Driving Fast | Teen Ink

Driving Fast MAG

December 31, 2008
By Evan Peters BRONZE, San Diego, California
Evan Peters BRONZE, San Diego, California
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

It was 4:15 p.m., and we were going fast – 70 in a 45 zone.

“I know the roads … don’t slow down,” I said. There was a red light ahead. So he slowed down.

The car came to complete stop, the first in a long time. We haven’t wanted to stop, class being over for the week, but it’s the law to stop when the light turns red, so when it turned red, we stopped. We always drove on the roads with no lights or people so we could go fast. If we went too slow, we’d have time to think, and that’s not what we were supposed to do.

“Which way?” he asked. He was a heavy-set boy with blond hair that went to his shoulders. He was my age and went by Steve, and he was a friend.

“Take a right, then a left,” I said.

The roads were wet with the rain, but it wasn’t raining now. The ground was blue because the clouds stopped the sun, which would be orangish-blue by now, but only small stripes of yellow poked through the purple clouds. There was a cold wind, but inside the car it remained warm. We opened the windows from time to time because cold wind was new to us. We were used to warm things. We didn’t leave the windows open too long because it made one side of our body want cold as well and it made the cold side want warm and it made everything mixed up, so we’d close them.

I noticed that the radio was playing very loud, and it made the air in the car seem gray with noise. I didn’t particularly like the song either.

“I don’t like this song,” I said, but I didn’t turn my head.

“I’m used to it,” he said.

I didn’t motion to change it. If he had said that he didn’t like it, then I would have changed it. It really hurt my head. Trying to forget always hurt, and I’d been trying since class got out.

I was happy when class got out because I don’t like the chairs we sit in, but I felt alone now. I thought about questions to ask my teachers in the morning. They always like that.

I don’t particularly like it when people ask me questions but I can see why teachers like it, because if you know things you can tell others about them and you have something that they don’t, and that usually makes people feel warm and orange with security.

I was feeling colder, despite the music. The damn music was getting louder.

“I don’t like the song. Turn it down, at least.”

“Why are you asking me? Just do it.”

I didn’t know why I didn’t just turn it down myself, and now I felt dumb. I felt the pressure in the back and top of my mouth when you want to say sorry but you can’t. I couldn’t say it because I was dumb and saying sorry wouldn’t make me less dumb. I wished I was in class. Then I could ask the teacher why I didn’t turn down the music.

I still hadn’t turned it down, and the air inside the car was getting yellow. It was even louder now.

“Turn it down, please.” I said it like I was about to cry, and I almost was. If he hadn’t turned it down, I probably would have. But he did. He looked at me weird, and I knew that he knew that I would have cried unless he turned it down.

“Pull the car over.” It was almost a command, and he did it immediately. I felt glad he was doing things like that.

I sat in the seat without moving much. I grabbed my head and realized how hot I was. It was too warm in the car, and I felt like the music was still playing. The air was thick and orange, and I fumbled with my seat belt to get out. We were on a hill that looked down to the houses where the rich people live. The hills around the big houses were gray but the clouds turned them bluish. The wind was blue too and it swept the orange off me. I stood and let the wind clean every part of my body. I didn’t get back into the car for a long time.

I was thinking while I stood out there, out in the open. I asked myself where we were going. I didn’t know but I also knew that if I asked my teacher, she wouldn’t know either. I was stuck. We had been driving for almost an hour, but neither of us knew where we were going, and I got angry. It was just dumb. I was dumb for thinking about it, and for not turning the volume down, and now the car and the volume and the orange got me all worked up, and I was thinking too much. I’m not supposed to think. That’s why we go fast, so we don’t have time to think.

I think the wind made me think. I think it was the cold that made me think that my teacher wouldn’t know the answer to my questions. I usually don’t think like that because I don’t know the answers, but now I had my own answer, and it made me feel cold and blue and fresh, and it was new, but I liked it, and it wasn’t like I imagined it to be. I got back into the car and said, “It’s cold. Let’s go.”

We went, but not too fast. I was still thinking. I thought I wanted to go to class tomorrow, but I wasn’t going to ask any more questions.



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JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 34 comments.


on Jun. 28 2012 at 9:19 pm
MadisonGrace SILVER, Nowhere, Oregon
7 articles 1 photo 43 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Everything is okay in the end,<br /> if its not okay it&#039;s not the end.&quot;<br /> &quot;Be who you are and say how you feel because if someone matters they dont mind and if someone minds they dont matter&quot;<br /> &quot;If God brings you to it he will bring you through it!&quot;

I really love this! I like how you gave things away slowly keeping the reader on their toes :)

on Dec. 13 2011 at 10:48 pm
WaffleManThing, Vallejo, California
0 articles 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;just keep swimming...&quot; by dory. :)

im going to be a critic, why not speed through the stop light?if he can go seventy in a 45? thats all i wanted to say.. good start on the book keep it up and dont forget to keep revising :)

on Apr. 15 2011 at 12:58 pm
rubyrainstorm SILVER, Closter, New Jersey
7 articles 0 photos 275 comments

Favorite Quote:
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.<br /> -Buddha.

