You have not lived, or maybe nearly died, until you have been in Danielle Perez ‘22 ‘s car.

Obviously, teenagers are excited to get their driver’s license, and I was extremely excited when Danielle got hers. I already knew Danielle’s car was going to be amazingly decorated based on her unique interests. I was looking forward to the day I would step inside after she requested people to vote on possible car names ranging from ‘Peepee the cat’ to ‘Heather’ to ‘Wallflower.” Ultimately, Danielle decided on Peepee the cat.

Before she first drove me, I never realized how crazy her driving could be. We had cheerleading practice our junior year, so it was convenient for Ava Perez ‘24 and I to ride with Danielle on our way there. While we almost crashed every day, we made some questionable but exciting memories in her car.

Danielle and I have the same favorite memory in her car. We went to a boba shop before practice with Ava. Danielle continued, “We were listening to The Neighbourhood and I almost crashed into some guy in my blind spot. He followed us for two intersections until he flipped us off and drove away.” Let’s just say things get pretty crazy when we listen to our favorite artists.

I will give Danielle the compliment that she has superior music taste. She said, “I have to block The Neighbourhood on Spotify because every time Irene plays it in my car, we almost always get into a four-car collision. ‘Dealer’ by Lana Del Rey and ‘No Surprises’ by Radiohead also unlock a menace to society. If I am listening to any of those songs…Get. Off. the. Road.” Please, please, please look out for Danielle Perez after school to make sure she does not run you over.

A person who spends a considerable amount of time in Danielle’s car is her sophomore cousin, Ava Perez. Aside from being in a car crash with her, Ava has had other crazy driving stories. She mentioned, “We were driving through the canyon, and Danielle thought it would be funny to say ‘I hope nothing runs across the road to kill us.’ I LOST IT. We drove after Red & Gold nights in pitch black woods just scaring each other.”

While Ava has some traumatizing tales with Danielle, she thinks highly of her cousin’s driving skills. She said, “Danielle has her moments but overall, she knows what she’s doing behind a wheel.” However, sophomore Siena Lopez disagrees. When asked if Danielle is a good driver, she responded, “Absolutely not. I fear for my life every time I get in that car.”

Now, Danielle is an extremely kind person who makes sure everyone feels included. Honestly, this is an amazing quality to have. But I noticed that even when she is driving, she HAS to make eye contact with whoever is talking. I remember sitting in the passenger seat and she was looking back at Ava in her rearview mirror while Ava talked and just ignored that there were other cars actively moving. Siena Lopez can attest to this: “Danielle takes her eyes off the road and has a conversation with you and forgets she is driving.”

Danielle also has some other crazy driving stories of her own. She acknowledged her worst driving moment and stated, “I was late in meeting my cousin to go to ‘The Strokes’ concert. One thing led to another and I may or may not have accelerated into the back of a 2020 Silverado. I busted my radiator so my engine overheated. I did not make it to the concert and my car was in the shop for six months.” Her car is now back in its beautiful condition.

In all honesty, Danielle is not one of the worst drivers here at Rosary. Like this one time, we were coming back from Los Angeles, and we both needed to use the restroom but none of us said anything for forty minutes. As we were on the way to the Starbucks for the restroom, we were laughing so hard about something and she swerved and almost hit the car next to us. She didn’t crash though! The driver and passenger glared at us when they drove by as we desperately tried not to make eye contact. Then, we pull up to the Starbucks and those same people are there. Sadly, the restrooms were closed at both the Starbucks and the gas station.

Despite these minor mishaps, Danielle labels herself as “an excellent driver, the best out there.” She listed “taking five minutes off of any ETA” as one of her driving talents. Also, she mentioned “I had fun pretending I was Dom Torreto from ‘Fast and Furious.’ I would say ‘family is everything’ and shift from drive to neutral and back to drive again. My car flew forward once, and I almost hit the cat in front of me.” Another one of her many shining moments.

While driving with Danielle can be risky, I will say that I am lucky to have ever been in her car. Her driving has significantly improved since junior year, but maybe she should lower her radio volume before breaking the speakers again. I will always remember going every day to buy a Starbucks drink and brownie before practice and then listening to Arctic Monkeys while she drove Ava and me. Now, I have many stories to tell, but at least they were shared with one of my most genuine friends—Danielle Perez.