Page 122 of Ace of Spades

But when Grayson turns to walk away, I swear I catch a glint of worry in his eyes. Too bad the cameras don’t catch that.

He’s worried because he knows what I already know. That we’ve got something stronger.

Even if that bond might feel slightly fractured at the moment.

Heart will keep pushing, when logic has lost it’s reasoning.

* * *

At the competition grounds, it’s a full-on circus.

Bright lights. Bleachers. Fans. Judges. The bikes are lined up like gladiators in the pit, waiting for their masters.

The rules are simple: Two days. Build from a bare frame to a fully running, rideable machine. Judging on design, execution, innovation, and performance. Cameras on you 24/7.

No pressure. We should be just fine. As long as nobody mentions the fact that one of our own abandoned us this morning because he saw me and his dad kissing last night.

Yeah. As long as nobody mentions that on national television. I think we might be okay.

We claim our station, a square of taped-off concrete, a tool chest, a few supply pallets, and a clock already ticking down in giant red numbers as soon as the announcer says,“And Go!”

Levi huddles us up.

"We work smart," he says, voice carrying over the noise of the other crews around us. "We work clean. And we don’t let them get in our heads."

Everyone nods.

“SKC on three,” he puts his hand in the middle and the rest of us pile on.

“One, two, three… SKC!”

We break. And just like that, it’s on. The moment we’ve been waiting for.

The first few hours are chaotic.

Trying to find the right parts. Trying to sort the order of operations. Joey trying to find stuff to do until the frame gets fabricated by Kick who’s trying to figure out the best modifications for the frame we’ve been given.

We have a book of possible options. But even I know none of them suit the kind of bike we’ve been given. Which means, she’ll have to get creative.

But little by little, the rhythm finds us.

Gramps tunes the engine like he’s coaxing an old friend back to life.

Ghost welds and puts together a leather seat with a precision that feels almost sacred.

Kick cusses like a sailor but cranks out the dopest custom frame I’ve ever seen.

And now it’s time for Joey to start his work. He’s painting slow and steady, Theo’s designs coming alive under his careful hands.

And Levi.

God, Levi’s in his element. Commanding. Cool. Fearless. It’s as if nothing in the world is bothering him. This is the man I remember from the show. Always confident, never worried.

The only indication that he’s a duck over water is the fact that he keeps checking his phone every few minutes. Likely to see if Theo’s gotten back to him.

Every time I glance up, I catch him watching me too.

And I realize... we’re doing it.

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