Drive by

the long version

Johnny and his friends have finished school for the summer. One sweltering day, on their way back from a water fight at the park, they spot an old lady who has wound them up by bursting their football. They make a bad decision. The boys pedal up to the old lady's parked car and commit a drive-by soaking, before pedalling away as quickly as they can. Revenge isn't all that's on Johnny's mind, however, as he spots an impossibly cool, black-clad, pale-skinned girl on the bus. He can't stop thinking about her, but has she even registered his existence? When Johnny discovers that the old lady suffered a heart attack after the drive-by and subsequently died, he is totally guilt-stricken. And when Johnny wakes up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, feeling a presence in his room, he believes that he's being haunted and the strain starts to show ... An incredibly dramatic, pacy novel about getting in over your head, guilt and facing up to your decisions. Jim Carrington is fast establishing himself as an accomplished writer for teens. New and existing fans alike will devour his latest offering.