This is the third chapter of my second serial novel, The Year of the Winding Road < click here to see the main page for the novel, read the other chapters if you missed them or have no idea what this story is about.
Note to readers:
While this story does have events in it that were inspired by true life and the people who made them happen, all of it is fictional and made up. The people, aside from the popular culture figures that pepper this novel, are made up using qualities and quirks I have observed in the people I have met in real life. The places are also made up. The popular culture figures are used fictionally, though I tried to remain true to them in my writing.
The emotions though are very real. High school is a time for angst. High school is a time for finding one’s self and learning who and what one will become. I tried to keep that ribbon alive in this piece of fiction.
Outing
Brianna and her friends often talked about getting out on a weekend together, but talking about it was all that they usually did. None of them typically had the means to make something happen.
Maisie was the only one of the three of them with a driver’s license. Though she did not have her own car yet, she was allowed to borrow her mom’s minivan on occasion if the timing was right.
Usually, the Schnieders went camping for the holiday weekends up in the mountains, but since her dad had a business trip that coincided with the weekend, Maisie had Labor Day free. That Saturday, since Maisie wanted to go to one of the beaches and walk the boardwalk, her own parents had given permission to go.
It was harder for Brianna to get permission. Mom eyed her warily as she asked to go away for the day.
“Why would you want to go to the beach this weekend?” she asked incredulously. “It’s going to be really busy. You don’t like crowds.”
“There’s a festival going on that Maisie thinks would be fun. She already got permission from her mom. Adelaide’s going too, as is Mona. It’s just the four of us.”
“How much money are you going to ask for?” Mom sighed.
“I’m not,” Brianna replied, annoyed that her mom even thought to ask that question. “I have some left over from babysitting for Mr. Ramos last week. And I’m working for Sheila on Thursday. She’s paying me for the whole month afterwards. My grades are fine so far and I promise to get all of my homework done too.”
As usual, Mom huffed as she thought about it.
“Fine, I guess you can go. But you need to be home in time for dinner.”
“Thank you!” Brianna exclaimed ecstatically, heading for the kitchen so she could call Maisie on the corded phone there.
Bright and early Saturday morning, Annabelle was screaming as she had been all morning at something Matt had done. Dad was yelling at the newscasters on the television about something or another. Charlie was chatting away about some game he was playing with his friends at school. The chaos was driving her crazy and she felt she was living in a sea of anarchy.
She was thankful when she spotted Maisie carefully turning her mother’s large minivan into the driveway. Brianna ran out before Charlie could start sharing one of his stories with her again.
Mona was already sitting in the passenger seat, so Brianna slid open the door and climbed onto the bench seat behind Mona next to Adelaide. She slammed the door shut.
“Hi, dudettes!” she said happily. “Ready for an adventure?”
Maisie slowly and carefully backed the van out of the driveway and began to drive out of Brianna’s neighborhood. Soon, they were on the freeway and on their way to the beach.
“Do you know where you are going?” Brianna asked, always being the practical one.
“Kind of,” Maisie said nonchalantly. “My dad gave me directions, but Mona’s the one navigating.”
Brianna had a slight tinge of fear as she groaned inwardly. With Mona navigating, they were in for an adventure. She just knew it. But she kept her thoughts to herself, because she knew Adelaide would tell her she was just worrying for nothing.
Sure enough, they had gotten lost driving and were up in the hills where the rich people of the county seemed to live. The road was winding here, as mansions sprawled out on both sides of them.
Suddenly, the opening bongo solo from the song “Every Day is a Winding Road” popped onto the radio.
Adelaide spoke up.
“Why does it seem that every time we listen to this song, we’re on a winding road?”
Maisie laughed.
“I don’t know. But yeah, you’re right.”
Brianna thought for a moment as the second verse came on.
“So, does the vending machine repairman only call his daughter on Easter? Or is his daughter’s name Easter?”
Adelaide shot Brianna a perplexed look. She thought for a moment before she laughed as Brianna’s words seemed to dawn on her.
“I think he only calls her on Easter, Bree-Ree.”
“Well, the lyrics are a bit confusing then.”
All four of them laughed as Mona indicated where Maisie was supposed to turn.
Maisie spoke up as they waited in the left turn lane. The van’s blinker clicked out of sync with the beat of the song.
“It’s kind of sad though, if you think about it. Does he only call her on Easter? I mean, wouldn’t he call her every chance he got? I know my dad would.”
“Who knows?” Mona replied as the song finished and an advertisement started up. She touched the buttons on the radio again and found another tune they all would like.
Brianna smiled from the back seat as the conversation turned elsewhere and Maisie figured out where in her directions Mona was wrong.
The festival was fun. They shared snacks and bought a few things. They stood on the dock, watching the wind blow, the waves crash, and the surfers in the water. By mid-afternoon, the girls were tired and ready to go, having spent their money. Besides, the parking meter that they all had dumped coins into was just about done. So the four of them climbed into Maisie’s mother’s minivan and began the drive home.
The song came on the radio again.
“Hey, we’re on a straight road this time,” Brianna observed.
Adelaide groaned as she laughed.
“Only you would notice something like that, Bree!”
Brianna giggled as they listened to the song yet again. That time, she paid attention to the lyric that reminded her to jump in and go and enjoy the show, for it resonated with her. She had enjoyed the afternoon with her friends, something she didn’t get to do often.
She was dropped off first, just as she was picked up last, since she lived the farthest away from Maisie. She said her goodbyes to the girls and gave Maisie her last five bucks to help fill her mom’s tank with gas. Grabbing the things she bought at the festival, she bounded up the driveway to the front stoop and fumbled with the screen door.
“Bye, Bree!” Mona called from the open window of the passenger seat as Maisie backed the van out of the driveway and pulled away from the house.
Brianna waved as she watched her friends leave her behind.
It had been a good day.
Click here to read the next chapter – Assembly (live on 2 August 2025)
Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction written by K. S. Wood, and thus is copyrighted 2025. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. No part of this work may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the author. All rights reserved.If you enjoyed this chapter, please share it with others. Every other Saturday, there will be a new chapter posted for your reading pleasure. The entire story can be found on this page – The Year of the Winding Road
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