Anybody here like short stories? i wrote this for my English class last semester...

it's kinda long...

Today is just not my day. It all started with that damn street thug. So I'm driving to school and this Honda pulls up next to me at the stoplight. I’m just minding my own business and this street thug opens his window revs his engine at me and says “Yo my man! Trynna go?” What is this guy thinking! He wants to try and take me on? I’m thinking as he revs his puny 4 cylinder engine. “If you’re trying to lose today.” I smirk as I stare him down “Oh man, boy you think you can take me? We’ll see, let’s race for your slip little man! If you’re so sure you’re gonna win.” He wants to race for my slip? A slip is basically the right to ownership. He must be kidding “Sorry chief what am I gonna do with that piece of scrap metal? That car is worth nothing compared to my BMW.” I say with a chuckle as I watch him get progressively angrier at me for not only insulting him, but insulting his car too. A sense of satisfaction runs through me as I see him look at me, puzzled as to why his bullying tactics don’t seem to scare me. ”Alright fine!” he shouts as he realizes he can’t just bully me into risking my car. “To make things interesting at least, let us put… Oh I don’t know a tank of gas for the winner.” He says with a smile. A smile that I don’t really like or trust for that matter. “Alright but my car only takes premium so you better have the funds to pay up.” He waves a stack of bills out of his window showing that he’s well off. “Oh I got the cash little man.” He says with that same cunning smile. Where in the hell did he get all this cash? This car was of the lower class racing thugs the ones that were just starting off or just really weren’t very good drivers.

Something about this guy just didn’t feel right. I have raced these little starter Hondas before and the drivers were never this confident, neither did they have any money… well usually. We pull over to the side and wait for the cars behind us to go so we have a good amount of space in front of us to shoot for. We stop at the next green light. Smashing this car will be easy; I can take any of these fools. I mean I've done it before. These racer thugs have been popping up out of nowhere for the past couple years, always trying to start races. Any time they see a sports car or a rich kid with a nice car they try to start something. Ever since the constant rise of oil a lot of street racers have been racing for gas or slips instead of just money seeing as a tank of gas costs over a hundred dollars. We’re at the green waiting… waiting… Yellow hits… vroom vroom, my engine purrs as I stare down the road confidently. Red. Once red hits we take off and speed down the road. I’m taking him by at least 3 car lengths. Then out of nowhere I hear it the soft steady hissing. He’s boosting… oh man I just got played.
Boosting is an illegal mod, which is basically a tank of nitrous oxide directly ported into the engine, generally giving the driver a good hundred plus of additional horse power. The only reason boosting is illegal is because of the emissions it produces. I mean come on direct port nitrous oxide? Too good to be legal. “Hiss…” that hiss is a horrible omen, any driver caught with boost is immediately arrested, car impounded, and crushed. All I hear is the same steady ominous hiss, and he is gone. A little too fast actually, where in the hell is he going? Did he not want the tank? Before I can even recollect my thoughts and find my route to school, I hear the unmistakable high pitched siren. Lo and behold, in my rear view mirror I see the oh-so-familiar red and blue. Man I would have much rather bought that grimy street thug a tank of gas then to get pulled over again! This would be the second time this month. Oh man, my dad is going to kill me… to make things worse it wasn’t even a regular cop, it was one of those undercover street racing cops from the E.S.R.E.G. which is short for Eliminate Street Racing for Economic Growth. We call them the Regs for Regulators in the streets. That street thug must have seen the Reg while we were racing and booked it.”Driver… Pull over!” the Reg says through his megaphone. There is nothing I can do at this point but to submit, so I pull over to the side and turn off my car as the Reg steps out of and walks on over to my car. For a split second I think to run after all, if I did run the Reg would never be able to catch me. Ever since the emissions law was passed all Government Issue cars were deemed to be producing too much high emissions and they were all switched to electric cars. “How are you doing today young man?” says the Reg, as he saunters over to my opened car window. “Better now that you’re here!” I say politely trying to appear as the victim in this crime. “Now do you know why I pulled you over?” says the Reg “To be honest sir I am not quite sure I thought you were going after that street racer that passed me up.” I say with confidence as I try to make myself sound oblivious and naïve. “Do you think I’m stupid? Do you know how fast you were going?” said the frustrated Reg “Around fifty miles an hour I believe.” I said innocently “No Fifty is the speed limit. You on the other hand were going about ninety miles an hour. What the hell were you thinking? You street racers are all the same, have no consideration…” “But what about the other guy did you see him he was boosting! C’mon man… Are you serious!? That guy was going like 110 at least and you pull me over?” I exclaim with passion “Lucky for him he’s faster than you.” the Reg says with a smug smile. “License and registration please.” He walks over to his patrol car and writes me out a ticket. Oh well it’s ok, my dad will cover it. I just might have to beg, but he always comes through for me. “Alright Lucas here is your ticket, sign here please. Keep the speed down if I catch you again I promise you. I will… impound your car.” He says as he tosses me the ticket and walks back to his car.”Oh dear…” I sigh as I look at the ticket. Second ticket this month. If I get anymore my car will get impounded. I just need to be smarter about where I race. No more racing in broad daylight or main streets.

