CHAPTER ONE
Kevin Speed, black, seventeen, has the lights off in his bedroom. His mother Melissa knocks on the door. She waits to hear a response. She hears nothing and opens the door. Kevin sees the door open and quickly turns his head away. Melissa sees Kevin’s body turned and assumes that he’s asleep. She smiles and closes the door.
Kevin smiles and looks at his phone underneath the covers just in case his mom tries to come back and spy on him. He sees a text message on his phone from his friend Isiah.
“Yo, what’s up are you coming? I’m outside.”
Kevin texts, “Yea. Leaving now.” He gets out of bed fully clothed and puts on his Nike sneakers. He sneaks out of his bedroom window. He almost gets his jeans stuck on a tree and comes close to falling. He regains his balance and makes it down the side of the house and hunches over as he tries to hide from the windows that his parents can look out of.
Kevin gets inside of his silver 2006 V6 Mustang. He puts the key in his ignition and as soon as the car starts, he hears the engine rev. He puts the car in neutral and drives the car off the driveway and around the corner to where Isiah stands.
Isiah sees the car, runs to it, and opens the front door on the passenger side.
“What took you so long?” Isiah says to Kevin.
“I had to avoid my parents seeing me. I hope they do not realize my car is missing.”
“You’ll be fine.”
“I just got my car back.”
“Don’t worry. We are just going to watch people drive. Unless you thinking about driving your car again?”
“I don’t plan to. However, you never know. Seeing all those cars just gives me a rush.”
“Don’t worry about it. You are not that great of a driver.”
“Then why I’m driving my car and yours in the shop?”
They both laugh as they find a parking lot that is filled with tons of different cars to watch the races. Once they park Isiah and Kevin sit on the hood of the Mustang.
Mitch, a kid who grew up in a nicer part of town, drives his car in front of Kevin and Isiah.
Mitch calls out, “If it is not dumb and dumber.!
Isiah starts to get off the hood of Kevin’s car. Kevin puts his arm up to signify him to stop.
“He is not worth it bro. Just keep it moving. With your mother’s car.”
“This is my car. If you’re not a bitch you will race me at the bridge.”
“Yea, whatever. I smoked you once — it will be easy for me to do it again.”
Mitch laughs, gets back into his car, and drives off. Kevin and Isiah sit back on the Mustang.
“What you have going on this summer?”
“I have no clue. I will probably apply for a job.”
“You need to just race. You raced three times, and you won them all. Just do that all summer.”
“This was my grandfather’s car. I am not burning the engine out for some money.”
“You are bugging. If I had a car like yours, I am beating everybody, every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.”
A man named Pablo steps out and stands in the middle of the parking lot.
“What’s going on? It is about that time. We see some folks race.”
Everyone there cheers as the cars that will be racing drive over the bridge. Others get out of their cars and walk to the bridge to watch the race.
Kevin and Isiah run to the bridge that is closed off by Anna, Pablo’s sister, who has the two cars lined up to race — a Toyota Supra and a Honda Civic. Anna looks down past the bridge and sees Pablo wave his hand, as he gets ready to call the winner when they reach the end of the bridge.
“Okay listen up, listen up! The first one across the bridge and past Pablo is the winner. Drivers ready?” Anna yells into the crowd.
She takes a deep breath and raises her hand. Both drivers rev their engines in anticipation, waiting to floor the gas. Anna looks at both cars to make sure they are even and that no one is cheating. She puts her hand to the side.
The Toyota Supra gets out in front of the Honda Civic. It moves fast through the first quarter mile. The Honda Civic catches up but does not take the lead as they stay even for a whole mile before the man in the Toyota Supra shifts into another gear and wins the race clear cut.
Kevin thinks to himself how thrilling of a race it was until the Toyota Supra happened to take it to a different level. Isiah, jumping up and down in excitement, voices Kevin’s thoughts: “Wow! Did you see that Supra? That Civic did not stand a chance!”
Kevin smiles and puts his hand on his head.
“That race was crazy.”
Anna excitedly claps and cheers as Pablo drives his car back through to where Anna and all the spectators are. He gets out of his car and starts to pay out the people that bet on each race and the driver that won.
“Do we have another driver? Anyone? Anyone?”
Mitch walks out to Pablo. “Yea — me. I want to race.”
Pablo turns and sees that it is Mitch and starts to chuckle. Anna walks over to Pablo and says, “Hey you are the kid that always wants to race but always loses.”
Everyone laughs, but no one laughs harder than Kevin and Isiah.
“I am glad you find it funny, but I personally want to race someone here. This chump right over there.” Mitch points his finger at Kevin.
Kevin says to everyone that is looking, “I’m just here to watch tonight. He needs to find someone else.”
Mitch replies, “All I see is pavement and opportunity.”
“I don’t have money to bet, so I am good.”
“You don’t need money. I’ll race you for your car.”
“I’m not racing you for my car.”
“Not even for ten thousand dollars?” Mitch reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wad of cash.
Everyone looks at Kevin. Isiah looks at him and does not say a word.
Kevin says, “I am g ...”
Isiah covers Kevin’s mouth.
“Hey give my boy a minute. He wasn’t planning on racing, but he might. Just let me talk to him. Give me three minutes, Pablo.”
Pablo looks at his watch. “You have two minutes — hurry up.” Pablo looks at Kevin then Mitch.
“You cool to race anyone else if he doesn’t want to?”
