In every true and know aspect of life, doing what we were at that moment was wrong. We both knew this but at the time it didn’t matter. Not at all. We shouldn’t be standing outside of our school building in the middle of third period.

He had his life and I had mine. They almost never intertwined and that was probably for the best. He was known to most people as dangerous, with his sly smile and cool, carless movement in his step. His nearly non-existent attendance record was the polar opposite of my spotless one, and he had more rumors of illegal or scandalous activity buzzing around the school than anyone else I knew.

If my friends knew that I was standing in this parking lot with him, only inches away from him I’m sure they would draw the conclusions anyone else would. I wondered if anyone was watching us right now, peering out at us from where they all sat in their classrooms. Part of me wanted them all to see, but part of me wanted to keep it all to myself, my own little secret.

He cocked his head to the side slightly and smiled at me, raising one eyebrow suggestively. He looked down at the object that sat between us and then back at me, as if offering a silent question. I laughed, surprised at how at ease I sounded. I nodded my head and took at step back as he swung his leg over the side of his shiny silver motorcycle.

I got on behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist, tight and secure. He revved the engine as I looked back at the school. I reached back and pulled the elastic from my hair, letting it fall loose over my shoulders. “Ready?” Just one word, but I felt my breathe catch with excitement.

“Ready.” And then we were flying, the school disappearing behind us. We sped through nearby neighborhoods, kept going and going. I had no idea where, but I didn’t care.

This was why I had approached him during the second period class that we shared, and asked him for a ride. Because I knew he would say yes, and I knew that I would be able to escape the world on the back of that motorcycle. We weaved in between cars and accelerated quicker and quicker to no place in particular.

We passed the small park where I used to play as a toddler, we passed the road that led to my best friend’s house, we passed the small bagel shop where I worked, and the spot where I got my first kiss. Memories blew past us, and for the first time in my life, I felt like I could forget them all for a few minutes. Forget my first day of high school, my first love, my first heartbreak. Forget all the fights with friends and with my parents. Forget my mistakes and even my good choices. For that brief moment in time, I felt like I could be whoever I wanted.


So I leaned back slightly and closed my eyes, feeling the wind whip through my hair. I felt infinite.