Chapter Six: I Officially HATE Myself Now

Chapter Six: I Officially HATE Myself Now


For the first time in my entire life, I was excited to get up when my alarm clock beeped. I couldn’t wait to see my grade. If I pass, I will pitch on the Chicago Cubs. I ran down the hall and was about to run downstairs when I saw Matt’s room. I stopped and knocked on the door. He opened up and let me in.
“Hello, Dan, are you feeling good about your test?”
“Yup!” I replied.
“Well, I hope you pass,” he said.
“Hey, Matt, what are you going to do after graduation?”
“Um... it’s not as cool as baseball,” he said ashamed.
“Come on, Matt, it’s probably just as cool,” I assured him.
“After I graduate this year, I’m going to be a scientist. I’m gonna make rocket ships; like really advanced rocket ships that can go out of the galaxy.”
“And that’s not cool?” I said. “You’re probably going to be way more famous than me. You never know. I could be benched my whole career and never throw a single pitch.”
The part where I said he could be more famous than me was true, but that was a lie when I said I thought I would be benched every single game. I’m so good at pitching (not trying to boast, but seriously).
“Well, got to go. I’m gonna go check my grades.”
“Okay, I’ll see you down there,” Matt said.
I left his dorm room and headed downstairs. When I got to the wall with the grades, there was a giant line of people. Well this is great! I thought. Waiting anxiously for everyone to move along after they saw their grade, I finally got up to the chart. I started at the top of the page with my finger and slid down it until I found the "E’s", for Evan. Okay, I found E…Ev…Eva…finally, Evan. I slid my finger to the side making sure the grade and my name were lined up. No way… I got an A plus. You’ve got to be kidding me. I actually got an A plus. I passed! I passed! I passed! Again, I had to find a way to let this feeling out. So again, I jumped up and shouted. People stared at me in shock.
“I know I said I'd never do that again, but I also didn’t know that I would get an A plus. I had to go back on my promise.”
Everybody continued to stare at me.
“I’m just gonna head to math.”
As soon as all my classes ended, I headed straight to baseball practice. I told coach about my grade first thing.
“I already heard,” he said. “I’m very proud of you, Daniel, but…”
“But what?” I asked.
“Now that you’re gone, we won’t win nearly as many games... who am I kidding, it’s your career. I’m sorry Dan.”
“No problem, coach,” I said. “I take that as a compliment.”
Coach told me that a week after I graduate, which is in a month, I would be sent to Chicago and meet, Lou Piniella, the Cubs’ coach. The month flew by and I graduated. In one week, I would be in Chicago. The day after graduation, I knocked on Matt’s door.
“Hey Matt,” I said.
“Hey buddy.”
“So,” I said. “We’re both graduated, and we’re both headed in great directions for our careers.”
“Your point?” he asked.
“Maybe we could go to Chili's to celebrate. I’ve got a car.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you outside,” he said.
It seemed like forever waiting in my car for Matt. Every time the dorm door opened, I hoped that it was Matt. Each time it was another student until, finally, it was Matt. What I saw messed with my mind; Matt is dressed in a green button down shirt with caci dress pants. His hair is combed over to the side and he has black dress shoes on. When he opened the door to shotgun and sat down, I looked at him trying not to laugh.
“What?” he asked.
“You do know I said Chili's, not the White House?”
“Yeah… what’s your point?”
“Why did you dress up?” I finally asked.
“What? Am I not allowed to look nice?”
“Whatever,” I said.
I pulled out of the college parking lot and headed to Chili's. I pressed down the gas pedal more and more as we went.
“Don’t you think you should slow down?” Matt warned.
“Don’t worry,” I replied. “I’ve had my license for years now.”
Matt didn’t say anything. I knew he was just trying to trust me. I looked at my speedometer and saw that I was going eighty on a thirty-five mile per hour road.
“Okay! You’re going too fast!” he yelled. “Slow down or I’m getting out.”
“Don’t worry, there is like barely any cops on this road.”
“I’m not scared of getting pulled over,” he said. “I’m afraid of crashing.”
My speed is now at ninety. I continued to ignore Matt. I started to think of my parents. If they saw me doing this, I would be in huge trouble. I thought of the possibility of actually crashing. What would people tell them? Your son was driving irresponsibly and crashed? I couldn’t imagine them hearing that. I won’t crash though. I won’t…
“DAN! KID!” Matt yelled.
I swerved to avoid the kid in the road, and went into the grass. I dodged trees while going ninety. Matt covered his eyes with his hands.
“I’m gonna die! I’m gonna die!” he yelled.
“You’re not going to die!” I yelled. “I’m like Evel Knievel.”
I looked over at Matt and saw how scared he was. I looked back straight ahead and CRASH! I hit a tree dead on. We flew up into the air twirling like a roller coaster. We hit the ground on the side of the car and rolled and rolled. Matt didn’t’ have his seat belt on and he flew out of his seat and bounced up and down as we rolled. As for me, I was belted in so I stayed in my seat. The car finally came to a halt upside down. I am okay; I just have a little cut on my forehead and what feels like a broken arm. I looked over at Matt. He doesn’t look so good. He is unconscious and all cut up and bloody. I shook his arm trying to wake him up. The more I shook; the more I started to feel dizzy. I must have hit my head on something. I can’t keep my eyes open but I don’t care. I kept on shaking Matt over and over.
“Matt wake up!” I yelled. “Matt wake up! MATT!!!”