"You ready, Dan?"

    "Always, kid. Always."

    Click. Click.

    Daimian and Dan drove down the interstate to the local DMV on a sunny day in early December. With Daimian behind the wheel, the teal car moved at a choppier pace than most on the road. After a few honks and a rough turn at the exit, they turned into the parking lot of the DMV.

    "Finally, after about a year of waiting, I can finally get my actual, real liscence," Daimian said, slightly struggling to park in a space. He stopped the car and was about to get out when Dan touched his shoulder.

    "Hold on a sec, Dame," he said, looking back at the building. "I feel like we should get you a little bit more practice before we go do your test. Ya know, just so you can be a bit more... prepared." He winked.

    Daimian sat back in his seat for a moment. "Oh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense." He started up the car as Dan buckled back up and put on a crash-helmet. Daimian peered at him for a moment a bit confused. "What's that for?"

    "You never know," Dan shrugged. "Alright, I want you to take the same path that I tell you to, okay?" He looked down to see Daimian nodding at him. "Good. Now, pull out and go to where we came into the DMV." Daimian followed his orders as he was told, making it to a stop sign in front of busy traffic. "Alright, next I want you to turn right. Remember to blend with the traffic."

    "I'll see what I can do," Daimian said as he flipped on his turn signal. Merging with the other cars coming his way, he landed at the right lane of a stop light.

    "Good. Just remember that at some of these things you can turn right even when the lights red."

    "Oh, I know," Daimian said, gripping the wheel tightly. "I guess I just don't for security." The two waited at the stop light for a minute before the light finally turned and they could turn right." The car drove down the road slightly above the speed limit, hitting a few bumps along the way. Keeping straight on the road, they entered a more forested area where they bumped over a set of train tracks.

    Dan quickly looked back in a slight shock, holding his hand on his helmet. "You saw that stop sign, right," he said, pointing his thumb at the octogon hidden behind the brush.

    "SHIT-" Daimian hesitated for a minute before pausing in the road just past the tracks.

    "Well, it's a little late for that now," Dan said with a sigh. "Keep going though, can't stop just yet." The car trudged along a bit further until it hit a crossroad. Pointing, Dan motioned Daimian to the right. They took their time getting around the bends and turns of the new road, losing themselves up massive hills going up and down before getting back on a familiar road by the tracks. "Alright, now go on the road where the road workers are. Make sure not to hit them."

    "O-okay," a disoriented Daimian sighed, shaking in his seat from the past five minutes of troubled driving. As they passed the workers, they nodded as an acknowledgment to each other. When the road work started clearing, they could see the DMV less than half a mile away.

    "ALRIGHT, you did it, Daimian," Dan exclaimed as he took off his helmet, eyeing the DMV past the bending road. "Just park by where we were and we can go inside."

    Not long after they parked, they got a ticket to wait in the near empty lobby before being called about a half hour later. They walked up to the counter and talked to the man up front. "Hi, I'm Daimian Hibb, I'm here to get my Limited Driver's Liscence." He looked at Dan behind him, who was giving him a massive smile and a thumbs up.

    "Alright, I'll need you to stand in front of the blue backdrop please," the man at the counter told Daimian, who followed the instructions. "Look right in the camera..." PSHA! "And sign here. And here. Aaaand twenty dollars for the liscence fee." The man gathered all of the items he handed and received from Daimian and typed on his computer. "And can I have your permit-" He quickly snatched it, looking at it a bit before putting it on his desk. "Okay, I'll need you to take your car and head to the parking lot in the back behind the DMV. There are blue lines, that's where you'll park." He quickly stood up and walked to the back of the building as Daimian and Dan looked at each other a bit confused.

    Following the man's instructions once again, Daimian went to the car and pulled into the parking space. He sighed, laying back in his seat.

    "Hey, you'll do fine, bud," Dan coached. "Just remember what we practiced and it'll all be over soon. Then you'll have your liscence." They smiled at each other as they exited the car to check it out real quick. Just then, another student driver slid in just a few spaces away from them. Dan noticed as a young girl about Daimian's age stepped out with her instructor. "Did ya pass," Dan chuckled at them. The girl gave a thumbs-up and a smile, causing him to chuckle again and elbow Daimian. "See, you'll do fine. Now I'm gonna go over by that bench to wait for you."

    Dan walked back by the wooden bench by a large tree free of it's leaves. Slowly sitting down, he watched as Daimian's instructor started the vehicle inspection. The two got into the car and tested the lights before rolling down the road. "Uh oh," Dan whispered to himself as he noticed the car's back lights were still activated, quickly brushing it off as he held his hands behind his head ti rest "Eh, should be fine."

    About ten minutes later, Dan awoke to the sound of Daimian's car re-entering the parking lot. Snarking forward, he crossed his arms to appear like he never took a nap in the first place. He watched as the instructor left with Daimian leaving shortly after, distraught. "Hey, did ya pass?" Dan followed closley behind as Daimian shrugged at his response without looking back. The two made their way inside to the front counter of the DMV, where Dan awaited Daimian's results nervously.

    "Congratulations," the instructor said. "Here's your paper liscence, Mr. Hibb. The real thing should come in the mail in about two or so weeks."

    "That's what I thought!" Dan said excitedly as Daimian took up the paper and shoved it in his wallet. The two thanked the instructor and walked back to the car, Daimian in the driver's seat. "We gotta celebrate this. How about I call everyone over to my house and have some nice dinner?"

    "That sounds nice, Dan," Daimian said with confidence. He started the car and left the DMV parking lot.

    At Dan's place, Alex and Faith stood in the kitchen waiting for Daimian and Dan to get back. When they did, Daimian showed off his paper liscence to the rest of his family, who congratulated him with pats on the back and pictures. Faith pulled a bottle of wine from out of the refridgerator freezer and popped it open as Dan grabbed some glasses. "How about a toast to my son and his new driving abilities?" She poured four glasses and handed them off to everyone in the kitchen, lifting hers up. "Here's to safe driving!"

    The four clinked their glasses before Dan stood there for a second. "Wait, Faith, no-"

    "So how'd you rig the system to get that liscence, Dame," Alex asked with a hint of intrigue in her voice and a swift nod.

    "Oh, well, Dan and I practiced a bit before we actually took the test. There were twists and turns, but I was able to get through it." Daimian took a sip of his wine. "It turned out that the path we practiced on was the same one I was tested with. Only thing was, we took a turn that made us skip all of the twists and turns and tracks. It just took us to that place with the construction," he said, pointing at Dan," and we made it back to the DMV from there." His family nodded in approval and sipped their wine.

    "Yup, but at least that train didn't hit us when we didn't stop," Dan sneakily said.

    "Oh shush," Daimian said as he took another sip.