It was all fun and games until I looked in the rearview mirror and see the bright red and blue lights and sirens going off in the moment I knew I was in trouble. It was a beautiful sunny day in New Prague, MN. It was April 9th and my friend Kayla was coming back from her trip to Florida. Before she left she went to take her driver's test, and she passed!

She told me “Maddie, Wednesday I get back from Florida so I’ll pick you up Thursday and we will cruise around and go to DQ or something.”

Of course I was all for it. On Thursday when she showed up at school another one of my friends wanted to see if she could come with us also. Her name was Anna. Anna’s the kind of girl who says it how it is, and who is kind of a comedian. I am never not laughing when I am with her. So we went outside, and I said to Kayla,
“Hey would it be alright if Anna came along to?”

“Yeah that's fine hop in.”

I was in the front seat and Anna was in the back. We get by the stop sign that's right by the exit of the parking lot. Kayla puts her blinker on to go right. We look over to see some people we know- Haylie and Taylor Loffler. They looked over at up with a smile and Haylie waved. Kayla proceeded to pull out and turn right. Taylor came up on Kayla’s tail real fast he started to pass and ride along the side of us. Kayla stated speeding it up so at this point we are pretty much racing. As we were racing in the moment I decided to unbuckle and climb out of the window and look over the top of Kayla’s van. I felt like Lori Singer who played Ariel in the classic film, Footloose. I waved to Taylor and Haylie. Taylor revs his engine and passes us. Still at the window I yell “woo-hoo.” Taylor revs his engine and proceeds to pass us. All of a sudden as I look in the rearview mirror and see the piercing bring red and blue light. I immediately sit down and buckled up and I thought to myself I am sooo grounded.

The officer walks up to my side of the window and I slowly roll down the window terrified of what my consequences will be for my foolish actions. I look up at him but I could not see his eyes covered by the sunglasses on his face he looks at us and says,

“Do you know why I am pulling you over?”
Before I could respond he says, to Kayla

“You sped up as that tuck passed you and this young lady here had her seat belt hanging out of the window.”
The officer then asks for Kayla’s licence and registration, and my identification. He look back at Anna and asks for he identification she responds saying:

“Well I don’t have any because I am only 15, but my name is Anna” The officer pulls out his black notepad and writes her name down.

“Okay girls sit tight I’ll be back.”

Right as he walked away I looked at Kayla and then Anna and then back at Kayla as tears started streaming down my face. Kayla tries calming me down

“I’m sure he’ll just give you a warning you’ll be okay Maddie.”

I look in the rearview mirror watching the officer making his way to the vehicle feels as if he walking as slow as my great grandma trying to cross the street. The anticipation was killing me. He looks at Kayla

“Kayla I’m going to have to give you a reckless driving ticket, a ticket for having too many people in the car the law states that in the first six months of having your license you are only allowed one other passenger, and for you Madison I am going to have to give you a seat belt ticket. I am really sorry I have to do this but, everyday I go to work work never knowing what is going to happen and the last thing I want to do is go to your parents house and that their daughter is dead because she was not wearing her seatbelt, or driving reckless.”

The officer gave Kayla’s licence and registration back and handed me my permit. I watched him walk away thinking about what he says, and replayed that moment when I was hanging out the window back in my head thinking about how worried I was about my mom finding out and grounding me when really I should have been thinking about what she would have done and how she would have felt knowing her daughter was dead because she made a very stupid decision. It made me want to think twice about my actions. The officer drove away and right as we were about to leave Anna looks at me and says,

“Maddie.”

I look back at her questionably. She looks at me with a smiley smirk

“Click it, or ticket.”