A Quarter Mile | An Elsanna Story

Chapter 2: Street Race | Elsa

   I pull up to the parking lot next to the traffic light that would start every legendary race. But something was off. Way off. There was a big crowd of spectators gathered around something. There were so many of them I couldn't see what they were so hype about. I pulled into the lot and revved my engine, causing everyone to look at me. About half of the crowd moved over to my car. i rolled down my window, and was blasted with questions. 

   "Who's gonna win?"

   "Are you nervous?"

   "Are you single?"

   The usual.

   I motioned for them to step aside, clearing my view to my opponent's car. It was a red Nissan 370z with two black stripes running along the sides. It was a beauty. My eyes looked up at the driver. She was a redhead with freckles. 

   "You look new around here!" I yelled over our engines, "You sure you can handle me?" 

   "Trust me, I've had way worse." she replied with a smirk. The whole crowd went: OOoooohh! "We'll see about that. When was your first race?" I asked.

   "Well it-" she started but was interrupted by me revving my engine.

   "My bad!" I shout.

   "As I was sayi-" I cut her short with another rev. She glared at me and rolled up her window. I spot Kendall in the crowd and motion her over. 

   "Hey, what happened to Max?" I asked curiously.

   "He had to do something. So Anna here heard about it and decided to sub in."

   Anna. So that's her name.

   I pull up to the traffic light beside her and look at her through my window. 

   "You ready punk?" I say to her. She says nothing, she only looks at me and smirks.

   The light turns red.

   All around me I see people taking out their phones and pointing them at us. 

   The light turns yellow.

   Clicks and beeps sound as people start videos and go live. I look over at Anna.

   She winks at me.

   The light turns green.

   Her 370z takes off before I can even shift gears. I make a mental note to reprimand myself for getting so easily distracted. I'm off my game. Why am I getting this feeling of.. uncertainty? I've never felt this with anyone else I was racing. I shake my head and step on the gas. Our cars are loud as jets booming through the street. I am just a couple meters behind Anna when the first turn comes up. It's a normal right turn, not too sharp. I attempt to take the inside lane but Anna beats me to it.

   Damn, she's good. I think to myself. I follow closely behind her car as we both make the turn with ease. I hug the inside curb as Anna moves back to the left. This is my chance. It's a risky move due to the fact that the straightaway won't last much longer, and I won't have time to slow down, but I gotta get this lead. I shift up a gear and my car speeds forward. I watch as my Charger gradually passes Anna's Nissan. I look ahead and I see another turn, this one sharper than the last. 90 degrees I'd say. I placed my hand on the handbrake and waited.

   Not yet. 

   The turn was coming in hot.

   Not yet.

   I was right in front of the turn.

   Now!

   I pulled back my handbrake and began a drift. I easily drifted through the turn as if it were nothing. Straightening my car, I look in my rear views, but see no sign of Anna. Poor kid.. I thought. Suddenly, I heard the roar of engines to my right. Anna had passed me yet again. But she wasn't going to get the lead that she wanted. I flicked up the blocker to the button that turned on the nitro. We sped through the streets, drifting through turns and trying to best each other. Once we got to a long straightaway I pressed the button. I could hear high pitched whirring as my nitro came to life, and my car shot forward. Once again, I passed Anna's 370z, but then our speeds matched, and I realized that she had nitro too. The finish line was coming up fast, and we were both right next to each other. I looked down and realized that I was in top gear, and she must've been too. 300 meters until the finish. I looked over and realized that I had gotten about a foot of a lead on Anna. 

   My car is faster! I thought to myself. And indeed it was. I was slowly gaining ground. 

   200 meters.

   My grip fastened on the wheel as my knuckles turned white. Another day, another win. But then something happened. My car started slowing down sharply. I almost instantly knew what had happened. I looked at my tank levels to make sure. To my disdain, I was right.

   My nitro tank was empty.

   Gradually, Anna started taking away my lead. First there was a foot, and then that foot turned into half a foot.

   100 meters.

   4 inches.

   50 meters.

   2 inches.

   We both zoom past the finish line at top speed. We both slowed down to normal speed and pulled over to the lot full of wide eyed people. I put my car into park just as some Kendoce came to my window and put his phone screen on my window. It was a picture of the finish line from a side view. My heart dropped as the realization dawned on me.

   I had lost.