Read Online From What I Remember by Stacy Kramer - Free Book Online

crazy tall, maybe over six-three, and the other one is at least a head shorter. Kind of a Mini-Me. If they weren’t so scary looking, it would actually be kind of a funny sight gag.
    The biker pulls stuff, and more stuff, from his seemingly bottomless backpack and hands it off to the men. iPods, small electronics, and my backpack are among the stash. One of the men presses a wad of cash into the biker’s hand. And then, as fast as it all began, it ends, and the biker disappears down the deserted street.
    All we can do is pull over and watch.
    “That is some serious shit going down,” Max says.
    “It feels like we’re in a Michael Mann movie or something. I didn’t think this kind of thing happened in real life.”
    “Welcome to the other side of the tracks.”
    “Ah, news flash, I live on the other side of the tracks and I’ve never seen anything like this.”
    We watch as the two men load their newly acquired goods into the back of their truck, jump into the front, and drive off. Forget the Michael Mann movie. That’s too good for these guys. It’s more like some cheesy action movie on TNT. Except it’s real. It’s happening to me. And it sucks.
    Max starts up the car and makes a left turn. “What are you doing? Where are we going?” I demand.
    “Back to Freiburg. This thing has just blown up. This is not some kid on a bike anymore. He’s working with other people. Probably very bad people. We don’t want to get involved. And we’re missing the last day of school. This is actually the one day this year I didn’t want to miss.”
    “Stop the car. I want to get out.”
    “No way. Are you kidding me?”
    “Maybe you didn’t hear me, but my valedictorian speech is on that computer.”
    “So, write a new one.”
    “Oh, okay, I’ll toss off another one this afternoon.”
    “Just say whatever comes to mind. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
    “Yeah, well, thanks for that brilliant advice, but that’s not how it works. If you knew anything about writing, you’d know it takes weeks, months, to get something right.”
    “If you say so,” Max says, clearly not really listening, not really caring. Screw him.
    Max is about to head back onto the freeway, which is when I jump out of the moving car. Not smart. Especially since I’m already banged up from my fall.
    Max pulls over and rolls down his window. “I will buy you a new computer and a backup drive, okay? Just get in the car.”
    I don’t respond. I turn and walk down the street. I can see the U-Haul stopped at a light, heading the other way. Max jumps out, rushes up to me, and gets right in my face.
    “Seriously, Kylie, what are you doing? You’re going to run after the truck? Like some kind of superhero? Why don’t you quit while you’re still alive?”
    “I can’t.” I wish I could. But it’s true. I can’t. Max obviously doesn’t understand.
    “I know it’s a huge drag, but there’s nothing you can do.”
    I know he’s trying to be nice when what he’d really like to do is dump me right here on the side of the road. I’m sure he’d rather be anywhere but here. And frankly, so would I.
    I keep walking. Max follows me.
    “Let’s call the police,” he says.
    “We don’t have time. We’ll lose them.”
    It’s at this point that I glance over at the Beemer. The driver’s side door is wide open. I can see that Max has left the keys in the car. I make a snap decision to do something I know I will regret later. But I just can’t help myself.
    I turn, race back to the car, and jump into the driver’s seat. Max figures out what I’m doing a split second too late. I’m already gunning the engine.
    “You coming?” I ask.
    “Kylie, you are totally extreme,” Max says. Strangely, he doesn’t seem as annoyed as I thought he’d be. More surprised. He doesn’t protest as he slides in shotgun and looks over at me. “So, what’re you gonna do, Scooby-Doo?”
    I laugh, despite my desperation. “Follow them at a distance. See