Wow, this was great. At first, I was extremely confused, but after reading it again, I got it. Nice, and I hope you keep on writing. If you have time, please check out and comment on my poem, The Girl Inside. Thanks!

on Dec. 26 2010 at 1:52 am
Jayde_Marie_95 GOLD, Los Banos, California
10 articles 0 photos 16 comments
This is really good. I especially liked the thinking in colors. :)

on Sep. 11 2010 at 5:19 pm
samchichi BRONZE, Lake Worth, Florida
4 articles 2 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
1)Nobodys perfect, deal wih it<br /> 2)I don&#039;t care what anyone thinks of me, i&#039;m me and i won&#039;t change for anyone!!<br /> 3) If you have nothing nice to say, don&#039;t say it at all!!!!!!!!!!

omg!! our english teacher made us read this article!!!!!!!!! this is the reason why i joined this website. thank you!! your an inspiration(:

reg93 BRONZE said...
on Sep. 7 2010 at 7:08 pm
reg93 BRONZE, Billings, Montana
2 articles 0 photos 21 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;A wise girl kisses but doesn&#039;t love, listens but doesn&#039;t believe, and leaves before she is left.&quot; <br /> &mdash; Marilyn Monroe

This is really good. (:

Sadie_L BRONZE said...
on Aug. 16 2010 at 11:25 pm
Sadie_L BRONZE, Farnhamville, Iowa
2 articles 11 photos 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;Wouldn&#039;t life be perfect if sweatpants were sexy, Monday mornings were fun, junk food didn&#039;t make you fat, girls didn&#039;t cause drama, boys weren&#039;t so confusing, nothing was regrettable, you didn&#039;t ever lose the people you love, friendships didn&#039;t fade, and g o o d b y e s only meant till tomorrow??&rdquo;

I was wondering that too. The desscriptions were so good, that I didn't think about it til the end, but I didn't quite understand the idea.

Babylufin GOLD said...
on Jul. 25 2010 at 7:54 pm
Babylufin GOLD, Liberal, Missouri
13 articles 2 photos 229 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;&#039;For I know the plans I have for you&#039;, declares the Lord, &#039;plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.&#039;&quot; Jeremiah 29:11. Thank you Lord, for this future you&#039;ve given me.

This is cool. :D Down to earth. Please check out my work? :) W/love!

on Apr. 6 2010 at 7:55 pm
roamfree BRONZE, Eatonville, Washington
1 article 9 photos 11 comments

I thought i was the only one who thought in colors...

Great story.  Your descriptions were so realistic I felt like I could be the character.  Nice job!


ElisaH BRONZE said...
on Apr. 6 2010 at 1:41 am
ElisaH BRONZE, Los Angeles, California
1 article 0 photos 5 comments
I liked this, it was different and unique, and I liked it. Awesome!

on Mar. 15 2010 at 8:40 pm
t0xic_tomato GOLD, Somewhere, Pennsylvania
12 articles 0 photos 10 comments
I love this.

on Feb. 15 2010 at 12:58 pm
Toe_The_Line SILVER, Muscoda, Wisconsin
5 articles 0 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;In a field, I am the abscence of field. It&#039;s always been like that. Wherever I am, I am what is missing.&quot; - Mark Strand<br /> &quot;We are reading the story of our lives... we keep turning the pages, hoping for something.&quot; - Mark Strand

This is the kind of stuff I love - it was incredibly well written, and contrary to what a lot of people have said, it DOES have a point... it's just a little abstract... abstract feelings are hard to capture in writing, but I think you did a great job... check out my stuff if you have the time? :)

on Jan. 30 2010 at 4:01 pm
Waterlogged BRONZE, Grapevine, Texas
1 article 0 photos 36 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Winston, you are drunk.&quot; To which Churchill responded, &quot;and you, madam, are ugly. But in the morning, I&#039;ll be sober,&quot;-Lady Astor and Winston Churchill

I have to agree. It was kind of confusing.

on Jan. 30 2010 at 11:22 am
Allissa Younan BRONZE, Warwick, New York
3 articles 0 photos 4 comments
i really loved the way you were able to describe this with colors. great piece!

check out some of my work, let meknow what you think:)

zobean GOLD said...
on Jan. 8 2010 at 5:05 pm
zobean GOLD, Northfield, Massachusetts
16 articles 1 photo 33 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;A Good player inspires themselves. A GREAT player inspires others.&quot;

I have to agree. Great wording and descriptions though.

on Jan. 8 2010 at 2:08 pm
homewardbound, Billerica, Massachusetts
0 articles 8 photos 78 comments
It was interesting how you described things with colors like blue and orange, I didn't really get it at first but it made sense by the end.

on Dec. 17 2009 at 2:23 pm
othello03 SILVER, Knoxville, Tennessee
5 articles 0 photos 5 comments
i understand not wanting to think! wonderful synesthetic descriptions.

on Dec. 4 2009 at 3:27 pm
ravensgirl4ev, ***, MD, Maryland
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
&quot; Everything is always fine in the end. and if its not...its not the end&quot; :D<br /> &quot;I&#039;ll pick you up when you&#039;ve fallen. And if i can&#039;t ill lie down right beside you&quot; &lt;3

i guess i liked how you worded it ...but what is it about? confused!

bobally BRONZE said...
on Nov. 3 2009 at 9:56 pm
bobally BRONZE, Manchester, Missouri
4 articles 0 photos 12 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;damned if you do, bored if you don&#039;t&quot;

woah; amazing. the style kinda reminds me of catcher in the rye... i love it.

LilaW PLATINUM said...
on Sep. 20 2009 at 4:08 pm
LilaW PLATINUM, Brampton, ON, Other
21 articles 0 photos 43 comments

Favorite Quote:
Live. Laugh. Love. Fight. Flight. Get it right.&lt;3

i like it, it was interesting.(: didn't understand the point too much though.