Free Earth by Shauna Granger

just seen something to confirm something he
already suspected of me.
     
    We made it to my house about ten minutes
later. When I pulled into the driveway, I saw a huge red bow on the
garage door and my parents were waiting for us in the front yard,
both smiling broadly. I put the van into park and sat there for a
moment just staring at the bow, all thoughts of Jensen’s knowing
smirk suddenly erased from my mind. This had to be some sort of
sick joke. That was the only thing that made sense.
    “Oh. My. God. Dude.” Jodi hit me on the
shoulder, bringing me back to myself, blinking away the shock. I
still stared at the bow in confusion.
    “No,” I said, the corners of my mouth turning
down and my brows knitting together as I shook my head. “Not
possible.” My voice wasn’t stunned, just matter of fact. My dad had
to come over and open the driver’s door to get me to get out. My
mom was all smiles holding a small present in her hand.
    “Hi honey!” She beamed and joined my dad at
his side. “We thought we’d give you an early birthday present!” She
held out the present to me. If she were any more excited, she’d be
dancing in place. Jodi and Steven ran around the van to stand
behind me in order to watch over my shoulders as I stared dumbly at
the little box in my hands.
    “Duuuude!” Jodi whined, shaking me by the
shoulder. I lifted the lid off the box. Nestled inside was the
automatic garage door opener. Again I just stared at it. This had
to be some cruel joke, like when you wrap a tiny gift in a huge box
under thousands of Styrofoam peanuts. Steven grabbed me by the
shoulders and turned me to face the garage and Jodi grabbed my
right hand in hers and formed it into a point and pressed the
button on the remote.
    The garage door shuttered momentarily and
then lifted smoothly away from the ground, the lights inside
spilling out onto the driveway. I watched, eyes growing round as
the hidden present was revealed inch by excruciating inch. The weak
light glinted off the polished, rounded fenders, sliding down the
streamlined body of the pure black 1969 Chevy Camaro. I was vaguely
aware of Jodi and Steven’s cries of joy and jumping up and down
next to me, occasionally reigning down blows on me.
    “What… I don’t… but you said… What…” I
stuttered lamely. I knew this car well, having drooled over it for
weeks as it sat in a parking lot with a “For Sale” sign in its
window. I had convinced my dad to go see it with me with the owner
actually present to let us take a test drive once. It handled like
a dream. It was loud and beautiful and faster than anything I had
ever ridden in. The owner turned out to be some spoiled, rich,
seventeen-year-old boy who was selling it simply because his mom
had bought him a new jeep that he had put monster wheels on that
were as tall as me. He was only asking three thousand dollars for
it, and while that was a very reasonable price, my parents didn’t
have that kind of cash to drop.
    “Happy birthday, baby!” My mom wrapped her
arms around my limp shoulders and kissed my cheek, followed by my
dad who kissed the top of my head, smiling more with his eyes than
anything else.
    “I don’t understand…” I regained some ability
to speak. “Dad… you said you couldn’t afford it?” Bewildered, that
was a good word.
    “I know, honey, but your mom and I did well
at the casino on Saturday, just like we told you, and we decided
you deserved it.” He squeezed my shoulder and rocked back on his
heels, looking very proud of himself.
    “But… really?!”
    “Yes, really! Go, look!” My mom pushed me
towards the garage. Jodi and Steven were already inside in the car,
waiting for me. My dad hurried over to the minivan and backed out
of the driveway to park it on the street. “Go ahead and take her
for a spin, honey!” My mom called to me as I finally slid into the
driver’s seat to find the keys waiting for me in the ignition.
    “Oh my god…” I whispered, staring