In The End || PETEWAY

Chapter 3

"Alan," Way called out as he entered the pit.

"Way, I thought you weren't coming. I've been trying to call your phone non-stop," Alan said, greeting him with a friendly dap.

"Sorry, my battery died. But why? Is there something wrong?" Way replied, his tone tinged with concern.

"Not really, but Babe's new guy, Charlie, is coming to practice on the track, and Babe asked if you could keep an eye on him while he handles something real quick," Alan explained. Way didn't respond, instead putting his hands in his pockets and looking away. Alan sensed the discomfort in his demeanor.

"Is there something..." Alan started to ask, but Way cut him off.

"Nope, I'll do it. When is he coming?" Way began walking towards the locker room to change, with Alan following behind.

"In about an hour," Alan checked his phone. Way simply nodded, his face expressionless.

"Wait," Alan suddenly called out after studying Way for a moment. "You didn't go home yesterday, did you?"

"Alan, can we talk later, please? I need some time alone," Way requested. Alan respected his friend's wishes and gave him an 'ok' sign before leaving Way alone in the locker room. He couldn't help but notice that something seemed off, especially when he mentioned Babe earlier, but if Way needed space, Alan would give it to him.

Standing in front of the mirror, Way stared at his reflection as if seeing it for the first time. He still felt a slight headache, but he knew he could handle it. Despite knowing he had no right to feel jealous about Babe's new guy, it still hurt. Seeing how easily Babe seemed to trust him, even letting him practice on the race track where outsiders aren't allowed, made Way want to disappear. But for the sake of their friendship, he knew he had to pretend that everything was normal and be friendly to Charlie when he showed up.

So, he began practicing how he would greet him.

"Hi, nice to meet you, Ch... Charlie. My name is Way," he practiced with a forced smile, but his eyes didn't reflect the warmth.

"Hey Charlie, nice to..." Way sighed heavily and decided to go with whatever his heart dictated.

As Way made his way towards the track, he saw Charlie arriving. Charlie looked confident and at ease, his easy smile and relaxed demeanor contrasting sharply with Way's inner turmoil.

"Hey, you must be Charlie," Way greeted him, mustering a friendly smile despite the knot of jealousy tightening in his chest.

"Yeah, that's me. Nice to meet you," Charlie replied, returning the smile with genuine warmth.

Way forced himself to push aside his feelings and focus on being hospitable. "Welcome to the track. Babe asked me to keep an eye on things while he's busy, so if you need anything, just let me know."

Charlie nodded appreciatively. "Thanks."

As they exchanged pleasantries, Way couldn't help but feel a pang of resentment towards Charlie, knowing that Babe had entrusted him with responsibilities that Way used to handle. But he pushed those thoughts aside, reminding himself that Babe's happiness was what truly mattered.

With a forced smile, Way offered to show Charlie around the track, determined to fulfill his duty without letting his emotions get the best of him. Deep down, though, he couldn't shake the feeling that things would never be the same between him and Babe now that Charlie was in the picture.

As they walked, Charlie shared his excitement about being able to practice on such a prestigious track. His enthusiasm was infectious, and despite himself, Way found himself warming up to him.

As they reached the starting line, Charlie's eyes lit up with excitement. "This is incredible. I can't wait to get out there and see what I can do."

Way nodded, offering a supportive smile. "I'm sure you'll do great. Just remember to stay safe out there."

Charlie grinned, clapping Way on the shoulder. "Thanks, man. I really appreciate your help." Way rubbed his shoulder with an awkward smile as they walked towards the car. Charlie's energetic demeanor was a stark contrast to what Way was accustomed to. He couldn't help but wonder how Babe's taste had changed so abruptly. Normally, Babe preferred calm and less talkative alphas, but Charlie was quite the opposite.

"Do you want to drive, or will you watch as I do it?" Way asked as they approached the car.

"I want to drive," Charlie replied without hesitation. Way simply nodded as he got into the passenger seat. Once inside, Way went through everything Charlie needed to know. He never expected to find himself speaking this much to the other guy, but he found himself telling Charlie everything he needed to know. Surprisingly, it went smoothly; Charlie was attentive and followed Way's instructions without fail.

After like 30 minutes of them just driving, babe finally arrived. He went straight to track after saying hi to Alan.  Alan, watching as babe walked towards the track, decided to follow him.

"He really is a fast learner." Alan commented as they watched how skillfully Charlie maneuvered the car as they approached the finish line. Babe just smiled eyes glued to the car. As the car came to a stop at the finish line, the driver immediately jumped out and went to hug Babe.

"What are you so excited about?" Babe asked still hugging the kid.

"P'Babe, i had so much fun. Thank you" Charlie said letting go of babe.

"Then say thank you to the one who taught you."

"Thank you P'Way." Way who was now walking away just turned back with a soft smile and left. Babe found that unusual so he turned back to ask Alan if there was a problem but Alan just shrugged his shoulders.

"So how did it go, did you close the deal?" Alan decided to change the topic.

"He said he'll come for the paper work tomorrow."