“Cally.” She held out her hand. “Lawson Kane. Amazing driver, has been in the sport forever. He’s had a killer season so far and expected to make it into the championship races.”
“But Jeremy Cline is my guy. Rookie hothead but hot as fucking sin.” She swooned a little in her seat and I understood her completely. “Let’s get back to Lawson, though. He hugs the wall on straight ways and the bottom of the turn when he goes through turns three and four. He’s a very strategic driver and fast too. I think in his career he’s only ever had four or five accidents, which is almost unheard of, but he has quick reflexes and dodges them like a bullet.”
What she was telling me was giving me a little more ease.
“I told you before about the pit stops. Sometimes there aren’t any crashes, so drivers have to plan when they are going to go in. See how that car is going in now with ten others? They probably didn’t go in when there was the yellow flag. So their pit crews’ goal now is to get them in and out before the rest of the track passes them. It’s common practice that pit crews can get their drivers back out so they’re in the same position or farther ahead than when they went into the pit.”
I shook my head and took a wing into my mouth. I was devouring not just the food but every word Cally was telling me.
“Shit. Twenty minutes fly by.” Cally stood up from the table and I felt a loss as to the help I desperately needed. “I will be by and can still tell you little bits, but it’s simple. I’ve probably told you the hardest parts to learn, which really aren’t that hard.”
“Thank you,” I said after swallowing a piece of the wing I had still in my mouth. “Seriously, you’ve done me the biggest favor ever.”
“No problem, just keep an eye on that twenty-two car and you’ll be fine the rest of the race!” She waved her hand and then skipped away to the back.
“I guess we’re staying here the whole time?” Axel asked.
I looked back at both of my friends, not really knowing what to say. I didn’t want to hold them hostage here, but we didn’t have a TV in our apartment and I really wanted to see how Law did in this race.
“We’re staying,” Leah declared.
I watched as Axel took her hand and brought it up to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. She leaned into him as they turned toward the TV, watching a man they barely knew because of me. I grabbed for another wing and sat sideways in the booth, ready to sit there for the next few hours until the race was finished.
Cars went round and round with no accident, which my heart thanked them so greatly for. When it was down to the final ten laps, Cally made sure to pop over to us, an extra bounce in her step.
“Are you watching this?” Her excitement was met with loud cheers as most people were now out of their stools at the bar, standing against it, just waiting for the race to finish up.
“Law is in first place,” I said with excitement.
“Law?” She gave me a confused look. “If you want to impress your guy, I wouldn’t use a nickname. Lawson doesn’t go by anything other than Lawson.”
I let out a small giggle. She had no idea and it made it all that better.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
There were only three more laps. I was getting anxious now. Law was still out in the front of the pack and I didn’t want him to move from that spot. Two laps. He hugged against the wall, just like Cally had said, and when he hit turn three and then four, he hugged the bottom of the track. I waited with bated breath as someone waved a white flag. They were on their last lap and Law pulled out farther ahead of the next racer. There were at least two car’s length in between them and as they rounded each corner my heart sped up faster. This was it.
I watched Law come around the last turn and drive over the checkered line on the track with a person waving a checkered flag. I jumped up and down in my seat as the whole bar erupted into cheers. They were cheering for Law. My Law. A tear streamed down my face and I touched my cheek in shock.
Leah and Axel were just as excited and shocked that I was crying. I watched Law make another lap and then head to the tower where the man with the checkered flag waited. He unbuckled himself and got out of the car and ran over to get the flag. He help in up in the air with victory and I wished he had taken his helmet off so I could see that smile I knew he was hiding underneath it.
“Now you have something to really talk about with your guy! His favorite driver won the race and isstillin the number one spot!”
“Number one spot?” I asked Cally, confused by what she was saying. “He won the race, right?”
“He did! But he’s number one for all the drivers in the championship, has been since the first race, which he won. When I said he was having an amazing season so far, I wasn’t joking. This man is on fire.”
Telecasters were recapping the race. I cleaned up the mess I had made on my side of the table, getting ready for us to head out. We had occupied enough of Cally’s time and the race was over. I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to Law.
Congratulations!
I tucked my phone away but before I could get out of the booth, Cally admonished us for trying to leave.
“You have to stay!” She looked confused as to why we were getting up.
We had already paid an hour ago but wanted to wait and watch what was going to happen. When a performance ended you stayed for the bows and then left, that was it. Law had done his bow with the checkered flag, so what else would I need to see?
“If you really want to impress this guy, I would stay to watch Lawson go into the winners circle!”
