Chapter 6: Racetrack
Ezra Rivera
How did I find myself here?
The loud buzz of the overcrowded stands fills the air and people shoving others while trying not to drop their drinks and food items. Loud chatter and booming music surrounded me. This was not an environment I was used to and that was chaos on its own.
People squeezed together in the seats that surrounded the race track shaking with enthusiasm and unrestrained excitement ready to watch a bunch of bikes compete for a $20,000 prize.
Billy had asked me to accompany him to this race track and I was so ready to refuse since my father was out for the rest of Friday night and Saturday morning. It was going to be the longest time he hadn't come home and I planned on spending it binging Netflix shows.
But Billy had told me that Xavier had a family thing so he couldn't go and he didn't want to watch the races alone. Reluctantly I agreed and I am slowly and gradually regretting it. I am situated in a seat where on my left there is a guy who's practically having sex with a red headed girl on top of him and the woman behind me attempts to flirt with me but by the small glance I spared her she looks old enough to be my mother. Billy fills the seat on my right, typing frantically on his phone.
It didn't take me long to figure out that this was an illegal race track. The race was yet to start but one of the competitors was here, his spiky blue hair making him stand out as he leaned against a matte black bike with a blue streak running on the side of it. Girls in short skirts and what looked to be bikini tops surrounded him as he talked to a big muscly dude with tan skin and blonde coiled hair dressed in a leather jacket and black jeans.
Some men off to the side of the tracks were passing around a packet filled with white powdery substance amongst each other, it didn't take a genuis to know that, that was some type of drug. Another group a few rows down from our seats consisted of guys in their twenties and girls who I'm pretty sure are around my age, chatting each other up while sipping on beer. The track where the racers were going to compete on was a dirt track that was full of turns, jumps and drops.
As I observed my new environment, the deep rumble of an engine starting could be heard from the side of the stands and that's when I noticed a little arc way in between the stands I was seated at and the stands on the other side to my right.
Emerging from this tunnel was a sleek black bike that looked quite familiar to me but the thing throwing me off was the flame detailing on the sides of the bike. The tires had black rims and the handles were also black. The racer on the bike had a slender body and they were donning on black leather jacket and some black skinny jeans and some black timberland boots.
The commentator's voice rang throughout the arena as he announced the racers. That's when I noticed the blue streaked bike also at the starting line.
"The Challenger, Ace of Spades!!" he screamed and the guy on the blue streaked bike takes his helmet off and waves at the crowd, a confident smirk on his face. Loud cheers erupt from the audience and a few distant boos, this Ace guy's smirk grows bigger at the amount of cheers.
"Okay, okay calm, calm," the voice of the commentator speaks and then his throat is cleared.
"The dared, Flaming Viper!!!" he announces the other racer and the crowd went wild. Others stood up and started clapping while others waved banners and posters in the air. The racer on the sleek bike looked calm and didn't remove his helmet, he just turned to the crowd and gave them a head nod. He wasn't showing off like Ace.
"Viper never takes his helmet off," Billy whispered to me and I nodded on response.
Interesting.
The racers revved their engines, a loud barring horn was blown and they were gone leaving dust in their wake. I had learnt from Billy, that this race track was 2.6 miles long. Ace was in the lead but Viper wasnt that far behind and in a few minutes he managed to catch up to Ace.
Ace maneuvered a wheelie leaving Viper behind in his dust literally. A turn was coming up ahead and it had a berm, Ace didn't use the right amount of speed and he fumbled, falling off the bike allowing Viper who was behind him to speed right past him. He quickly got up and back on the bike and began riding with Viper still very much ahead with a triple jump coming up.
Viper maneuvered them very smoothly, Ace hit another wheelie which gave him a speed advantage making him really close behind Viper. A double jump was coming up and they both rode them really well.
The crowd was cheering really loud and whenever Ace caught up to Viper and his haters booed obnoxiously almost drowning out the sound of the cheers from his supporters. The finish line was close but there was a big jump and a drop right before it.
It was an intense moment as Ace of Spades and Viper were neck to neck. The crowd had grown quiet and the anxiety vibrating off of them could be felt for miles. Ace hit a small wheelie and attempted the jump and that was where he messed up.
Even though with my small knowledge of street racing, I knew that that was a reckless move. Viper sped up a bit but didn't do the wheelie, hitting the jump and then the drop, revving his engine, pressing something and breezing straight through the finish line and not far behind Ace zoomed passed it too. His body was covered in dirt from when he fell but Viper was just dusty.
The crowd went wild, roaring and clapping, others danced and others jumped frantically. Some people sang and others chanted, it was honestly mind blowing.
"How'd Viper gain that much speed after the drop?" I asked Billy who was immersed in the chanting. Looking down at my seated self he raised his eyebrow, indicating he didn't hear my question. Sighing I stood up and repeated the question in his ear. "I think he amped up his bike with nitro," he responded then went back in joining the crowd's celebration.
I observed the way people ran up to Viper bursting to the seams with joy. After a few minutes of glory, he pushed his way through and hurriedly left the scene. Stretching my limbs, I turned to Billy and told him I was leaving with hand gestures, with a nod of acknowledgement I was on my merry way.
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Word count : 1177
Chapter 6 is finally out.
Sorry for the late update, just started my first year of uni so preparing for and settling into the routine has been hectic. But now that I think I have the hang of things I should be able to update chapters every two weeks hopefully.
So we gain a little insight into the street racing, how do you like it?
Most of the stuff I got from Google so forgive me if it's inaccurate to those who know bike racing techniques.
What do you think of Billy?
Vote and Comment
Happy reading,
Zaria.
YOU ARE READING
The Street Racer's Loner
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