McQueen's Kid

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜɪʀᴛᴇᴇɴ

Chapter Thirteen
"Stella, how long have you been sitting out here?" Mom asked, coming from behind me. I slightly jumped, surprised by her voice. I looked to the ground, backing away from her. Dad's call had ended and he came out, too, seeing the distress on my face.

"Stella, sweetheart. You okay?" He asked, his eyes traveling up and down, checking to see if I was hurt. But my pain wasn't on the outside. It had been boiling up inside of me since the interrogation.

"I-I just..." I trailed, feeling the pressure building up behind my eyes. I wanted to ask them everything, but how would I do it without sounding like a brat? How would do it without hurting their feelings?

"Sweetie, it's alright." Mom comforted, driving closer to me. I bit my lower lip, trying to keep my emotions inside of me, but when I looked at their faces, I just wanted to break down and cry.

"You can tell us." Dad added, concern now plastered on his face. If I didn't tell them what I was thinking and feeling, Dad wouldn't be able to concentration for his race. I couldn't do that to him.

"Did you guys only have me to carry on our racing legacy?" I stuttered, my eyes darting back and forth between theirs. Quickly, they rushed to my side, comforts leaking out from their lips.

"Stella, who told you that?" Mom asked, her eyebrows furrowed in sorrow. Did I hurt her feelings? Was she sad that I found out?

"Spinner and Bellhousing," I breathed, backing away from my parents, wanting space. "T-They said that you named me Stella because you wanted me to become the first rookie to win a Piston Cup. A-And Stella means star so-so I figured-"

"Little Red," Dad cut me off, slowly moving towards me, sympathy plastered on his face. "We would never do that to you. We want you to make your own decisions, have your own life. We didn't name you Stella just because it meant star. We loved the name." He explained.

"Really?" I asked, tears now over spilling from my blue eye. Mom hummed, nodding her hood.

"We would never do that to you. Spinner and Bellhousing were trying to get inside your head, make you question everything that had ever happened to you." She added, nuzzling against me. I softly sighed, nuzzling against her and Dad.

Suddenly, an another thought entered my head. That press conference. I drifted away, confusion now on their faces. I felt anger and betrayal. "What's wrong?" Dad asked. I looked at his face.

"That press conference," I breathed. "How come you've never shown me it?" I questioned, furrowing my eyebrows at him. Dad shook his hood, narrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"What press conference?" He asked, his voice sounding innocent. I didn't want him to lie to me anymore. I wasn't some little girl. Why hadn't I been shown before? Why was he still hiding it from me?

"The one after you tied the race with Chick and The King," I huffed. "Why didn't you show me that?" I spat. Mom looked to Dad. Dad's lips moved, trying to think of what to say.

"I was embarrassed of what I used to be, Stella. I didn't want you to see how arrogant and selfish I was." He excused, his face now flushed with shame, though you could hardly see it through his red paint.

"What is she talking about?" Mom asked, eyeing Dad. Her face wasn't full of anger or even confusion. She was just honestly curious. I guess that's what happens after you've been married for a while. You just learn to trust each other.

"It was a reel from the race before I found Radiator Springs," he explained with a sigh. "It was when I was stupid and a huge jerk."

Mom awed, looking back at me. "Honey, that was before he found us. That was before when the only thing on his mind was winning and becoming a part of Dinoco." She added, hoping that I would just suddenly smile and laugh it off. But I couldn't.

"How come you never showed me? Did you think it would change the way I looked at? That it would make me hate you or something?" I growled, my face heating up. Dad's blue eyes looked down as he let out a long sigh.

"Yes."

I tensed up, not expecting him to agree. I figured we would go into another fight, shouting at each other until one of us surrendered. My face dropped and my eyes searched to find his again. "It wouldn't have." I stated.

He looked up, softly smiling at me. "I realize that now. But at the time, I just wanted to forget that that car even existed."

I tightened my lips, thinking about what to say. "That's the car Doc liked though." I softly replied. He lightly chuckled, smiling at me.

"Yeah, well. He mostly just liked me then because he liked watching me tumble into the cacti." He lightly laughed, his eyes now filled with sorrow at the thought of Doc.

"And because you could pave a road." I added, smiling back at him, forgiving him for what he did to me.

"It was much more than that," Mom declared. "Doc was the one who saw how you changed and began to care for the town. He knew you were exactly what we needed. You gave us a new hope."

"Thanks, Sally," Dad grinned, closing his eyes and nuzzling against her. He looked up. "Get over here, Little Red." He smiled. I giggled and rushed to their side, nuzzling against them. This was just what I needed.

"Racers, please report to get checked in." A voice boomed out. I looked around, seeing the stands begin to fill with the early viewers. The race wouldn't start for another two hours, but I felt something new and different inside of me. I hoped Dad felt it, too.

"I'll be back." Dad softly sighed as he drove off. I smiled, watching him leave. I knew today he would show the world he still had what it took to win this race. He was Lightning McQueen. He could handle anything.

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