pupil clambered into the car. "Mr. Ramon, are you ready to begin driving?"
"Sure am!" Carlos replied confidently, sticking the keys in the ignition. Mr. Ford relaxed at the boy's calm demeanor. "Hey, Mr. Ford?"
"Yes?"
"Why was the leper caught speeding?"
Mr. Ford was quiet for a few seconds. "I'm… Not sure…"
"He couldn't take his foot off the accelerator!"
Mr. Ford nodded, though his face had confusion etched on it. "That's… Great… Now, if you'll just drive-"
"What's worse than raining cats and dogs?"
Mr. Ford rubbed his temples. "I don't know, Mr. Ramon-"
"Hailing taxis!"
The car filled with silence as Mr. Ford processed the pun. "Why don't you… Just start the car."
"Hold on, one more—What made the dinosaur's car stop?" Mr. Ford said nothing this time. "A flat tire-annosaurus! Get it?"
Mr. Ford sighed, feeling a migraine coming on. "Yes, I get it. Now, drive the course."
Carlos was quiet as he started the car, much to Mr. Ford's relief. About halfway around the course, Carlos glanced over to his teacher. "Mr. Ford?"
"What is it?"
Carlos struggled to hold back a grin. "Hope I'm not driving you crazy."
May 16, 2014
Arnold
3:42 P.M.
"Mr. Ford?"
"Yes, Mr. Perlstein?" Mr. Ford eyed the boy, wary of any jokes he might attempt to tell.
"Before we start, I should warn you—I'm really unlucky."
Mr. Ford breathed a sigh of relief. If he never heard another car joke again, it would still be too soon. "You'll be fine. Everyone gets nervous before driving for the first time."
Arnold considered his words and, with a newfound confidence, put a foot on the accelerator. The car had traveled less than a foot when, seemingly out of nowhere, a hawk swept in front of the car, forcing Arnold to jeer off the course.
May 16, 2014
Keesha
3:46 P.M.
Mr. Ford popped two more painkillers as his final student sat in the driver's seat, eyeing him. After a few seconds, Mr. Ford peeked over at the girl. "What's wrong with you?"
Keesha raised a brow. "Nothing, why?"
"You don't tell jokes, or blast the music, or attract hawks?"
Keesha grinned, now understanding the teacher's concern. "You enjoyed meeting my friends, I take it?" Mr. Ford's eyes grew wide at the mention of his other pupils. Keesha chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm the normal one."
Cautiously, Mr. Ford nodded his head.
May 19, 2014
Walkerville High Cafeteria
11:51 A.M.
"You should have seen me, Pheebs!" Wanda exclaimed as the gang recounted their adventures behind the wheel for the first time. "I was incredible!"
"You crashed. Immediately." Keesha reminded, not looking up from her food.
Wanda shrugged. "You're just jealous you didn't get to wreck a car," she replied casually.
"We really did look awesome," Tim cut in, finding Wanda's enthusiasm to be contagious.
Carlos smirked. "Most of us, anyway," he commented, nudging Dorothy Ann with his elbow.
The blonde stuck up her nose. "I was being careful."
"You were being boring. Driving is about speeding down the highway, skidding around corners, hooking up with babes at every stop-"
"Why would I want to do any of that?" DA shot back.
Carlos shrugged. "Fine, be a buzzkill."
Phoebe smiled at her friend's mixed reactions. "Sounds like you had a good time."
"A great time!" Wanda declared.
Tim nodded. "The greatest!"
Ralphie sighed, resting his head atop his hand. "Man, you guys are gonna be so cool once you can drive…"
Carlos rested a hand on his shoulder. "I promise I won't forget about you once I'm popular."
"That means a lot to me, dude."
DA cleared her throat. "Anyway… We should get back to studying."
"Studying?"
DA nodded. "The final exam is on Friday, and if we don't pass, we'll have to retake the whole course."
Keesha shrugged her shoulders. "I don't see what you're so worried about. Driver's Ed is a joke."
"It is not!" DA argued. "We're preparing to become a part of the driving population-"
"We're learning the difference between a red light and a green one. Even Wanda is bound to pass."
Wanda nodded. "It's true."
"Still, it never hurts to be prepared."
Carlos crossed his arms. "Man, she is taking all the fun out of driving."
May 21, 2013
Classroom
4:46 P.M.
Having just completed his lecture on the hazards of drunk driving, Mr. Ford took a look at the clock. "Well… It seems that we have some extra time this evening."
