Finish the Mission

3

TW: shooting scene

That night I pulled up to the race in a different car. Usually, I raced in my Mustang because it was a manual transmission, but since the road was flat and straight, I decided to race in my automatic tonight: the Corvette ZR1, also known as my pride and joy. Austin knew it was me because he had helped me customize it, but no one else at this race had ever seen me in it. The tint on the windows was just light enough to be street legal, but you still couldn't see through it. As I looked at the racers, I was surprised to see that Joshua's car was missing.

Austin walked to the starting line with a megaphone and announced the first two racers. Races were done "anonymously," but if people recognized your car, they knew who you were. The two drivers' names for this race were Liam Caanes and Rebekha Mcdowell. Rebekha and I were the only two regular female racers, so we were pretty close. She wasn't a great racer, but neither was Liam, so all the bets were on her.

The two cars drove to the starting line and started on Austin's mark. Two and a half minutes later, Rebekha's car crossed the finish line first. Several more races took place, a few fights breaking out here and there because some idiot was mad that he had bet on the wrong person and accused the other driver of cheating, but other than that it was a pretty boring night. That was until Joshua Clark pulled up in his regular day car and took the megaphone out of Austin's hand.

"So, most of you know I have a running bet with Katalina Contrarez about who will win tonight, but of course, she's a coward and she didn't show. Lucky for her, because I replaced myself with a racer who, I will admit, is a little bit better than me. I let him borrow my car and everything, but he doesn't have anyone to race."

I smirked as he confirmed no one recognized me.

"So, Austin and I talked it over, and I'm going to let my racer pick who his competitor is. This man is the best racer of any of you here, I'm sure of it."

He walked over to his car and talked to the driver, who I couldn't see because of the tint on the windows.

Someone in the crowd shouted for the driver's name

"He wants to race the Corvette," Joshua said, pointing at my car. I laughed out loud in my car. Poor Josh had no idea what he just got himself into. 

Both of us drove to the starting line, the crowd yelling for my name. Austin wouldn't give my identity away, and I didn't say anything, so they dropped it.

"Get set! GO!" Austin yelled. I slammed on the gas, the engine roaring forward. I immediately got a head start because I had the advantage of an automatic transmission. This road was better for it anyway. I looked in the rearview mirror to see the car right on my tail, trying to pass me. I blocked his every move, never letting him pass me. We rounded the one curve of the race, heading back to the finish line, and he was able to pull to my side. I swerved towards him, about to run him off the road, and he backed off. I took a deep breath and pressed the pedal down, hitting 202 miles an hour. The landscape on my sides blurred past me as I neared the finish line. I crossed and slowed down, taking about thirty seconds to come to a complete stop. Grant was about three seconds behind me, and Joshua walked toward us shocked.

"I demand a rematch!" he shrieked like a maniac

Austin laughed. "Why?"

"It was the car he raced. There's no way my car can beat that," Joshua ranted

Austin looked through my windshield signaling me to get out of the car. "Are you sure it wasn't the driver?" he asked as I opened my door. I got out of the car and smirked at Joshua.

"What's up, Josh?" I asked. "Good race. Now, pay up." He and I had formed a bet two weeks ago that whoever lost this race owed the winner ten grand. We were both good for it, but that was a lot of money. I knew he would be mad, so I showed up armed.

Sure enough, Joshua pulled a gun on me, and I dropped to the ground. The gun went off several times, so I pulled my pistol out and crawled to the front of my car. Joshua was shooting random people in the crowd in a spurt of anger. While I understand that these people were here to watch an illegal event, I didn't stand for shooting whoever you wanted to, so I decided to distract him. I shot his windshield out, making him whirl around in shock.

"You bitch!" he yelled, shooting at the ground near me. I aimed under my car and shot his leg, making him fall to the ground. He dropped his gun as he fell, so I took my chance and ran out, kicking his gun away from him, my own still trained on him. The guy I had raced got out of the car covered in glass from the broken windshield.

"What the hell!!!" he yelled at me

I didn't even look at him, just walked towards Austin, who was making people leave.

"Call your surgeon for Joshua," I said

"Can't we just let him die?" Austin asked

"Oh yeah, sure, and then we will get the law on our tails because someone is dead. That sounds great. No! Call your surgeon."

Austin nodded and I walked back to my car, putting my gun in its holster.

"Were you trying to kill me?" the racer walked up to my car, still shaking glass out of his clothes.

"No, and I didn't. You're fine," I said, looking up at him. We met eyes at the same time.

"You're kidding me," I said as I recognized the guy as the one I had raced on the way home from the race last night. As he got closer, I realized just how tall he was. Probably 6'2, he towered over me. His tanned skin was covered in sweat from the adrenaline of racing, and his straight, black hair hung in a curtain bang style.

"You're insane," he fumed.

I nodded. "Probably," I said, averting my attention to his eyes and not his body

"Ok, you–"

"Settle it on the track!" Austin yelled. "We don't have time to listen to you two argue."

I looked at the guy. "Not in that car," I said

"Why? That car is faster than your other car."

"Exactly. I want it to be a fair race. That way you and Joshua have no reason to complain when I beat you," I said

"Go get your Corvette, then," he said, crossing his arms

I squinted my eyes at him

"Now?" I asked

"Yes, now," he said

I sighed. "Fine," I said, getting in my car and heading towards the garage. This was so pointless. Just because Joshua wanted a damn rematch, I had to drive all the way to work, get my second car, and drive all the way back. But here I am, still doing it. I sat at one of the many red lights on the way to work and thought about why I was doing this. I was sure as hell was not doing it for Joshua, Austin couldn't give a shit as to whether or not there was a rematch...the only other person was Grant. I laughed at myself. I had already proved my racing skills to Grant twice, but I guess one more time wouldn't hurt.

But why did I feel like I had to prove something to him?

Part 3!  I'm thinking about posting on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but we will see if I can keep up with that. Thank you for reading!! --Kayleigh