I didn’t know if he was kidding or not, but the whole thing was starting to feel like a mean joke to me. “Um, well. It’s just… not… what I had envisioned.” I sorta waved behind us. “You know, after we paraded past all those others cars, I…” I stuttered to a stop, unable to continue.
Mr. Russell looked back and forth between us, before taking a hesitant step back. “I’ll just let you two look it over together. I’ll be over here when you’re ready.” He took a few more steps backward and turned and hurried off, relief written plainly across his face.
“Sadie, I don’t understand you. You need a car, so we got you one. I’m sorry if you thought it would be something brand new and slick, but if you think about it, that would just make you stand out more. What you need is one that a normal teenage high school student would drive. That is what you said you wanted to be, right? Normal?”
Realizing it wasn’t a joke, that he was serious, my voice came back to me. “Yeah, I said I wanted to be normal. But, not junky! This is… this car is… well, it’s just sad!” I wrinkled my nose up when I looked closer and saw paint chipping off the rear bumper. “What’s the model? I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it before.”
“It’s a Plymouth Champ.”
“Champ,” I repeated in a strangled voice. He expects me to drive something called a champ?
“Yes, it’s a Champ. But that doesn’t matter. It’s a car Sadie, and it’s being handed to you free and clear.”
“Well, I know… but, I’m already a misfit, and if I go around driving something called a Champ, well…” I didn’t finish the rest.
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that. If you want a car, this is the one you’ll have. If you don’t want a car, fine. We’ll save the money, and you can walk. It’s your choice.”
I could tell I’d gone too far. Vein shadows ghosted across his face, showing more than anything else could have, how mad I’d made him.
I walked over to get a better look at it. It was small and had a roundish shape with a hatchback release. The windows had been darkened. I presumed that was to keep the sunlight from having its full effect on the passengers inside. Opening the door, I noticed a musty smell. It would definitely need an air freshener. The seats were cream colored and felt almost like plastic. There was a radio and CD player combo. Air conditioning and heater, check. Manual window cranks and… Oh my God, it’s a stick shift!
“Dad!” I popped my head up and looked at him over the top of the car. “It’s a stick!”
He nodded slowly. “Yes, but you know how to drive one. Nathan’s is also a standard transmission.”
“I know the concept of driving a stick, but I’ve never actually done it.” I tried to keep my voice even and calm, despite the panic having a dance party in my stomach. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to drive this.”
“The best way to learn is to just do it. Which is why you’ll be driving it home.” He held up his hands before I could interrupt. “I’ll be behind you, and it’s dark, so not many people will be on the roads. It’s a good time to learn.”
I pulled in a deep breath and held it. This was not turning out the way I’d expected. But as much as I wanted a brand-new fancy car, I had to acknowledge my dad’s arguments for this one. He was right. I’d seen the parking lot at the high school football games on Friday nights, and it was full of old pickup trucks and nondescript cars. This one would fit right in. But to drive a stick? With my clumsiness, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do it.
I gave in. “Okay, Dad. We’ll give it a go. But you’ll be right behind me, right?”
“Of course,” he said.
“Then let’s do this.” I was trying to sound as upbeat as I could. But, all I wanted to do was scream and kick something.
Dad called over to Mr. Russell, who’d been talking with a few men on the other side of the bay. He hurried over, an expectant look on his face.
“Is everything okay? Sadie, do you like the car?”
“Yes,” I replied, “it’s kinda cool. I’m sure I’m gonna like it just fine. Thank you so much.”
“Good, good! Michael, everything is in order, so you’re free to take it. Let me know how things are going, and if you have any problems with it, give me a shout.”
They shook hands, and Dad crawled into the passenger seat. He handed me the keys. “Let’s go,” he said brightly.
Chapter 20 - Stalled
My knowledge of driving a stick shift was rudimentary at best. The idea of driving the Champ home without any lessons terrified me. But, I knew Dad was serious about taking it away if I couldn’t learn to drive it. With that motivation kicking me in the pants, I focused on what he was saying.
“Okay, Sadie. Put the key in the ignition, but before you crank it, make sure your right foot is on the brake, your left is on the clutch, and the shifter is in the neutral position.” He wiggled it to show me where that was. “This is a standard H, so if you ever get confused, look at the gear shift and the gears are labeled here. See?” He pointed them out and I nodded.
“Now, with both feet pressing the clutch and brake, turn the key.” I did as he directed, my nerves matching the rumble of the engine as it came to life. “As soon as you’re ready, shift into first gear, up here in the top left… that’s it… and take your foot off the brake. Now, you’ll let off the clutch very gently, and as you do that, give it a little gas.”
I tried desperately to follow his instructions, but I must have taken my foot off the clutch too fast because the engine immediately died. I sighed—a huge, gusty sigh—and rested my forehead on the steering wheel. I already felt like giving up.
“There’s no time for that, Sadie. Let’s do it again.”
I failed on the next three attempts, but on the fourth, I was finally able to move the car forward a few feet before it died.
“See? All it takes is a little practice!”
“Dad, I moved maybe two feet. At this rate, it’s going to take me until the sun comes up to get home.”
