I was going soft.
***
I had to park my Hummer four blocks away from school. So, not only did I go to school, but I also walked to get there.
I shook my head at my own softness; I was getting pathetic. I was on my way home, heading down the highway, perhaps a little over the speed limit. Today only reminded me of how much I really hated school. The teachers were smelly and the students were ruled with hormones and were full of useless information.
Like today, when I was sitting behind Amy in math, she was telling her friend all about how Josh, one of Jax’s little school friends, had taken her to the movies, and then they even did dinner! Oh the excitement!
Glancing in the reverse mirror, I noticed how the same gray sedan was on my tail. The mirrors were tinted a deep black, making it impossible to make out the driver. That was what caused me to put my foot down harder on the accelerator. That tint wasn’t legal; which gave me a bit of insight into the driver. This was no soccer mom tailing me.
The car automatically matched my speed, keeping pace with me. I didn’t recognize the car. The highway was close to dead, and we ended up flying down the road.
I was still a while from home, and I knew I couldn’t go home now, not with a tail on me. I glanced at the fuel gauge; three quarters of a tank.
The car suddenly swung around, and slammed on the brakes, sending me off the road and into the dirt on the side. I was grateful our highway had endless dirt on each side and the trees were a few distance away; or this might have been the end of me.
I slammed my foot down on the accelerator first chance I got, and shot off in the direction of the city. I looked behind me, and noticed that my tail had also spun around to chase me.
I pushed the pedal to the metal, and was grateful for the magnificent machine I’d been handed to drive.
I saw a reflection against my mirror. Shit. I saw the large silver gun now being pushed out a side window. My reflexes kicked in; my back arched and my ears rung as a bullet shattered my back window.
I flung open my glove box. No gun. Shit, I was unprotected.
Swinging my car down the first street as we turned off the highway, my tires squealed and the Hummer had a slight body roll. I attempted to keep it under control, although I lost all control when the bullet flew through my back window.
I was in trouble; I reached over and tipped out my handbag, desperately looking for my phone and I was doing all of this while speeding down a residential street, with parked cars lining each side.
Unlocking the phone, I scrolled down the list until I reached Cole’s number. Cole would answer; he always did. The others I wasn’t too sure; Troy was a heavy sleeper.
I swung the car sideways as another bullet shot into the car. Any minute now, the guys would target the tires, and that’s when the shit would hit the fan for me.
“Hello?” His voice was husky and full of sleep.
“Cole, I’m being shot at.”
Another bullet sailed through a side window, shattering it.
“Amber, what the hell was that?”Cole now sounded awake as he screamed in alarm.
“I just said someone was shooting at ME!”
As soon as I said that, the car jerked as the back tire caught a bullet. “SHIT! They just got my back tire.”
“Where are you?”
I frantically looked for a street sign; I was going to be rolling to a stop anytime now. “Grant Street, half way up. Cole, they just got my other back tire.”
I heard the dull stomping of his feet as he ran down the stairs “How many are their?”
“Can’t see, the car is heavily tinted.” The Hummer was slowing down.
“What color?”
“Gray. They’re shooting Shotguns spa 12’s, from what I can tell.”
“How much speed have you lost?” I heard the dull throwing of something from his end.