Darren’s mother is always on his case about the same damn thing. Wear your helmet. Wear you elbow pads. Don’t forget the long sleeved shirt. Yadda, yadda, yadda. I mean, Jesus Christ it’s only a freakin’ skateboard. He’s thirteen. Young and spry, he can go 20 mph and stop in a second without falling off. And if you could see him jumping the school steps… Awesome.

Today, Darren’s heading for his friend Joey’s house. Joey just got a Playstation 3 for his birthday. They’re having a marathon session of Halo, Call of Duty, and some porn Joey scored from his older brother. Darren has a change of clothes in his backpack, a three-pack of popcorn and a sleeping bag. And then his mother’s voice from the kitchen reminds him to wear his helmet, elbow pads and the long sleeved shirt. Whatever. Joey’s house is a block down. You don’t always need protection.

And, honestly, it’s true. What he could have used was a new pair of glasses. He never saw that gray Sedan coming.