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I’m sitting on the sidewalk with my head cradled in my arms to drown out the street in front of me. While rushing out the door this morning, I forgot my headphones, and now every time a car passes, my hair stands on end.
I’m not sure how long it’s been, but I can’t sit here all day. I have to make a decision. I can go home and flunk my senior year or start walking to try and make it to school before the morning bell rings. Just the thought of that makes my feet hurt, especially since I plan on taking a detour.
I stomp my feet and groan before peeling myself off the ground.
My diploma is my only driving force as I set off toward school. I walk on the inside edge of the sidewalk to be as far as humanly possible from the cars that pass me by.
It works well for the next five minutes, and then a car starts to slow down, swerving closer to me.
I glance over my shoulder to get a better look.
In the front seat is Caleb. He waves.
I speed up, holding my hand to the side of my face to block my view of him, hoping he’ll take the hint and leave. I can only imagine the snarky comments I’ll get from him.
Caleb pulls the car even closer, matching my speed. He rolls down the window. “Well, that looks fun.”
I roll my eyes. “What do you want?”
“I’m just wondering what possessed you to take a walk this early in the morning,” he says.
“School.” My jaw locks tight, not elaborating. My feet trudge on.
His car crawls forward. “Since when do you go to school?”
“Since I don’t have a choice.”
“Why don’t you let me give you a ride?”
I shake my head. “No. I’m good.”
A car slows down behind Caleb’s. Even though he’s pulled off to the side, there isn’t enough room to safely pass.
That car honks, but Caleb doesn’t speed up.
He sighs. “It’s getting cold.” Then, he dramatically turns a dial on his dash. “Thankfully, I have this amazing invention called heat. It’s great. You should try it sometime.”
I massage my temples with my numb fingers, trying to ignore him.
The car behind him honks again.
A shiver runs down my spine. I hate this. This morning seems to be a magnet for one disaster after another.
“That car needs you to move,” I say.
He sighs and shrugs. “Sucks for them. I think I’ll be here a while.”
“Really?”
“If you weren’t so stubborn, I would’ve moved by now.”
I gasp. “I’m the stubborn one?” I pivot to look at him, tossing my hands into the air.
He smiles. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“You’re the one who is refusing to drive away!”
The person behind Caleb lays on their horn, blaring at us.
