What a week. I caught my mom using heroin. My boyfriend dumped me for some slut. Burning with desperation, I agreed to Genie’s plan to steal a car.
If I made enough money from the deal, I could support my little brother on my own. I was terrified Jesse would be taken away from us.
Genie was a friend from high school. She didn’t look down on me because of my mom.
“Get. In. Now. Darlene,” Genie said.
I froze, staring at her through the open car window. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this.” I had second thoughts. Maybe I shouldn’t jump into the Rolls.
“What’s your problem, girlfriend? It’s too late now. Do you have any idea what will happen if we skip out?” She aimed a finger at her temple. “These guys play for keeps.”
I forced myself into the car, stuffing my valet vest under the seat.
Genie drove out the back parking lot exit.
I twisted around to see if anyone was watching. I thought someone was staring at us. No one followed. We drove down the street. Genie was careful to obey the speed limit.
“Were you trying to get us caught?” she said, keeping her eyes on the road.
“No,” I whispered. “But what if we are?”
She turned on the jammer. It would block any tracking device that might’ve been installed. That’s what her cousin Whitey told her when he dropped it off. I prayed it worked.
“Darlene, Whitey wouldn’t let us get busted.” Genie snapped her gum.
I ground my teeth—a stress habit. Reality hit. I had just committed a felony.
Once on the highway, Genie seemed to relax. That helped. I stretched out my legs and took in a breath.
Whitey was waiting for us to deliver the Rolls up in Ashland. Music blared on the radio. Genie tapped her fingers on the steering wheel.
I gazed at a cross hanging from the mirror. What would happen when they couldn’t find the owner’s car?
I thought about the valet boss who hired us. Guilt crushed me.
Genie’s words startled me. “I think we’re in the clear,” she said. “Can’t wait to see the look on Whitey’s face when he sees this beauty.”
Excitement kicked in.
I smiled at the thought of moving out of our apartment and having a safe place to live.
“How much will we get for it?” I asked.
“Bet we score at least fifteen each.” She moved to the music. “Whitey told me if I brought him a Rolls or a Bentley, he’d get a hundred grand for it.”
“Wait. What? Whitey keeps seventy thousand, and we have to split what’s left?”
“You don’t get it, do you?” She seemed bothered. “He has to pay the guy who’s gonna send the car out of the country. There’s also the middleman who’ll find a buyer.”
“Oh.” I tuned to another station.
“There’s more to this operation than you know. Fifteen grand isn’t enough for you?”
“Of course it is,” I said.
It was drizzling. Headlights from oncoming cars reminded me of flashlights. Jesse and I would flip them on under our covers whenever the electricity was cut off. That would never happen again.
“I’m gonna throw a helluva party. Then I’ll hide the rest of the money till I start my own tattoo shop,” Genie said.
I was surprised. She didn’t have one tattoo on her body.
“Cool.”
“What are you gonna do with your take?” Genie asked.
I didn’t want to admit I was panicked my mom might get busted again. What if Jesse was taken away and sent to a foster home? I didn’t want Genie to know I couldn’t live with myself if that happened.
“You won’t think I’m crazy?”
Genie laughed. “I already think you are. But the good kind of crazy.”
“I’m gonna put my take in the bank.”
“You can’t deposit that much cash and not be reported,” Genie shouted. “Girlfriend, you’re not crazy. You’re out of your mind!”
“Okay. Okay. No bank.” I bit the inside of my lip.
Genie shook her head.
She looked in the car’s mirrors—like fifty times. This went on for an hour. Then she said, “I’m getting tired. How ’bout you take a turn driving?”
“Wait. You sure that’s a good idea? You know I didn’t pass my driving test.” My stomach felt tight.
“What are you worried about?” Genie said. “You’re a good driver. You would’ve passed your test if that truck didn’t cut you off.” She shrugged. “It wasn’t your fault.” Genie pulled over at the next rest stop. “Quick. Get out and switch with me.”
I got behind the awesome steering wheel. No car I ever rode in smelled or shined like this one. I felt like royalty.
I shifted into drive and got back on the highway. The long hood and Rolls emblem led the way.
Out of nowhere, flashing red lights surrounded the car. Screaming sirens sent me into a panic. It was the end of my world.
Oh my God.
I held on tight with wet palms. “Genie. Help. What should I do?”
That’s when the cop following us ordered me to pull over.
“You better pull over and stop the car.”
“But, Genie …”
“Do it, Darlene. Just say you want a lawyer.”
Not one cop—more like five—shouted, “Get out of the car. Put your hands on your head.” Guns were drawn. “Get down on the ground. Spread your arms away from your body.”
I heard Genie ordered to do the same on the other side of the car.
The cop cuffed my hands behind my back. “You have the right to remain silent,” he began. He pressed my chest and face into the wet pavement. Little stones stuck to my cheek.
“Officers, please,” Genie blurted. “I didn’t know I was riding in a stolen Rolls Royce.” She almost cried. “Darlene told me it belonged to her uncle. We were just taking it out for a ride.”
I about puked up the last thing I ate.