Carmen hit the road with eyes full of hope, and through the rearview mirror, I could see her eyes glittering with a frightening intensity.

"Carmen, take it easy!" the guy riding shotgun cautioned.

Carmen just giggled. "Relax, I've got mad driving skills!"

I was not sure if it was the excitement or the booze, but we had barely left the parking lot when she whipped the car into a wild turn.

My heart skipped a beat, and before I could get a word out, there was a loud crash.

An electric scooter lay toppled over, and the old lady riding it was sprawled out on the ground.

Chaos broke loose inside the car.

"Carmen, what kind of driving is that?!"

"Can you handle this? Maybe we should let Yvonne drive instead!"

Everyone was talking over each other, blaming her, while Carmen turned ghostly pale, gripping the steering wheel as it shook.

Patrick was freaking out, too. He quickly unbuckled Carmen's seatbelt. "Carmen, get to the back. Now!"

He whispered urgently, his eyes darting around. "When the cops show up, we'll say Yvonne was the one driving."

I stared at him, my eyes wide with disbelief. "You want me to cover for her?"

Patrick stood his ground, his voice filled with conviction. "Carmen's your bestie. What's the big deal in giving her a hand?

"You're sober and insured. What's there to be scared of?"

He pulled Carmen out of the driver's seat. "Carmen, come on. I won't let you get in trouble."

However, Carmen snapped back to reality, checking the time on her watch. She shook her head fiercely, slipped out of Patrick's grip, and rushed to the driver of the scooter. "How much do you want?

"Just tell me. As long as you don't call the cops, I can pay whatever you ask!"

Murmurs spread through our group.

"What's up with Carmen? Settling this privately is going to cost a fortune."

"And what if they demand a ridiculous sum?"

"Carmen, Yvonne's car is insured. Better get back here quick."

Carmen ignored them, her voice urgent. "A number. Give it to me now! I'm pressed for time!"

The old lady got up, unsteady on her feet, eyeing Carmen skeptically. "You're just going to leave? How will I know if I'll end up with complications?"

Carmen pointed at my car. "Worried about complications? Take a photo of my license plate.

"However, I really have an emergency. Just name your price, and I'll pay it."

Patrick, clueless, tugged at her sleeve. "Carmen, have you lost your mind to the booze?"

Carmen pulled Patrick aside and whispered something in his ear. His expression transformed in an instant, and he turned to the lady, then all business. "Carmen's right. The license plate's all you need. If you have any future issues, you can come to us.

"We've got to split now!"

I thought they had lost their minds.

"Hey, that's my ride!"

I whipped out my phone, snagged a quick video, then bailed out of the car. "I'm going to call the cops and the insurance..."

I got cut off mid-sentence when Patrick clamped his hand over my mouth. "No!"

Everyone's eyes were glued to him as he fumbled for words. "Carmen was just trying to be nice, giving us a lift home. We can't rat her out.

"Think about it. If the cops get involved, how will Carmen get her license? What about her rep?"

I had to laugh. What about my reputation?

Before I could get a word in, Patrick was whispering threats. "Yvonne, ditch this clunker tomorrow.

"I'll get you a shiny new one when I'm rolling in dough, okay?"

Carmen yanked him back and gave me an icy smirk. "So, you're saying that I was driving? And you're trying to shake me down?

"Here's a tip: loosen up. There's nothing money can't fix."

At that, the old lady exclaimed excitedly, "Ten thousand dollars!"

Carmen let out a relieved breath and paid 10,000 dollars to the old lady like it was nothing.

The old lady's jaw hit the floor.

Carmen was all chill. "I was bracing for more. It's only 10,000 dollars."

Everyone's jaws joined the old lady's.

"Carmen, since when can you throw around cash like that? I thought your family was tight on money?"

"Right? The old lady looks fine. Just a scratch, tops."

"Are you sure you didn't slip an extra zero in there?"

The old lady gulped, scooped up her scooter, and bolted. "All good here, we'll call it even."

