that I was only In the.ninth grade,and I was stealing someone's van and taking it around town.I'm not saying that there's a right age for stealing vans,hut I'm not.the person to do this
sort o.f stuff.I guess it's what going into high, school is al I

ahdut,having dishonorable fun.. _1 __

Like I was saying,it finally got. dark,and Paula smoothly

drove us out of the parking; lot to a main road.I was holding on for dear life from the beginning.It seemed like everything was. happening all of a sudden this summer,and if I got killed before it was over,then I wouldn't know what, to do.I guess it wouldn't matjter,because I'd already have joined the coffin chamber and I' d have no.thing to worry about.

I could just feel that her going on the main road was a mistake as soon as she got on it..When I saw the trouble-she had remaining in one lane,I got a little weak.After a while,she got off the road and on to a side road that went God know's where.

She wasn't expecting very much .traffic hack there,so she could kick up some dust.and not leave a trail of bodies in her path.

Boy,were we both, surprised.when the road opened up into a clearing. That wasn't the worst part,there was this .guy and this girl kissing each other on the hood.of their car,and they must not haye heard the .van until.we honked the horn,because when we were abcjut twenty feet away from them,they decided to move out of the way.I closed my eyes and waited for the impact of the car and the people.When it didn't happen,I opened my eyes, to see what was going on.Paula was screaming her pee brain out because the entire van hit something and completely lifted off from the ground.When I got dumb, enough to open my eyes,I saw a couple of birds, in their nest that weren'.t doing what you'd like them

to. be doing.We must have been sixty feet off the ground.I figured

..., — — 1 ^

that I was gonna die anyway,so I'd .stick my head out the window to: see how. high we were off the ground.This reminded me of a time when I was riding a school bus in the third grade.1 stuck

my head out the window and it nearly got seared off by an anten^^ nae that didn't stop to see if I was. all right.I don't know why I was thinking of a third grade bus ride at a time like this,