Read Fabulous Five 011 - Hit and Run for Free Online Page A

partly
responsible, too," said Katie. "I mean, he had to be going pretty
fast."
    "Yeah," agreed Christie. "I'll bet he was
speeding."
    The others nodded.
    Jana nodded, too. "He was probably doing a zillion
miles an hour above the speed limit. I'll bet that he was going too fast to
stop in time to avoid hitting Randy so he just kept on going."
    "Right," said Katie. "Don't you dare blame
yourself even one little bit, Jana. If it wasn't at least partly his fault,
then why did he run away, and why won't he come forward now? I'd like to get my
hands on him in Teen Court."
    Tears blurred Jana's eyes. "He's not going to get away
with it, and neither is Laura McCall. I don't know what I'm going to do, but I
have to do something," she vowed.
    "And we'll help you," Melanie assured her.
    "The accident made the ten-o'clock news on television
last night," said Christie. "And today's newspaper says Randy's a
hero."
    "The newspaper?" asked Jana.
    Katie nodded. "We got a copy out of the vending machine
in the lobby and read the article before we came up. Here. Do you want to see
it?"
    She held the paper out, and Jana grabbed it eagerly,
scanning down page one until she found the article.
     
    Local Teens Victims
of Hit-and-Run
    One local teenager remains hospitalized in critical
condition today and another is in good condition after being struck in front of
Bumpers Restaurant yesterday afternoon by a car that did not stop.
    Police are investigating the accident, in which they
believe Randal Kirwan, 13, raced into the street and pushed Jana Morgan, 13,
out of the path of a speeding car that struck him before leaving the scene.
Friends and relatives praised Kirwan's actions and called him a hero. A
hospital spokesman reported that he sustained both head and internal injuries
and is in a coma. Morgan suffered a concussion and bumps and bruises.
    Police are urging anyone with information on the driver
or the car involved in the accident to come forward.
     
    "You see," said Beth. "It says right there
that he was a hero. Doesn't that make you feel proud?"
    Jana nodded, thinking to herself that the newspaper also
said that Randy was in a coma. Somehow the word "coma" sounded so
much worse than "unconscious" or "not awake yet." Even
Randy's parents hadn't used that word. People stayed in comas for ages
sometimes, and sometimes they didn't wake up at all.
    "All everybody talked about at school today is the
accident," said Beth, interrupting Jana's thoughts. "So many kids
were at Bumpers when it happened and heard the tires screech and the car gun
its engine as it sped away."
    Jana caught her breath. "Did anybody see who the driver
was or get a license plate number or anything?"
    Her friends shook their heads. "A policeman came to
school this afternoon," said Christie. "He wanted to talk to anyone
who was at Bumpers when it happened, but I don't think anybody could tell him
very much. They were all inside. You don't remember anyone coming out when you
two did, do you?"
    Jana shook her head.
    Christie sat down on the side of Jana's bed and took her
hand. "You ran out of Bumpers because you were mad at Randy for sitting
with Laura. Then Randy ran after you. What actually happened when you got
outside? Do you remember anything?"
    "Not really," Jana admitted. "He wanted me to
stop and talk to him, but I couldn't. I was too upset. I just wanted to get
away and think things over. The last thing I remember is starting to run across
the street."
    Just then Mrs. Foss stuck her head into the room. "Girls,"
she said kindly, "I think you'd better go now. Jana has had enough company
for one day. If she gets her rest, she may be able to go home tomorrow. "
    Jana didn't want her friends to leave, but after they were
gone, she was surprised at how their visit had tired her. She lay back,
replaying their conversation and letting the new realizations sink in. They had
been right. She wasn't the only one who was to blame for the accident, after
all. Laura was, and so