Let Me Call You Sweetheart

37

After she locked the door and started down the steps, Robin noticed the small dark car parked across the street. Strange cars weren’t common on this street, especially at this hour, but she didn’t know why this one gave her an especially funny feeling.

It was cold. She shifted her books to her left arm and zipped her jacket the rest of the way to her neck, then quickened her steps. She was meeting Cassie and Courtney at the corner a block away and knew they probably were already waiting. She was a couple of minutes late.

The street was quiet. Now that the leaves were almost gone, the trees had a bare, unfriendly look. Robin wished she had remembered to wear gloves.

When she reached the sidewalk, she glanced across the street. The driver’s window in the strange car was opening slowly, stopping after it had been lowered only a few inches. She stared at it as hard as she could, hoping to see a familiar face inside, but the bright morning sun reflected in such a way that she could see nothing. Then she saw a hand reach out, pointing something at her. Suddenly panicked, Robin began to run. With a roar, the car came rushing across the road, seemingly aimed right toward her. Just as she thought it was going to come up the curb and hit her, it swerved into a U-turn and then raced down the block.

Sobbing, Robin ran across the lawn of their neighbor’s house and frantically rang the doorbell.