Coloring Outside the Lines

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"I really can't believe you're letting her do this."

I glare at Jacob, who is sitting in the back seat, and stick my tongue out at him.

"Ray, you do realize that Jordan hasn't driven a car since she very first got her license, right?" Jacob asks warily, raising his eyebrows. "This is a hazardous decision right here."

Ray shrugs. "That's why I'm up here. To help. Also, you don't have to come on the drive with us. We aren't forcing you and strapping you to the seat."

And with those words, Jacob unbuckles his seatbelt and climbs out of the car. "Don't blame me when you're both in the hospital, paralyzed. Jordan's driving, even back then, wasn't quite superior... If you were to get in a crash with that car, man you'd be toast. What year is this? 2007 Honda Civic?"

"Thanks for the boost of confidence, Jacob, but you can run along now," I tell him, rolling my eyes.

So he goes, and Ray and I are left alone in the car. I start the car and place it in reverse, which I clearly remember how to do. I drive Ray's car slowly out of the driveway before putting it in drive and heading forward.

"Why exactly are you trusting me to drive?" I ask him, curiously. I have told him on numerous occasions that I haven't had much experience, therefore placing me into the 'dangerous drivers' section of this earth by default.

"Because I do," Ray tells me. "I do trust you not to kill us both. Don't prove me otherwise, though, please. That would be nice."

I nod. "I'll keep that in mind."

I head down the street and make a right turn at the corner. I turn on the radio and roll down all the windows.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Ray says, placing one hand on the steering wheel. "You've got to slow down. You're going fifty in a twenty five limit. No, no, no."

Keeping my eyes on the road and slowing down considerably, I say, "Hey, I didn't see any signs that told me what the speed limit was."

Ray sighs. "They're not going to be in the middle of the road with blinking lights around them, you've got to keep an eye out for them."

I do as he tells me and watch for the signs. It's really difficult to pay attention to all the signs while paying all attention to the road, let me tell you. There's a sign, I need to see it, but oh no, there's a car coming too! What ever shall I do? How can people figure out this hard stuff so easily?

"You've got to make space for the other car to come through," Ray tells me, grabbing the steering wheel from my grasp and tilting it more to the right.

I nod, swatting his hands away from my personal bubble.

I take a few turns down roads I've actually never been on before. I see older looking houses and playgrounds and kids in the streets playing in the snow that I have to avoid very cautiously.

"Oh, it looks like its starting to snow," Ray says, looking out his window. "It's pretty dangerous driving during a storm here. You can't really see. Lets start heading back."

I nod, but freeze, lifting my foot off the gas pedal.

"What?" Ray asks, looking at me with curiosity.

I bite my lip. "I don't really know where we are right now..."

Ray chuckles before telling me to switch him spots, so we do a Chinese Firedrill right here in the middle of a road. I take the spot in passenger and buckle up my seatbelt. I feel so much more comfortable here than holding that deadly steering wheel.