She shrugs, looking away. “Because I knew you’d react like this.”
“Damn right,” I bite out. “Izzy, this isn’t some rivalry. It’s straight-up sabotage. And you’ve been dealing with it alone?”
She shifts her weight, like she wants to argue, but we both know she can’t.
I step forward, lowering my voice. “You said I don’t know what it’s been like. You’re right. I don’t. But I do know that if you let them scare you out of this, they win.”
Her throat bobs as she swallows, the tension in her shoulders still locked tight. “It’s not that easy.”
I soften a little. “I know, but you’re not alone in this anymore. You’ve got me, and I’m not letting them push you off this track.”
Something flickers in her eyes, hesitation, maybe even hope, but she shakes her head. “It’s not your fight, Xavier.”
“The hell it isn’t,” I say, stepping even closer. “They’re messing withmycompetition. They’re messing withmy…” I cut myself off, gritting my teeth.
She lifts an eyebrow. “Yourwhat?”
I shake my head, exhaling sharply. “My best friend. My biggest rival. The only person who makes me want to be better out there.” I pound my fist against my chest. “And in here. You think I’m going to stand back and watch you let them run you off the track?”
Her lips part slightly, and for a second, I see the wall she’s built begin to waver. She blinks hard, looking away, trying to regain control, but I’m not letting this go.
“Race,” I say firmly. “Get in your car, show them why you’re here, and remind them exactly who the hell they’re dealing with.”
She stays quiet for a long moment, the hum of engines and distant cheers filling the space between us. Then, finally, she lifts her chin a fraction.
“Fine,” she says. “But if I do this, I don’t need you fighting my battles.”
I smirk. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
She rolls her eyes, but there’s the tiniest tug at the corner of her mouth. For the first time in weeks, I see a glimpse of her again.
Izzy. The racer. The fighter. The woman I will do anything for, and the one I haven’t been able to get out of my damn head.
I leave Izzy to check my car over before the next race. After making sure everything is in place, I set out to find her, but I find Nolan and Mia standing near our spot on turn two instead.
Engines rumble like a heartbeat beneath my feet as I make my way through the pits, the scent of gasoline and dirt heavy in the air. The energy is electric, the kind that gets into your veins and doesn’t let go. It should feel like home, like every other race night.
Mia motions toward the cars, and I see Izzy standing there with her arms crossed and her head down. Again, something’s off. After our pep talk earlier, I thought I'd gotten through to my beautiful, sweet B, but apparently, there's more to it than she told me.
I’ve been watching Izzy all evening, tracking how she moves, how she’s keeping herself small, out of sight. That’s not the Izzy I know. The girl I’ve battled on the track for years wouldn’t hesitate to square up to anyone. Especially not some washed-up nobodies trying to rattle her. Yet here she is, standing by her car, arms crossed, her body stiff as if bracing for a hit. I finally see the other part of why.
A group of girls lingers a few feet away, their laughter a little too loud, their whispers sharp enough to cut. They don’t bother hiding it when Izzy glances their way. One of them, a blonde in a cropped race tee, smirks and says something that makes the others snicker. Izzy flinches. I’ve seen her take a hit on the trackat full speed and barely blink. But this? This gets to her. I step closer, straining to hear over the roar of engines, and catch the tail end of a hushed conversation.
“She really thinks she belongs here?” one of the girls scoffs. “It’s pathetic.”
Another one laughs. “Like she ever had a shot with Xavier. You think he’d actually go for her?”
My jaw clenches so hard my teeth ache. And that’s when it clicks. They’re not just messing with her on the track. They’re going after hereverywhere.
I look at Izzy and, for the first time, see how much she’s been carrying, how every sharp word and cruel rumor has chipped away at her.
She turns away from them, head down, fingers gripping the edge of the door to her car like it’s the only thing keeping her standing.
I see red.
“Xavier.” Nolan steps up beside me, his voice low. “You see it now, don’t you?”
I drag a hand across my face, forcing myself to take a breath. “How long has this been going on?”
