See You at Harry's(53)

“Nah,” Cassie says. “It’s like a really, really big limo.”

“With only front seats,” Ran adds.

Sara pulls up to the curb, and Ran opens the door. I get in first, then Ran, then Cassie. There aren’t enough seat belts, so Ran and I share the middle one.

“Soooo?” Sara asks. “How was it?”

“Great!” we all say at the same time.

We slowly drive through the parking lot and back onto the road. Sara turns up the radio, and we all sing “Crocodile Rock” at the top of our lungs. This is the happiest day of my life, I start to think. But then I stop. Because no happiest day should come after Charlie. But I keep singing, because I know it’s OK to be happy at this moment. I know Charlie would want me to be. I can imagine him here now, squeezed in with us, singing and laughing.

Just as we really get into the song, Sara suddenly flicks it off.

“Uh-oh,” she says. “Oh . . . no . . .” She looks in the rearview mirror. “I can’t believe it.”

“What?” I ask. But then we all see the flashing lights reflected in the side mirrors.

Sara presses the brakes and pulls to the side of the road.

“Were you speeding?” Ran asks.

“No,” Sara says. “Just stay calm. Fern, hand me my purse. Cassie, grab the registration out of the glove compartment.”

I give her the purse, and we find the registration.

Sara rolls down her window and squints at the mirror. “Guys, this is our lucky night,” she whispers. “Fern, put something over your seat belt, quick!” Ran pulls off his coat and covers our lap just as a cop steps up to the door.

“Mike!” Sara says. “How the heck are ya?”

“Hey, Sara. How’s it goin’?”

“You nearly gave me a heart attack. I totally thought we were busted. And I wasn’t even speeding! Um, I wasn’t, was I?”

“Uh, no, but . . .”

“Just stopped me to say hi, huh? How’ve you been, anyway?”

“Uh, Sara? Your dad called you out. He said his truck was stolen.”

She laughs but it sounds fake. “Well, it’s just us! It’s not stolen. So you can call off the search.”


“I don’t know. . . .”

“Look, Mike. See these sweet faces?”

We all smile at him. Cassie waves.

“They all just came from Homecoming. Remember how important that was to us when we were in school? And now I have to get them home so they don’t get in trouble for missing curfew. You don’t want them to remember their first Homecoming as the time when their driver got busted by the police, do you? I mean, Homecoming memories, Mike. You know how important they are. Weren’t you, like, homecoming king one year?”

“Actually, no. I never went to Homecoming.”

Uh-oh.

Sara sighs. “Oh, Mike. Please, for me? Tell you what. You can follow us! You could escort us to Cassie’s and Ran’s houses, and then I promise to head straight home. You can follow us the whole way. Whatever you want.”

I hold my breath. We are in so. Much. Trouble.

Mike taps his fingers on the door.

“Please?” Sara says again.

Please, I say to myself. Please, please, please, please, please.

“Oh, what the heck. All right. But don’t try anything funny. I’m going to follow you, and I can call for backup if I need it.”

“I promise. No funny business. Scout’s honor. Or whatever. Thanks, Mike! You’re the best cop ever!”

He shakes his head and walks back to his car.

“I can’t believe it,” Ran says.

“Fern, never say I’ve never done anything for you, sister.”

“Oh. My. God. This is, like, the best night of my life!” Cassie gushes. “I will never forget this night for as long as I live. How cool are we, getting pulled over by the cops! Do you think he’ll flash his lights all the way home?”

“Lord, I hope not,” Sara says.

“You were good,” Ran says. “You totally snowed him.”

“Yeah,” Sara says, turning the radio back on. “I was pretty awesome.”

We drop Cassie off first. She practically skips to her front door. When she gets there, she turns and blows us all kisses. We laugh and blow some back.

At Ran’s house, Sara pulls to the curb and parks. The police car is right behind us, but thankfully he parks far enough behind that when he turns off the lights, you can’t see him from the house. When Ran gets out, his parents open the front door and come rushing down the front path. His dad has a camera.

“You may as well get out, Fern. There’s no way they’ll let you guys leave without a pose,” Ran says.

I climb out, and his dad gives me a huge hug. Then his mom wraps her long, skinny arms around me and whispers in my ear, “You OK, honey? We’ve been so worried about you.”

I nod my head against her soft sweater. Why is it that when people are nice to you, it makes you have to cry? I squeeze my eyes shut and take a deep breath. She smells like sugar cookies.

“I’m doing OK,” I say. She lets me go, and Ran takes my hand and leads me over to the garage door, under the outside light.

“What a beautiful couple,” his dad says. Ran squeezes my hand.