"Forget it, Shawn!"
"Gus! Come on! It'll be fun!"
"I don't know…"
Shawn was standing on his tip-toes on a kitchen chair, straining to simultaneously reach the keys on top of the refrigerator and convince Gus this was a good idea.
"I've seen my dad do it a thousand times!"
"That doesn't mean you can!"
"Sure it does!...okay, got 'em!"
He dangled the keys from his fingers, letting them sway temptingly back and forth in front of Gus' eyes.
"Well…"
"Think how cool we'll be!" Shawn continued, jumping down from the chair. "We'll be the only thirteen year-olds who can drive! We'll get so many dates!"
"Okay," Gus agreed finally.
They ran out the back door and dashed across the backyard to Henry's truck, making sure no one saw them.
"Shotgun!" Gus called, sliding into the seat.
"Driver!"
Shawn put the keys in the ignition and studied the dashboard in front of him, scrunching up his face thoughtfully.
"Hmmm…it's like a cockpit…"
"Shawn," Gus asked, suddenly nervous. "You do know what you're doing right?"
"Of course! Don't be ridiculous. You move this little knobby thing to one of these letters…"
"Okay. Which letter?"
"Umm…"
Shawn stared at the gearshift, trying desperately to remember.
"Oh! I know! R! R for really fast!" He declared, quickly shifting into gear.
He inhaled slowly.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
He pushed the gas, all the way to the floor.
The truck shot backwards across the yard.
"SHAWN! Stop it! You're gonna get us killed!" Gus screamed.
"I can't!" Shawn screamed back, just as they came to a screeching halt.
"See," Shawn sighed. "The tree stopped us."
"Oh man!" Gus moaned, jumping out. "We're dead!"
The back of the truck was firmly lodged in the tree trunk, dented and smashed beyond repair.
"Oh, man!"
"And that's why I'm getting a motorcycle," Shawn declared, taking it all in stride. "No little knobby things."
"What are we going to tell your Dad?"
"I'm thinking carjackers…"
"Shawn."
"Fine. I'll keep your name out of it."
"You know that's right."
"But," Shawn added, grinning. "You gotta admit that was cool."
"Yeah," Gus agreed. "It was cool."
Suddenly, Shawn slammed his fist into Gus' hand.
"Hey!" Gus yelped, pulling his hand back. "What was that?"
"I call it The Bump."