The white flag comes out, signaling the final lap of the race. I’m in first and Lennon is close by in third. Until she’s not. She’s on my left and we’re neck and neck. I glance from her to the track in front of me and see the black-and-white checkered flag waving us in to cross the finish line.
It only takes one unfocused moment for her to gain ground and cross the finish line about a second or two before me, earning her this win. Her comeback race. I can’t even be upset in the slightest because she worked hard for this win.
She burns out a time or two as she makes her way down victory lane where she’ll celebrate and do a few interviews before her post-race inspection.
I can still see her as she exits her car and her parents are the first to greet her, followed by Hendrix. They all give her hugs. I can even see Troy and Dillan with them. I rev up my engine as I pass the display before pulling back in to where my pit crew and team wait for me.
My sister greets me first.
“Did you let her win, Dash?” she asks with a smirk.
I can’t help but smile back at her. “Nope. That was all her.”
“Aren’t you going to congratulate her? Y’all haven’t spoken since her welcome back party even though you’ve been in the same places since. Waving from across the room doesn’t count,” she adds before I can argue.
I can still see her from where I got out of my car moments ago being interviewed by reporters. She looks both elated and agitated. I’m unsure which emotion she’ll let take control until Hendrix walks over to stand with her, slinging an arm around her slim shoulder protectively causing me to glance back at Audrey while grinding my molars together.
“I think she has all the attention she needs right now. She doesn’t need mine,” I tell her as I start to stalk away from my car to the Full Tilt Racing team and sponsors waiting to prep me for the award ceremony where I’ll be forced to stand beside Lennon.
“You are so stupid, Dash,” Audrey shouts behind me.
I whirl around and face her—my nose within inches of hers.
“Stay out of my business, Audrey,” I grit out between clenched teeth.
Audrey has never been one to back down from a fight, especially not from me, her big brother.
“You need to open your eyes and look at yourself in the mirror. What has gotten into you? You’re a shadow of who you used to be. The Dash I know would never give up on Lennon. Your relationship with her has been building for years. She’s the only person who’s ever been able to both tame you and drive you to push your limits at the same time. And you’re just going to walk away from her like she never meant anything to you?”
I swallow hard. “She means everything. She deserves everything. Don’t you understand? I’m walking away from her to give her the chance to soar. She was in danger in part because of me. We’ve always been dangerous to each other because of the way we push and pull when we’re together. She’s had enough danger to last a lifetime, Audrey. Now, she deserves somethingsafe. A sure bet. And he’s standing beside her as she climbs back to the top,” I say as I turn and leave my sister speechless.
But not for long because she catches up and pushes her palm against my chest to make me stop.
“It’s a pretty tough pill to swallow,” she says.
I sigh as I take my gloves off and shove them inside my racing suit pocket.
“What?”
“Learning your hero is nothing but a damn coward who’s too afraid to fight for what he knows is his,” she says as she clutches a clipboard to her chest.
This time, it’s me who’s speechless.
“You both let rumors fly for years, but you’ve never stepped out together. You let everyone wonder what could be instead of embracing what you should be.”
“We’re on different teams. Our families and sponsors wouldn’t have allowed us to embrace anything, no matter how we feel. You’re just reminding me of yet another reason my decision is the best one for us both,” I tell her.
“You almost lost her…for good. You held on to her being alive when no one else thought she was. Now that she’s here, breathing the same air, heart beating out of control at the sight of seeing you again, you’re going to let the lame excuses you think you have cut the ties still connecting you?”
It’s Audrey’s turn to walk away now, but before she does, I stop her.
“Even if all those things are true, she’s always with him now,” I say referring to Hendrix.
“And? How do you know he’s not just a good friend?” she asks.
“He’s more than that, Audrey. I see how he looks at her. And I know things happened between them before she rememberedshe was Lennon,” I say over the fiery pit of jealousy in my stomach.
“Yet you told me one drunken night at your house in the middle of all this that she remembered loving you even when she didn’t remember her own name.”