November 16th 2019
So, its bout one hour after school starts and I grudgingly head out. I had an average day at school; only thing to note is the enormous heat wave that came out of nowhere. I can’t even sit in class without sweating, apparently the air conditioner can’t be turned on because of the amount of energy it uses or some crap like that. Finally school is over, and I can finally go home. I’m pretty excited because that new part for my car should be coming in today. I begin driving home and notice my gas light is on so I stop by the gas station by my house. As I pull up to the long line to the gas station I notice the heat has started to rise. “Oh my god!” I exclaim as I start sweating just by sitting in the car. I roll up the windows and blast the AC. This is taking way too long I realized as I sit burning up in my car. As I am waiting I see a crowd forming up outside consisting of people that were lined up to get gas, so I decide to go check it out for myself and see what the big commotion is. “Are you kidding me?” I hear someone exclaim as I near the fanatical crowd. “What’s going on?” I say to a guy on the outside of the forming mob. “Supposedly this gas station just ran out of gas.” He says. What? No way that’s impossible gas stations run out of gas? I fight my way through the crowd. Pushing through the big crowd of grown adults I finally squeeze past the last overweight truck driver and I get to the window of the gas station. In big letters there is a sign that says “SORRY NO GAS.” The sight I see is horrifying; the doors are chained up and one window is broken. One of the angry truck drivers broke through the glass with a rock and is closing in on the gas attendant. I got out of there quick. Why are we fighting ourselves for gas, aren’t we in Iraq or something pumping gas right now? Geez, politics are useless.

