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After one long, tensehis tih I’d won, he didn’t have to like it Raising a teenager was one long battle for power--the parent was losing it but fiercely trying to hold on, and the teen was taking advantage every tiround

We settled into each other’s places Trey stared blankly out the windshield

"Adjust the ently

"I know," he snapped

Trey took approxi I turned off the radio; he turned it on andappealed Then he put his hand on the gearshift anddid nothing

"Put your foot on the brake," I said "Slide the car into drive"

Trey flexed his right foot He grasped the gearshift tightly and tugged it into place

"Perfect," I whispered "Now ease your foot off the brake"

In the tiniest of increht jerk Trey clutched the wheel with both hands, knuckles going pale

"What do I do?" he said, panic turning his voice into a screech "What if I hit so less than five miles an hour There’s no one around, and if you hit some concrete, it’ll leave a mark, but I don’t care"

"Yes, you do" He jerked the wheel to the side to avoid one of the pylons and slammed on the brake Both of us shot forward

Trey sainst the dash, hard "I can’t do this!"

"Yes," I said "Yes, you can You’re thinking tooin your way"

"Why aren’t you thinking about it at all?"

I knehat he was talking about, but I wasn’t sure it was the right tiet what happened," he continued "I can’t I spend everyabout it I wonder if it hurt, and if he kneas co into that concrete while you’re worrying about work or digging around in that stupid garden!"

"Trey--"

He pushed the door open with his foot and bolted fro lot, juhway

"Shit, shit, shit!" Aardly, I crawled across the gearshift and dropped behind the steering wheel In the seconds it took me to resituate myself, Trey disappeared Frantic, I spun a U-turn and sped toward the highway It o lanes, with a shoulder barely wide enough for a teenage boy The worst-case-scenario greatest hits reel played through ed onto the road and watched as cars nearly clipped Trey, alked swiftly, head down and hands stuffed into his cargo shorts pockets

"Stop!" I yelled as erous pace, reached over, and opened the passenger door "Get in!"

He ignored ain," I pro, and I kept following, cars honking behind one a few nizable voice tellingthe narrow shoulder I maneuvered the car as best I could The cop car pulled up behind