Away. Part 1

Away.

by Megan Linski.

For you, Matthew.

Chapter One.

"You sure you wanna do this, Cash?"

The sunlight flashes off my aviators as I raise them to look at Levi. A straight country road creates a divide between the large plots of tilled farmland on the left and the overgrown, blooming woods on the right. Spring's in full swing, and after months of having to bundle up tightly against the chilly winter wind all of us are outside in shorts and cutoff sleeves. The entire earth has a yellow glow to it, and watching it bounce off the hood of my Eagle Talon makes me shake in excitement. I can't wait to put my foot to the gas pedal.

"If I wasn't sure I wanted to do this I wouldn't have come," I say, and I fasten my seatbelt. "Where's the finish?"

"Old oak tree, same as always. You can always back out now," he says, expecting me to cop out. As if.

"Levi, just get in the car so Noah can kick your b.u.t.t again and we can all go home," Mich.e.l.le says, rolling her eyes. She's twirling a strand of hair around her finger and acting completely bored. She hates cars.

"Hey, I don't know. Levi might win this time," my best friend Michael says, staring at the hood of Levi's car. Levi's added quite a few new updates to his Mustang. I would know, because he wouldn't shut up about it on the phone last night.

"I don't care what he put in there. He'll never beat Noah." The best voice in the world sounds in my ear and I turn in my seat to smile up at it.

Rosemary McGowan. Girlfriend for a year and a half and the most beautiful woman on this planet, no questions asked. Auburn hair, freckles, and eyes that changed different shades of green. Rosemary liked to dress up, but she rarely did, preferring shorts and a t-s.h.i.+rt to the skirts she only put on for me. She didn't like attention. Other people had said, and she believed, that she was plain. I agreed. Plain drop dead gorgeous.

Now if there was anything special about me, n.o.body had told. Rosemary acted like I was some sort of Greek G.o.d of good looks, but all I saw when I got up in the morning was short brownish-blonde hair in a mess, light blue eyes, and hands that were constantly covered in motor oil. I was built from working on my boss's farm all the time, so I guess I had that going for me.

A model I'm not. But racing's the one thing I'm good at, and everybody knows it. And now Levi was going to be taught that again for what had to be the millionth time now.

"Please be careful," Rosemary says, leaning inside the car to give me a kiss on the cheek. "You know this makes me nervous."

"I don't see why it should, since I'm such an amazing driver," I say with a laugh.

"Levi's not," she says, completely serious. "And you're not invincible. If he does have a chance, just let him win for once so we don't have to do this again."

"Never." I smile and give her a kiss on the cheek back before putting my aviators down. "Don't close your eyes, you might miss me."

"Whatever," she says, rolling her eyes with a chuckle. She steps back and holds up a red rag, waiting to start the race. "Ready?" she shouts to Levi.

"You ready to see your boyfriend get smoke in his face?" Levi asks, sliding in his car.

"I'm ready for you to shut up," she says, laughing more.

"What the h.e.l.l, I'll root for the underdog," Mich.e.l.le says, shrugging.

"Yes!" Levi fist pounds the air. "I've convinced the skeptic!"

"Go Levi," Mich.e.l.le chants in a monotonous, dry tone. I rev my engine a few times and that's when the entire world stops. Now it's just me and my car.

There's the squealing of the tires and smoke flies everywhere as we take off. The back end s.h.i.+fts a bit and I quickly straighten the Talon out so she's flying down the gravel, sending rocks flying. Levi and I are neck and neck, until for one reason or another I realize that he's pulling away from me. I push my accelerator to climb up to ninety but I still can't catch him. What did he put in that thing to make it so fast?

I'm not willing to lose. I push the accelerator to as fast as it can go, to the point where the frame is shaking and I'm almost losing control.

A car is up ahead. I'm the one who chose to drove on the wrong side of the road this time, so it's coming straight at me. Levi automatically slows down but I'm going too fast to throw on my breaks. I lightly let up, watching as the car ahead blares on its horn as I grow closer and closer. Just in the nick of time I swerve in front of Levi and watch as the car pa.s.ses, my heart beating wildly. I pa.s.s the finish line just before Levi and then slow down, turning the vehicle around and heading back to the group. The minute I'm out of my car, Rosemary starts attacking me.

"You idiot!" she says, pounding me repeatedly with her fists. "I told you to be safe and you nearly collide-"

"Rosemary, Rosie," I say, grabbing her wrists and laughing. "It's okay. I'm fine, nothing happened."

