The crowd parted like the Red Sea. It still amazed me how everyone who came to these races seemed to have a sixth sense for when the cars were about to arrive, Lord knows they couldn’t be heard over the pulsing music and loud chatter of the rebellious young adults who hung around here every weekend.
Four cars pulled up the imaginary starting line. Each chrome and fully decked out with the latest equipment, nitrogen tanks galore. As the last race of the night it was the most anticipated. The winners of the first three races competed and of course, the fourth racer.
Phantom.
I sucked in the fumes from my cigarette as I eyed his pristine car come to a stop at the far left. No one knew who Phantom was, whether he was even a he. He just turned up a few years ago with a crappy car and tinted windows. He had driven for pink slips and had soon acquired the car of Patrick McHale, who had been the reigning champion.
Patrick didn’t drive anymore, he organised the races instead.
‘Emmy, you’re up.’ Patrick beckoned as he started walking over to the cars to collect the fees. A newcomer had requested they play for pink slips and I shook my head. That kid didn’t know who he was up against. Phantom had raced every weekend for four years and he had yet to lose, except of course for the unexplained hiatus he took a year ago. One day he just didn’t turn up, no one knew anything about his whereabouts of course and Phantom wasn’t seen for five months. Then out of the blue, his car pulled into the race and it was like he had never left. It was just one more mystery that was added onto his façade.
I pushed myself off the fence, taking one last drag and dropped my cigarette on the ground, exhaling the smoke. I stepped on it with my Jordan’s as I walked over to the middle of the street. I flipped my dirty brown hair over one shoulder and pulled a blue silk handkerchief from the back pocket of my leather shorts. The colour of the handkerchief is supposed to be the same colour of the car that won the previous week so we only really kept the blue hankie around. I took a deep breath and ran it through my fingers slowly, relishing the fact that Phantom was watching me. I knew he was and I was staring right back at him through his windscreen. Slightly tinted and with the dim lighting of our surroundings it was near impossible to make out any of the features on his face, but I stared anyway.
I lifted both my arms up, feeling the breeze tickle me. ‘Ready,’ I yelled, I dropped my left hand and waited a few seconds as the drivers revved their engines and the crowd shouted with excitement and anticipation. ‘Go!’ I screamed, whipping my right hand down. The cars zoomed past me at lightning speed and I twisted my body to watch them before the drifted around the first corner.
‘Good job again, Emmy.’ Patrick nodded as I slipped past his security.
‘Thanks Pat,’ I mumbled, lighting up another cigarette.
‘Those will kill you,’ Patrick commented, his fingers counting the money quickly. I shrugged and pushed my hair away from my face. This was the most boring part of the night, waiting for the drivers to come back.
‘How much is Phantom getting tonight?’ I asked curiously.
‘Couple of thousand,’ Patrick rubbed his eyes and I nodded. These races weren’t for rookies, there was real money to be made here.
