16 Things I Thought were True Part 18

sixteenthings.indd 111 9/9/13 2:21 PM.

J a n e t G u r t l e r I don't answer and frown as the CD progresses to a happy song about summer fun.

"I guess I've tried hard not to really think about it too much," I finally say. "Like what if he slams the door in my face or calls me a liar?" I look out the window. "How do I handle that?"

Amy turns down the volume on the CD.

"Maybe you should call him," Adam suggests from the back.

"Instead of just showing up at his door?"

"Surprise is the only element I have control over. I don't want to give him a chance to prepare. I want to see him react. I want to watch him recognize me. I want to hear an unrehea.r.s.ed explanation for breaking my mother's heart and missing every day of my life. "

Something flashes by the window and there's a sudden pop outside.

"OH EM GEE!" Amy shouts.

I glance over and her eyes are wide and she's gripping the steering wheel tight and sitting straight up in her seat.

"Amy?"

Her lips are pressed tightly together. I glance around, and there are no cars behind or ahead of us, but I hear a flapping sound "Was that the tire?" Adam says from the backseat.

The car b.u.mps a few times and then begins to slow. Amy steers the clunky car off to the side of the road. It's not a smooth transition to the shoulder as we gradually come to a stop. There's no one around, just open farmer's fields on both sides.

"It was the tire," she says. We sit in shocked silence until she flips on the hazards and pops the hatch open.

"Holy c.r.a.p." I open my door and step outside.

112.

sixteenthings.indd 112 9/9/13 2:21 PM.

chapter ten.

5. Real girls don't change car tires.

#thingsIthoughtweretrue A dam scrambles out of the car. Amy shuts off the engine and joins us at the front b.u.mper. We all stand there and stare at the pa.s.senger tire.

It's completely flat.

"Let me guess," Amy says. "None of us knows how to fix this?"

"Boy fail," Adam says.

"Thank G.o.d my parents insisted on AAA." Amy looks around.

"This is like a scene in one of those horror movies. Maybe we're going to get attacked by vampires or zombies."

"For G.o.d's sake, call AAA," Adam says. "You watch too many scary movies."

"There's no Wi- Fi or satellite," I tell them, holding my phone in the air. "No bars. We're out of range. My phone is useless. We're S- O- L."

"Totally flip flop screwed," Amy says. Her teeny voice sounds like Alvin from the Chipmunks. Adam and I glance at each other and burst into laughter.

sixteenthings.indd 113 9/9/13 2:21 PM.

J a n e t G u r t l e r "I'm glad you find this funny." She walks around the car and opens the driver's side door. "Maybe my phone has bars. Adam, get yours out too. Maybe we can get service." Suddenly she's the mature one in our little group. "We need to get this fixed before the border closes down. We'll miss the ferry to Vancouver Island."

The laughter in my throat vaporizes. Amy takes out her phone and Adam grabs his brand- new replacement phone, but none of us has service. We sit on the car and stare at the highway. The sun is s.h.i.+ning. Two cars approach from the opposite way, and we all jump up and wave our arms around. Neither slows even though it's kind of obvious we're having car trouble.

I think about all the times I've seen people pulled over and con- sidered stopping but kept going. I vow to stop next time. And then I think about my healthy fear of serial killers on the side of the highways. Maybe not.

"Come on," I say. "We might find a spot where we can pick up service. There has to be a farm or something around here some- where. There has to be Wi- Fi. We need to find a pocket."

We walk along the shoulder of the highway, holding our phones in the air, watching for bars. Then we cross the highway to the field where cows are grazing nearby. Amy slips through the barbed fence. I shrug and follow her, trying hard not to get scratched by the barbed wire. Adam stays on the other side of the fence, staring at us.

"What?" Amy says. "Come on."

"There are cows in that field," he says, pointing out the obvious.

"So?"

"So what if they charge us or something?"

114.

sixteenthings.indd 114 9/9/13 2:21 PM.

1 6 t h i n g s i t h o u g h t w e r e t r u e Amy stands on her toes and looks around. "I don't see any calves.

If we walk quietly and respect them, they're not going to bother us."

"How do you know?" Adam doesn't move. "I've read about people being charged by cows."

"Are you kidding me?" Amy asks. "You're afraid of being charged by cows? This is not very bosslike."

"It's happened." Adam pushes his gla.s.ses up his nose and lifts his chin. "Maybe one of us should wait by the car, in case someone stops to help. And by 'one of us,' I mean me. I hate cows."