"Just remember: you offered. Don't come running after me later!" Carmen said.

The gang was itching to get going, but Carmen blocked their path with a wave of her hand.

She wore a triumphant grin and whispered with a hint of mystery, "After tonight, I'll be rolling in dough.

"Think of that 10,000 dollars as only cash burned to dodge a bullet. No big deal."

Then, Carmen slid back into the driver's seat, grumbling to herself, saying, "Lucky for me that nosy old hag didn't screw things up. My sweet ride should be showing up any minute now."

Patrick was practically buzzing with excitement, rubbing his hands together, saying, "Awesome, we're going to be filthy rich soon!"

The folks in the back seat paid them no mind, convinced they had lost their marbles.

As predicted, ten minutes later, Carmen pulled up to the spot where my car had been rear-ended in our previous life. Sure enough, a sleek, limited-edition luxury car pulled in right behind us.

Carmen shook with glee at the sight. "That's my ticket!"

She hit the brakes hard.

In a flash, the luxury car smashed into my car.

This time, everyone lost it, pointing at Carmen through their tears, asking, "Why does tonight have to be such a disaster?"

"Seriously! If you can't drive, stop showing off with other people's wheels, will you?"

"Let us out! I'm done with this deathtrap!"

"Carmen, you did that on purpose, didn't you?!"

However, Carmen just let out an icy laugh. "Oh, really? Just remember not to come crawling to me when I'm a millionaire."

She stepped out of the car, feigning confusion as she peered at the trunk. "What in the world..."

The guy from the luxury car scrambled out too, his brow furrowed as he asked, "Why'd you slam on the brakes all of a sudden?"

He looked to be in his thirties, decked out in shiny gold jewelry.

Carmen played the innocent. "Oh, did I? I just didn't notice the crosswalk up ahead and wanted to slow down a bit."

She batted her eyelashes, giving her best puppy-dog eyes.

Patrick could not peel his gaze away from the man's car. "Carmen, you're a miracle worker, seriously..."

While he was talking, he glanced at the car owner, and his voice got all tough. "Look, no matter what, if you rear-end someone, it's totally on you!

"How can you get all up in Carmen's face? So, how do you plan to make this right?"

I chimed in, pretending to panic, "Hey, that's my car, and look at the state it's in now..."

Carmen shot me a fierce look. "Yours? If I'm driving it, it's mine, got it?

"I've been letting you borrow it because we're best friends. I never thought you'd go around acting like it was yours."

With a grin, Patrick said, "Yeah, I can back her up on that.

"I'm Yvonne's boyfriend, and nobody knows better than me that Carmen's just been sparing her feelings by not calling her out."

Everyone started pointing and laughing at me, calling me out for being fake. "Wow, Yvonne really likes to play pretend."

"Seriously? Cruising around in someone else's ride and saying it's yours?"

"That's just mortifying."

Right at that moment, the owner of the luxury car glanced at his phone and paled.

He stumbled over his words to interrupt them, turning to Carmen and saying, "So, you're the car owner?

"Here's the deal: I just got back from abroad, and I'm clueless about the local police and insurance stuff. Plus, we've got more of these cars than we know what to do with at home."

His voice shook a bit. "Since I bumped into you, I might as well just hand over the keys."

As soon as he said that, everyone snapped to attention. "No way! Talk about hitting the jackpot!"

"He'll just hand over a million-dollar luxury car?!"

"Holy smokes, talk about striking it rich!"

Carmen was on the verge of tears, her excitement barely contained, yet she tried to play it cool with a dismissive wave. "No way, this can't be happening..."

The car owner shot me a look. "Then, it's yours."

In a flash, Carmen lunged, clutching the car owner's arm. "Well, if that's the case, I'll take it!

"Let's do the title transfer tomorrow. When's good for you?"

Sweat was beading on the man's forehead as he rattled off a number, "Tomorrow afternoon, three o'clock. I'll be waiting at the motor vehicle office."

With that, he flagged down a cab and bolted.

