The Brickyard

Prologue

"Good luck, Kathrin!"

"Thank you so much!"

"You're the best, Kathrin!"

"I appreciate it!"

"Do your best, Müller!"

"I'll try!"

Kathrin Müller could not contain her excitement or her smile. Her father always told her to never show such emotions, although that could be chocked up to concern towards his daughter after they moved back to Germany from spending her early years in the United States. But how could she not be excited for such an occasion, modesty be damned?

"Müller," a boy walked up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Please be careful."

"I will, Ingo," she replied. The young man patted her on the shoulder and walked back over to his desk, right near the window. Kathrin sat back in hers, gripping her knee-length skirt with anticipation. She couldn't wait for the week to be over with. She wanted to graduate high school right now.

The day could not go fast enough for the 18-year-old. The teachers' constant droning put her to sleep several times. She could almost imagine herself in her new duty. She roared down the track in her car, passing the losers by and crossing the start/finish line for the victory. No, she is not going to become a teen idol.

She was going to be a race car driver.

"Müller! Pay attention!" her teacher caught her dozing off and she bolted upright and looked straight forward. The other students laughed at her and she blushed in her embarrassment.

To the right of her, another girl giggled but not mockingly like the others. It was enough to make Kathrin smile, reassured. She turned back to the chalkboard while her teacher droned on and on about the Pythagorean Theorem. She would let her team deal with the math.

Around lunch time, she took out her bento box to eat, but that had to wait. A crowd of students, including first-years, rushed into the classroom to get a glimpse of their new celebrity. She actually enjoyed the attention. Even she couldn't believe how she was able to be signed to a major German Formula 3 team at only 18. One would have thought that'd she'd just won the Monaco or German Grand Prix. But she hadn't.

The best part was that she had an opportunity to race in the biggest race in the world, the Indianapolis 500. How could she not be giddy? She nervously brushed some of her shoulder-length brown hair behind her ear

"So, do they turn right and left at Indianapolis?" asked one of her classmates.

"No, not in the Indianapolis 500," she replied, "It's left-turn only. It's two-and-a-half mile track with four corners and four straightaways, and it's shaped like a rectangle. But there is a road course in the infield."

"Oh, I did not know that," her classmate said.

"Are you sure you're going there?" asked another classmate.

"To be honest, it's not guaranteed yet," she said, scratching her cheek, "But my mom is talking to some teams who might be able to get me a ride in IndyCar."

"What about your boyfriend?"

"Oh, that's right! Thomas!" Her boyfriend Thomas would no doubt be excited to hear about this... at least that's what everyone would think. In her haste, she stood up rather quickly. But she stood in front of everyone for a moment. "I must apologize, everyone," she said excitedly. "But I must tell my boyfriend about this!"

The crowd acknowledged her request and she ran out of the classroom.

Voices of other students echoed through halls while she looked for her boyfriend's classroom. They were all voices of encouragement; for her to do her best and to win every single race she ran. She wasn't sure about the latter, but the former was definitely something she was going to do.