"Seems like she wanted your attention," I point out.
"Did she? I hadn't noticed. There's this cute brunette that I can't keep my eyes off of," he flirts, and the feeling of lust replaces the jealousy. Wes' car starts up just as Taylor joins us.
"Let's rock," she says. Wes backs up his car and drives off to the line of waiting cars.
"That's the guy he's racing for money?" Chase asks Taylor.
"Yeah, I think so. He didn't mention who it was, so I'm not even sure I know who that is."
Vance and his ‘flavor of the moment’ join us. "That's John. He's from a couple of towns over. I think he heard about Wes through the circuit. If Wes beats him, it'll be a big deal and could get Wes tons of exposure."
"Is this a good thing?" I question, glancing at Tay. I can see the slight worry register on her face.
"Hell yeah! Bigger races and more money," Vance says excitedly.
"Why didn't you bring your car?" the girl asks.
"I'm going to make some modifications to it," he tells her. She pinches her face, not grasping. "Try to make it go faster," Vance explains further. What the hell is this girl even doing here? I roll my eyes and turn to look at the track. Two cars go zooming down. I hear their exhausts popping as they hit the rev line. I move towards the fence and leave the group. Hands suddenly grasp the fence next to me. It’s Chase.
"I don't understand. Why come to the track if you're going to try and pick up guys? Isn't that what a bar is for?" I ask annoyed.
"What if you're not twenty-one?"
"I don't know, go to parties then? You come here to race or talk cars, meet other car enthusiasts...not pick up guys. Especially guys like my brothers."
"The guys come here to pick up girls," he points out.
"It's a vicious cycle."
"Wes up yet?" Taylor comes to stand on the other side of me.
I squint towards the line. "Don't see him."
"I see his car! Two cars back!" She jumps excitedly.
The rest of the group joins us, including the girls. The same girl that tried to get Chase's attention before squeezes in between us, making me take a step over. Her perfume is heavy and overpowering; it makes me sneeze. I was pretty confident after his complete disregard of her earlier she’d take the hint. Now, I’m annoyed. I'm two seconds away from telling her off, but at the same time, I want to enjoy watching Chase turn her down. Again.
Another set of cars zoom down the track, leaving Wes and John one set away from their race. I can hear the girl ask Chase something, but her voice is too low for me to hear. Damn. I lean over nonchalantly trying to pick up some conversation, but the surroundings are too loud for me to make out any words. The reeving engines at the starting line drown out anyone trying to have a conversation. Movement in my peripheral vision has me turning my head and Chase is leaning towards the girl’s ear, causing me to hold my breath. His head comes up and his eyes are on me. She looks at the track in front of her. Her glossed lips purse and then she abruptly moves away. I watch her walk away from us completely, also leaving her friends behind. I can't help but smile.
Seconds later, two more cars are speeding down the pavement. Chase closes the gap when the cars have passed, and I lean in. "What did you say?" I ask, my curiosity getting the best of me.
"I told her I wasn't interested."
"WHOOOO!" Taylor yells from my left, starting me.
"Jeez!" I cry, causing Chase to laugh, "She always does that!"
She's jumping up and down as Wes' and John's cars meet the starting line. I’m finally able to see what John is driving--a black or maybe dark blue old body Honda Civic Si. You can see he's put a lot of work into it, the large front mount is on display. They're both revving the shit out of their cars, the backfiring from the exhaust popping loudly. The body of their cars are lifting upfront as they take off. It's a close call. They are neck and neck. They zoom by our position at the fence, and I can't help but scream my excitement. The further they move down, the harder it becomes to see who's in the lead.
I can hear Vance on the other side of Chase yelling. He’s shaking the fence wildly, making me release my grip so my arms don't rip out of their sockets. The times light up on the board at the end of the track. I suck in a breath. Wes has the lead by two seconds. Taylor is jumping up and down next to me, flailing wildly. Vance's hoots and hollers are so loud that everyone is looking our way. He picks up the girl next to him by her waist and seemingly throws her around in celebration.
"Oh my gosh," I whisper, eyes wide.
Arms wrap around my neck as Taylor grabs me and she’s pulling me into a wild, messy hug. "He won! He won! He beat him by two seconds!" I join in with her excitement, celebrating Wes' super close win. I can only imagine that John is not going to be happy. Wes' car pulls up to our spot and he jumps out of the car, throwing his hands up in the air. He catches Taylor quickly as she runs to him.
Chase and I are the calmest of the group. "We're friends with a bunch of monkeys!" I say to him. He laughs lightly. Everyone's congratulating Wes on his close win with high fives, hugs, and pats on the back.
"Where's that asshole?" Vance asks as he’s looking around at the crowd. I can only assume he's talking about Wes’ hotheaded opponent. Wes only shrugs. "If he doesn't pay it won't look good on the circuit. I'm not worried. He'll pay. He's just embarrassed." He turns to his car, lifting the hood, and then propping it open.
"I'll be right back," he tells the group before jogging away. We are all lingering around chatting when Wes returns with a bag of ice to place on top of his intercooler. He wants to get back out on the track faster.
"Yo, Chase, you wanna run one?" Vaughn yells to Chase, who is standing close to me.
"Yeah man, any chance to embarrass you," Chase yells and the group laughs. Vaughn looks a little annoyed, especially with the girls around him. I can't help the smirk that’s forming.
Our group has gathered some more people--including more women--no doubt wanting the attention of the guys. Another girl slides in next to Chase and I eye her hands grabbing at his arm. He looks down and removes her hands almost subconsciously. I like that, but it doesn't go unnoticed. She pouts and turns to her friend standing next to her.
"More action, less talk," Vaughn says, trying to be tough.
Chase walks towards Vaughn. "Ladies first," Chase says while waving his arm in front of him. Ohh's and more laughter emerge around us. I watch Vaughn interact with the group he’s assembled. Each of them kiss him on each cheek, then giggle. Chase looks at me before walking to his car. I throw my fist up and yell, "‘Kick his ass, Sea bass’."
He laughs hard at my ‘Dumb and Dumber’ reference, his head thrown back. "That was a good one!" I watch him climb into his car with a wide smile on his face.
"Yo, Brandon!" Wes yells to the kid--who's surrounded by girls--seeming to be in his glory.
Brandon's head whips up at his name, "What's up?"
"You wanna get one in?"