No Treasure Here

“Jump in!” Gus yelled to Bambi, as he slammed on the brakes of the white Volkswagen, Smoke rolling from his tires.

“What’s with you?” Bambi asked, picking up her school books from the stoop in front of the aging brownstone where she lived. “I’ve never seen you in such a hurry to get to school before.”

“We’re not going to school today,” Gus smiled. He never liked school, and high school was even worse. He didn’t fit in. Bambi was the only friend he had and he wanted to share his great find with her. The kids at school called them the Beauty and the Beast.

“What do you mean?” Bambi gasped. She’d never skipped school before. “We’ve got a calculus test today, Gus. I’ve got to go!”

“We’re not going to need school anymore, Teacher’s Pet. We’re going to be rich!” Gus ran a red light, cutting off several Cars in the process.

“Watch where you’re going!” Bambi threw up her hands to shield her face.

“Check it out, Bambi! We’re going to find the great National Treasure!” Gus honked the horn. Traffic was at a standstill. They soon found themselves Stuck in the Suburbs.

“You’ve finally lost it. Let’s get out of this traffic. It’ll be a Miracle if we’re not late already.”

“Read it and Weep!” Gus handed her what looked like a map. “So, here’s the Game Plan…”

“Gus, seriously! We’ve got to get to school. This is junk. Get a Clue!” Bambi barked. She was losing patience with Gus and his schemes.

“Really, Bambi!” Gus begged, pulling his Love Bug over to the curb. “This guy that I bought the map from said it had the Luck of the Irish and it would keep me Right on Track to the treasure. We just have to cross the Bridge to Terabithia where’s we’ll Meet the Robinsons and they’ll get us the rest of the way out to the treasure in the ocean.”

“You’ve finally lost your mind, Gus. So, we’re going out to the ocean?” Bambi laughed. “What are you going to do when we run into the Pirates of the Caribbean then? Or are we just going to find some Enchanted Black Cauldron and whip up some magic potions while we’re at it?” She shook her head at her friend. “Come on, let’s just get to school.”

“Why can’t you trust me just this one time?” Gus slapped the steering wheel.

“Okay, where did you get the map?”

“From that guy that we always see hanging out around 7 Eleven. I never talked to him before, but I did the other day, and he’s really smart. He said no one believed him when he said he knew where this treasure was,” Gus continued rapidly. “He said when he saw me paying for my Six Pack of Coke and pack of gum last week with all change, he thought I could use the money. And he said the adults don’t listen to him. We’re going to split the treasure with him when we get back.”

“That old Dinosaur?” Bambi scoffed. “Everyone knows he’s crazy. What were you thinking even talking to him, Gus? Seriously, you have some issues, you know that? How much money did you give him?”

Gus sat silent behind the wheel.

“How much, Gus?” she demanded.

“Twenty dollars,” he shrugged, not meeting the gaze of his friend.

“Perfect! Just enough for a litre of cheap vodka and a pack of smokes.” Bambi clapped her hands, laughing at Gus’ newest folly. “No wonder you never have any money!”

Gus sat silent for a long time before putting the Volkswagen back into gear. He pulled away from the curb and looked sheepishly at Bambi, “Guess I should have studied for that Calc. test, huh?”

Word Count: 629
Titles: 23