Page 62 of Happy Hour

Regrettably, for me, I couldn’t help the way I was walking and it didn’t go unnoticed. My ass hurt so bad from the sticker burn and my crankcase...well that was another story all together. Her and her goddamn justifications got us into this to begin with.

“Good morning sunshine.” I chimed as cheerfully as possible.

Alley glanced over her shoulder at the way I was walking towards them, her eyes probing as she examined me. “I’m surprised you can even walk after the way that motor coach looked.” Her tone was sour.

“Actually,” I tugged on the back of my shorts. “It wasn’t the motor coach that was the worst. It’s the sticker burn I got from the hood of his race car.”

“Wow,” Alley rolled her eyes. “I warned you once and I won’t say it again. If you get hurt, don’t come crying to me.” she handed Emma a box though her eyes remained focused on me.

Emma just stood there looking in between us both wondering what the hell was going on.

“Why is it such a big deal to everyone what we do with each other?” I asked getting annoyed that everyone cared so much if we were, using Jameson’s term, humping.

Alley threw her arms up in the air. “Because Sway,” her expression changed, softened. “You’reourfriend too. I’ve known you just as long as I’ve known him. If this doesn’t, and I doubt it will, not only does Jameson lose his best friend, we do too.”

I felt my face crumble at her words. “I wouldn’t do that to you guys.”

“I warned you because Jameson has no clue what’s going on, he can’t see it. And at this point, I’m not sure you can’t either.”

Why does everyone keep saying that?

Before I could ask her, Alley’s phone rang.

She glared down at the screen. “Great, Gordon’s calling. After a moment of silence and more listening, she hung up without so much as a goodbye.

“See,” she held out her phone. “That little stunt you guys pulled last night has Jameson being called to the principal’s office.”

I just rolled my eyes.

Jameson wouldn’t care and neither did I. That was one hell of a ride and worth it to me. After his reaction to the micro polishing, I’m sure he felt the same way.

Jameson was still on the track when I made it down to pit lane and stepped on the pit box next to Kyle. Mason sat on the other side of him focused on the laptop in front of him as he entered data.

Kyle looked furious obsessively clicking a pen in his hand, his knuckles white.

“What’s up?” I asked, almost scared to know.

Kyle pulled his head set aside handing me the spare set next to him. “Darrin is all over him out there.” He hollered over the rumble of the cars and then positioned the headset back against his ears. “I know. There’s not much I can do. Hang in there.”

Once I adjusted my own headset, immediately I heard a fuming Jameson coming through the scanner.

“What the fuck? I mean...Christ almightythis is practice, not the goddamn race. Why is he crowding me?”

“Middle two, middle one, clear low...four car high, fourteen low on the inside...at your door...at your rear...clear.” Aiden announced as Jameson passed Darrin again coming out of turn one.

We couldn’t see but we could follow him on the laptop Kyle had open watching ESPN.

They were all over this with the media. The series point leader and the second place car battling in practice was a headliner for sure.

Probably just as good as the headlines after the Winston.

Just the few laps I’d been watching of this, they seemed to be playing this cat and mouse game with each other.

One would lead, then the other before Darrin would slide up the track on him and purposely take his line forcing him to run another. Which would have been fine, it’s practice after all, but as soon as Jameson found another line and gave Darrin room, Darrin would hang back and find him again.

“Kyle,” Jameson’s voice was less than thrilled. “go talk to Frank. I wanna see what his goddamn problem is. If he bumps me one more time, I’m slamming his ass in the wall.” Jameson warned. “I’m not gonna take this shit much longer.”

“Calm down.” Kyle told him trying to ease his frustrations but really, there was no use now.

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