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DOWNTOWN. chapter seven | the art of racing.
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"I didn't know you'd actually take me up on the offer," Sakura parked the car in the middle of an open road, silence encasing our surroundings. She wore something along the lines of business, but a bit more on the elegant side of it. Since she wasn't driving, it was heels and a silk shirt with some nice business pants. "I thought you'd just want to go for a ride–not be the one driving."
We switched spots soon after, and she waited for me to say something. I swung my head under and into the car, taking a seat in the driver's seat. "Well, I decided that if I was going to meet you all, get acquainted, and get my ass entangled with your drama, I'll stay."
Sakura chuckled, head leaning back against the headrest. "That's good to hear. Some of us thought after the entanglement, you might piss yourself, and leave. It has been a few days, and we haven't seen you. Considering that you're quite the pentacle right now for the Neos, perhaps it's good you're going to learn the art of racing. Picked your team yet?"
"No," I looked over at her, but her eyes swam right through mine. She blinked a moment after, chuckling to herself, a hand rubbing the bottom of her nose. I stared down at my lap, feeling violated despite my face giving it all away. "Sorry."
"What are you apologizing for? Silly," She nudged me slightly, grinning. "Hey, Jiayi, perhaps that's a lesson you can learn: Don't apologize for the decisions you make. Unless you know it's something you regret, what's the reason for a mediocre apology?"
"I don't know. I wanted to get to know you guys, but I feel like I made my decision too quickly. For now, please keep it a secret. You're the only one who knows," Sakura nodded. "Maybe I'm still deciding, but I'd rather... be with the Neos."
"You'll be safer with them, anyway," Sakura crossed her arms, looking at herself in the side mirror. "Don't tell the Luminaries, but the things we do sometimes... I always think I'll never make it out alive. If I was brave enough to tell them that, perhaps we would stick to the circuit–but they love street racing so much that I'm afraid they'd banish me or something."
Sakura looked concerned, fiddling with her fingers. "What are the kind of things you guys do?" I asked.
"We get into a lot of conflicts because we race for money. Weird, right? Even when we're rich people's children," Sakura itched the nape of her neck, explaining the problem. "So, we're also fighters. We shoot people, we get into road conflicts, and even at the circuit, we do bad things. That's why–"