A Preview

And since I'm not quite up to my full writing potential yet...a little light reading for you....

Chasing Cars

Exit 95. My eyes shift quickly from the tattered red Ford truck ahead of me to the illuminated green glow of the digital clock – 10:24 a.m. It has been four exits and three hours since I left the near empty gas station where I refueled my car and filled my stomach with the refreshing coffee from the machine. It was supposed to taste like French Vanilla, but had reminded me more of the off brand coffee substitute my grandmother used to buy with the coupons she would receive in the mail. My 2002 Toyota Camry seemed to be steering itself as I successfully switched lanes to make room for the merging vehicles coming up on the right.

As the speedometer makes its way back down to 60 mph I feel a tickle in my nose and sneeze almost uncontrollably, twice. I remember reading somewhere that it’s impossible to keep your eyes open during those few seconds when you sneeze, and I wonder how many minutes I’ve spent with my eyes closed so far during the journey. For the past couple of days I have been dealing with a minor cold that was so inconveniently given to me by a coworker. Glancing through the rear view mirror at my usually tidy backseat I cringe at the sight of dozens of used white Kleenex that had been rolled into soft balls and tossed behind me. Due to the absence of a trash bag of any sort, the little balls of white are randomly spread around the car, lying on the tan leather seats, shoved into the side pockets of the car door, or placed on the floor, hidden from view.

It’s unusually bright as the sun shines through my windshield, and I have to squint slightly as I feel for the visor and pull it to the left side of the window without removing my eyes from the never-ending stretch of road ahead. I’ve had my car for months now, but I can still detect a pinch of new car smell, even through the cheap coffee that I had finished over 130 miles ago. Steadying the wheel with my left hand, I use only my right index finger to turn on the radio and switch from station to station until I hear a familiar song. A case full of c.d.s lay in the passenger seat next to me, but I opt for the radio instead because I’d rather leave the music selections up to an infinite source. “Little darling, it’s been a long cold lonely winter” softly reverberates from the speakers and I’m immediately taken back in time.


“Here comes the sun, here comes the sun, and I say it’s alright,” he sang along mockingly to the Beatles tune. The music bounced off the walls of the bus as it trekked along Main Street on the late February night. It was nearing the end of winter, but tonight the snow was gliding sweetly from the sparkling sky, like angels coming down from heaven.

“Hey, I love this song,” I said shivering from the cold breeze that creaked through the constantly frosted windows. My hands, possibly the only warmth in my entire body, were shoved into the pockets of my black pea coat and I played with the ball of tissues inside.

“Well, I love you,” he pulled me closer to him and kissed my rose tinted cheek. After a moment of silence a cloud of cold air escaped from my mouth and I let out a gentle, “Really? Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent positive,” he nodded his head in a definite manner. Not wasting a single instant I replied with four words that I was already so sure of, “I love you too.”

Justin and I had met nearly two months ago at my cousin’s 21st birthday party. Being one of the only freshmen amidst the crowded zoo of upperclassmen, I didn’t really notice him until half way through the evening when my obviously intoxicated cousin introduced him as “the dude who sits behind me in Calculus.” For the rest of the night I stood facing his 5 foot 11 physique, fixing my attention on his chocolate brown eyes. They were the color of every other person’s at the party, yet the simplicity of the brown against the rest of his features made them unexpectedly unique. With his arms crossed firmly across his chest, you could see the outline of the blue veins flowing across the discrete muscles that glistened even in the dim light. His broad shoulders arched forward with every movement he made, and every time those dimples formed into that wide mischievous smirk I couldn’t help but smile myself. There was nothing extraordinary about his appearance, but I sensed something in him that the naked eye alone couldn’t see and though I’m not quite sure what it was, I was hooked.

If you want to read more, just let me know
Hopefully soon I'll be back to my old writing crazy self...

Katherine