April 20th 2019
Ring … Ring Ring… “Hello?” I said groggily as I pick up the phone. Who is calling me this early? “It’s time.” Says the voice, I snap awake. “I understand.” I say as the predetermined response to the call I have been waiting months for. I turn over and stare at the clock. Six thirty. I am amazed to be awake this early; I don’t remember the last time I got up this early. I get up and get ready, thinking that at least now I won’t be late for school. I get downstairs and my mom is already up. “Cough cough!” my mom has been sick for a while now. “Hey mom, how you doing?” I say as I walk over and rub her on the back. “I’ve been better.” She chuckles with a weak smile. “So what do you want for breakfast?” I quickly respond, trying to smile. “It’s ok I’m not very hungry right now.’ she mutters ‘I may just go back to bed. Cook something for you and your brother ok?” “Yeah sure mom, go get some rest I can take care of it.” I say with reassurance, “Oh and can you take your brother to school?” she adds as she walks up the stairs. “Yeah sure mom.” It’s been really hard to see my mom like this for so long but ever since the limiting of outside products imported from other countries, it has been increasingly hard to find the medicine my mother needs. “Are you serious?” I exclaim as I look into the pantry. We have run out of my favorite kind of noodles. They’re an import from somewhere in Asia; it’s been hard to find these noodles too. I suppose eggs and toast will do just fine. “Boom!” I look up startled. “Hey!” it was just my little brother, Nathan. “Mom’s not feeling well so I’m going to take you to school today.” “Yay!” he exclaims excitedly. “Are we going to take your car?’ he inquires intently. ‘Last time you took me to school you used moms.” I laugh “Ok is all your homework done? Did you do your chores? And who is the best brother in the whole wide world?” “YES… YES…LUCAS!” he exclaims extremely proud of himself. “Well alright then go upstairs and get ready!” he scrambles with lightning speed from the table and runs upstairs. I smile as I watch my little brother go. Ever since he was little he has been into cars, just like me just like my father. He loves it when I take him to school. He always says he wants to be just like me when he grows up. Having that little rascal look up to me is great; I just hope he follows the good things that I do, not the bad things. “Ready!” he screams from the door. As I turn the corner I see him dressed, packed up, and munching on his breakfast ready for the ride. “Race you to the car!” he exclaims as he runs out the door. As I run to my car I notice the intense heat. Is it ever going to stop? My mom says that global warming is the cause; she keeps saying I should get rid of my car to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and whatever into the air. She just doesn’t understand the life of a car enthusiast. “Seatbelts?” I say to Nathan “Check!” “Here we…go!” I exclaim as we skirt out of the driveway. As I speed down the roads I look over at my brother and the huge smile he has on his face and I can’t help but think how proud I am of him. As I near his school we pass a huge billboard. “Lucas! It’s the new BMW look!” he exclaims excitedly “I’m gonna have that car when I get older and beat you with it!” he says confidently.” That’s the one with the bigger engine right?” he asks curiously “Yeah how’d you know that?” curious of where he would have found out this information from “I saw it on TV! They have that new Toyota, and that new Dodge, and that…” I just chuckle at his enthusiasm in big engines. “Pick you up at three ok?” “Yessir!” he exclaims as I pull away from the parking lot and make my way to school.

Class took way too long today, we were stuck in history class watching the news about the riots in New York, Washington, and L.A. “So for homework tonight I want you all to write a response to the riots around the country and the effect it has on our economy and society.” says our history teacher. “More homework?” someone exclaims. “Who cares about the riots in Washington and New York, as long as it doesn’t happen here?” says one of my classmates “Yeah!” some of my classmates exclaim in agreement. “That is exactly the kind of ignorance we are trying to fight. If we’re all to be at peace with each other and live as a country, we must understand why these riots are going on and not be so ignorant to these events just because they aren’t happening to us right now.” My teacher says with strong emotion. “Someday it may happen to us.” He adds ominously. “What do you mean it can happen to us?” I ask as I walk by on my way out of the door. “Well there is a book. Would that be something you would be interested in?” my teacher asks in return. “Sure.”I respond curiously. As I leave school and drive off all I can think of is what my history teacher said to us. Ring… ring ring. I look up startled exiting my session of deep thought. “Hello?” I answer “Be here in fifteen minutes.” “But I have to take my little brother home.” I exclaim in protest. “If you want the position, you will be here in fifteen minutes…”click. He hung up. What do I do now? I couldn’t bring my brother with me, could I? A little after my run in with the boost toting thug, I had decided to join a racing crew myself. I can’t win without boost and the only way to get it would be to join the underground race crews. Today is my first assignment. I’ve been waiting for that phone call for months now, I couldn’t let this go. As I pull up to the middle school my brother is there waiting eagerly for my arrival. “Nathan would you mind going on a little drive?” I ask as he hops into the car. “Of course not!” he declares “Can you keep it a secret from mom and dad?” I ask “Why do I need to keep it a secret?” he asks curiously “Well because if they find out then I won’t be able to take you to school anymore. Duh!” “Oh…” he says understandingly “Ok if you say so.” I begin to drive to the predetermined meeting point. As we arrive I open the door and say to Nathan. “Stay in the car ok? I’ll be back in a few minutes, lock the doors too.” I knew in my gut that I shouldn’t have brought Nathan with me. As I walk inside there is a big guy at the door with a metal detector. “Spread ‘em.” He says as I walk in. He pats me down and sends me on my way telling me to take the first door on the right, as I walk by him I notice he has a gun. What did I get myself into? I wonder as I walk down the hall to the door he directed me to. “Lucas, how nice of you to join us!” exclaims a tall Asian man with long grey hair. “So tell me are you ready to drive?” “Yes, but when do I get the boost?” I asked intently. I was going to get that boost at any cost. “Patience Lucas, you do a favor for me I do one for you OK?” he says with a hint of annoyance. “Ok so the plan is you leave from San Diego and drive to Mexico. There is a small road big enough for you to drive through without detection from Immigration. I need you to get the drivers from there and have them follow you back. The drivers we have are capable so push your car if you must. Here is everything you will need you leave tonight.” He says handing me a heavy case “I understand. So… if there is trouble.. I can leave the group behind right?” I say, as I open the case a shine glints into my eye as I stare at a 9mm berretta .“I wouldn’t recommend that Lucas. They are carrying items that we cannot import from other countries. We need all the cars here, that's your job and you'll do it. You won’t disappoint me, will you?”

