Panic by Sharon M. Draper

Author:Sharon M. Draper
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

23

MERCEDES, Sunday, April 14 10 p.m.

“The night was peppered with stars.”

—from Peter Pan

Mercedes and Steve huddled together in Steve’s unheated Buick. They’d parked the car in front of the house, and Mercedes had noticed her mother peek out of her bedroom window at least twice in the last fifteen minutes.

The car had once been a sleek, metallic green, but years of sun and snow, of dents and dings, had dulled it to a heap of metal the color of cabbage. The back bumper was held on with duct tape, and a long, wobbling crack snaked across the front windshield.

“Your car, is, without a doubt, the ugliest vehicle in the universe,” she said, scooting closer to Steve.

“Yep, that it is,” he replied, putting his arm around her. “But you know you love it.”

“Only because you do.”

“I paid for it all by myself,” he said proudly.

“Couldn’t have been hard to come up with ten dollars and thirty-nine cents,” she teased.

“It’s got personality!” he said.

“My dad’s car starts with a push of a button. He doesn’t even need a key.”

“Well, my car starts with a push too—especially in the middle of winter.”

They both laughed.

“Can you believe that somebody once pulled out of a car dealership and drove it home, all proud?” Mercedes said as she rubbed a finger over the worn leather seats.

“It was shiny and gleaming.”

“Both headlights and both taillights worked.”

“The horn honked.”

“The blinkers blinked.”

“All four windows rolled down.”

“The finest piece of automotive excellence that 1989 had to offer.”

“My mother taught me to respect senior citizens,” she said with a laugh, “so I’m being nice to Miss Ethyl.”

“If my honey car thinks you don’t love her, she’ll spit oil on your new jeans and ooze rust on your best jacket,” Steve warned.

“I think she’s already done that,” Mercedes said. “She was trying to let me know she was boss.”

“Ethyl may be an eyesore, but she gets me over here to see you, and that’s all that counts,” he whispered into Mercedes’ ear.

Mercedes snuggled into Steve’s embrace. “The vigil tonight was nice, in a weird way. Do you think it did any good?”

“I don’t know—I guess it helped,” Steve replied, “because we needed to come together and worry about her all in one place at the same time. And it had to have helped her parents—to know so many people cared.”

“Do you think Diamond knows? How many people care, I mean?” Mercedes asked, hope in her voice.

“She’s gotta know people are worried about her and searching for her,” Steve assured her.

“I sure hope so,” Mercedes said with a sigh.

“Look, it gave all of us a feeling of togetherness. Sometimes that’s all you can do when you’re feeling sad and messed up.”

“When did you get so wise?” Mercedes teased. “Anyway, I know you always make me feel better.” She grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

“Hey, I’m just as confused and scared as everybody else,” Steve admitted. “What if it was you who was missing? I’d be going crazy round ’bout now.”

“Really?”

“You even have to ask?” He hugged her close.

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