“Of course it’s illegal!” Manuel’s sergeant yelled at him. They stood inside the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department.
“They’re not racing side by side…” Manuel stammered.
“A prearranged speed competition is illegal Gonzalez! What took you so long to bring this up to me?”
Manuel was surprised by his sergeant’s reaction. “I didn’t think…”
“You were gonna do it weren’t you?” the sergeant said with disappointment in his voice.
Manuel didn’t respond, he just stammered and flapped his lips.
“You did it, didn’t you? You got a video up on this thing? C’mon son, you know better…”
“I didn’t do anything. I’m not an idiot sergeant. I’m just surprised that this is a problem. Do we arrest everybody with a video?”
“Somebody’s shutting it down as we speak and the captain’s making a statement for reporters. We want the one who organized it though, they want to make an example.”
Manuel sighed. It sucked, but he had a job to do. “I know who it is. I’ll bring them in.”
“Yeah, you do that,” the sergeant said. “Maybe I’ll forget how stupid you were for sitting on this.”
When does it close? Violette asked eagerly. She and Esther were in their apartment, Esther at her computer and Violette leaning over her shoulder.
Soon I think.
And you did it?
It looks like it. Unless there’s somebody like me waiting to upload it. There it is, the organizer just posted. It closes in two hours.
Violette plopped down on the bed behind Esther’s desk.
Just do it, you beat the fastest time up there. There isn’t anybody else. And if there is and they’re faster, then it won’t matter right? It’s too late to try and beat you.
Esther sighed and shrugged. I just don’t want to lose because I’m too eager. I’ll put it up a couple minutes before it closes.
“It’s a good idea to wait,” Kevita’s brother said as he watched the video of her doing the race. “I don’t see how you managed this without getting a ticket.” He handed the cell phone back to her. “When did you get a phone?” he asked her.
“I didn’t, this ain’t mine,” Kevita said. “I need to upload it before I return the phone.”
“Do it when there’s just 30 minutes left.”
“My friend needs his phone back. I told him I’d return it by now.”
Her brother shrugged. “Do it then, I don’t think anybody can beat that.”
Kevita nodded and then decided, “I’m gonna do it.” She tapped at the touch screen before throwing her hands up in frustration. “I definitely don’t know how to do this. I’ll be back, I’m gonna see if my friend can do it.”
Both Kevita and Esther sat refreshing their browers, watching as new videos were uploaded. None were faster than their times. And I will spoil the suspense and tell you that Esther had the fastest time and would have won if the Facebook group hadn’t been deleted and everyone in the group was notified via email by the CMPD to cease such reckless games on public roads or risk jail time in the future.
Kevita went back to spinning on grassy hilltops, on the tips of her Converse that were dirty brown and green.
Esther was bitter, but continued in her life next to Violette.
Manuel went to his local car dealership. He’d known from the beginning that it was the salesman who organized the whole thing, he just decided to look the other way because the friendship allowed for access to cool cars, and it really was a victimless crime. At least it seemed to be, here didn’t seem to be any wrecks caused by the trials.
The salesman knew why Manuel was there and he smiled half heartedly.
“You could’ve let me find a winner.”
“No.” Manuel cuffed he salesman. “There was no point.”
Manuel loaded the salesman into his backseat, and when he sat in the front, he held up his phone so that the salesman could see the video playing in the screen.
“I did it in twenty.”
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