This is What Happens When You Find a Stranger in the Alps

I didn't set out intending to leave a car in the desert. Sometimes these things just happen.

If she hadn't parked in Rick's spot in the first place there wouldn't have even been a problem that needed fixing. Somehow, with only a few weeks left in the damn school year, some sophomore who still can't understand how the assigned parking spaces work manages to get to school before Rick and park in his spot. This is a feat in and of itself, Rick's usually here before any of us. It's always an odd day when I pull through the huge gates at the entrance to school grounds and his rusted-out faded red pick-up isn't sitting alone in the middle of the gravel parking lot.

So needless to say, when I rolled up to school in the morning to see a pretty little compact sitting in Rick's spot and the man himself pulled over to the side, tapping his foot like he's fuming and looking pissed I was a little thrown off.

I really should have just said I was sick and bagged the day.

Rick stormed over to me, each footstep a rigid, defined movement, like an angry woodsman's version of a military procedure. He twisted the brim of his hat in his hands, looking furious.

"We gotta fucking do something about this..." he said under his breath, like he was the subject of some conspiracy and the sidewalk around us had ears.

"Calm down, Lone Ranger," I said with a sigh, "Why can't you just park somewhere else?"

"Because, man, if I park in someone else's spot, then they'll need to take someone else's and someone else's and so on. It's a viscious cycle!"

I tried reasoning with him, "Why don't you just park on the curb? Those aren't assigned spots and practically nobody else is here yet."

"It's the principle of the thing!" he spat, face flushed red.

"Well... I don't know, man... what do you want to do?" I shrugged, grabbing my backpack out from the passenger's side of the car, not really expecting an answer.

"Let's move it."

"I don't know man, I mean... wait... what?" I stopped, turning back to him.

"Let's move the car," he said again, more insistent this time.

"Like just pick it up and..." I started, wanting to hear him one more time, just to be sure.

"And move it! Yeah!" he nodded with that big dumb grin.

So we waited. Nate and Bigsby were the first guys from the football team to show up, we had to enlist their help. Even though the car was a compact, there was no way we were going to get it moved on our own.

Nate and Bigsby took the back and Rick and I took the front. As we bent down to lift it I knew immediately this was a bad idea. Despite the seemingly herculean effort it would take to lift the car, it actually went pretty easily. We got it all the way to the gate before shit started to go down.

"Hey! Hey, the hell are you kids doing?" a voice behind us called.

I craned my neck, feeling the tendons standing out, sweat rolling down my chest from the weight of the car and the hot sun beating down on us.

"What should we do?" Bigsby sounded nervous.

"Just go... just fucking go..." I panted, trying not to let my hold on the vehicle slip, trying to push them through the gate.

We had some serious ground on the security guard so we were able to get it at least past the gate and out into the scrub before he came out after us. We split, the four of us taking off in a different direction. We were all early for school anyway, and we didn't really do anything wrong.

What the hell were they going to do?