“Absolutely.”
We loaded another track. Then another. Somewhere along the way, the awkwardness from the plane faded. The careful distance collapsed. We argued over tracks, threw shells at each other, celebrated victories and cursed defeats.
Normal. Easy.
Except I was attracted to her and sitting this close, watching her competitive streak emerge, hearing her laugh...
Focus. Game. Not her.
We joined an online lobby. Twelve players from around the world.
The race loaded. Violet immediately ate dirt, falling to last place within seconds.
“This is different,” she muttered.
“They’re faster.”
“You could have warned me.”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
She shot me a glare but focused on the screen. Slowly, she started climbing positions. Eleventh. Tenth. Ninth.
I stayed in the lead pack, trading places with two other players. One of them drove aggressively, taking risks most people wouldn’t. Late braking into every corner, forcing others wide, threading gaps that barely existed.
The username caught my eye: BrakeCheck_King.
I snorted. Cocky bastard.
But the driving style... I’d seen it before. Not just aggressive—calculated aggressive. The kind of controlled chaos that came from years of knowing exactly how far you could push before it all went sideways.
“How do I—” Violet’s question died as her cart got hit by three red shells in succession. “Oh, for fuck’s sake!”
“Welcome to online racing.”
“This is rigged.”
“You’re just bad.”
“I was in eighth!”
“Was being the key word.”
She grumbled something I couldn’t hear but didn’t stop playing.
The race entered the final lap. I was second, right behind BrakeCheck_King. We’d been trading the lead for three laps, neither giving an inch.
Going into the last corner, I had the inside line. This was it.
Then he slammed on the brakes, forcing me wide.
Of course he did.
I cursed, recovering too late. BrakeCheck_King crossed the line first.
BrakeCheck_King wins!
I stared at the screen. That move. I’d seen Barrett pull it in Monza last year, forcing Sebastian wide in the final chicane. Thestewards had investigated it for three hours before declaring it legal by a hair.