I walk out of the warehouse and get to my car. That’s when I heard it. I hear a low unmistakable hiss. Boosted cars are coming and they’re coming fast. This can’t be good. I start it up. It’s a rival street gang! I was warned of their desperation to steal imported parts and rob gas companies since the authorities started cracking down on them. They are coming in fast and they don’t look friendly. They won’t stop at anything, ever since the high demand of gas lost them millions and to make profit was to target the competition. “Put your seat belt on and stay down!” I scream to Nathan as I drive off. All I hear is the sounds of guns firing and a lot of yelling. Nathan was my only priority, and I had to get him to safety. I gunned it as I try to get out of there as quick as possible. It has been said that you normally hear them before you see them. I look up startled as I hear the familiar low hissing. Then I see him, that same car from so many months ago, is pulling up behind me and he is coming fast. He pulls up next to me and rolls his window down “You owe me!” he screams as he points a gun in my direction. I turn… hard.

July 20th 2039
Twenty years. Twenty damn years. I have been staring at the same four walls for the last two decades. I never even imagined I would ever write in here again, like I did back when my life was in my own control. Back when the world actually made sense. Everything has been blown out of proportion and I’m stuck in here not doing a goddamn thing to help anybody in my family or make everything right again. Nathan… I saw him every night for seven thousand and three hundred days; twisted distortions of the accident echo through my mind driving me to the point of insanity. How could I have let any of this happen? How could I fail the only person that devoted his aspirations to me, and entrusted his life into my hands? I lost Nathan that day twenty years ago. Twenty years ago I was arrested by the US government for gang affiliation and possession of an illegal firearm. “I sentence you to twenty years in the state penitentiary;” I don’t even remember hearing those words of conviction, for my mind was lost in the accident. The loud crack of the prison door echoed through my head every day, sharp as the gavel coming down as a finalization of my confinement. Not much longer after that, the company my father worked for went bankrupt and he disappeared.

I have lost everything I value and love for my insatiable thirst for speed. A thirst which may have been the critical aspect of my demise. The only things I have left are the books I have acquired over the years and vivid memories of my life’s collapse. For months I have sat here and replayed the events that took place, and I’ve realized my priorities and sense of direction have been ignorant and arrogant. In the past, my Dad has pulled me out of the slums when I screwed up. I never had to pay attention to the consequences of my actions because of it. Nor did I ever take ambition to be a real role model for my brother, to show him that personal dreams are good to strive for, but succumbing to dangerous lifestyles were not worth it. His life is proof of that, but I can’t let him down. If I couldn’t help Nathan because of my foolish attitude and obsession with speed, it doesn’t mean I can’t be better than I once was. One simple book changed my perspective and enlightened me to reality. There was a day a book came shortly after I had arrived in prison. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond. It had come with a note. “Lucas, stay strong -Mrs. Bobadilla.” I have never had more gratitude and appreciation for any act of kindness in my entire life. It was from my history teacher, whom I had talked to a lot outside of class. I had attempted to read the book but unfortunately my indifference toward literature led me to toss it aside. Left with curiosity and a desire to distract myself from counting cell tiles for the 500th time, I finally picked it back up and started to read. Wow. I was speechless. This book pinpointed so much of the ridiculous selfish attitude of mankind and the impending doom of our Earth, that it was unbelievably unnerving that I could disregard it all my life. It all seems to connect now as I look back on the world that I had once lived in.