“It’s progress, Sadie. Why don’t you try looking at it like that, rather than the doom-and-gloom attitude you apply to everything else? I’m willing to sit here and walk you through getting me to my car, and then I’ll follow you home… whether it takes until sunrise or not.” I could hear his frustration, and shame bloomed on my cheeks. “Now, are you willing to do this, or shall I call Mr. Russell back over and tell him we don’t want the car, after all?” He looked at me as the dare hung in the air.
“Okay, okay. I’m going.” I cranked it again and with my dad’s instructions echoing in my ears, let off the clutch and hit the gas. This time, I kept going. “Oh my God! Dad, what do I do now?”
“Listen to the engine, Sade. When you hear it start to whine a little, push in the clutch again and at the same time, shift down into second gear.”
I followed his instructions, listening to what the engine was telling me. As soon as I heard it, I popped it into second, and all of a sudden I was driving! I let out a loud whoop of excitement and a new energy surged through me.
“Yes! I’m doing it!”
“Yes, you are! Now, ease out the hangar doors and you can keep it in second while you drive around the building to my car. But remember, you follow the same idea when you shift into the higher gears. Just listen to what the car is telling you, and soon it’ll be second nature.”
I nodded, too busy concentrating on what I was doing to speak. As we put-putted around the building, I noticed Dad’s car was a lot farther away than I’d thought. We must have walked quite a bit while we were inside.
“How do I stop?”
“Slowly take your foot off the gas and push in the clutch. When you’re ready to hit the brakes to stop, keep your clutch pushed in and shift the gear into neutral. Then you can stop just like you would any car. Some people will tell you to park with it in first, which you can do, but leaving it in the neutral position is just fine, too.”
The top of my tongue stuck out a li
ttle between my lips as I followed his instructions. The car came to a stop perfectly behind Dad’s. Another burst of accomplishment washed over me. I could totally do this.
“Okay, go ahead and get started home, and I’ll be right behind you. You know where you’re going, right?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Dad, I know how to get home. I’ve only been living in Jefferson my entire life. I think I can find it.”
The look he threw my way said it all and I smirked. I couldn’t help it.
***
With growing confidence, I slowly made my way out of the parking lot and turned onto North Walcott Street. Dad had been right. There weren’t too many cars out and I relaxed a little. I glanced in the rearview mirror to make sure he was behind me and settled in for my first solo drive home.
Everything was going great until I reached the main intersection in the heart of our little downtown. I’d forgotten how popular these few streets were, and by the looks of it, there must have been a party in one of the bars. People crowded the sidewalks and spilled over into the street. They were shouting and jostling each other, completely ignoring the traffic around them.
My palms began to sweat. The light turned red as I approached the intersection, and in my nervousness, I let go of the clutch too fast. The car lurched to a sudden stop as the engine stalled.
“Dammit!” I shouted to no one in particular. “C’mon Sadie, you can do this.” I looked in the rearview mirror, and Dad was there, giving me a reassuring smile. I took a deep breath, and following his instructions from earlier, cranked the engine to life again. My stomach began to churn as I saw more and more cars moving through the intersection. Why did we have to come this way?
When the light turned green, I moved the shifter into first gear and started to accelerate. But I must have pushed too hard because I stalled again. Adrenaline and fear raced through my veins as I tried again. And stalled a third time. By now, the cars behind me were starting to honk and a few moved to the shoulder so they could go around me, but the light had turned back to red before they could get far.
I saw a few of the pedestrians pointing and laughing at me, which only fueled my nerves. Cursing myself, my dad, the car, and Mr. Russell, I tried to ignore everything around me. When the next green light pierced the darkness, I was ready. This time I made it into the intersection, but as I shifted into second gear, something went wrong and I stalled again.
I snapped, screaming in frustration and pounding my fists on the steering wheel. Now I was blocking all directions of traffic, and the honking and yelling grew louder and louder as we cycled from red to green and back to red again.
I didn’t notice that Dad had gotten out of his car until he rapped on my window. I rolled it down and immediately wailed, “I can’t do this!”
“Yes you can,” he replied. “You know how to do this. Just ignore the people around you and follow the steps.”
His calmness only made me more agitated. “Nobody can go anywhere, Dad! I’m blocking everyone! I can’t… I can’t…” I was crying and I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks as I heard more drivers spewing profanity at me.
“Sadie, look at me.” I reluctantly met his eyes. “You have to get out of the intersection. It’s not a choice. So, don’t think about it and just do it.” He waited until I gave a shaky nod before he walked back to his car.
I took several deep breaths to calm my nerves. Closing my eyes, I turned the key one more time. When it started, I threw a silent thank-you to the heavens and carefully shifted, easing off the clutch as I hit the gas. This time the car moved steadily forward, inching through the intersection just as the light turned red again. Dad was right behind me and I couldn’t help crying again, this time tears of relief. I could see the cross traffic whizzing through the intersection, the drivers probably irritated at me and the precious few minutes they lost while I held up traffic.
