THE STREET RACER Today is Chad’s first day of college and he wants to become a mechanic. He also hopes to eventually become an owner of a shop. He has always enjoyed working on cars including his own. He likes the look of street racing cars and has always wanted to go see a race or be in one but has never had the chance. For the last few years he had been working hard and saving money and adding performance parts to his car. His mom has been very sick lately but nothing has been too serious so he isn’t too worried but he still thinks about her a lot.
He is a very average student sometimes having problems when his mom gets sick but now that he’s in college he wants to do well and succeed. Later in the year he gets a phone call. “Hello.” Good evening is this Chad?” Yes who is this?” This is Dr. Jones I am your mother’s doctor.” Is there something wrong?” I’m very sorry I have to tell you this but your mom is very sick and we are not sure if she’s going to make much longer.” Oh my god is there anything that I can do?” The only thing that you can do right now is to come visit her and try to make her fell better and distract her from some of the pain.” Chad stays silent he doesn’t know what to say.” Are you still there?” Yes I need to go.” I am sorry sir good bye.” Bye” He doesn’t know what to do he wants to good in school so bad and get a good job, but he needs to go see his mom. The next day in school he dose nothing when he’s in class he cant pay attention to anything the teacher is saying all he can think about is his mom. “Yo Chad.” Says his good friend Jeff.” Chad.” Chad!” Oh sorry didn’t hear you what’s up.” What’s wrong with you man you ” ve been acting really strange today?” Nothing.” Tell me I know something is wrong””No! I don’t want to talk about this right now.” Alright whatever I got to go to class ill talk to you later.” Hey Chad I’m going to class now!” Sorry see you later.” The two of them walk away and Chad goes back to his dorm room to think about what he’s going do.
He decides no matter how important school is to him his mom is much more important. He drives for hours to get to the hospital hi mom is at. When he gets there he runs to her room but when he gets there she’s is sleeping so he just sits down and eventually falls asleep. He wakes up early so he waits for her to wake up.
“Good morning mom””Hey Chad thank you so much for coming to visit me but you should have stayed at school I don’t need you here ill be fine on my own.” They told me you might not make it I had to come back and be with you I couldn’t even pay attention in class I was so worried about you.” Well thank you for coming I already feel better now that I see you I have missed you a lot.” I missed you too mom, do you want me to go get us something to eat so you don’t have to eat this hospital food?” No that’s ok you can just go and get yourself something and about me while your out.” Okay, I’ll see you in a little bit. Goodbye, I love you.” I love you too.” Chad leaves to get some food and realizes that he does not have much money and really needs to get a job or something. He does not really want a full time job because then he would not be spending any time with his mom. While he is eating he over hears two guys talking about how much money they won last night. He started to listen closer.” Man, I won like $3, 000. 00.” Yeah, me too.” My race was close man, but right at the end I pulled ahead.” Are we going again tonight?” Yeah, meet me at the corner of first and Maryland.” All right, I’ll see you around 10: 00.” See ya.” He just sits there thinking.
He has always wanted to do this, but he knows it is dangerous and he only has $200. 00. He does not want to lose that and be completely broke. He drove back to the hospital, but he does not mention racing to hi mom who would disapprove.
At about 8: 00, he realizes that he needs to make a decision.” Mom, how are you doing?” I’m fine.” I think I’m going to get some dinner and find somewhere with a bed that I can sleep. You going to be okay for the night?” Yeah, don’t worry about me. I’ll see you in the morning. I love you.” Goodnight, love ya too.” On his way there, he keeps seeing more and more cars that would be in a street race, so he knew he was going the right way. He got to the corner where they said they were meeting and there were about 10 cars. He parks a ways away waiting for them to leave for where the race was going to be.
Ten minutes later they leave for the race and they all pull onto a long, straight road down in an area where no one drives. Everyone parks and gets out of their cars and all meet up in their usual groups. Chad got out of his car but just stood there, because he did not know anyone there. As he is looking around, he notices the guys he saw earlier walking towards him.” Hey, you new around here?” asked Scott.” Yeah.” responded Chad.” What’s your name? I’m Scott and this is my friend Tony.” I’m Chad.” Well Chad, you here to race tonight or just going to watch?” I wanna race. I need to try and win some money.” How much you have?” $200.
00.” Alright, you will be in the first race. It’s $150. 00 to race. It’s you and two other guys. What kind of car you driving?” Integra.” Fast?” Yeah, it’s pretty fast, but I’ve never raced.” Ok, don’t worry the guys you are racing are nothing special.” Alright, thanks.” You go get ready. I’ll talk to you later.” Talk to you later.” They walk away and Chad walks towards his car and starts it up and drives it up to where the race will start.
