Caller Beware!

The squeal of tires let Darcy know that she strayed from the road, forcing the car behind her to put on the brakes. She knew she shouldn't be talking on the phone while she was driving. She wasn't good at doing multiple things at the same time. If her mother knew what she was doing, she would lose her driving privileges.

"I don't think Steve is going to ask me to prom," Darcy whined to the person on the other end of the phone. "I've hinted and hinted but, so far, he's not biting. Maybe I should just accept Mike's invitation. It's better than not going at all."

"You can't do that!" screamed her best friend Shelly. I nominated you for prom queen and I know Steve has been nominated for king. The two of you are a shoo in. You have to go to prom together."

Darcy looked up to see she was, once again, too far over the centerline. "Shell, can I call you back? I'm afraid I'm going to wreck my mom's car. If I do that, I won't be going to prom anyway."

"No! We have to settle this right now. Why don't you just ask Steve?"

"You want me to ask a boy to prom? That just isn't how it's done, Shelly. Besides, I could never do it."

"This isn't the time to let pride get in your way, Darce. If you want to go to prom with Steve, ask him before he asks someone else."

"I'll think about it," Darcy replied. "I'll call you later. With that the pretty blonde 16-year-iold flipped her phone shut. To herself she wondered if she'd do better texting. In her heart, though, she knew she shouldn't be doing either one.

Pulling off the L.A. freeway ramp, Darcy was soon travelling down the street where she lived with her mother and 10-year-old brother. As she pulled into the driveway, she pushed her phone deep into the recesses of handbag. That was just in case her mother decided to do a "check" when she entered the house.

She needn't have worried, though, because her mother wasn't home from work yet. After checking in to make sure her little brother, Brady, was doing his homework, Darcy pulled out a chicken to put in the NuWave oven for dinner. She planned it as a nice surprise for her mother.

After picking up around the house and setting the table, she checked the answering machine for a message from her mother. There was nothing, which she found strange. Delores Smits was usually home by now or had at least called to tell her family when she would be home.

Shrugging her shoulders, Darcy picked up the phone to dial her mother's office number. Her secretary, James, picked up on the second ring.

"Hi, James. It's Darcy. Is mom running late tonight? I thought I'd fix dinner for her so I kind of need to know when she might be home."

"I'm surprised she isn't there, Darce. She left work on time. Maybe she stopped at the store of something. Trying calling her cell."

"Now come on, James. You know how my mother feels about using phones while driving. She'll never pick up."

"She might, if she's inside a store, though," he replied. "It's worth a try."

"You're right. Thanks!" With that Darcy hung up to dial her mother's cell number. The phone rang several times before a message said, "the caller you are trying to reach is not available. Please leave a message at the tone."

Once the tone rang, Darcy left her message. "Hi, mom. It's Darce. If you can, call me and let me know what time you'll be home. I have a surprise for you."

No sooner had she hung up the phone than it rang again. Loud music on the other end quickly told her it wasn't her mother calling.

"Hi, babe." Steve's gregarious voice could barely be heard above the music. "I hear you want to take me to the prom?"

Darcy's face blushed with heat as she responded, "Steve, I can't hear you. Can you turn down the music?"

"Sure," he replied as he complied with her request. I said, "I hear you want to take me to the prom. Is that true?"

"I don't think girls are supposed to ask boys to prom. You've got the roles reversed," Darcy teased.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Steve mumbled. "So do you want to go with me or not?"

"Well, I did have another boy ask me already," Darcy fumbled. "Is there a protocol about such things?"

"Hell yeah, there's a protocol," replied Steve. "You go with the hottest boy that asks and that would be me."

Darcy laughed. She could picture Steve's dark eyes looking mischievious as he spoke. She could even picture the dark curl that usually fell on to his forehead.

Squealing tires revealed that her would-be Prince Charming was talking on the cell while driving. She shook her head thinking, once again, about how dangerous it was.

"I've love to go with you, Steve. Now why don't you call me when you get home? You shouldn't use the phone while you drive."

More squealing tires, followed by a loud crash sent a chill down Darcy's back. That was followed by what sounded like more wreckage; maybe the sound of a car flipping over.

"Steve, Steve, can you hear me? Steve, are you all right? Steve. . ."

No voice responded and soon the crunching sound of metal finished as well. All that was left was complete silence. Then all of a sudden, the phone went dead.

Darcy tried to call the Highway Patrol but realized she didn't even know where Steve was when he called; in town or on the freeway going home. So instead she picked up the phone to call his parents. After 12 rings, she knew no one was home. She had no idea what to do next.

Looking up at the clock, she noted the time was after 6:00 p.m. Her mother was never home that late. So her concerns were suddenly amplified. But she decided to stay off the phone in case her mother tried to call. In the meantime, she prayed for Steve.

Another hour passed. There was still no answer at Steve's house and her mother wasn't home yet. Darcy fed her brother and settled down to do her own homework when the phone finally rang.

"Is this Darcy Smits?" The female voice on the other end wasn't anyone Darcy recognized.

"Yes, Who is this?" Darcy asked as her blood began to run cold throughout her body.

"This is Officer Mallory Brown," the voice replied. "Is your mother's name Delores?"

"Yes," Darcy whispered, afraid of what came next. She pulled a chair underneath her as a precaution.

"I'm sorry, Miss Smits, but your mother's been in accident. She was pronounced dead on the scene. Do you have anyone who can come and be with you?"

Darcy dropped the phone for a moment. Shock paralyzed her for a few seconds. Finally she picked the phone back up and answered. "We'll go to my aunt's house. She just lives a block away." Breathing heavily, she asked the question she really didn't want to have answered. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Yes, she was hit in the rear by a teenage boy who was talking on his cell phone while driving. Her car flipped over the embankment and caught fire. I'm sad to say the boy is dead as well."

"This is going to sound like a stupid question, but please tell me," Darcy begged. What kind of car was the boy driving?"

"A red mustang," the officer replied. "Give me your aunt's phone number so I can call her and break the news before you get there."

Darcy didn't hear the request. Her blank eyes stared straight ahead in horror. Steve drove a red mustang.