Short Track Lovin' ✅

Chapter 161: Concerns....

Friday, October 27 – Martinsville Speedway

Christopher Bell kept a keen eye on his teammates – there were a slew of them this week as Kyle Busch decided to enter four trucks, giving each of the kid's a shot at glory. It was either going to work out really well, or really ugly as he knew they all wanted to win badly.

"Where's Sarina?" Harrison Burton asks, catching Christopher's attention. He points to the trailer, where she stood on top watching the Cup practice session. Harrison went to leave the group, possibly go get her, when Christopher grabbed his arm. He knew better from their experiences together this season, even if he would get grief from it. He'd rather not hear from her right now. 

"Just leave her," Christopher instructs as he lets out a sigh. "She's watching her boyfriend." Harrison figured that, but knew they should have all of them together for a practice debrief. The session had gone better than expected, with all four trucks in the top-10, including both Christopher and Harrison in the top-five.

"And that's an excuse for missing our meeting?" Christopher lets out a sigh, already wanting to strangle his teammates. How did Kyle think this was a good idea? It was already complicated enough with just him and Sarina sometimes. 

"No, but there's other reasons. There's other stuff going on that you guys don't understand. She's been quiet and that's not like her around me. So I think it's best that we give her some space." Harrison and Todd both glanced to where she was as Todd crossed his arms. He knew what he'd want in a similar situation, and figured it'd be a bit entertaining. 

"What if we go tease her and loosen her up a bit?" Todd suggests as Christopher could only let out another sigh. Why were they not understanding this already and dropping it? "Or not. Look, I think we all have great trucks for tomorrow and I think it's going to be a great day."

"Just both of you just be smart about it. It's not a long race – but it's not super short, either. You have time to make moves so be patient."

The group continued to share words through the rest of the Cup practice, with Christopher's eyes leaving the fold at times as he glanced up at the hauler to see whether her demeanor had changed. Once their discussion was over, the group separated and Christopher made his way down through the Cup stalls. He knew he shouldn't be concerned – maybe he was over reacting, maybe it was none of his business – but he couldn't help but worry about his teammate.

He stands by the No. 24 garage stall, watching as Chase breaks down the session with Alan and Josh. He waited until the group separated. He could see the serious look on Chase's face – wondering if the practice had gone according to plan. Chase had shown speed, but Christopher also knew of his struggles at the paperclip. Maybe this was a bad time...

Against his own judgment, though, he made his way up through the stall over to the driver in question.

"Hey," Christopher says, catching Chase's attention out of his daze. It was not like him to come down, unless something was going on. Should he be worried? 

"Hey," Chase simply replies, caught off guard a bit to see Christopher standing there. His mind immediately wandered to the possibilities about Sarina. What if she was sick again? What if she had been attacked, again? What if someone was bothering her? "Is everything okay?"

"Don't worry, your girl is fine. She was actually on top of the KBM hauler watching your practice." Chase smiles, not surprised as that was her normal spot if she wasn't on top of the NAPA hauler. "Look, I don't want to come across at the wrong time or interrupt something important, but I have to ask – is everything okay?" Chase crosses his arms, caught off-guard by the question. Again, this wasn't something that ever happened with Christopher.