Once he was gone, Carmen went wild, running her hands over the car again and again. "I've got it! This time it's really mine!"

She spun around, showing off to us all. "You see? That's destiny!"

Patrick was beside himself with excitement. "Carmen, you're a legend! A luxury car worth 1.5 million bucks!

"We're about to hit the jackpot!"

I inhaled deeply, giving my car's trunk a thorough once-over.

Sure, it looked a bit worn, but it was a car my parents had splurged on back in the day.

Any damaged part would need the original piece for repairs, costing more than a new ride.

I faced the thrilled crowd and, with an icy edge, said, "If you're not going through insurance, then you better cover my car's repair bill."

Patrick sneered at me, saying, "Money, money, money. Is that all you ever talk about? I can't believe how materialistic you are, Yvonne. You're such a letdown."

He shook his head in disdain. "We're done."

The rest shot me scornful looks. "We thought the car wasn't yours? What's with the act?"

"Seems like you're just green with envy because Carmen got a swanky new ride, and it's eating you up inside."

I could not help but burst into laughter, flinging the car's registration in the air. "Take a good look. My name's all over it!"

Carmen just scoffed, utterly unfazed. "Sure, the car's in her name, but guess who shelled out the cash for it? Me.

"Yvonne used to push me around all the time and made me promise her a car once I graduated. That's probably why she's acting all high and mighty now.

"Whatever. It's just an old model. They don't even make that anymore. Can't be worth much."

Everyone gave me looks of contempt. "So you actually strong-armed Carmen into buying you a car? Have you no shame?"

"Money-mad, much? Patrick is smart to dump you. You should've been kicked to the curb ages ago!"

I ignored their trash talk and just grinned. "The trunk's a total wreck. It will probably be a 75-grand bill."

Carmen turned a shade of red I did not know existed, shouting, "75 grand?! For that clunker?!

"Yvonne! You think you can con me just because I've hit it big, huh?"

I just shrugged. "Don't believe me? Fine, I'll just call the insurance company now."

Patrick was quick to stop me. "No! If we report it to the insurance company, he might change his mind and never give us the car!"

Carmen, teeth clenched, tapped away on hers and Patrick's phones.

Minutes later, she wired me 75,000 dollars.

I caught a glimpse of their screens; they had taken out loans from a bunch of places.

When she realized I had seen that, she put on a proud smirk. "Once I get the car tomorrow, I'll sell it. Think I'll sweat over a few bucks then?"

Patrick just chuckled. "A few grand? It's like pocket change spent on a shopping spree."

I kept my smile to myself, watching Carmen zoom off in the luxury car, her excitement palpable.

That night, she snapped hundreds of selfies with the luxury car and flooded her social feed with them.

In a boastful move, she invited the whole class to the motor vehicle office to witness her big moment, promising anyone who showed up a cool 1500-dollar reward for their trouble.

I showed up the next afternoon, too.

By the time I got there, Patrick was already cozied up with Carmen.

He sneered when he saw me. "I thought you were too good for this? Well, it looks like you'd scamper over for a few bucks."

The others joined in, saying, "Yeah, she played the ice queen just yesterday."

"It's true what they say: money can make anything happen."

I kept quiet.

I was not there for the cash. I wanted to be there when their little scheme unraveled.

The motor vehicle office was crowded with our classmates, all eager to see Carmen claim her million-dollar ride.

She was decked out in designer gear, her makeup was on point, and she was glowing with pride.

Keys in hand, she beamed at us. "Glad you all could make it. After the paperwork, we'll hit up the fanciest place in town to celebrate!

"My treat!"

Everyone lapped it up, showering her with praise.

However, when 3:00 P.M. rolled around and the car was off getting checked, Carmen confidently dialed the owner's number, only to find it was out of service.

She tried again, with the same result.

Her face went ashen. "What's happening..."

Just then, a flustered employee from the motor vehicle office burst out. "Who's Carmen? There's a problem with your car. It can't be registered!"