At around five o’clock we all started piling into our cars, there were so many of us it was a lot less organized than I would have liked. It was just a mess really, everyone scrambling to get in their car of choice. With twelve of us going we ended up with three drivers; Johnny, Aron and me. Jordan took Courtney, Lucy and Jordan. Aron took Amy, Dani and Courtney. Meaning that I was stuck with Dillon, Matt, Johnny and Stacey.
It would have been fine but I found out on the way that Stacey and Matt had started seeing each other as more than friends recently and so they spent most of the journey playing tonsil tennis in the back of my car making Johnny uncomfortable.
“So Haley, I heard that Danny’s going tonight.” Dillon told me, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Knock it off Dillon, you know that your sister’s been after him since he came back to school your junior year and he was suddenly out of his awkward stage.”
He raised his hands in defeat but smiled.
“Sofia’s got a boyfriend now… and she’s pregnant. It’s not Danny and I know he’s single.”
I thought about it for a minute, I’d always thought that Danny was hot and he wasn’t a douche either, plus he was smart and he had a great singing voice. Last I heard he was going to be trying out for American Idol. I began daydreaming slightly about what my life might be like if I got the chance to be with Daniel Mora. Johnny’s laughing brought me out of my little fantasy about our handsome Costa Rican friend.
“What’s so funny?”
“Dillon, sometimes I wonder which way you truly swing. Come on man, that’s girl talk.”
Dillon waved it off and the subject was dropped but thoughts of Danny still swirled around in the back of my mind.
I was being a little speed demon on the streets this evening, trying to keep up with Aron who, in fairness, was doing his damn hardest to keep up with my brother. It was a miracle that the man still had his license. I was trying to keep up with them but it was proving difficult in the sandal wedges I’d chosen to wear this evening, I was practically flooring it and my foot kept slipping. I silently cursed the beautiful shoes as we all heard the blaring sound of sirens close behind my little Ford.
“Ah, shit!” I mumbled, slowing down and pulling over as soon as I could, the cop following right on my tail.
I rolled the sleeves of my tye-dye pullover up and smoothed down my shorts, trying to make them a little longer without much success. No matter what they tell you in movies and TV, acting like a slut and trying to seduce the cop was not going to get you out of a ticket… ever. I tried it enough during high school to know that was the truth.
Matt and Stacey were still sucking face as I watched the officer walking up to the car in my rearview mirror.
“Guys, cut it out!” Johnny hissed at them, yanking Matt back, forcing them to straighten themselves up.
I tried to roll down my window as fast as I could but seeing as I couldn’t afford a new car, my baby had handles to open the windows, not a nice flashy button so in the end I just opened the car door.
“Miss can I see your license please.” The officer said.
“I’m so sorry sir, let me just…”
I reached down to pull it out of the glove box but thanks to Dillon being extra tall his butt was moved a little further forward than most people, I ended up brushing his package as I reached further. He let out a moan and I thought for sure we were done for when all of my friends in the back started laughing at me.
I snatched up my wallet as fast as I could and pulled back too fast, hitting my head on the roof, dropping an F-bomb and then rooting through my wallet to find that stupid piece of plastic until I finally found and whipped it out and handing it to the now very not-amused looking cop.
“Miss… Decker. Are you aware that you were doing thirty above the speed limit?”
“Yes sir, I’m sorry I should have been a lot more careful, I was trying to keep up with a couple of other cars.”
“Stalking someone are we?” Somehow he looked more pissed off now.
“No officer, I was following a couple of friends, I don’t know the way and they were leading me.”
Matt tried to speak up then but I quickly sent a mental thank you to Stacey who kicked his shin before he could correct me and maybe get me thrown in jail for the night. I was not having that, I had plans and those plans involved making it to the beach to see Danny.
“Right, well, I’m writing you a ticket Miss Decker and please slow down now, if you’re caught speeding again we will have to take matters further.”
“Yes sir, I understand completely.”
We waited there for another minute while he wrote us a ticket and then we carried on, at the right speed this time until we reached the beach and I parked smoothly.