"Something could've," she says. "You could've gotten killed."

"Take it easy. It's okay now." I put my arm around her and she crosses her own, breathing through her nostrils. Michael and Mich.e.l.le are both looking at me like I've preformed a miracle, unable to believe that I just barely escaped death.

"Wow," Levi says, gasping for air and looking around. "That was crazy, huh? Sorry that the car almost hit you." Then he pauses. "Though if you'd have let me pa.s.s, it would've been a lot safer."

"Safety's never been my priority," I say. Rosemary pulls away from me and stomps over to my car, muttering under her breath.

"Next time, Noah," Levi says, shaking my hand, and everyone groans. "I almost had you."

"You did Levi," I smile at him. I'd let him race me as many times as he pleased, just so I could get the rush.

"Glad you liked it. After all, that's about as much action as you're gonna get with Super Virgin around," Levi laughs. Rosemary's face turns to stone and I grit my teeth, saying, "Cut it out Levi."

"I'm just teasing. It's okay if I wear this s.h.i.+rt to your cookout, right Rosie?" he asks, pointing to his Hooters t-s.h.i.+rt. "I know they're all pretty much fancy Bible parties, but I'm sure somebody has to have heard of the place."

"At least their mom doesn't work there," I shoot back at him, and he shuts up. I look at Rosemary quickly, and at the sign of her deep frown I imagine flipping off Levi in my head. He opened up a whole other can of worms I didn't want to deal with yet again today.

"So are we heading to the cookout now? I'm starved," Michael asks, trying to break the tension. At the mention of food Levi goes back in his car and says, "I'll meet you guys there. I haven't eaten in days!"

"You mean two hours?" Mich.e.l.le asks.

"Yep."

"Hold on, we're coming with you," Mich.e.l.le says, grabbing Michael's arm and pulling him over to the Mustang, glancing back at us. Michael gives her a confused look but she forces him into the pa.s.senger's seat and then takes the back, waving goodbye. The minute they're down the roa, I turn to my girlfriend, who is pointedly ignoring me.

"Oh come on Rosie," I say, walking over to her, my arms spread . "This is who I am. I can't help it."

"Yes you can. If you'd have gotten hit-"

"Why are you always worried about what could happen or what could've happened? Just let it be," I say.

She whirls around to face me, her tone deadly. "You shouldn't be so risky out there," she says. "One of these days you're going to kill yourself."

"I love it, Rosie. You know that. I know it's dangerous, but I don't want to stop," I say.

"It scares me," she says, and she leans up against my chest. "I thought you and that car were going to hit head on."

"But we didn't."

"That doesn't make me feel better."

"Well, maybe this will."

I whip out of my pocket a small white box. Ha! She didn't see this one coming. "Ta-da!" I say. "Open it."

Her mouth drops open and she shakes her head. "No Noah. You didn't. Take it back."

"Oh I see how it is!" I say, pretending to be shocked and holding the box away. "You don't want me to get you anything! What, am I not good enough for you?"

"How much did you spend?" she demands, looking at me.

"Don't worry about it, it was enough," I say. "But I can see that you don't care..."

"Oh be quiet, give it here," she says, laughing and holding out her hand.

"Forget it, I guess you don't want it..."

"Noah, give it," she says, reaching for the box but I keep it out of her grasp.

"Uh-uh..."

"Now."

"No, no, I'll take it to another girl who'll appreciate my gifts..."

She grabs my wrists and pins me against the car. Without a seconds hesitation I slip the box in my pocket, grab her arms and spin her around so she's the one pinned, unable to move. "You're never going to learn, are you?" I whisper in her ear, shaking my head. She tries to struggle away, but for all of Rosie's temper she doesn't have the brute to back up her threats.

Doesn't stop her from trying. "Keep it up Noah, and one of these days I'm going to kick your a.s.s," she mutters.

"Yeah. Right. You just tried." I let her squirm out of my tight grip, still smirking. She s.n.a.t.c.hes the box from my hands and quickly opens it. "Eek!" she squeals, her eyes lighting up. She withdraws from the box an emerald heart on a gold chain, packed with tiny stones that glimmer against the sunlight.

"Oh Noah...my favorite color," she whispers, biting her lip as her eyes go soft.

"You like it?" I ask. It was a pain to get her that necklace, but it was all worth it. I love seeing her smile.

