school nights with the car, and she bought it. Itâs true, both for the reasons I explained to Becka and for the other, real reasons that I havenât admitted yet.
I didnât want to take the car again; I wanted the lies and the fear of being caught and all of that to stopâbut I canât give it up. Things are going good now; for a change Iâm actually having fun.
So Iâm just riding the wave.
Iâve gotten so good at grand theft auto that itâs scaryâit almost feels like Iâm not even doing anything wrong.
When I get to Beckaâs house and pick her up, we cruise down Indian Trail Road; I ask what she wants to do.
âLetâs go park at Arlington,â she says.
I laugh. âWhat, are you getting all scandalous?â
She laughs too. âThereâs nothing scandalous about parking at Arlington. But of course, youâre a geek, right, you wouldnât know that.â
I punch the âVette and we roar forward for half a block. She grabs the black plastic grip on the door, just like I did that first time I felt the Stingrayâs power.
âDonât make me turn on the nitrous,â I tease her, easing off the accelerator.
âDang,â Becka says. âThis sucker goes, doesnât it?â
âShe,â I say.
âExcuse me?â
âSheâs not an it, sheâs my baby,â I say.
âHmmm?â Becka smiles. âIs that right? Your baby, huh? Your one and only?â
I smile but donât say anything.
Becka says, â Sheâs the one whoâs scandalous.â
âOh, yeah,â I agree.
Becka, a soft, sexy tease to her voice, says, âGet us to the park ⦠and weâll talk about scandalous.â
When we get there, we do more than just talk about it.
After I get back home, I phone Wally; I have to tell somebody whatâs happened. Itâs like a dream. If no one else knows, it wonât even feel real.
Wally canât believe it. âShe actually kissed you?â
âYeah, we made out.â
âHow far did you get?â
âIâm not gonna go into details, Wal. We kissed and made out.â
âDid you feel her up?â
âA little bit.â
âWhat do you mean, a little? On top of her shirt? Under her shirt? On top of her bra? Under her bra? How far did you get?â
âNo comment, Wally.â
âYou made out with Becka Thorsonâyou!!â His voice sounds like heâs in a trance. âYou kissed her and felt her upââ
I interrupt: âA little.â
âYeah, whatever. This is incredible. Amazing. My best friend is gonna nail a cheerleader.â
âLetâs not get carried away here, Wal.â
But Wally, on a roll, canât stop himself, âCome on, man, this is how these things startâsome kissing, some making out, and the next thing you know youâre buying condoms by the jumbo pack. And she must have some cheerleader girlfriends, right? She mustââ
âI gotta go, Wally.â
âYeah, okay, but just rememberââ
âI got it, Wal.â
âGood!â
We hang up.
God, life can be good sometimesâI wish I could just shut everything else out and concentrate on that.
When Mom gets home, Iâm doing homework at the kitchen table.
âWhatâs this?â Mom asks, smiling. âThose canât be schoolbooks, can they?â
âOf course not,â I kid her back, and hold the book up for her to see: American History: Freedom and Democracy . âThis is just a little light reading, you know; they were out of nasty magazines.â
âGood boy,â Mom says. âIâm proud of you. Did you have a good day?â
I blurt out, âBecka Thorson and I went out again.â
âOh, really,â Mom says. âDid you have fun?â
âOh, yeah,â I answer, a little more enthusiastically than I mean to.
Mom asks,