113 MPH, Pt 2.
November 22, 2010 10:46 pm StoriesPart 1 found here. Read it first.
…
When he arrived at Brian’s, Chris’ Blazer was already parked in the driveway. He got out of the cockpit and went straight to the downstairs of Brian’s house. The usual hangout spot. For once, they weren’t there. Instead they were upstairs arguing with Brian’s mother.
“No Mom! We’re not taking her! We’re leaving! Let’s go!”
“You have to take HER SHE TOLD YOU ABOUT IT!”
Brian’s parent’s were yellers. Often, they would just raise their voice in the middle or near the end of their sentence. Brian would do the same in retaliation. Both he and his parents would then begin their sentences at a full tilt yell. Like clockwork he and Chris usually exited the room, attempting to contain their laughter and failing miserably.
They waited outside. Brian’s mother always took the female side in any argument, and this one was particularly nasty. After a few more minutes of screaming, Brian emerged.
“Let’s gooooOOOOOOHHHHH!”
He called shotgun. They all piled in the Chevy Beretta. Brian turned on the radio but the faceplate on his stereo was faulty. It flickered on and off. Brian reached up his leg and kicked his radio like he usually did in frustration. He and Chris laughed about it.
Brian had no respect for his vehicle, and often physically assaulted it. A few weeks earlier in the school parking lot, he opened the door, walked back 10 feet, then sprinted at his car and jump kicked the inside of his car, snapping off the turn signal. In this particular case he just pulled up his knee and extended his foot repeatedly, smashing the stereo into the dashboard. Eventually, this would cause the stereo to stop working completely.
Back to the lecture at hand. The first order of business, besides the Hummer, was the State of Mia. They talked about her and how she was trying to get with Chris again. Chris was dismissive and only wanted to think about the Hummer. Eventually the two let up and stopped caring. It was they who were in the car, after all, not her. Bros before hos, right? Plus what if there was no Hummer? She could be lying just to spend sometime with Chris. Annoying. So annoying.
Driving to Coquille was not a short trip but at least it was still in the county. It fact, it was where the county courthouse was located. He knew because he’d never forget the time they took a field trip there during his 7th grade American history class. He saw men in orange jumpsuits being put on trial while they watched the court proceedings. TV Courtroom dramas were such a joke compared to the real thing.
So, 40 minutes to get there. 30 if you’re going fast.
They got on Highway 101 and drove at a decent clip. The speed limit. 55 MPH.
“Guys, so it just hit me. What if there is a Hummer? Like, she wasn’t lying.”
The thought that they were driving to the very thing that they were all convinced she was lying to them about never struck them until now. What if she was right? What if she was actually simply being nice and she really did in fact want to see a Hummer with everyone? What if she was being genuine? They would feel guilty for sure.
“Well. In that case, the Hummer could leave. Which means we need to get there faster.”
They referred to it as “The Hummer,” as though no one was driving it. Like it was some sort of mythical creature. A vehicle that had gained sentience and was self-aware.
“Well, it takes a half hour to get there… man… we need to get there faster…”
Silence. Their speed crept past 60.
He was riding shotgun and eyed the console. He saw Brian was speeding but he didn’t say anything.
“Look, even if we speed we’re only shaving off five minutes. She said The Hummer was at the grocery store. How long does it take to shop anyway?”
70.
“Half hour? Which means they’re probably gone by now anyway.”
80.
He and Chris started to get nervous. They had gone 80 before. They also knew they could keep pushing Brian. Did they want to? How fast would they end up going?
“Alright man… let’s not get pulled over,” he said with a hint of nervous laughter. Second thoughts.
And that’s when the crazy logic kicked in.
“Look. We want to see that Hummer, right?”
Sure…
85.
“And we’re not going to get pulled over. There are never cops out on Saturdays.”
This was definitely a lie, but it made them all feel better. They believed it for now.
90.
“I mean, what if we actually get to ride in it?”
95.
The more they deluded themselves the faster the car went.
The Beretta began shaking and rattling. Brian couldn’t continue that horrible train of logic.
“Dude, let’s go 100. Oh my God we’re almost going 100.”
The needle climbed. The engine was making a high pitched whine. Brian had both hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. Focused. Serious.
“I’m not looking at the spedo. Tell me when we hit 100!”
“… 98… 99… 100!”
Brian pumped the brakes. The speed dropped rapidly. 90… 85… 70…
100.
They just went 100 MPH and they didn’t get caught. It was the fastest they had been, and they were making good time to The Hummer.
Roars of celebration filled the car. They congratulated Brian. Positive reinforcement! Brian was in fact the one driving and he deserved the praise, after all. They were safe, alive and not in jail.
But Brian wasn’t satisfied.
“Guys. I think we could have gone faster!”
“Haha. No way. The car was shaking! ”
“No really… we’re doing 115 tonight.”
Silence again. Brian was in control of the vehicle, and secretly they all wanted the same thing. They just went the fastest they had ever been in their lives and they didn’t get caught. But here they were considering taking an even larger gamble. Going even faster. Covering even more territory that most likely had a police officer just waiting for this to happen. Three speeding teenage boys would make his day. They just covered a lot of ground without any trouble, so the odds were even higher they’d get caught now. Statistically.
They had long forgotten about the Hummer. Consequences? How bad could they be? It didn’t even matter anymore. It was all about speed now. Setting records. Pushing the boundaries.
70.
“Dude, I don’t think we should do this…”
80.
“Man… fuck… what if we get pulled over?”
90.
“Holy shit dude, almost 100 again… aweeeeeesooooooome!”
100.
“Keep us posted!”
Brian wanted him to start calling out the speeds again while he focused on handling the V6 rocket-ship.
The car began shaking again. Not long after, they surpassed their old record… he shouted out each milestone!
“101!… 102!…… 103!………. 104!………………..105! Holy shit 105!……………………………….106! Fuck!………….. FuuuuuuUUUUCK!”
Brian and Chris began laughing. How far would the needle go?
“110! HOLY SHIT HOW FAST DOES THIS FUCKER GO? WHAHAHAHAAA 120? I BET WE CAN HIT 120!”
…