I remember going 50 mph on the highway with mutual traffic. No trouble, just fun. I faintly hear the sound of sirens blaring out loud and bikes speeding up faster than the speed limit. “I couldn’t get caught,” I thought to myself. I know I shouldn't have done this in the first place but, I had to keep going. You only live once.

Most people believe that riding a motorized vehicle other than a car is very dangerous and against the rules. My parents weren’t those types of people. When I was 10 yrs old, I got my first 4 wheeler/ATV (All Terrain Vehicle). Two years later, I got a bigger ATV that could withstand more speed and was bigger. I started to drift and do tricks with it, and to my surprise, my parents were amazed themselves! Then I turned 15 and got a sports ATV. Normal 4-wheelers are all boxy-looking. Nothing special to it. The sports version took away the boxy look, and turned it into a slick sharp edged design that was not only low to the ground, the machine longer and wider! It looked like some giant took its foot, and stepped on the machine. “Since you’re a young adult now, I want you to learn the power of this machine kid” my father told me. Even though I’ve ridden 4-wheelers with my dad under parental supervision, I never rode out by myself. I was just too scared to.

My Dad used to tell me stories of how he used to ride dirt bikes everywhere alone. “When I tell you the amount of rebellious and dumb things I did, you wouldn’t believe it” my dad said. As my father rambled on like a defendants’ lawyer in court, my head was in the clouds thinking about all the things I could do. I daydreamed about speeding past Supras in the suburbs, showing off my skills to the streets. All of a sudden, all those daydreams came to a screeching halt. “How about we ride-out tomorrow night in the city?”my dad asked me. My heart froze. “Are you serious?? Are you sure about this?”, I said in a nervous panic. “I’ve never ridden by myself. Especially in a city. “Don’t worry son, you’ll be fine. You need to learn to live for once” my father reassured me. This was the first time I was going to do something risky, yet exciting.

Next thing I knew, I was riding through downtown Chicago, soaring past all the big cars and trucks on my ATV with 50 other bikers! I looked like an ant on a sidewalk compared to all of the vehicles. My dad was in front of me showing off his wheelies, and so was I. The downtown area was alive with bright lights, the fast food places smelled of sticky grease and overcooked fried chicken. It was truly a sight to… smell. In the reflective glass windows of the building, I see the colors red and blue, flashing behind us. I knew what that meant. I yelled as loud as I could through my helmet to my dad saying, “What do we do? The cops are coming!”. We had to get lost in the crowd. We turned into the alley ways of the city and snuck past the cops like black cat in the shadows on its tippy toes. “We have to get back home quickly!” yelled my dad. As soon as the adrenaline hit, It was as quiet as the sound of silence. I was barely breathing, not trying to make a sound. Before I know it, I’m home. I witnessed first hand how it was like to not listen to the rules for once. Although it was dangerous, I loved it nonetheless. Now I realized being a goody two shoes wasn’t fun. Even if you have to take a risk, you only live once.