Page 2 of Saints & Sailors

“Wait.” Danny stepped up and held his hand out to cease their fighting. “Shh. Did you hear that?”

The boys got as quiet as they could, and we waited.

Then we heard it: footsteps.

Ian went to the end of the hall and crouched down to poke his head out to see who was coming. In seconds he was tripping over himself as he came scrambling over to us.

“It’s a cop!” he hissed.

Oh shit.

We must’ve triggered some silent alarm.

All at once we took off in the opposite direction for the nearest exit.

“Hey! Stop!” The officer’s voice echoed to us as he sped up his steps.

We were on the second floor and nearly tripped over one another as we raced down a flight of stairs to a side exit. I was out the door and almost in the air as I slipped on a stray pencil some asshole had left behind.

Ian caught me, tugging me along until I was up and steady on my own.

High and wasted, we’d never run so fast in our lives. It felt like we’d rounded the building in seconds.

Parked out front was the police cruiser, its red and blue lights flashing ominously. Thankfully, the officer was inside, trying to track us down.

Danny’s truck was sitting across the street, waiting for us to hop in and escape, but there was something about the police cruiser that enticed me.

“Saylor!” Jack called to me as I inched closer to it.

The driver’s door was surprisingly unlocked and, in the ignition, hung the keys.

What a steal.

“Feel like goin’ for a ride?” I asked as I hung in the door.

Ian’s eyes tripled in size as Danny immediately shook his head. Being the oldest came with wisdom on his part.

I should’ve listened to him then.

The illicit trouble before me was too tempting to resist, and with Jack stepping up to the passenger door, I was all too ready for some debauched fun.

I climbed into the cruiser, adjusting the seat and buckling up for safety as I took the wheel. Leaning over, I quickly let Jack in and waited for him to buckle up as well.

“Let’s paint the town blue and red, baby!” I hollered as I floored the gas pedal. The car jolted forward, and we were off, leaving Danny and Ian behind as they soon were jumping into Danny’s truck.

The road ahead of me was a blur of lights and unintelligible figures.

Dispatch was killing the vibe so I leaned over and slapped the radio off.

I couldn’t explain it, being behind the wheel, I felt powerful. I could feel adrenaline coursing through my body as I sat in the stolen vehicle. This was living.

“WOO!” I screamed as I drove even faster. I drove into the school parking lot and found myself doing wild doughnuts to imitate those guys from the Fast and Furious movies.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” I heard Jack shout.

Wuss.

Suddenly, across the lot, I saw the image of a racing finish line, complete with balloons, ribbons, and a big fancy banner.