Backseat Driver / Reneé Rapp

Standing Ground

"Hey Quinn... I hope you're doing okay, I miss your voice. I miss seeing you everyday, you had me spoiled while you were here. Anyways, I'm going shopping with Lena today. Call me when you can baby." Reneé's voice graces my ears.

I'm done avoiding... I call her as I grab a few things from craft services and find a semi quiet spot to talk.

"Hello." Reneé's voice graces my ears once more.

"Hello my love, I'm sorry for not getting back with you sooner. Reed and I have been slammed at the garage this week prepping for the race tomorrow." I admit.

"That's okay, I'm just glad you're alright. You excited for the race tomorrow?" She asks.

"Yes and no. Yes because I'm apparently a car junkie, no because I'm not behind the wheel. Plus my ex hit on me and I wanted to vomit. I kicked him out of the garage and Reed about lost it laughing." I cringe at the recent memory.

"If you would have stayed you'd be behind the wheel every day baby." She giggles.

I smirk to myself. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

There's a moment of silence as neither one of us know what to say.

"I miss youuuu." Reneé groans out.

"You're adorable, I miss you too my love. More than you know." I admit just before my dad tries to beep in. "Hey, I have another call coming in that I've gotta take, but I'll call you tonight?"

"I look forward to it baby." I can literally hear her smile through the phone and I want nothing more than to kiss her in this moment.

I quickly hang up with her and take my dad's call. "Yeah?"

"Hey kiddo, you haven't seen our teams driver around have you?" He asks me.

"No, Reed might have though." I say before taking a bite of my food .

"Shit." His tone curt and angry, but I know it's not with me.

"What?" My voice muffled from my mouth being full.

"Reed hadn't seen him either, and I can't get his pretentious ass on the phone... as of right now, we don't have a driver for tomorrow." He states matter-of-factly.

This is my chance.

I clear my throat and try to get my shit together. "Dad, meet me at your truck." I say before I hang up and shove my phone in my pocket.

I try to hype myself up on the walk to the employee parking lot. I've got this, no matter what he says, I'm shooting my shot.

I see my dad leaned up against the cab of his truck furiously texting away, I assume he's drafting a strongly worded message to his star studded driver who's honestly just a pretty boy who pays to play and doesn't have any actual talent.

He wraps things up when he sees me coming. "Is there a reason you wanted to talk out here?" He raises his brow at me.

"Dad, do you trust me?" I asks bluntly.

"Of course I do... elaborate." He presses me.

I readjust the ball cap on my head and take a breath before continuing. "You don't have a driver for tomorrow."

"Correct. How is that related?" He deadpan stares at me.

"What if I told you that you do?"

That piqued his interest. "Oh? Who did you have in mind? Bryce Salinger? He's definitely the most underrated rookie this season. Wait, don't tell me, it's that Lonny kid from Fort Lauderdale, he's pretty good too. Can't seem to get him on our team this season tho-" he starts to ramble but I cut him off.

"Me. Dad, I meant me." I tell him and his face just falls.

"Absolutely fucking not." He walks past me back towards the track.

"So you'd forfeit before letting me drive?!" I shout after him and that stops him dead in his tracks.

He turns back around to face me. "Alexandra, I'd give my life before I'd let you lose yours... I-... I was the one that pulled your lifeless body out of the car that day. I was the one giving you CPR until the medics arrived. I was the one that had to call your mother and tell her that I took my eyes off of you for five minutes... that day almost ruined everything and I'll be damned if I have to go through it again or worse." His tone cold and callous.

"So you get to live your hopes and dreams and I can't? That's not fucking fair!" I plead with him.

"You think running a race team was my dream? My dream was to be an aerospace engineer... but if you must know my application to grad school had to be put off indefinitely, do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because your mother got pregnant with Reed, and right then and there my dream changed... I just wanted a happy healthy family." He admits, seeing him so vulnerable is so foreign.

He sighs before continuing, "I realize you're not the same person you were back then, and I realize we're in a bit of a pinch right now... I'm giving you one shot to prove yourself to me. Don't fuck it up Alexandra... and don't fucking die."

I'm literally screaming on the inside as I wrap my arms around his waist and squeeze him tight. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

Fuck he's actually letting me race tomorrow!

I go to call Reneé and tell her the good news but it goes straight to voicemail. Weird, I just talked to her a bit ago...

a/n: how do we think this is going to go?

wtf is Reneé doing?

wtf are you doing bubbies? Having a good day?

I lub you bubbies 🥰🥰🥰