An Endless Serenade

Chapter Two

"No swearing, Allie," Paul scolded me. "I have a swearing jar."

"You do?"

"I do. Every time you swear, you have to put twenty-five cents into it."

Figures. I'd have to thank my father for swearing around me from a young age. Now it was just a habit. "Okay, I'll remember that... Where's your car?"

"Around the corner," he responded, smiling and gesturing to the house. "I forgot to put it in the garage last night."

As we closed in to the corner of the house, my chest tightened. For some reason I was afraid to see what kind of car he drove. Maybe a Bentley? Or a Lamborghini? If he drove me to school in it, wouldn't it catch a lot of attention? With a grimace, I realized other students probably wouldn't even give it a second glance. Since it was a famous private school, all them were most likely rich and chances were they owned their own fancy cars.

Even though, I was prepared to come across an expensive ride, the sight still shocked me. "An Ashton Martin? Are you kidding me?"

"Um, yes?"

"Do you know how expensive these things are?"

"No, because it was given to me," Paul responded, a little bit sheepishly. "By the company..."

I shook my head in disbelief, running my hand over the sleek, shiny black hood. "Wow. This is crazy."

"Sorry?"

Laughing, I waved him off. "Don't apologize. I've always wanted one of these."

He offered me a smile. "Do you want to drive?"

"Can... Can I?" I nearly whispered, excitement wracking my body. Was he joking? He had to be joking. Who would let a seventeen year old who had only had her license for ten months drive their costly car?

"You can, I don't mind," he replied, tossing the keys to me. "Just stick to the speed limit and don't crash."

"Oh my God! Thank you! I'll drive safely!" I cried, nearly running around the car to the driver's side. "Wow, wow, wow."

The car doors were unlocked and I slid onto the smooth leather seat, adoring the feel of the leather steering wheel. Paul climbed into the passenger seat and snapped his seatbelt, ordering for me to do the same. I did, and then turned on the car. The engine roaring to life was music to my ears. "You'll have to give me directions," I told Paul, nearly shaking in exhilaration.

"When you pull out of my driveway, take a left, and follow it to the end of the road. After that, take a right and follow that road to the end. The school is at the end of it. Simple, right?"

"Got it." With my hand on the gearshift, I slid it down to drive. The car started moving by itself, slowly rolling down the driveway. Like Paul instructed, I turned left, after making sure there were no cars coming. Luckily for me, the road seemed empty. When I was in my lane, I gently pushed on the gas.

My head hit the back of my seat as we jolted forward, going from five miles per hour to thirty in a matter of seconds. Immediately I yanked my foot away from the gas and slammed on the break, causing both Paul and myself to jerk forward now, our seatbelts catching and choking us both. With my heart pounding in my chest, I stared at my guardian with round eyes. "I see it's very sensitive."

He opened his mouth to respond, but instead, burst out laughing. "You should have seen your face!"

"This thing is a beast! I didn't know it went so fast!"