He gives his money to the guy collecting the money. His whole body is shaking, he stares down the road. He’s only been there for thirty seconds, but he feels like he has been there for hours. A girl comes out in front of all the cars with her hands in the air. They all rev their engines and turn up their music. She drops her arm, tires squeal.
Chad froze for the first second and had a bad start. He goes faster and faster, 60, 70, 80, 90 miles an hour. His body is still shaking, pushing on the gas pedal so hard. The car is still accelerating. He is now going 110 miles per hour, he is past the first two cars, there’s still one in front of him. He is slowly catching up.
He wants it so bad. 120 miles per hour, he has never gone this fast. He’s shaking less, concentrating so much on winning, he needs this money. Him and the other car are side by side. The finish line is twenty feet away, all he can do is hold on and keep pushing the pedal.
He pulls ahead and wins the race. They drive back to where it started and they give him the money. Scott, the man he talked to before, raced next. He had an awesome car, it looked like he had spent thousands of dollars on it. Scott won his race. Afterwards Chad and him started talking again.” Hey Chad, what’s up?” Hey not much, that’s an awesome car, man.” Thanks, I own a shop, so I get stuff real cheap.” Awesome, you know anywhere I can stay for cheap around here?” Yeah, you can just stay at my place.
I got room.” Are you sure?” Yeah, don’t worry about it. Tomorrow we can do a few cheap upgrades on your car. I want you on my team. I like how you won the race.” Are you serious, how much do you want?” I said don’t worry.
I sponsor you now.” Thank you very much. I think you should know I’m here to take care of my mom. Do you mind if I go there in the morning to be with her?” Yeah, no big deal, we can work on your car in the afternoon.” All right. Sweet.” Let’s go back to my place and get some sleep.” Ok, I’ll follow you.” Chad follows Scott to his house, it’s huge. Scott shows him around, tells him where he is sleeping and just tells him to get comfortable. After Scott walks out, Chad laid down and watched some television, thinking about weather he should tell his mom or just keep it to himself.
Eventually he just fell asleep, exhausted from the long day. The next morning Chad woke up to go visit his mom and Scott was still sleeping, so he just left a piece of paper with his cell phone number on it on the table.” Hey mom, how are you doing today?” I’m doing really good. I got a lot of sleep. Where are you staying?” Right when she asked that, Chad had to decide if he was going to tell her or not.” Well?” What’s wrong? I just wanted to know where you are staying.” Well, it is a long story.” Just tell me Chad and do not lie to me.” Last night I went and raced for some easy money.” You know I don’t want you doing that.” I know, but it’s going to be good. I won $450. 00 last night and I met a guy there who wants me on his team.
He’s letting me stay at his house and he’s going to help me work on my car.” I really don’t want you doing that. It’s so dangerous. You could get killed.” Don’t worry about me mom. I’m just doing it until you are better, to get some money and help you out.” I don’t approve, but if you really want to, go ahead.” Thank you mom.” This went on for weeks. He would visit his mom in the morning and then work on his car and race at night. His mom started feeling a lot better and went home and started getting mad at Chad for not going back to college.” Chad, you need to go back.
Stop using the excuse that you are earning money. You don’t need to stay here any mote.” I don’t want to argue with you right now. I’ll see you tomorrow.” That night he went out to a big race, worth a lot of money. When it was almost over his care broke down and he lost. Scott was so mad and he could tell something was on his mind. After Chad told him about what his mom was saying, Scott told him that if he left, he had to pay for everything they had done to his car.
Chad walked away and went home to try to figure out what to do. Weeks went on, his mom kicked him out. He kept getting deeper and deeper in to debt, wishing he could just leave and not have any more problems. The next day when he meets up with Scott, he decides to tell him that tonight is the last night. “You better be joking, because if you leave, you will be paying me back or I’ll just keep your car.” I’m not joking. You can have my car, you can have all my money.
I have to go back to school like I promised my mom.” Whatever. Man, you ” re lucky I like you or I’d make you give me more than that car.” Thank you.” Get out of here, you ” re not racing tonight. Go home. Don’t let me see you again.” That was the last time he ever saw him.
He went back to school. H and his mom were talking again and in the end he graduated the top of his class. Chad started racing legally and eventually owned his own shop where he earned the money to give to his mom to help pay the hospital bills. A few months later, she got cancer and died, but Chad was there for her through it all..