"Of course I like it! It's beautiful," she says. She unfastens the necklace and I take it from her, looping it around her neck and clipping it on as she moves her hair out of my way.

"It reminded me of you, and how pretty you are," I say, placing a kiss on her neck. She giggles and turns around to give me a soft kiss on the lips, her whole face glowing. "Thank you so much," she says. "Now I can be reminded of you everywhere I go."

"Like you already aren't. I'm just that awesome," I say c.o.c.kily, and she laughs. I go over and open the car door for her, saying, "So we're heading to your house?"

"Yeah. The cookout's probably already started. What do we tell my mom and dad once we get there about why we're late?" she asks, glancing at me as I get in the drivers side.

"Just don't tell them we were racing again," I say. "They don't need to find out about that."

"Oh yeah, sure," she scoffs. "Like I want to deal with that. They give me enough about dating you already."

"Your parents love me," I say, slipping on my aviators. "They just...don't appreciate my riskiness."

"I'll just tell them you drove slow."

"Sure, like they're going to believe that." I floor it. Rosemary is thrown back into the seat as gravel goes flying. The smell of burnt tires flies into the air and I inhale deeply...I love that smell. In seconds we're at sixty and flying back down onto blacktop, heading north away from town and into the more rural parts of Lousdale.

Rosemary leans forward and makes the radio blast. I give a wild whoop as she lets the sound pump out of the stereos loudly, pumping her fists. I've taught her to get used to the ear-breaking sound and to let herself be taken away by the music, something she didn't know how to do when I met her. Rosemary was quite the reserved little girl when I took her under my wing. It was amazing what a rebel she could be when you stripped away all those layers she put up, though I could never get her to display this side of her to anyone but me.

Because Lousdale is near the Great Lakes we usually get a ton of clouds, but not today. The sun is bright as ever, casting a glow upon the evergreens and the oaks. A weeping willow sways carefully in the breeze until we whoosh by it, making the very trunk seeming to bend over by our speed. Lambs, cows and goats all graze in pastures by big red barns, horses running wild and free near stables with white sides and green roofs. Patches of orange lilies and colorful tulips sprout in segments along the roadside, while my own little wildflower puts her hand out the window, feeling the air run across her hand.

"I wonder what it'd be like to fly," she asks, looking up at the big puffy clouds above us, over the rolling green hills with gra.s.s as tall as your knees.

"You're about to find out," I say, and I push the accelerator to ninety. She lets out a loud cry, enjoying the speed, and her screams make me go faster. Soon we're nearing one hundred and I can't concentrate on anything but the road, can't feel anything except the steering wheel on my hands and the vibrations of the motor. When Rosemary starts laughing, I begin applying the break slowly.

She lets out an aw of disappointment, turning down the radio. "Why'd you do that for?" she says, glancing over at me.

I don't answer until we're at fifty-five. "You're in the car, Rosie. I'm not risking your life just for a thrill. That's for when I'm by myself."

"You better not," she says, reaching over to slap me on the shoulder.

"I have my limits too, and they're here when you're with me."

"Obviously," she says grumpily.

"You're not seriously still p.i.s.sed about the whole Super Virgin thing, are you?" I ask. She doesn't answer and I say, "Oh come on Rosie. It's just Levi. You know he doesn't mean it."

"I'm tired of being the b.u.t.t of every joke, Noah. And I don't know how many times I have to tell you this, but I'm sick of being a virgin," she spits. "It's like a curse."

"Being a virgin isn't a bad thing, it just feels like it."

"You can't tell me you understand how I feel, Noah, you've done it already. I haven't. You don't remember what it's like."

I scowl. "I sure do. I remember what it felt like to be picked on. Called names. Made fun of, having to wonder what you're missing." I'm silent for a minute. "Truth be told, Rosie, you aren't missing much."

"Says you."

"I've been there!"

"I haven't, Noah! I hate being different from everyone else!" Tears spark in her eyes and she says, "I'm nearly twenty and I haven't had s.e.x. I didn't kiss anyone until you! That's just pathetic."

"Sorry that you have your life together and n.o.body else does. You're special. You deserve better than all that." My grip tightens on the steering wheel.

"You've experienced all life had to offer in high school. Parties, drinking, drugs, s.e.x, while I was in my room writing fanfiction! I totally wasted my teen years."

I hit the brakes a little bit too hard at the stop sign. "I'm telling you that you did better than the rest of us. I'm lucky I'm still alive and not in jail right now. Do I have to remind you how much I regret all of that?"