Evelyn was standing over me, one hand on her hip. I’d been at the store for more than an hour, working on a mailing while the others stocked books. “Volunteering?”
“Now tell me, how’s the weather?” She folded her arms across her chest.
“Uh…” I glanced at the window. “It finally stopped raining, and it’s actually kind of warm?”
“That’s right.” Evelyn tapped her watch. “It’s a gorgeous December afternoon, and you’re inside a bookstore?”
“So are you.” I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair. I’d come straight to the store from school without stopping home to change first, but I’d ditched my starched white blouse and was currently dressed in the Ramones T-shirt I’d worn under it, plus my school kilt and saddle shoes. I figured in this outfit I could get away with teasing Evelyn a little. “Is that a leather jacket you’re wearing? Who said you got to lecture me about the weather?”
She laughed and waved for me to get up. “Come on. That mailing doesn’t need to go out until Monday. We’re hitting the park before the sun goes down.”
I stretched my arms over my head as Lisa and Becky came out from the back room, each of them struggling to balance stacks of paperbacks. “You coming, Sharon?” Lisa called.
“Sure.” I climbed to my feet and took half the books off the stack she was holding. “How long’s the walk to the park from here?”
“Who said anything about walking?” Lisa set the rest of the books onto the table, reached into the pocket of her jeans, and pulled out a set of keys as I put my stack down beside hers.
“You’re riding with me, right, Evie?” Becky asked.
“Yeah.” Evelyn pulled on a sweatshirt. “Lisa, can you take Sharon?”
“’Course.”
My mouth dropped open. Were they talking about…? “No way.”
Lisa grinned. “What, you’ve never been on a bike?”
I shook my head. I was mildly terrified, but I definitely didn’t want her to know that. “Do I have to…do anything?”
She laughed. “Just hang on tight.”
Everything happened fast. I grabbed my sweater and my school bag and by the time we got outside, Becky and Evelyn were already long gone down the block, the motorcycle engine revving in their wake.
Lisa’s was humming when I climbed on behind her. The seat wasn’t very long, and I tried to lean back to put space between us, which was especially awkward in a kilt, but Lisa rolled her eyes at me over her shoulder. “Scoot up, kid. Evie’ll kill me if I let you fall off.”
I moved forward, and Lisa reached back and wound my arms around her waist. I don’t know her that well yet, and being pressed up against her felt strange. But the next thing I knew, we were moving, and I understood. The bike went fast, and nothing was holding me in place except my arms around Lisa’s rib cage. I had to hold on for dear life.
For the first block, I clutched her desperately, all of my energy focused on staying in the seat. I learned quickly that it was easier if I leaned with her on the turns, though, and as we neared the park, I managed to relax enough to watch the streets pass.
The view from the back of a bike turned out to be awesome. It was the complete opposite of walking or driving. The city moved past us in a bright, unfiltered, exhilarating blur.
When we reached the park and Lisa pulled in behind the other motorcycles, to my surprise, I was disappointed. I slid off the seat, but I was itching to climb right back on.
Lisa laughed as she climbed down after me. “It’s fun, right?”
“It’s incredible!”
“Get Becky to give you a ride next time. She’s got the coolest bike of anyone. A present from her grandma.”
She was right. Becky’s motorcycle two spaces over was red, and a lot bigger and shinier than Lisa’s. “Nice.”
“We can teach you if you want. It’ll come in handy when your boyfriend and your brother are busy. Or if you ever get