Page 13 of Rivals

“If you girls need any help moving things you just say the word. Most of the crew would be happy to help.”

The offer makes my heart happy. I’ve never had anyone I could rely on except for Evanna but somehow it feels like I was meant to be a part of Revv-It Racing all along. “Thanks.” I watch as Tucker’s eyes switch back to the track, his body goes rigid and his jaw is obviously clenched. “Everything okay?”

He nods his head slowly. “Yeah, this is about the time where Rathe starts to flashback. I’m hoping today is better.” I turn my head to the track and watch with Tucker to see what Rathe does. As he comes up to the turn, he slows but he doesn’t back down like the last time I watched him. The car stays at just the right angle and he makes it through. It’s like the entire place releases the air they had been holding. He may have still let up on the gas, but at least he didn’t stop in the middle of the track like I had seen him do before, that’s a huge improvement. For whatever reason, the sense of happiness and pride comes over me for Rathe. Mentally, I kick myself because once again nothing makes sense.

****

My test run went really well. The car and I are getting used to one another. I’m learning the track and how to navigate the car with ease. It’s difficult to be comfortable in a new car. As a driver you get adjusted to the way your car moves. You have to get in sync with it, find the rhythm and the comfort of it.

As I pull my car into the pit, I feel everything in me relax. That was my best test run I’ve had, yet. I shaved five seconds off my time from yesterday. I couldn’t be happier with that if I tried. I climb out of the car and pull my helmet off, the fresh air dances across my skin, cooling me off. That’s the biggest difference between street racing and Indy racing, the required gear. The uniform we use is for good reason but it’s hot as hell. I’m definitely not used to it. “Sutton, you did great! That was your best run yet,” Tucker calls out to me as he approaches, clapping.

“Thanks Tuck! I can’t believe I shaved that much off my previous time,” I tell him as pride swells in my chest.

Tucker’s smile is contagious. “I can. I knew you had it in you all along. So, tomorrow I’ll need you here at ten sharp. We’re having a meeting concerning the upcoming sponsors and appearances you’ll need to be present for. It’ll be you and Rathe mainly.”

“Appearances?” I ask. I hadn’t really considered that I would need to make appearances. I guess I should have realized that was part of the deal. Rathe is often in the spotlight at various charity functions and what not. I guess I just didn’t add the two together.

Tucker nods his head. “Yeah, they’ll give you the schedule. All you have to do is show up. Sometimes, they’ll even send a car to pick you up. The schedule will cover all of that.” I nod as Tucker walks away. I’ve never been a big people person. For the most part I’ve been a loner. Evanna was always the social butterfly. People don’t take to me the way they do her. It’s kind of like Katniss and Peeta from Hunger Games, another great reference thanks to Evanna. At the end of the day though, I’ll never win people’s favorite, my life has made me come across cold and hard. I’m not sure how I’m going to get through all of this junk to get to the driving.

Thirteen

Sutton

I’m lying on the couch in a sugar coma with Supernatural playing on our Netflix when Evanna shows up. She takes one look at me then the TV and she knows something is up. “Okay, talk to me?”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” I mumble as I stretch to see the screen around her.

Evanna scoffs. “Yeah right and I’m the queen of England. There is definitely something to talk about. You only binge watch Supernatural when you need a pick me up.”

“That’s not true,” I tell her. I mean, it totally is true, but I’ll deny it anyways. I’ve been in a funk since Tucker told me I had to do all this press stuff. I’m mentally kicking myself for not considering that sooner.

She gives me what I would call a mom look. You know the one where a mom looks at her child and then all of a sudden, everything just comes flooding out of their mouths. Evanna has that look, I don’t know how but she does. I’ve never seen it on anyone but her. I advert my eyes to keep from voicing my fears out loud. “Oh, don’t you look away from me Sutton. You’re going to tell me what the hell is going on.”

I sigh, dramatically. “Nothing is going on except you are blocking my view of Jensen Ackels which could be dangerous for you.”

Evanna grabs the remote before I can even register what she’s doing. She cuts the TV off and then takes a seat on our now bare coffee table. Our apartment is packed into boxes that are stacked along the walls. Now, I’m worried that maybe we’ve jumped the gun. What if I can’t pull off all this extra stuff that comes along with being an Indy racer car driver? “What’s going on, Sutton?”

I sit up. “I have to do a bunch of appearances apparently for Revv-It Racing.”

“So?” Evanna says with a shrug, like it’s no big deal. I guess I should have expected that reaction considering that she loves being the center of attention.

“So, that’s a big deal. You know I don’t do well with being the center of attention.” I shrug and advert my eyes.

Evanna shakes her head. “That’s not true you do just fine when you win a race, and the crowd surrounds you.”

I shake my head. “That’s different. I did something to deserve that attention. I won the race.”

“You’ve done something to deserve the attention now too. You’ve become the first female Indy race car driver on the Revv-It Racing Team. You are literally one in a million right now Sutton. Don’t you see how many little girls you’re going to inspire by doing this. You deserve this attention whether you see it or not.” Evanna smiles at me and as her words start to sink in, I feel my nerves calm down. “You feel better, don’t you?”

“Yes, wise one,” I tell her, as I stick my tongue out at her. Evanna starts laughing and we spend the rest of the evening watching Supernatural and eating junk food, which is basically us every night. I wake up a few hours later to see Netflix has timed out, and Evanna is asleep on the other side of the couch. I grab a blanket and cover her up before heading to my bedroom. As I lie in bed watching my ceiling fan make slow rotations the worry comes back. What if I’m not good enough to do this whole professional driver thing?

I get up and grab my laptop which thankfully, I haven’t packed yet and google Rathe McCall. Most of the videos and articles I find are either about his outstanding rookie year and the wreck that almost ended it or his extracurricular activities with the many models he’s dated in the past. Finally, I stumble across what I was looking for. Rathe McCall and his time with the press. There are articles about functions he’s appeared at and even some videos. I watch him as he works the crowd. His voice is deep and rich, impossible to ignore. His smile is wide and sincere and makes my toes curl. Everything about him is perfect in these videos. He says the right things, reacts at the right times. Rathe is a natural with the press and I envy him right now.

I study him trying to learn what I can from the man that clearly knows exactly what he’s doing when he steps in front of the camera. He woos the crowd in the blink of an eye. I need to be able to do that. Rathe is so different in these videos though from the one I see at the track daily. This one is open and full of life with a smile that could make a blind person see again. The one on the track is sullen and withdrawn, lost in the darkness of his mind waiting for his demons to rear their ugly little heads. Maybe, we are both struggling more than we want to admit.

Fourteen

Rathe

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