Fiction Friday--Entertainment Hill

Fiction Friday. Please enjoy this short story about four teenagers and a new pickup truck. 

 Kayleigh was a happy, well adjusted teenager.  She was well liked at school by teachers and students alike.  She was one of those people who had been happy since birth.  No matter what the circumstance Kayleigh could find a reason to be happy.

When Kayleigh was a child, her parents hadn’t had much extra spending money.  They worked hard to pay the bills, but there was little money left over for fun.  One of her fondest memories was going for drives with her parents.   They liked looking at the trees and fields of growing vegetables.  But the thing Kayleigh liked the best was driving down one particular road.  There was a major hill in the road.  If a car was going fast over the crest of the hill, it would leave the road and become airborne.  While her dad drove, Kayleigh sat in the backseat and yelled, “Faster Daddy.  Go faster.”  Her dad always obliged and speeded up on the mostly deserted road.  Kayleigh would hold her arms up in the air and allow the sudden motion of the car to raise her off the seat for just a moment.  Her stomach would turn somersaults and she would laugh delightedly.  Her parents called it ‘the poor man’s rollercoaster.’

“Hi, Kayleigh.”  Heather called from across the school yard.

“Hi, Heather.  How are you doing?”

“I’m fine.  Mitch invited us to his house today after school.  He wants to take us for a ride in his new truck.  Would you like to go?”

“Sure, I’d love to see his new pick-up.” Kayleigh had always loved trucks.

“Great.  I’ll tell him we’re coming.  See you after school.”

“Cool.  We’ll take my car.”

“Sounds good.”  Heather called as she walked toward her first class.

Kayleigh looked forward to going to Mitch’s house that afternoon.  He was a good friend.  She could be herself without trying to impress him.  It was fun to just relax and have fun.  His friend, Cody was usually with Mitch.  The four of them had some good times together.

When school was out, Heather got into Kayleigh’s car and after a stop at the drive-in for drinks; they headed to Mitch’s house.  As expected Cody was there.  Kayleigh and Heather greeted Mitch’s parents respectfully.  They had visited in the home many times and were welcomed each time.

The four teenagers piled into Mitch’s truck.  The girls got into the backseat of the extended cab and the boys in the front.  They waved goodbye to Mitch’s parents as he drove away.

The brand new pick-up truck was beautiful.  The interior was beige leather with heated seats.  The five CD changer was state of the art.  The bright sun bounced off the bright shade of copper on the exterior of the truck.  Kayleigh had never seen something so beautiful.

Mitch drove past a few houses of friends.  Some came out and waved as the fabulous four drove past.  Others watched out the window and smiled at the ‘copper kettle’ driving down their street.  After they ran out of friends to impress, Mitch asked, “Now where do you want to go?  Does anyone know some place fun that we could try this fine machine out to the fullest?”

“I know a great place.”  Kayleigh announced.

“Where is that?”  Cody asked, excited about a new challenge.

“On Franklin Road.  There is a hill that is fun to drive over.”

“Oh yeah, my dad used to take us there all the time.”  Cody let them know.

“Alright, let’s go.”  Mitch yelled.  He knew where the road was located and drove straight to it.

Kayleigh told him which way to turn on Franklin Road.  Mitch sped up a little and the adventurous teens went over the hill sending the ‘copper kettle’ much higher than the car Kayleigh’s dad drove.

“Whoa.  That was cool.”  Cody yelled once they had stopped.

“That was awesome.  Let’s try it a little faster.”  Mitch suggested.  He turned the truck around and headed back toward the hill.    This time his truck was going about 45 miles an hour when he drove over the hill.  The girls in the backseat felt their stomachs come up into their throats.

“Oh man.  That was fun.”  Heather yelled.

“That was at 45.  I wonder what it would do at 90 miles an hour.”  Mitch exclaimed.

“Hey man, that’s not safe.  What if another car was coming down that road and we had an accident?  Someone could get hurt.”  As usual, Cody reigned in his friend’s audacious behavior.

“That’s not a problem.  You stand by the road and watch for cars.  You signal me when it is safe and I’ll get the truck up to 90 before I get to the hill.  If it works then I’ll watch for cars and let you drive next.”  Mitch was always the idea man.

“Alright, but don’t you dare start until I give you the signal.”  Cody exited the truck and walked to a safe distance where he could see the road in all directions.

Mitch backed up the distance he thought necessary to get the desired speed.  He and the girls watched Cody carefully.  Cody checked the road in all directions.  When it was clear, he gave the signal for Mitch to start.  Mitch revved the engine so it would get a good take-off.  Then he dropped it into gear and punched the accelerator as hard as he could.  The truck took off like lightning.  The girls saw the speedometer hit 90 right before the hill.  When the truck left the ground it went so high the girls hit their heads on the top of the cab.  Then the truck came down with a loud thud and every occupant in the truck knew—it was damaged.

Cody came running down the street.  He had heard the crash from where he stood.  “Is everyone alright?”  He yelled as he approached the truck.

“We’re fine.”  The others answered.

“We are, but I don’t think the truck is.”  Mitch said as he stared out the windshield.

“You want to get out and see about it?”  Cody asked.

“No, I just want to go home.”  Mitch said as he put the truck in gear.

The drive home was much quieter than when they left.  Mitch had just damaged his truck that had been on the show-room floor forty-eight hours ago.  No one knew how to console him.  The girls sat quietly in the backseat taking turns glancing at each other and then at Mitch.  Kayleigh felt somewhat responsible.  She had suggested the drive over the hill.  However, she had not suggested the excessive speed.

Mitch turned the corner on the street where he lived.  The girls saw his dad standing in the front yard.  As Mitch turned into the driveway, the look on his dad’s face turned also.  It was a cross between a jack-o-lantern and a zombie.  It was a shade of grey the girls hoped they never saw again.

The girls exited the truck and quickly ran to Kayleigh’s car.  Kayleigh drove off before Mitch’s dad could say anything.  She felt sure that once he started yelling, he wasn’t going to stop for a long time.

Kayleigh took Heather home and then drove home herself.  The friends never talked about the incident on the hill again.  They also found other ways to entertain themselves.