Two Faced

Chapter Nineteen: Nothing but a Liar

Chapter Nineteen: Nothing but a Liar
Nick's POV

"You been denying races, Nico?" 

I gave him a look, "There's about an inch of ice outside... unless I'm seeing wrong?" 

Max shrugged his shoulders, "No, it is kinda slick out there, but I've been hearing you're turning down the ones even on the warm days?" 

I stared at the side of his face, brown skin slightly covered in sweat from the heat of his basement and the mixture of alcohol in his system. 

"Can never be too careful," I murmured, trying to change the focus back onto the Nintendo Switch in front of us. 

"Well, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with slowing down once in a while, it's just... there's rumors." 

I frowned, my attention caught, "Rumors?" 

"People saying you're pussying out, disrespectful racers out there talking about you, how you're falling off." 

"Falling off? It's fucking 10 degrees out right now, only thing I could be falling off of is my bike. What the fuck happens to my legacy when I crash and die?" I felt pure frustration boil and bubble in my stomach. 

I was already spending my nights awake thinking of the possibilities - me on the road, me at college, me... me talking to the man that seemed to always be able to make me smile. 

I was all twisted, I was living two lives and for the first time ever they were getting mangled and now I had to worry about my reputation as well? 

"Listen, kid. You've known from the break of dawn that I have always respected you. You took advantage of your potential and I loved that, but you're not out anymore. People aren't starting to fear you, people are starting to try and replace you." 

It felt like my whole world was crumbling underneath my feet. 

These months of ignorance, where I ignored all the calls, where I spent with a man I barely knew, where I considered leaving the only thing I made noise in - the only thing I mattered in. It was doing its damage, they were forgetting me, they were replacing me. 

"I'm not saying it's gone overnight, once summer picks back up you can probably make a major comeback. This might even be a good publicity stunt. Make them all think it's possible for you to be replaced, then show them all that's not even a concern for a guy like you." 

I stayed quiet, stared at my thumbs. 

The summer. 

The same summer where I was supposed to be buying items for my dorm, picking up books for my studies, visiting the college I was accepted at. 

I shuddered, the same summer that had me debating the end of my racing career. 

"Unless..." Max's voice was taught, "Unless you're not going back in the summer." 

I swallowed thickly, "Max can we talk about this another time?" 

As if offended he crossed his arms, gave me a hurt look. "You're thinking of quitting?" 

"No, no I just... I just don't know." 

"Nico, you are the best street racer I have ever had the privilege of meeting. Men come up to me congratulating me on knowing you and you... you're going to throw all of that away? For what? Nico, for fucking what?!" 

I stood up to put some distance between each other. I knew how Max could get when he was fired up, he always had this sort of father identity towards me, treated me like his own son... this must've been a punch in the face to him and I didn't know if he was going to return that or not.