Wanda and Carlos looked up from their paper airplane war (a war which was driving Dorothy Ann up the wall by now) in anticipation. Would they… Get out of class early? It seemed to be a real possibility. After all, there was no point in starting a new lecture with only 15 minutes left in class. Still, early dismissal was unprecedented, and Mr. Ford didn't seem like the kind of teacher to let the class go a minute too soon. Eagerly, Wanda and Carlos crossed their fingers.
"Why don't we… Watch some videos?"
Wanda's shoulders fell, but Carlos merely shrugged. Videos were better than lecturing in his book.
What Carlos hadn't counted on was the fact that Mr. Ford had a vast array of videos on car accidents, most of which involved a certain amount of blood and gore. 15 minutes seemed to drag on as the class continued to watch the footage. Was Mr. Ford sadistic, making them watch all these clips? And why did he possess them in the first place? Sure, he was a driving instructor, but did he really enjoy tormenting his students quite this much?
After the class period was over, every student in the room swore that they would never drive anything less than perfectly, lest they become a part of Mr. Ford's ungodly footage. That seemed to be a fate worse than death.
May 22, 2013
Classroom
4:21 P.M.
The day before the test, Mr. Ford decided to conduct a review of all the material he had covered in the course. He hadn't expected his class to get too wrapped up in the competition; however, as soon as he mentioned the word review, the students insisted that they were now in a game of Jeopardy.
"Give me the next question, Ford!" Wanda cried, for some reason standing up on her desk.
Mr. Ford adjusted his glasses. He figured he should just be grateful that the class seemed to be engaging with the material; over the past two weeks, he had gotten the feeling that not the whole class was attentive to his lectures. "Um… What does a yellow traffic sign signify?"
Wanda began to answer, but Carlos shoved her off of the desk and took her place. "Yellow means to use caution!"
"That's… correct, but please don't push."
"Why not?"
Mr. Ford struggled to come up with a reasonable answer. After all, he'd wanted to give Wanda a shove several times over the past few weeks. "Just… Don't do it, okay?"
Carlos seemed dismayed at the instructions, but nodded in understanding.
Wanda stomped on the ground in annoyance. "Next question!"
"Right… What does this sign mean?" On the board, Mr. Ford drew a red octagon.
"Stop!" The whole class shouted in unison. Mr. Ford grimaced at the loudness of the response. "Okay, too easy."
And so the game continued, with Carlos and Wanda continuing to fight over ownership of the desk and the class shouting and screaming their answers. Mr. Ford looked on in dismay. How had his life come down to this?
May 23, 2014
Classroom
3:00 P.M.
As soon as the gang walked into their usual classroom, it was evident that something was different. The usual light hearted banter was replaced with quiet as students crammed for their final exam. Today would decide if they would qualify for a permit or be forced to repeat the course. Silently, the gang took their usual seats.
In the back of the class, Wanda and Carlos quickly flipped through the notes that had been passed out in class. Predictably, neither had studied before that moment. Wanda in particular was frantic in her studying—if she passed this test, she would be one step closer to getting her own car. Sure, her parents wouldn't "let" her drive her friends around until she got her provisional license, but that sure as hell didn't mean she wouldn't do it anyway.
Mr. Ford walked into the classroom, and all studying ceased. The tension was high as Mr. Ford wordlessly began handing out a packet to everyone in the room. This was it—the final exam. Wanda watched as each of her friends received their test: DA started scribbling as soon as the papers were dropped on her desk, while the rest of her friends took their time reading each question. Finally, it was her turn. With a solemn look, Mr. Ford handed a packet to his final pupil, and Wanda slowly flipped to the first page.
May 24, 2014
Arnold's Basement
11:43 P.M.
After the test, the gang had briefly reconvened, but it was evident that everyone's mind was on the test they had just taken. Eventually, they said their goodbyes and everyone headed home to wait for their results via email. It wasn't long before they had their results—by the next day, everyone knew how they had scored on their final.
Triumphantly, Wanda barged into Arnold's basement, fists raised above her head. Without asking, the gang knew how their friend had performed. Tim gave Wanda a thumbs up from across the room. "Congrats!"
"I knew I'd pass," Wanda gloated, flipping her hair behind her shoulder. In reality, Wanda had been unable to sleep the previous night, her nerves had been so great. Still, the gang didn't need to know that. "How'd you guys do?"
"We passed!" Arnold grinned. Like Wanda, he'd been up late worrying about the exam.
Keesha shrugged. "Like I said, the test was a joke. It was nearly impossible to fail."
Carlos shoved the girl playfully. "Come on, we should be celebrating! Soon, Wanda will be giving us rides all over town!"
"All over? We'll see about that." Wanda frowned. "Gas ain't cheap, you know."
And with that, the gang spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing, celebrating their good fortune.