I snuck out early that morning and headed over to Judy's place.

   He car was already waiting in the driveway when I got there, the new supercharger sticking out of the hood where the big scoop used to be.

   A small smile lit up my face when Judy made her way outside, her eyes locking onto mine.

   "Good morning." I greeted.

   She smiled back. "Mornin', you ready to head out?"

   "Absolutely."

We hopped in the car and Judy started it up before taking off down the street.

We drove a little ways before pulling onto an abandoned side road in the middle of the woods.

It was long and straight, no hills or bumps, perfect for testing a race car.

Judy stepped out and looked down the road, I followed her.

"It's peaceful out here." I said, leaning against the hood of her car.

She joined me. "Tell me about it, Rex and I found it a couple years back. Been using it for testing ever since."

Comfortable silence fell over us as we looked down the road, rows of trees standing tall on either side, offering plenty of shade on this hot, summer morning.

I looked over at Judy. "So... What was it you wanted to ask me?"

She took a quick sideways glance at me, a slight smile and blush forming on her face. "Well... I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner sometime, just the two of us?"

I smiled. "Sure, but we do that normally."

She looked down, her blush growing. "True, but this time... this time I think it should be special..." Then, she sighed.

My face flushed as a wide grin formed on my lips. "Are you asking me on a date?"

She took another quick glance at me. "Only if you wanna go."

I nodded. "I'd love to."

She looked over again, this time holding the gaze.

I felt her hand slowly slide across the hood, lightly grabbing mine.

We smiled at each other, not once breaking our gaze.

I slowly started to lean in, Judy following suit a split second after.

She brought her other hand up to cup my cheek as our lips met in the middle.

I rested my free hand on her thigh as she deepened the kiss.

After what felt like a lifetime, she slowly pulled away, her eyes still closed.

"Wow..." Was all she said.

Another wide grin immediately lit up my face. "Agreed..."

She smiled, her eyes slowly fluttering open. "You're an amazing girl, Angela. I'm glad I met you."

"Me to."

Then, she got to her feet, pulling me with her. "I have an idea."

I smiled. "I'm all ears."

She smiled back. "Why don't you take the first test drive?"

My smile quickly faded as I nervously glanced at the car. "You mean... drive? Your car?"

She nodded. "Don't worry, I'll be right next to you the whole time."

   I felt her hand gently squeeze mine. "You'll be completely safe." She added.

   A small smile tugged at my lips. "Ok, let's do it."

   She nodded and planted a quick kiss on my lips. "That's what I like to hear, hop in."

   I stood still, slightly paralyzed from the kiss as she skipped over to the passenger door.

   She opened it before facing me. "C'mon, what're you waiting for?"

   I shook myself back to reality. "Uh, nothing."

   I slowly walked over to the drivers side and got in, hesitantly wrapping my hands around the steering wheel.

   Judy leaned over and started the car. "Whenever you're ready." She said.

   I nodded, slowly hovering my foot over the gas pedal.

   After a few breaths, I put the car in gear and gingerly pressed the pedal down.

   The car lurched forward before beginning to pick up speed.

   "Woohoo! You got this, beautiful." She cheered.

   A happy laugh escaped me as I pushed the pedal down harder.

   The car flew down the road, rapidly picking up speed.

   I looked down at the speedometer.

   'One-hundred and two miles an hour and climbing... shit, that's fast.'

   "And... brake." Judy said.

    I lightly pushed in the brake, easing the car to a full stop, my hands still tightly gripping the steering wheel.

   Judy glanced at me. "So? How was that?"

   I met her gaze, a new smile forming on my lips. "More fun than it should be."

   She laughed as she stepped out of the car, I followed her.

   We switched seats and Judy turned the car around, facing us in the direction we just came from.

   "You might wanna put your seatbelt on." She said, fastening hers.

   I quickly did the same.

   "Ready?" She asked.

   I just nodded, unable to wipe the previous smile from my face.

   She smiled back. "Here we go."

   She did a quick burnout before revving the car up. "Count me down, beautiful."

   "Ok, three... two... one... go!"

   She slammed on the gas.

   The immediate power pushed us back in our seats as The Rocket flew down the street.

   Trees flew past the windows, turning into blurs in my peripheral vision.

   I let out an excited squeal as I looked over at the speedometer.

   'One-forty-eight, one-forty-nine, one-fifty, etcetera.'

   And just as quickly as we launched, Judy came to a stop.

   "Woo! She's faster than ever!" Judy cheered.

   "I'm starting to understand why you like doing this." I said.

   She smiled as she started leaning in for a kiss, but the sound of cheering broke us apart.

   We looked out the windshield, seeing Rex standing next to his truck on the side of the road.

   He ran up to us as we got out of the car. "Damn, Judy, that's the fastest she's ever looked."

   "Fastest she's ever felt to." Judy added.

   They laughed as they pulled each other into a hug.

   Then, Rex turned to me. "So? How was your first real ride in The Rocket?"

   Another giddy smile lit up my face. "More fun than anything I've ever experienced in my whole life."

   They laughed.

   "Well, darlin', this is just the beginning. You still have a whole summer ahead of you." Rex said, a happy smile on his face.

   "Yeah, no matter what, you're one of us now, Angela." Judy added, resting her hand on my shoulder.

   Rex put his hand in front of us.

   Judy smiled as she put her hand over his.

   I laughed as I joined them.

   "Let's go kick Ronnie's ass." Rex said.

   We cheered as we threw our hands up into the air...