The remainder of the drive was uneventful. I only stalled one more time, but it was on the dark streets of our neighborhood and I recovered quickly. I heaved a sigh of relief as I pulled into our driveway and parked. I sat there, shaking and sweating, and for a brief moment, I thought about giving the keys back and telling my parents I’d changed my mind. But then all the memories from the last few months swarmed through me and I knew I couldn’t endure any more of that. I was determined to make a better future for myself. Starting now.
Chapter 21 - Day-What?
There were only a few more days until my planned start of school. Luckily, I was catching the beginning of a new semester, so I felt rather confident that my newness to the whole environment would be a little more hidden with all the students changing to new schedules.
It was Friday morning. Real morning. The sun was shining and I could hear birds chirping to each other outside the kitchen window as I scrounged around for something to eat for breakfast. I’d decided to spend the last few days before school getting acclimated to my new schedule of sleeping at night and getting up for the daytime. It hadn’t been quite as hard as I’d feared, but my head throbbed from the brightness shining in through the windows. Even though it was tempered glass, it still filled the house with a light I wasn’t used to.
Not finding anything more than leftovers and some unappetizing frozen meals, I decided to actually go out and get myself something to eat. Nerves rumbled in my stomach. I hadn’t practiced driving my car much, and I was still worried that the darkened windows wouldn’t be enough to filter out the sunlight. But at the same time, I was excited to make this foray into the real human world. If things were going to go bad, at least I could find it out before I did it in front of hundreds of students and staff.
I ran upstairs to grab my purse and phone. Luckily, it had only suffered minor damage when I'd thrown it against the wall. I checked for any missed calls or texts and reached for my car keys. Nate had given me a cool zebra-and-lime-green key chain and I smiled when I scooped it up. Humming to myself, I skipped downstairs and suddenly stopped. I wasn’t dressed for going out in the daylight. The image of the stupid ski coat Mom had bought me flashed through my mind. No. I refused to wear that thing. Turning around, I went back to my room and dug out a lightweight sweatshirt jacket. I threw it on over my T-shirt and headed back down the stairs.
As I opened the back door, the sunlight hit my eyes and I winced. Digging into my purse, I found the oversized sunglasses I’d persuaded Mom to buy during her last shopping trip and put them on. I jingled the keys nervously in my hand. No time the like the present. I dashed as fast as I could to my car and practically threw myself into the driver’s seat, slamming the door hard behind me. I searched myself for burns and found none. My vamp speed was definitely going to be an asset. That wasn’t so bad. I pushed the vision of me dashing around campus like a mad person out of my mind.
Getting out of the driveway was pretty easy. I smiled as I drove slowly through the alley. The feel of the clutch and shifter were beginning to become more natural. I could anticipate when I needed to shift and they were smooth transitions. Giving myself a silent pat on the back, I turned on the main road out of our neighborhood.
My mouth watered for a breakfast sandwich and hash browns, so I headed to a popular hamburger joint that was a favorite of the locals. And bonus for me, they had a drive-through. I pulled into the line wrapped around the building and shifted into neutral. The radio was playing one of my favorite songs and I turned it up until it was blaring. Feeling more alive than ever in my life, I sang along at the top of my lungs, adding some seat moves. Freedom wrapped itself around me and I couldn’t help feeling like this was exactly where I was meant to be.
The ringing of my phone interrupted my solo dance party. I turned the music down and grabbed for it. Noticing it was Kade, my stomach dropped. I was surprised, to be honest. For one thing, he should be asleep at this hour. But more importantly, our last few conversations had been so stilted, I knew something big was going on. I had almost preferred the silence. At least then, I didn’t have to fac
e whatever it was.
“Hello?” It wasn’t my usual greeting to him, but things had been so different, it slipped out without thought. My heart ached.
“Sadie, good, you’re awake.”
“Um, yeah. From now on, this will be my normal schedule, Kade. Jefferson High doesn’t hold classes at night.”
“Could you cut down on the sarcasm, please? I didn’t call for us to argue.”
The line inched ahead. I realized holding the phone and trying to drive a stick wasn’t going to work out too well.
“Can I call you back when I get home? I’m in line at Joe’s getting breakfast. I shouldn't be driving and talking."
“You’re driving? In a car? When did this happen?” I felt a stab of guilt at the obvious surprise in his voice.
“It just happened. Really, no big deal. My parents knew I’d need a way to get around since I’m the only one in the family who’ll be up during the day.” The line moved forward again. “Listen, I’ll be home soon. Can I just call you back?”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll be here.”
We said good-bye and I pulled up to the speaker to place my order.
“That’ll be six dollars and fifty-three cents,” said the voice on the other end.
Feeling totally accomplished, I drove around to the window. The first thing I noticed was how far away the curb was from the window, forcing the drivers to reach most of their arms out to pay. I also noticed there was no awning over the window. Even though I was wearing long sleeves to cover my arms, my hands and wrists were still exposed. Stupid, stupid!
The car in front of me pulled away and it was my turn. I didn’t know what to do. Should I just leave? Stay and take my chances? I heard a honk behind me and realized I had no time left to make a decision. Remembering my earlier sentiment, that failing now would be better than later, I pulled up and stopped at the window.
“Hiya,” a boy in his teens grinned at me. “You had the number one and a coffee?”
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