Stupid Fast - By Geoff Herbach Page 0,53

paper route the next morning, right after I’d handed Ronald the newspaper and he’d stared at me and squinted again, as we biked down the street together, Aleah said, “Daddy gave me the third degree. Hoo, boy!”

“What’s that mean?” I asked.

“He wanted to know exactly what we were doing down there.”

My stomach dropped.

“Oh, man. Jeez. How’d you get out of that?” I could feel myself blushing, and my mouth got dry.

“I didn’t. I told him what we did.”

I stopped my bike, leaned and stared at her.

“What? You realize I can never look at your dad again.”

She stopped right next to me.

“Why? He didn’t mind. He said it’s normal.”

“He wasn’t mad?”

“Maybe a little uncomfortable?”

“Oh my God. Oh my God.”

“He did say that if we went any further, he’d lock me up until I graduate high school.”

“Well, we’re not going to. I won’t touch you again. Seriously. He doesn’t have to…Tell him not to worry about…He won’t be seeing…”

“He said not to go any further. But you are going to kiss me again, Felton. You got that?” She grabbed my forearm and squeezed.

I tried not to smile because I was seriously concerned, but I did smile because I couldn’t help it. Then I said, “Okay. Yes. I’ll kiss you.”

Aleah smiled.

“You’re sexy.”

“Uhh, yeah.”

“Aren’t you going to talk to Jerri about it?”

“No,” I said.

“Why not?”

“Because.”

“You should talk to Jerri. It’s important to get an adult’s perspective.”

“I don’t know any adults,” I said.

“You know my dad. He’s an adult.”

“You want I should talk to your dad?” I asked, putting on a TV gangster accent, which made Aleah laugh and forget about poking at me.

CHAPTER 30: THE MOUND

I started going every day for hours, no matter what. I ran up while lightning shot across the sky and thunder rumbled down, the rocks, dirt, and rail ties slick with huge rain. I ran up it when the sun was burning hot, burning a hole in the back of my head, blinding me (even though I’d purchased some mirrored honky lifeguard shades). I ran up when the clouds were so low I was in fog at the top, sweating in the stillness and stinky humidity. It didn’t matter what was going on with the weather. Nothing else mattered. I ran and ran and ran.

Once, I ran up with that leather pouch of hippy rocks and crystals that dumbass drummer Tito had given me to help me relax (which made me a freak in the eyes of my classmates), and I dumped them in my right hand and whipped the whole handful down the M so they disappeared. (I threw the pouch in the weeds.)

Because I didn’t want to be at home (Andrew had, in fact, started asking Jerri “hard” questions. Jerri had, in fact, begun to scream like hell at Andrew), I’d stay out there for hours every day.

Every now and then an old couple or some family with kids or some tourist from another part of the state would show up and climb while I ran. Always, always, always, whoever was there would say, breathing hard, “I can’t believe you can run up and down this hill. It’s amazing.”

I’d nod, smile, keep running. Meep meep.

Mostly, though, I was alone out there. And that was good. No ghosts to freak me out with their pirate/zombie wailing about the past. Nothing to do but what I loved doing. I felt like an adult. It felt perfect to be out there. So much so, I began protecting the whole afternoon.

CHAPTER 31: ALEAH AGAIN

One early morning in the middle of July, at the end of the paper route while we were slowly rolling home, sort of zigzagging our bikes and crossing real close, Aleah said, “I’m considering changing my schedule, Felton.”

“Why’s that?” I asked, pedaling past her.

“You know, summer isn’t that long.”

“Already seems like forever,” I said.

“Well, summer term at the college ends at the end of the month. Daddy is aching to get back to Chicago.”

I hit the brakes and skidded to a stop. Then Aleah stopped a few feet ahead of me. She turned back and stared.

“You’re leaving at the end of July?” I asked, my stomach sinking.

“Maybe not exactly at the end. But pretty soon. Daddy’s got article deadlines in August, so he wants to get back to work with his co-author. You knew we were leaving.”

“Yeah, but I just figured it’d be later…Like the day before Gus comes back, right before school starts.”

“No,” Aleah shook her head.

“Oh, no.”

“That’s what I’m saying, Felton. I want to change my