"So you'd rather have two girls get charged than you?" Amy asks him.

"No." He looks toward the car. "Like you said, you'll be fine. But cows freak me out. I don't even like eating hamburgers."

We both stare at him.

"Fine. Wait by the car." Amy throws her keys at his head. He manages to catch them. "Give Morgan your phone in case it gets bars first."

I'm surprised that he doesn't argue and just hands me the phone and jogs back across the highway to the car, the keys jangling in his fingers.

"What a mousetrap," Amy says, shaking her head in his direction.

I ignore her strange comment. "Do cows really charge?" I ask. I don't have cow facts readily available in my head.

"Rarely," she says. "Move calmly, don't make any sudden noises.

Once they see we're no threat, they won't even care we're around."

I have no desire to make cows suspicious of my behavior. "How do you know these things?"

115.

sixteenthings.indd 115 9/9/13 2:21 PM.

J a n e t G u r t l e r She shrugs. "I read a lot when I was a kid. I remember things easily."

She starts wandering the field, her phone held high in the air. I sigh and follow. We walk slowly, checking our phones. I keep one eye on the herd of cows as we get closer. The smell is obnoxious and there are piles of dung everywhere. When we're almost in the middle of the field and way closer to the cows than I want to be, Amy screams.

"I have two bars!" she shouts. "Hey! I got a text from Jake!"

I glance down and see my phone still doesn't have service. Neither does Adam's. I know her phone carrier is a different one than mine and make a mental note to switch. "Forget Jake. Call a tow truck!"

Amy calls 411 and gets a tow truck number in Lynden. When she reaches the tow company, she gives them her AAA number and our approximate location on the highway. She hangs up and turns, walking back toward the highway. "He said at least an hour, hope- fully not more."

I glance at the time on my phone. If they're more than an hour, we might not make the ferry. It'll be cutting it close. Too close. I stomp behind Amy across the field and then slip through the wire and cross the highway to the car. My insides flutter with nerves, but I know what I have to do. I take a deep breath. Adam opens the door and steps out.

"Moo," Amy shouts at him and pretends she's going to attack.

"That's funny, said no one ever," he yells.

I ignore them, trying to psyche myself up.

"It's not illegal to be afraid of cows," Adam says.

"Not illegal. But kind of hilarious."

116.

sixteenthings.indd 116 9/9/13 2:21 PM.

1 6 t h i n g s i t h o u g h t w e r e t r u e My stomach flips. I don't want to miss the ferry. I don't want wrinkles in our carefully scheduled travel plans. I pace up and down beside the car, arguing with myself.

"Are you freaking out because you can't use the Internet?" Amy calls out.

"No. I mean yes- but no." The truth is, Josh taught me how to change a tire, but I never intended to ever actually do it myself.

And I'm scared I'll mess it up.

Adam jumps off the trunk and they both watch me pacing, kick- ing up gravel under my feet.

"What's wrong?" Adam asks.

"I know how to change a tire, okay?" I say. "But I've only done it with Josh helping me. I'm kind of chicken."

"Woo- hoo," Amy yells and jumps up and down, pumping her fists in the air. "Why didn't you say so, Chaps?"

I narrow my eyes. "Didn't you hear the chicken part?"

"Forget that. We're here. Tell us what to do. We'll help. Just do it."

"What are you, a frigging Nike commercial?"

She crosses her arms and glares at me. "You can do this, Morgan."

"Totally," Adam says. "And it only makes me hate you a little bit.

I am made of lame."

I frown and fidget, kicking the gravel with my toe.

"Come on," Amy yells. In the distance, one of the cows moos loudly.

An excited feeling punches me in the stomach. I take a deep breath, close my eyes, picture Josh as he taught me. I'd been sure I'd never attempt it. I'm not sure I can do it.

117.

sixteenthings.indd 117 9/9/13 2:21 PM.

J a n e t G u r t l e r "Step one...pull up the parking break. Adam, go find a big rock or something to put in front of the tires so the car doesn't roll," I say out loud.

I stand taller. While they run off to find rocks, I go to the trunk, take out the luggage, and lift the board up to find the spare tire, right where it's supposed to be. I reach for the jack. I close my eyes, think about missing the ferry. I can do this. I get to work.

118.

sixteenthings.indd 118 9/9/13 2:21 PM.

chapter eleven.