“Remember turn six is sharp. Watch the walls.”
I cut it close every time but manage to squeak by without damage or losing position.
“Yellow! Box this lap.”
“Who hit the wall?” I ask.
“Focus, Rome.” Her voice is flat, and I’d rather have her sass than this, but I say nothing because I can’t.
Not yet.
Not until after the race.
I’ve been back and forth since Sunday, replaying everything my dad said and picturing the photo of me and Tessa that I ripped up and threw in the trash. The bomb has been tickingsince the second he sped off from my house, and it won’t be long until it explodes right in front of my face.
It’ll destroy me, but more importantly, it’ll destroy her, and that’s not something I can ignore.
Not after catching a glimpse of his smug grin today in the paddock after a reporter posed a question that I’m certain my father paid him to ask.
After I pit, Tessa’s voice sounds in my ear. “Wait…wait!”
I slow for a second until she shouts, “Go now!”
My car vibrates beneath me as I slip back onto the track and blend in with the rest of the cars.
“Oh my god, yes! You gained two positions!”
I smile at the excitement in her voice, and it gives me more than the position gain.
“Who’s up ahead, Princess?” I ask, feeling more like myself than I did at the beginning of the race.
“Beau is in first, and then Noah.”
I growl. Beau is in first on a street circuit?
“Did you say Beau?” I ask.
“Yes,” she says. “Focus. Turn six is coming up.”
My thoughts are spinning quicker than my wheels. I make it past turn six without skimming the wall, and I hear Tessa curse under her breath.
“How is he doing that?” her whisper cuts in and out.
“Who?” I ask, knowing she isn’t talking to me.
She doesn’t answer me, and I grow suspicious.
“Tess.”
“Make sure to use the long straight for your battery,” she reminds me. “Keep your position.”
It’s a strategy we’ve talked about all week, and I should follow her cue if I want to take us to the podium, but there’s a nagging thought in the back of my head that has me going against her advice.
“Rome!” She sighs in annoyance. “What are you doing?”
“What’s going on up there?” I try to keep my own car steady while keeping a close eye on Beau and Noah.
“Nothing that concerns you!” she snaps.