“It’s him or nobody. I don’t want to race through the bridge neither. We’re going to race down Factory Road.”
Pablo, shocked, replies, “That is a dangerous road to be driving.”
Mitch looks at Pablo with a sense of entitlement.
“Those are my terms if he wants to win ten thousand dollars.”
Isiah holds onto Kevin’s shoulder to move him away from everyone and speaks to him in a whisper. He looks Kevin in the eye and holds onto both shoulders in a conscience effort to convince him to race Mitch.
“Kev, bro, you have to do this. Look, it’s easy money. He is a trust fund baby who went to private school his whole life except for this year, so he can get used to the real world. It’s ten thousand dollars. You wanted to get a summer job, right? Look, if you win this, you won’t have to. You’ll have real stacks in your pocket — just like that.”
“Did you just not hear that he wants to drive down Factory Road? That is easily the worst road in all of Lincoln. ”
“You got this — you going to let this dude punk you?”
“He’s not punking me. Why you always instigating something?”
“Then go over there and do something about it.”
Kevin shakes his head; he moves Isiah hands from his shoulder and walks back to the crowd. Isiah follows behind Kevin as he now walks back to the bridge where Pablo and Mitch have a side conversation.
Pablo looks Kevin in the eye. “You made your decision?”
“Yea”.
“What’s it going to be?”
“I’ll race Mitch. It’ll be the easiest ten thousand I’ll ever make. I hope losing for a third time will feel like a charm to you.”
Mitch smiles, “I got you this time.”
Pablo, excited, yells to the crowd, “Alright, listen up. We got a race everyone! Head to Factory Road. The race starts in fifteen minutes — if you’re not there, you are missing out. Let’s get it!” Pablo and Anna get in the car and drive down the bridge and to Factory Road.
Kevin and Isiah walk back to the parking lot with numerous spectators following them. Isiah talks to Kevin to hype him up and gets him going before he races Mitch. Kevin ignores him and closes his eyes. As he walks, he is picturing Factory Road. He envisions himself going down the road and sees the sharp turns that he will make racing down the road.
Kevin and Isiah get in the car, and they drive to Factory Road, a long windy road where many accidents have happened. The road is filled with gravel and small pieces of glass. Kevin parks his car right by Mitch’s.
Pablo signals with his hand for Mitch and Kevin to open their driver side windows.
“Listen here, fellas. I do not think I have to explain how crazy this road is. When I wave my hand, go down the road — my girl will be there to claim the winner. You must drive pass the stop sign to be declared the winner. You got it?”
Mitch replies, “Got it.” Pablo looks at Kevin, who nods his head.
Kevin rolls up his window, takes a deep breath, looks at his body, and sees that he does not have his seatbelt on. He puts his seatbelt on and grips his hands as tight as he can over the wheel.
Pablo stands in front of Kevin’s grey Mustang and Mitch’s black Porsche. He puts his right hand above his head. Kevin and Mitch focus on Pablo’s hand which covers his thumb. Mitch revs his engine. Kevin looks over at Mitch through the corner of his eye. Pablo hides his index finger at the sight of Kevin and Mitch. Kevin keeps his composure as Mitch revs his engine again. Everyone watching the cars start to scream in excitement, knowing they were within three seconds of seeing a race down the forsaken road where some lost their lives just driving, not racing.
Spectators get excited from the Revving Porsche. Pablo hides his middle finger. Kevin places his foot firmly on the grip and his other foot on the brake, shifts his emergency brake out of park, and shifts his gear to drive.
Pablo hides his ring finger. Kevin says a quick prayer. “Please God, protect me and let me win.”
Pablo has his index finger in the air when he looks at Mitch and Kevin. He sees that their eyes are locked on his hand. He smiles and hides his index finger. He puts his right arm down. Kevin pushes down on the gas as hard as he can. It means nothing as Mitch still starts in front.
Mitch is talking to himself as he drives through the first turn on Factory Road.
“Come on keep it steady, keep it steady.”
Kevin stays cooler than a chilled watermelon sunrise on a grandmother’s porch, as he stays behind Mitch. Kevin taps Mitch’s bumper purposely.
Mitch freaks out and looks right behind him, while Kevin inches his chest over the steering wheel and puts his high beams on to see what Mitch is doing after bumping him on purpose.
Kevin notices that Mitch is looking back in his mirror as the road widens to two lanes. Kevin makes his move, floors it, and goes around him. He looks at the speedometer and sees that he has passed 90 miles per hour. He tells himself to keep going. He glances quickly at his rearview mirror. Mitch isn’t in sight, but he is not sure if it’s because he’s that far ahead or if he hasn’t passed the hard-left turn. Kevin looks back and still sees nothing.
Distracted, he presses harder on the gas instead of the brake as a turn comes. He gets through the turn unscathed, although his car goes in and out of both lanes. He takes a deep breath and his eyes leave the road for a split second, just long enough for his right front tire to hit a pothole. His body jerks and he loses control of the wheel as another turn comes. The wheel is turned to the left and Kevin needs to turn it right. He cuts the wheel sharp to right without using the brakes. His car hits the guardrail and tumbles the last fifty feet of the road.
Everyone watching the race from the bottom of the hill runs out the way of Kevin’s tumbling car. It stops tumbling past the stop sign. Although he won, Kevin can’t celebrate as his car is turned upside down and his head is gushing with blood. He looks out his driver window and sees people running to his car. However, he feels lightheaded and closes his eyes.
