an

ord give me strength. Slowly, I turne

ng forward in all her 5'3 glory. "And you

of her salmon pantsuit yet, and was already yelling at me

nd I held my breath. "We

tightene

I think of that...that boy." She h

" I took a defensive step

ce! All of h

, he's poor, n

. "But sweetie, you could have so many more better fr

friends! CJ and Ha

Tony? Remembe

se of the stairs. I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. "CJ has been my f

nally, after the silence grew too long to handle, she turned away. "Fine, " she muttered. "Have a

y mind. In a desperate attempt to force me back into the social circle of the rich, my mother's favorite pass time was to set me up

d. I grabbed a pillow and screamed into it, wishing there was someway to

ced at the window. It sounded like...like a motorcycle. My frown deepened. What was a motorcycl

ing as he glanced from house to house. From here, I could see a small Go-Pro strapped to his helmet. Must be new or something, I reasoned. Al

eminine figure) revved the engine again and his purple rims spun to a blur. Like a bul

y some more when another purring engine came from

into wheelies while the other two spun in tight circles. My eyes widened. They were...playing. The rider with the camer

se enough to touch the road and snatch a garden gnome as he flew past, tossed it to another rider, who planted it in another yard without ever slowing down. It was seamless. Flawless.

ed listening

They rode without direction, tearing across the road and up peoples drive wa

ox. One of the riders suddenly caught sight of me and slowed. My heart

Keep cool. Y

moment, he waved back with a gloved hand. I broke out into a grin and gave him a thumbs up. "You

d white smoke began to waft from the bike. My eyes widened. Painted flames rippled along his bike, so realistic that th

d me, I saw my mother storming do

om, " I blurted

grip and I flinched. "Get inside before the neighbors see!" She trie

want to

she snarled, tightening

lanched. All five motorcycles were still, watching us. My face flushed red. "You - you guys were awesome!" I c

und just in time to see her address the motorcyclist. She shook her fist at

away until it was just one rider remaining. I felt his heavy gaze upon me and

against my ribs and I hardly heard my mother as she chastised me. Something sp

*

ling open my eyes, I rolled over and fumbled with the charger, all the whil

o text me at five in th

t was

nd: H

ing a hand across my eyes. Y

ood reason for this. What

ECK THE LIN

irst text he sent me. It wa

tch it in

It. I already se

ue, Rachel

NA WHAT T

ee the vi

r the covers and pressed the link. YouTube popped up. The

een while a title app

s looked

motorcycle tore through th

26: Th

to churn. Okay...less promising.

ay and my vision became lined with pink and blue bubbles. The video showed shots of the large, n

had seen yesterday, now from the perspective of the fifth rider. Through my dim terror I appreciated the angels the camera showed. The Go-Pro must

me - me, with my ripped jeans and messy blonde hair - and showed my awkward wave and thumbs up. The other motorcycle

me, capturing the look of wonder that crossed my fac

me to a halt. The camera refocused on me fighting against my mother. God, I looked pitiful. "You - yo

away. Two motorcycles rode in front of him, and text appeared o

ellmington? Who knows. But maybe the people wh

h a million thoughts at once. Who where they? Did any kids

udly. Suddenly numb, I picked up the pho

ame Ri

y no one from school will see this, I calmed myself. CJ probably found it because he likes that kind of stuff, and the

he pillows. Every thing would be okay. I would get up in an hour, go to school,

I believ