The Five Point Framework applies to the world that I am forced to watch slowly collapse. All the points were evident and obvious: the environmental damage, climate change, hostile neighbors, the loss of trading partners and societies response to its environmental problems. First the environmental damage including cutting down trees for use as a natural resource and to make room for industrialization. Second, is the climate change caused by humans dumping excess amounts of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere, which I had massively contributed to. Every year of my life it seemed to get progressively hotter year by year. I remember the summer of 2023 they called it the burn, a record breaking heat wave had torched the world. So many times the siren would ring signaling another dehydrated inmate being rushed to the medical wing. All the billboards and advertisements have influenced us as a global society to yearn for faster cars with bigger engines, with no regard for the emissions these bigger faster cars produced. All portrayals from the media were aimed at us spending money for more power. This enforced my need to always pursue a higher quality product. Third, every generation has manufactured ideals of egocentric lifestyles creating hostile neighbors and distrust among once peaceful cities, even in our own country due to the civil unrest of our citizens. All the riots, the looting, and the endless crime waves are from our own neighbors, people of the same nationality and culture. The civil unrest encourages street gangs to band up as modern pirates, attacking regular people just to survive. Fourth, we have lost our privilege of being able to trade openly and freely with outside nations. The cost of transport has hit its peak forcing other nations to hide and protect their natural resources. Finally, our apathetic views towards the environmental problems negates any constructive response to take action. The world had turned a blind eye to all the environmental damage, me as well. I once believed that, all the environmental dangers that we had put ourselves into were the problems of another generation. I had always shifted the responsibility to someone else; when I would get tickets my father would bail me out. I never could accept responsibility for my own actions until now.

______ 2039
I finally see it now. Diamond’s book faithfully predicted the future. I look out in disgust at the world I thought I once knew, as I walk out of the big iron gates enclosing the jail from unauthorized entry or exit. I get into a taxi cab with no destination in mind. “To the nearest big city.” I say as the driver leaves the correction institute. As we drive down the road I watch as the sun sets in the distance and remember the beauty of the earth. Now I have a chance at redemption, to finally do some positive influence on the world maybe I could teach my knowledge back to the community? Would they listen to me? We shall see. First things first. I need a car.

wow!
a great story!!! 10/10
I feel bad for NATHAN!!! :`(
LOVE Da. ENDIn' especially the last 2 lines "FIRST THINGS FIRST, I NEED A CAR."


PS: Love how u've used past, present and future in da. story and also, I LOVE how u say its a short story, but a meanin'full ENDIN'!


LOOKIN' for part 2.
also, whts title of da. story? I THINK it should be "LIFE is NITROUS OXIDE" :)

Content deleted due to plagiarism.

airen6, please do not post content that you didn't write.

Original content is from this URL.

www.uen.org/utahlink/tours/tourElement.c...mp; category_id=24353

good story , kinda long thought

WOW man,its too Long n the letters r too small...srry I cant read this..

yeah, I liked that small stories..RODO...that's nice..

P4rD0nM3 wrote:
airen6, please do not post content that you didn't write.

