The Big Race - Lightning McQueen x Reader

Chapter 3

I could recognize that voice anywhere.

Four years ago

I was never a popular car in school, not like the others who were surrounded with friends and people who looked up to them, but it never bothered me too much because I always had my best friend, Sofia with me.

We met in fifth grade when she first came to my school. She was shy, but a few days into the school year, I was the only one who helped her when she dropped her school supplies down the stairs. From then on we had become inseparable. Just the two of us together forever.

We weren't very sociable people, and we often kept to ourselves. If we hung out it was either at her house or mine, but mostly hers because my parents weren't too accepting of a social life.

In senior year, Sofia began to grow an interest in tireball and sports, or at least the boys who played them. We had never gone to a game before but it was our last homecoming, so we decided to give it a shot.

The day came and Sofia told me to meet her in the woods for something called Pregame, whatever that was. As the sun went down I began to get ready, and by nightfall I was making my way into the dark woods.

It took some time, but I finally found the spot where she wanted to meet and shot her a text asking where she was.

"I'm on my way," She had responded at exactly 6:42 PM. It was such a vivid memory in my head.

I put myself in park and waited a few minutes. The woods were scary at night, so many unnerving sounds.

The next sound I heard was louder than the last. The crack of a tree branch. I quickly drifted around, looking to see if anyone was coming. I really didn't wanna be here anymore.

Sofia said that a lot of people come to a pregame, so where were they all? I couldn't have been the first person to arrive. This was all so weird.

With each second that passed, my anxiety rose. After a few minutes I finally heard another car coming.

"Finally, you're here," I said, "I was getting worried."

The vehicle came closer into view and finally I could see it clearly. There was just one problem, that wasn't Sofia. This was a much bigger car, and wasn't even her color. He sported a deep red color, and looked like one of the cars on the tireball team.

He gave me a smile, but not one that was comforting in any way. Something was off.

Before I could even think about speeding out of there, I heard a thud from above me and saw liquid falling onto me.

I quickly shut my eyes as the thick substance coated me. I couldn't open my eyes yet because of it, but I could hear multiple engines start from all around me. Not a second later, I began to hear collective laughter begin. That was embarrassing enough, but one voice stood out to me the most.

I flashed my wipers across my windshield and finally opened my eyes, looking directly towards that one voice.

Sofia.

I unconsciously began to touch the leftover paint mark behind my mirror. After all these years they still couldn't get it out of my paint job. It wasn't obvious to anyone who didn't know it was there, but just the thought that this memory would be bonded with me forever made me shudder.

The sound of someone coughing brought me back to the present. It was her.

"I said it's been a while," Sofia repeated.