Mario Andretti would be proud

I closed my eyes even tighter as I heard the screeching of the other car's tires approaching. I was just waiting for the bone breaking noise cars make when they collide. But it never came. The screeching stopped and horns were honking so I opened my eyes. Though I was afraid of what I might see still coming towards me, I wanted to know why it was taking so long to come.

To my surprise, the vehicle that I thought would make us all into roadkill stopped directly beside our car. The driver was obviously shaken and quiet mad.

"What the fuck is your problem! Why they hell did you come flying out of that street!??" the pissed of driver yelled at us.

Before any of us answered, my brother hit the gas again and we speed away. Hoping and praying the other driver didn't get our license plate number. To say I was scared is an understatement, but I was also filled with adrenaline. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would fly out of my chest. My hands were shaking, my palms were sweaty and I thought I was going to throw up. My brother kept a pace that would make Mario Andretti impressed as we speed all the way home, constantly checking his rear view mirror.

No one spoke until we arrived at our house and were exiting the car, then every one of my brother's friends spoke in rapid succession.

"Jesus man.. that shit was crazy!"

"No shit! I really thought someone was gonna get shot!"

"Who knew that shit was gonna happen?"

"What did you think was gonna happen you dumbass! You started screaming about niggers in an all nigger town!!"

"Hey man... how's your car?"

"I'm kind of afraid to look actually" my brother said, as he lit a cigarette.

They all started circling his car checking for damage, I however sat on the front lawn still in shock. To every one's surprise, there was no visible body damage from the impact with the ditch, however there were 2 bullet holes. One was in the trunk just to the right of the lock and the other bullet hole was on the passenger side just above the rear wheel. I said a silent prayer of thanks that his gas tank wasn't on that side, otherwise we all would have been on fire.

"Who was that guy shooting at us anyway?" Someone asked

"J, do you know who that was? Was that that nigger's dad?" another asked

"I don't think so. I don't think his Father's still in the picture but everyone in that town is related somehow so it could have been an uncle or something, I don't know" I answered

"Well, I don't think he'll be messing with you anymore, if he knows what's good for him anyway" my brother said, trying to act like he wasn't shaken by what transpired. However, I could see that his own hands were just as shaky as mine still were.

"Umm.. can I have a cigarette?" I asked my brother without looking up to meet his eyes.

"WHAT?"

"I asked if I could have a cigarette, too"

"J, you're not old enough. Plus, they're bad for you"

"Yea.. says the guy who's been smoking long before you were the age I am now. Please?"

"Fine, but don't tell mom or dad I gave you one. They'll freak for sure!"

I had never had a cigarette before and wasn't even quiet sure how to smoke it right. I didn't want to look like a fool in front of my brother's friends who just almost gave their life for me. My brother handed me an unlit cigarette from his pack with words of advice, "Don't inhale real deep, you'll cough and probably throw up. Here, I'll light it for you"

I was really surprised he was being so nice about it. I figured he'd give me more of a fight, but he handed me the lit cigarette and I slowly took a drag. The thing tasted horrible and I wanted to puke, but to save face in front of everyone, I swallowed the bile rising in my throat.

"Yea.. well.. who's gonna tell them about the bullet holes?" I asked, attempting to take another drag.

"Shit! I don't know. They're gonna flip the fuck out when they see them, though"

We all tried brainstorming to figure out a good lie. Obviously there weren't ANY lies that would cover up that story convincingly. Just as my brother's friends were piling in their cars to leave, leaving my brother and I alone to figure out the mess, my father pulls up and parks directly beside my brother's car.

"Hey" my dad addressed us as he gathered his briefcase and coffee cup from the car.

"Uh.. hey. What are you doing home so early?" I cautiously asked, thankful I had already put out my cigarette before he arrived.

"Well, your mom called me at work and said there was a situation going on with you and some boy on the bus. I wanted to come home and talk about it and see what we were going to do to handle the situation"

My brother and I looked at eachother nervously. Little did my dad know.. we had already attempted 'handling' the situation. I was starting to wonder if cops were going to show up at the house any minute, if anyone from the bus or that town had gotten his license plate number OR the guy that almost hit us. Worry about that alone made me want to throw up again.