'What could go wrong?' Alex thought to himself, and with the seatbelt strapped in, he turned the ignition and drove away in his dad's new SUV. He never knew that a lot could go wrong until it was too late.
Mr Roger was a retired car racer, who had won so many trophies and medals in his twenty-five years of sportsmanship, and now he coached a new set of car racers, and with his mind set on winning, he led his team into a championship that blew the minds of people away.
As a token of appreciation, the team contributed money and got a brand new sports utility van for him, and Roger kept it locked in the garage, only using it on special occasions.
Alex was only 13 when his dad began to teach him how to drive cars. They would make a few turns in their compound, but not once did Roger take Alex out of the house for the driving lessons.
At 16, Alex was already driving around a few blocks of the street they lived in, but he never went on the highway, and each time he complained, his father would tell him to be calm.
"Dad, when can I drive out? I'm almost perfect with this whole thing." Alex grumbled.
"Alex, that you can drive around a few blocks doesn't make you perfect, and I can't just let you drive into the highway like that. You'll need a driver's license for it and now's not the time. I need to be sure that you're perfect." Roger tried to persuade his son to give up the highway driving.
"So how can you be sure if you don't let me try it?" Alex asked.
"One of these days, I'll take you to the boys and they'll race with you. After that, I can be certain that I won't be losing my son when he hits the road." Roger replied and walked away.
Alex wasn't satisfied with his father's response. Though the thought of racing with the boys made him a bit relaxed and happy, he felt he needed his dad to believe in him, and thus, a crazy thought began to roam his mind.
Alex had been warned never to get close to the SUV parked at the garage, but from time to time without his father's awareness, he'd drive it round the compound and leave it intact before Roger would return from wherever he must've gone to. Roger had no idea that Alex had been tampering with his new favorite car.
There was a racing competition coming up between Roger's team and a rival team. Roger dedicated all his time to training his team, and he spared no minute to continue his driving lessons with his son. Alex took that time to invite his friends over and challenge them to a car race.
"Alex, you just learned how to steer the wheel like two days ago, and now you want to challenge us? We've been at this game for a long time, and you know it. There's no way that you're going to beat us at this game." Micah, one of Alex's friends said.
"Well, in that case, I can't wait to shock you with my terrific racing skills." Alex replied with pride and confidence that he would beat them.
"Alright, Alex, it's a date then. We'll give you a chance to embarrass yourself." John, his other friend said.
"So, when do we race?" Alex asked, feeling excited that his challenge had been accepted. He couldn't wait to beat his friends at the game they'd been so good at.
"Whenever you're ready, but it's got to be somewhere close, so we won't get into trouble because of our license." Micah replied.
"Okay then. How about we race now? You both can borrow my dad's cars, and I'll ride in his new baby." Alex offered.
"His new baby? Isn't that the SUV the team got him? Does he let you get close to it?" John asked with a look of surprise on his face.
"Well, he doesn't exactly let me ride in it, but I'm going to do that today. Besides, he's out with the team, and they won't be done till late in the evening. This whole championship game is really taking a toll on them." Alex explained.
The three boys walked to the garage and chose the cars of their choice. Alex got into the SUV and drove it out into the sunlight, and it glittered.
"I love this car. It glitters in the sun." Alex exclaimed and his friends laughed.
"But Alex, do you think it's nice riding that car? I mean, what if something goes wrong?" John asked him.
"You worry for nothing, John. I got this." Alex replied and got in line for the race.
'What could go wrong?' Alex thought to himself, and with the seatbelt strapped in, he drove away in his dad's new SUV. In no time, Alex took the lead, and the boys tried to catch up. He called out to them through the radio they had found.
"I told you guys that I ain't playing around." Alex screamed into the radio.
"You're overspeeding, Alex." Micah warned, but Alex didn't budge.
"Whooooo!!!! This is beautiful." Alex exclaimed.
He took a sharp turn around a bend, and briefly lost control of the wheel. Before he could adjust himself, in a split second, the car rolled towards the fence of another building. Alex stepped on the brakes, but it was too late. The car smashed into the fence, bringing it all down to the ground.
His friends saw what had happened, they stopped the cars they'd been in and ran to check on Alex. They were glad that he was okay.
Alex stepped out of the car and looked at it. The whole front had been damaged from the impact and the tires deflated from a puncture the car had received as it rolled into the wall.
"I am so done. What do I do?" Alex cried out.
"We warned you, but you wouldn't listen." John said.
"I never thought that anything could go wrong." Alex replied.
"Alex!!!" A voice screamed out his name, and they turned to see Roger running towards them.
"Alex, we're going to leave you to your dad." Micah said and walked away with John.
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Alex knew that no amount of excuse could explain what he had just done. Roger couldn't contain his anger. He banned Alex from driving till further notice, and Alex still got grounded for close to two months. It was a horrible time for Alex, and his dad barely looked at his face.
Ale regretted his ignorance and he wished that he had listened to the warning of his friends, instead of feeling that nothing could go wrong.