One-Knight Stand (White Knights #3) - Julie Moffett Page 0,3
sure what it meant, if anything. He’d never said anything about it after that, so neither had I. But it didn’t save me from endlessly speculating about how I was supposed to act around him now.
“Hey, Jax,” I responded, and then gave Wally a high five when he raised his palm to me. Wally was as awkward as me, so a high five was totally an appropriate method of greeting for us.
“So, guys, what do think is going to happen today?” I asked, pulling up the hood of my sweatshirt as defense against the cool wind. I should have worn a coat—it was November, after all—but it hadn’t seemed this cold in the morning. “Do you think we’re going to start doing evasive maneuvers like Y-turns or J-turns, or are they going to emphasize basic driving skills? I’m a little apprehensive about jumping into learning how to escape bad situations before I even know how to parallel park.”
“You’ll do fine,” Jax assured me. “Especially if you can translate your wicked virtual ability to the actual road.” I smiled at him and then quickly looked away, worried that I’d stare at his face too long and make it weird.
Still, it made me happy that he considered my virtual skill wicked good. One thing about Jax was he didn’t throw around compliments. If he said it, he meant it. The only problem was I wasn’t sure if his confidence in me was well placed. I didn’t know if could translate a virtual skill like driving to the real world that easily. My heart beat faster, probably from nerves, so I shifted from one foot to the other.
Frankie, on the other hand, was bubbling with excitement, her black coat unzipped. She wore no hat or gloves, a pair of black jeans, purple tennis shoes, and a purple shirt with sequins. Her dark hair was pulled back from her face with a headband covered in the same purple sequins as her shirt. Every time she moved, the sun sparkled off her.
“Slamming on the brakes, backing up at a high speed to avoid a roadblock, and then skidding the car into a 180-degree turn to escape has to be easier than parallel parking, but I can’t wait to prove that for real,” she said cheerfully.
I hoped I wasn’t anywhere in the near vicinity while she was doing that.
“Given our experience in the simulators, I’m sure I can do just about everything,” she continued. “I hope we don’t spend too much time in tedious instruction. Honestly, I’m kind of hoping to start at full speed.”
Given Frankie’s track record in the simulation, I wasn’t sure that was the best idea. Plus, I had my own issues that went beyond the driving experience. I hadn’t told anyone, but I sometimes got carsick riding in a car going at a normal speed. Who knew what would happen to me going at a reckless speed? I had medicine that helped a bit, but I hadn’t thought to bring it with me today. Poor planning on my part.
I considered darting back to the dorm to get it when a black sedan roared into the parking lot. It came to a skidding, screeching halt micro inches from the foot of a blonde student with her hair braided down her back. She stood frozen in shock, her eyes wide, her mouth open in a wide O.
Professor Grange, about fifty years old with black hair peppered with gray, leaped out of the driver’s side, leaving the door open and the car running.
“Good afternoon, students,” he shouted, grinning at us. “Who’s ready for class?”
We stared at him like deer in the headlights, until the professor lifted his hands. “That is a rhetorical question. Of course, you should all be ready for class.”
Frankie giggled, which caused his attention to turn to us. “Well, Ms. Chang, thank you for volunteering. You’ll be driving today, while you three will ride in the back.” He pointed at Wally, Jax and me.
I stared at him in horror. No disrespect to Frankie, but Wally and I had once driven in a car with Frankie behind the wheel. I had promised myself that I would never, ever do that again. I’m pretty sure Wally felt the same way. Frankie had only one speed in the simulator and on the pavement—Mach 1.
A squeal of excitement came from Frankie. “Me? Driving? Are you sure, Professor?”
“Your name is Ms. Chang, and you’re in my class, are you not?” Professor Grange responded.