Free Earth by Shauna Granger Page A

wide-eyed
at everything, including the new stereo they had obviously
installed before they brought the car home, complete with a CD
player. I was afraid to speak above a whisper, for fear that any
loud sound would cause this dream to come crashing down like an
avalanche.
    “Let’s go!” Jodi nearly yelled in my ear,
bouncing in her seat against the strain of the seatbelt. I reached
out and wrapped my hand around the keys, savoring the cold bite of
metal against my fingers and turned the key eagerly. The engine
roared to life instantly, Jodi and Steven were cheering happily. No
more minivan for us; the minivan was dead to us.
    I backed out of the driveway, revving the
engine a little more than necessary, and barely heard my mom call
out to me not to be too late before I threw it into gear and sped
down the road.
     
    I drove Jodi home first, Steven hopping out
to switch to the front seat when Jodi got out. She turned and
leaned into the car, "Hey, remember, Band's going to that thing
tomorrow to play at the Government Center, so you don't need to
pick me up. We're gonna be gone all day."
    Jodi pulled her backpack onto her back and
walked up to her front door. Since it was dark out, I idled by the
curb, Steven and I watching to make sure she made it into the house
before we pulled away.
    "You know, I think I need a mental health day
tomorrow," Steven said casually, his breath fogging over the
passenger window as he watched Jodi close her front door behind
her. I revved the engine and tore away from the curb just for the
hell of it, a grin spreading across my face.
    "A mental health day? Is one day really gonna
help?" I teased as I shifted quickly from second to third with
another growl of the engine.
    "So witty tonight." Steven replied
acidly.
    "Really, though, you're gonna leave me alone
all day?" It was rare that two of us missed the same day; it always
sucked for the third. We all had more friends than just us, but
none we were free to talk casually with. Awkward questions like
"What did you do over the weekend?" always come up and I rarely had
an easy answer for that.
    "You’ll be ok," Steven said in a mock
sympathetic voice, patting me on my shoulder. I rolled my eyes at
him as I came to a smooth stop in front of his house, idling
loudly. "Besides," Steven began as he got out, taking his
bag with him, "then you can roll up tomorrow in your new car all by
yourself and Jodi and I won’t be there to steal any of the spot
light!"
    "Oh gee, that's just what I wanted, more
attention!" I said in mock delight.
    "Might as well get used to it!" He stood up,
ready to walk away.
    "Hey," I called before he could shut the
door. Steven leaned down to look at me. "Don't forget, water from
the first rain. I think it'll be sometime tomorrow. Looks like late
afternoon, early evening at this point." Steven furrowed his brow
at me and started to open his mouth like he was going to ask me how
I knew that but seemed to think better of it. He closed his mouth
and shut his eyes tightly and shook his head.
    "Dude... you are so much more than Jodi and I
will ever be." Steven shut the door too quickly for me to ask him
what that was supposed to mean and made his way to his front
door.
     

Chapter 5
    The next morning dawned to a darkened sky; no
longer overcast, billowing clouds in shades of black, gray and
white rolled over the city. I hoped Steven wouldn't over sleep and
had already taken precautions to gather some of the rain that
was coming. I half dreaded getting to school just on the chance
people would ask about my car. Steven was wrong; I would've
preferred he and Jodi be there to answer any questions for
me. I dressed in layers, feeling the storm building faster and
knew it would hit by the time I was out of French class. I grabbed
an over-long green scarf and wrapped it around my neck before I
headed out. I was amazed how quickly the engine heated up, not
having to sit outside revving it for very long to get the heat
moving through