Original content is from this URL.

www.uen.org/utahlink/tours/tourElement.c...mp; category_id=24353


THIS IS NOT PLAGIARISM!!!!

lol, i already talked to ma. english teacher when i wrote this storY!
we had to read a short story from internet and make sum. changes and write it down with our own words!
so, i would like ma. story back! :)


PS: I KNOW i should've put the link up there when i posted ma. story, but i did a lotta' changes if u read ma. story and the story which is posted on the site, is now totally diff. EVEN MA. ENGLISH teacher had apporved it! :D

born killer wrote:
WOW man,its too Long n the letters r too small...srry I cant read this..

What resolution are you using?

P4rD0nM3 wrote:
born killer wrote:
WOW man,its too Long n the letters r too small...srry I cant read this..

What resolution are you using?


I AGREE :D

but, can u brin' ma. story back!
i put da. reason tht why it is not a plagiarism????

Because it's not you.

P4rD0nM3 wrote:
Because it's not you.


well, then wht u want me do?
put ma. story and put the original storY?
cuz, i dont like to see havin' PLAGIARISM on ma. post!
well, either u delete the post? (PLZ) or allow ma. story to be posted alongside the original story?


PS: i got some of ma. short stories, (NOT INSPIRED by ANYONE's story)?

airen6 wrote:
P4rD0nM3 wrote:
Because it's not you.


well, then wht u want me do?
put ma. story and put the original storY?
cuz, i dont like to see havin' PLAGIARISM on ma. post!
well, either u delete the post? (PLZ) or allow ma. story to be posted alongside the original story?


PS: i got some of ma. short stories, (NOT INSPIRED by ANYONE's story)?

You should have done it the first time. I consider it as plagiarism since it's a 'close imitation' of the original author's work.

I'm not going to delete your post with my post in it. It'll serve as a reminder to others in the future.

P4rD0nM3 wrote:
airen6 wrote:
P4rD0nM3 wrote:
Because it's not you.


well, then wht u want me do?
put ma. story and put the original storY?
cuz, i dont like to see havin' PLAGIARISM on ma. post!
well, either u delete the post? (PLZ) or allow ma. story to be posted alongside the original story?


PS: i got some of ma. short stories, (NOT INSPIRED by ANYONE's story)?

You should have done it the first time. I consider it as plagiarism since it's a 'close imitation' of the original author's work.

I'm not going to delete your post with my post in it. It'll serve as a reminder to others in the future.



well, I CAN't take this anymore!
can i put ma. story and then the LINK to the site where i got inspireD?
cuz, as i said we had to write someone else's story and thts why i put da. story here.



PS: this is not a plagiarism, as ma. english teacher said its an inspiration!??!?!

Word for word isn't inspiration, it's plagiarism. Argue all you want, my decision stands.

P4rD0nM3 wrote:
Word for word isn't inspiration, it's plagiarism. Argue all you want, my decision stands.

i know they do


howeva' i still wouldnt think its plagiarism as ma. english teacher stands with me!


PS: i still agree with wht u said!

airen6 wrote:
P4rD0nM3 wrote:
Word for word isn't inspiration, it's plagiarism. Argue all you want, my decision stands.

i know they do


howeva' i still wouldnt think its plagiarism as ma. english teacher stands with me!


PS: i still agree with wht u said!Are you really asking for a ban?

rukia wrote:
airen6 wrote:
P4rD0nM3 wrote:
Word for word isn't inspiration, it's plagiarism. Argue all you want, my decision stands.

i know they do


howeva' i still wouldnt think its plagiarism as ma. english teacher stands with me!


PS: i still agree with wht u said!Are you really asking for a ban?

a'right im not askin' for anythin'!

born killer wrote:
WOW man,its too Long n the letters r too small...srry I cant read this..

yaknow if you hold ctrl and scroll the mouse wheel you can change the size of the font...

rukia wrote:
airen6 wrote:
P4rD0nM3 wrote:
Word for word isn't inspiration, it's plagiarism. Argue all you want, my decision stands.

i know they do


howeva' i still wouldnt think its plagiarism as ma. english teacher stands with me!


PS: i still agree with wht u said!Are you really asking for a ban?

L-O-fuckin-L


thanks for the comments xD

oh ic..thnx Norms.