Happy Hour (Racing on the Edge) (70 page)

“I think we should do good.” I answered methodically. “It’s the same engine from the car we used her a few months ago.”

We couldn’t use the car because that was destroyed, thanks to Darrin. Looking out towards his car, it finally dawned on me
why
Darrin chose Pocono to supposedly wreck me.

I wrecked him here in June.

Kyle walked up once Ashley left. “Hey,” he patted my back. “let’s get ready. Keep focused.”

How the fuck was I supposed to stay focused?

I couldn’t get in touch with Sway, which always threw me off. Axle
...
I couldn’t even say it
...
Darrin
...
fuck. .

Putting all that aside, I had a job to do. I went through my ritual, putting my ear buds in, then helmet, gloves. Spencer bumped my fist and wished me luck, as he did before
every
race and raised the window net.

Every Sunday and the occasional Saturday night, when I fired up my cup car, Spencer was the one who put my window net up—always had been and would remain. In time and by habit, it was sort of our ritual dating back to the days when I raced midgets and sprint cars. He was always the last person I saw before pulling onto the track.

“All right bud, stay focused.” Kyle told me once I had the radio connected. “Keep your head clear. You can do this. We have an awesome car today, shows what you got.”

“I’ll do my best guys.” I responded once he gave the order to fire up the engine.

The race was tedious for the first half until Darrin found me again. Once the green flag dropped, I passed him fairly quickly but now he was back, or maybe he was there all along just waiting for his moment.

Having led the last hundred and sixty laps, I damn sure wasn’t about to give the lead up easily.

“Clear low
...
outside rear
...
at your door
...
rear
...
clear,” Aiden helped me through the lapped traffic; Darrin was all over the back of me. “Cautions out
...
stay low
...
sixty car is spinning in two
...
in the grass. Watch low, there may be some oil down.”

“What do you think?” Kyle asked when the pace car pulled ahead of me. “Changes?”

“Uh
...
maybe a round out of the rear, other than that
...
we’re good.”

“Okay,” Kyle then gave the orders to Mason. “You heard him. Round out of the right rear, make a slight air pressure adjustment, four tires and fuel,”

Keeping my eyes on Darrin’s pit, the team scrambled to make the changes in under twelve seconds. Knowing Darrin was going to try something, I had to be on guard for anything at that point, including pit road.

“One lane
...
hard
...
hard!” Kyle yelled. “Nice job, way to dig.”

I got out first, but Darrin was right behind me. During the pace laps, he nudged me once. I looked in the mirror to see him flip me off, an indication maybe of what was to come.

“Remember what I said, stay focused.” Kyle warned me. “Forget about him.”

Once the green flag was out, Darrin was attached to my bumper. There wasn’t an inch of space between the two of us. To make matters worse, I was loose, really loose. I had to pull away as he was taking all my grip from the rear tires.

“I have to get him off me. I can’t keep this thing straight.” I told the boys. “He needs to back the fuck off.”

“He knows he can’t get around you,” said Kyle. “that’s why he’s doing it.”

I tried to remain calm, I really did but I was about ready to blow my fucking lid
...
I’d had enough of his shit.

“This one’s for Kasey.” Cole announced over the radio darting up beside Darrin, clipping his left rear. It didn’t spin him but it got him loose enough he fell back to fifteenth, allowing me to pull away.

“For Kasey,” I agreed grabbing high gear coming out of the tunnel turn.

After that, my car was unbelievably fast. Any turn, I could choose any lane I wanted and it stuck. Laps passed, drivers challenged but the confidence in my car and my ability was there. A race, any race really is never
just
a race. It’s a battle of endurance, skill, desire but most of all want. I wanted it.

“It’s all on you now bud.”

“Well
...
sit back and enjoy the show then.” I told them knowing that want was outshining everything else.

Before I knew it, I was taking the checkered flag.

“YEAH!” I screamed. “Great job, guys! Way to keep me focused thanks!”

“Nice job!” Aiden said followed by another from Kyle.

All I could think about the moment I took the checkered flag was that little chocolate brown-eyed boy who wanted to see a live race more than anything.

Thoughts of the pressures were there, it all formed emotions I had a difficult time balancing out. It seemed all around us these days, just as Sway said, death lurked in every corner. At times like this, while my dreams were coming true, it was hard to imagine that some never got a chance to even visualize a dream let alone have it come true.

