For 17 Days

Speedbump

As I stopped at the intersection, I spotted Isaac's white Hyundai illuminated by the scarlet glow of the stoplight, and I smiled.

Isaac recognized my car almost instantly, rolling down the window to reveal that famous smug look of his. I hadn't missed the constant quirk that sat on his lips as if he knew the entire universe belonged to him. Just win, I thought to myself, and that infuriating smirk of his will finally be wiped off of his pretty-boy face.

"Fancy seeing you here, Sayoko," he drawled. "You haven't shown up in so long, I almost missed your piece of shit car."

Every word he pulled out of his mouth forced me to grip my steering wheel a little tighter. Aggression sparked in my right foot, just twitching to finally be able to press against the gas pedal. I hated everything about him, the way he spoke to me with cockiness lying in the undertones of his voice, the way his golden hair curled wildly around his head as if he could never be bothered to brush it.

"Just wait until my piece of shit car leaves you in the dust," I replied. "I'm sure you won't miss it then." I stared him down, refusing to break eye contact. Isaac moved first to glance at the traffic light, counting down the seconds until green.

"So that's how it's gonna be, huh," he chuckled. Something flickered in his expression for a second before it quickly returned to his cocky demeanor.

Yeah, it is, I thought to myself before the light flashed green.

"Well, see you on the other side, Sayoko," Isaac winked, throwing a peace sign out the window. His car sped away from mine, and each second I let pass was another 50-foot distance.

"Fuck," I muttered to myself, slamming on the accelerator. I brought my speed to 40, then 50, then 60, eventually matching with Isaac's pace. My hands clenched tight around my wheel until the flesh on my fingers was compressed white. My car shuddered as it increased its stride towards Isaac's precious car, inching towards his blue license plate.

I turned my radio up, the beat of music synchronizing with the rockiness of the uneven pavement. I matched my speed to the tempo of the song until I was pushing 70, then 80. I met Isaac on his right side. We were neck to neck, side to side. Together, our headlights pierced through the dark atmosphere, leaving behind a trail of smoke that let the streets know that we were here. From the corner of my eye, I swore I saw Isaac grin at me.

It was a freeing feeling, to be able to cruise along the streets with worries about the police and everything else tucked away in the back of my mind. Every time I got on the road, it was as if I was a bird, soaring through the chilly December breeze intermixed with the fuel in my gas tank, reveling in the sweet taste of freedom. I let my mind casually wander, fantasizing about the wounded look on Isaac's face after I destroyed him in this race.

When I finally passed Isaac's car, I could nearly grasp the victory with my two hands. I relished in the glory that was within my reach, commending myself for almost demolishing Isaac Amador. I spared a few seconds to spitefully roll my window down, stick my hand out, and give him the finger.

I got too ahead of myself, however, because I could see the Hyundai's headlights gradually gaining on me through my side-view mirror. Desperate for a win, I resorted to a last-ditch effort. It was common to use swerving to your advantage during racing, but I had never personally tried it before. Stretching out my tense fingers, I tried my luck and slightly tilted my wheel to my left. I felt the car shift, turning into Isaac's lane. All I needed was a little leeway and then his "undefeatable" reputation could finally be wrecked by me.

In my rearview mirror, I made eye contact with him, ensuring that he could tell exactly what I was doing. Still, Isaac was riding the tail of my car, refusing to let me take control. I veered again, harder this time. My tires squealed under the impact of my turn as if urgently warning me against all the stops I was currently pulling. I ignored them, focusing instead on the way the street rolled underneath me and the burning feeling of Isaac's eyes on me. Once more, I yanked my steering wheel to where Isaac's car resided, taking out all of my aggression on the rotation of my wheel, on the intensity of my swerve.

And that's when I felt it. The undeniable shrieking of metal against metal. The startling impact between two cars.

I just crashed into Isaac's precious Hyundai at 80 miles per hour.

Fuck.

Without turning around, I stepped on the gas again and sped off in the other direction. I didn't dare look at the damage I caused Isaac's car for fear of seeing a wreck I couldn't possibly pay off. My face burned in the embarrassment of what I had just done, and all I could do was wait for Isaac to seek me out and order me to compensate for his treasured vehicle.

I drove until I made it to the local 24-hour drive-through where I planned to check how much harm I had brought to my Honda. I pulled into a parking spot and hastily got out to inspect the truck of my car. To say the least, it was a little worse for wear.

The left side of the bumper was completely caved in. The red paint was scraped and cracked, covered with slashes of indented metal. I suspected that Isaac's car got the brunt of it.

It was just another injury to the huge heap of metal I cared so much about. I examined the rest of my car. There were some scratches from when another car drifted into my lane, some dents from stray pebbles that got in way of my racing. The paint was peeling in a lot of areas, eroded by years of heavy use. The right backseat window was permanently jammed, the left headrest was completely stained by Coca-Cola. It didn't matter to me that my car was an old piece of junk, I was forever indebted to it. It took me to the second-best street racer in the city, only wavering next to the arrogant ass that was Isaac Amador.

I climbed back into my driver's seat, prepared to head on home. I didn't even manage to get out of the parking lot before a dark figure jumped in front of my car.

"Holy fuck!" I shouted before stomping my foot down on the brake. I unbuckled my seat belt and dashed out of my car. There, right in front of me, was Isaac.

"Amador? What the fuck..." My voice trailed off in absolute incredulity. "How did you get here so fast. And... how did you even know I would be here?"

Isaac was standing across from me, panting. "Arden, listen to me." He spent a few more seconds trying to catch his breath. Something was clearly wrong. He never called me by my first name.

"Listen to me. Everything is about to change."

"What? Is this about your car? 'Cause I'll find a way to make it up to you, alright?"

"No, no, just listen. Everything is going to change in the next 17 days." There was sincerity in his expression, interlaced with... desperation?

"Look, if this is just about your car, we can probably work something out," I said, trying to make sense of the whole situation.

"No, just- just fuck the car for a second, okay? Everything is going to change in the next 17 days. Just, whatever you do, promise me one thing. Promise you won't forget, okay? After it's all over, don't forget." His eyes were overcast, plagued with a storm trapped inside his consciousness. This Isaac was so uncharacteristically untamed with raw emotion simply dripping from his words. The Isaac I know would never say "fuck the car" or act like anything could break his calm and collected facade.

"Forget what? Amador, what's going on?"

"Just promise me. Please." His eyes darted wildly from side to side. I didn't know what it was: the vulnerability he oozed, the absurdity of the whole situation, or maybe his intonation of the word please, but something made me want to fulfill his request.

"Okay, shit, I promise."

He looked temporarily soothed for a second, his facial features relaxing into an expression that resembled the Isaac I knew.

"Okay. I- okay." He hastily turned around, breaking off into a sprint in the direction opposite me, and disappeared.

I spent a few minutes searching for where he could have gone, but it was no use. He seemingly vanished without his car anywhere near him, lost to the cold, lightless night.

I got into my car and followed his invisible trail, driving into oblivion.