A Free Ride

My friend and I had just sloughed another 8th grade school day. We blew all our money at the mall and couldn't afford to ride the bus home. We had a 6 mile walk over the next two hours. Near the end, a faster ride on the bumper of a Frito Lay truck sounded like a good idea.

I turned to Adam and told him, “I'm going to jump when it slows down on these tracks”. Adam cautioned against it, “No, it will be going to fast”. “No, it will slow down, I'm jumping”.

I jumped; fully expecting to land on my feet and run to the edge of the road. But, at that speed, when my feet touched the ground, my body flew forward and I hit the deck, my chin inches from the pavement. I slid about 20 feet on my stomach, holding my fingertips up and letting my arms and body take all of the pressure. When I slowed, I got up and jogged to the side of the road, looking up to see Adam watching from the bumper of the truck. I dusted off my jacket and pants and inspected my hands; not a scratch. I walked home.

A few minutes later there's a knock at the door. I open it and find Adam, panting heavily. He had continued to the next stop sign and then ran all the way back to my house, fearing that I was hurt. I walked outside and quitely explained…