Loosening my belts to relieve the ache, I drove around the track for my slow victory lap waving to the fans gathered near the fence.

Pulling down on the apron in the tunnel turn was not something I usually did but I did a burn out just as I did when Sway was in the car with me that night I took her for a ride here. My smile broke through thinking of her reaction that night.

Smoke poured through every opening in the car, the radio cracked in my ear, broken chirps and muffled voices. One seemed to be Spencer yelling but couldn’t decipher his words.

When the smoke from the burnout cleared, I stalled the car. With my foot on the clutch, I fired it up again, revving a few times.

“You copy Spencer?” I could hear the roaring of an engine but it wasn’t mine.

I turned to my head to the left
...
everything went black.

18.
            
Cylinder Head
–
Sway

Cylinder Head – In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head sits above the cylinders on top of the cylinder block. It closes in the top of the cylinder, forming the combustion chamber and sealed by a head gasket. In most engines, the head also provides space for the passages that feed air and fuel to the cylinder and allows the exhaust to escape.

I was having pleasant dreams but staying in a house with the Lucifer twins and Emma, those dreams were short lived. I understood
completely
why Jameson was jealous that I was an only child after spending this much time around Emma and those goddamn twins.

“Sway
...
” an annoying voice chimed in my ear. “Get up!”

“No, leave me alone.” Ignorance rolled me over to snuggle with my Jameson pillow, wishing it were him and
not
Emma in the room. Was that really too much to ask for?

“Come on, I need to go to the store.” She pulled on my arms. “Come with me.”

“Why do you have to go to the store?” My arms flopped back on the bed.

“Ugghhh
...
” she sighed loudly. “Aunt Flow is in town.”

Aunt Flow?

Oh yeah—her period—I always referred to it as shark week.

With little effort, I went back to sleep but the persistent little shit wasn’t having it. She continued to annoy the ever-loving fuck out of me for the next thirty minutes by putting toothpaste on my face until I woke up.

“You’re
so
annoying.” I sat up in bed and I could tell that I looked like the living dead by the way she was staring at me. “What?” I wiped the minty fresh from my nose.

Her eyebrows raised in question. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?”

“You just
...
look like shit.”

“Bitch,”

She laughed. “I wasn’t trying to be mean, you just look
...
sick.”

“I don’t feel good.” Slumping back against my bed, I rubbed my eyes. “And apparently look like shit.”

My senses seemed heightened and not only did I smell minty but I smelled
...
popcorn
...
burnt popcorn. “What’s that smell?” My eyes focused on her appearance—her very bright appearance. “Why are you all orange?”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Believe me, I’m not impressed either.”

I waited patiently for her to indulge but she didn’t so I pulled her hair. “Why are you orange?”

“Do you have to be so goddamn violent?” she huffed pushing away. “Listen, I played with fire and got my ass burned.”

“What?”

“
My brother
...
you know that asshole boyfriend of yours
...
well
he filled my lotion with sunless tanner before he left.” Her shoulders slumped. “I’m assuming as a payback or something. After I realized what he did, I thought maybe it wouldn’t look so bad but then it kept getting orange and now I smell like burnt popcorn. Mr. Jangles was licking me all night. Long story short
...
I’m salt lick for your pussy.”

“You’re so strange.”

“You’re telling me.” Emma lied down beside me, scrutinizing me with a wide grin. “Why don’t you feel good?”

“Fuck if I know, maybe I have Lane’s flu.” I turned to look at her. “Why are you still here, don’t you have fan club shit to do?”

“Jameson made me stay,” Her grin still wide. “He said I was to make sure you were okay and now,” she gestured towards her skin. “I realize why.”

“How long have you been feeling like this?” Emma placed her tiny clammy orange hand against my forehead.

I slapped it away, barring my teeth. “Stop touching me. You stink.”

“Sway,” Emma smiled as though she’d just solved a crime. “Is there a chance you’re pregnant?”

What?

I just had my
...
okay well when was shark week?

The real revelation came to me a good two minutes later. I hadn’t had my period since before I left for Charlotte.

Oh my god! I haven’t had a period in seven fucking weeks!