The streets of Michigan held the best car soirees and top dog street races-on top of it all, a life of their own.
What happens when two polar opposite racers collide; the best one from detroit, and one all the way from the city of angels?
Ryujin's offer never left my mind ever since. It was another Saturday night race, but my focus had little to do with the cash prize. I didn't need it, afterall.
As Hyunjin and his friends talked about how jam-packed this place is, I couldn't keep my mind from drifting, waiting for that one car that mattered to show up.
My eyes kept glancing toward the entrance, hoping for a certain Nissan GT-R would appear. Hyunjin nudged my arm, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Hey. You've been zoning out for a while."
"As you can see, I lack sleep," I told him in a joking way. "I'm waiting for a frie—I mean, just waiting for other racers to join us."
Hyunjin chuckled, immediately knowing what's up. "You still haven't won little Montecarlo's heart, I see."
"Oh Fuck off." I pushed him away, knowing he'd tease me non-stop when he gets the chance.
"I told you she'd be a handful. Just give it up."
"Whatever."
His mischievous grin didn't leave his face and grabbed a bottle of energy drink some starter girls were carrying around. He paid his attention to his friends again, and I can't help but eavesdrop. I can hear what they're all talking about; women, race bets, engine upgrades, you name it. But I wasn't interested.
Then, finally, the sound I'd been waiting for; the deep, throaty growl of a well-tuned engine. My heart skipped as a black Nissan pulled up, followed closely by a Chevy Camaro—a duo you won't fail to recognize.
The Montecarlos.
The two sisters stepped out, Yuna as lively as ever, slinging her arm around Ryujin's shoulder. Ryujin, in contrast, wore her usual apathetic expression, eyes scanning the crowd like she was already mentally checking out the competition. Without thinking, I asked Hyunjin to make our way to them and he agreed. Yuna spotted us first, a grin spreading across her face.
"Well, if it isn't the famous Saint Claire twins." Yuna teased us, playfully ruffling Ryujin's hair much to her annoyance. "You two ready for some more Detroit-style racing?"
"We've seen it all by now," Hyunjin said, leaning against the hood of Yuna's Car. "New York, Chicago, Texas... It's all starting to blend together."
Yuna laughed, clearly enjoying the banter. "Detroit's got its own flavor, though. Don't sleep on us."
Ryujin hadn't said much, but her eyes briefly glanced toward me. It was quick, but I'm glad I caught it. "Detroit's different, yeah," I agreed, my gaze lingering on Ryujin. "The competition here has a certain... charm to it."
Yuna smirked, clearly catching on to the subtext of my words, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she glanced at her sister, raising an eyebrow. Ryujin, as usual, didn't react.
Before I could say anything else, another car pulled up—an Acura NSX to be exact. A pristine, sleek white car rolled to a stop, and the crowd's attention shifted as a woman stepped out, her stride confident and sure. She was fairly tall, with dark eyes and a smirk that immediately set me on edge.
"Katarina...?" Ryujin's voice was quiet, but there was a hint of surprise that I didn't often hear from her.
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