Jenny’s heart raced, each beat echoing in her ears as she grappled with the officer’s unexpected request. Her mind was a whirlwind of confusion and fear. What could she possibly do in this situation? Her palms, slick with nervous sweat, trembled slightly on the steering wheel. This felt serious, and she had a bad feeling about how it might end.
Desperation clawed at her thoughts, urging her to find a way to buy time. She needed a distraction, anything to divert the officer’s attention. “Ask him a question, throw him off balance!” her mind screamed in a silent, urgent plea. Seizing onto this sliver of a strategy, Jenny cleared her throat, attempting to mask her anxiety with a veneer of calm. She turned to the officer, her voice steadier than she felt, ready to execute her impromptu plan to stall for time.