Page 1 of Driving Force

“Y’all–I DO NOT WANT TO GO!”

Ignoring my protest, I’m thrust into the shower. “You’re going–kicking and screaming if that’s what we have to do,” Mia declares. Having been my best friend since freshman year at App State, she knows when it’s time to get me out of the house. “You need a day out away from books and working at that library surrounded by more books. It’s your last year. Enjoy college for a change.”

What’s wrong with liking books? I think to myself.

“Tin, I know what’s rolling around in that little head of yours, and yes, books are fine, but you need other things in your life. Like boys and boys and more boys,” she points out.

“Mia, you know I’m the girl who is invisible to boys or the one they friend zone, right? I may be the quiet girl, but I’m not as shy as some may think. I just don’t let people get too close because I don’t want my heart broken.”

“That’s where you're wrong, Tin. You just don’t let them see you and the awesome person you are because you have read so many romance novels that no man can ever live up to that idea of the perfect partner.”

It’s easy for her to say. Her dark brown hair, big blue eyes, and curvy figure make the boys stop and take notice anywhere we go.

“Ugh. Okay, fine, I’ll go.” I give in, but my less-than-pleased tone makes my reluctance very clear.

Living with my best friends for the past three years, I understand that we usually have the most fun when they get me out of my comfort zone. Mia, Grace, Lily, and I might be very close, but you build a complex quickly when you’re the single girl and everyone else is coupled up. I can’t help if I get lost in my studies more than hanging out with the six of them. My Saturday nights usually consist of the girls getting ready for dates and me reading the latest book on my Kindle instead of being the seventh wheel.

And yes, I know what you’re thinking - Don’t they have hot friends to set you up with to go along with them? The answer is yes, they do, considering they are all dating guys on the baseball team. But their guy friends always seem to see me as the chubby girl who makes them laugh, not girlfriend material. Don't get me wrong, they have all been super sweet, but it’s always the same thing. “I like you, but I just think we are off as better friends.” So, it never goes further than the first date.

If they are dragging me to God knows what today, I better put some effort into it, or I’ll, as my mother says, die alone with a cat—by the way, I don’t even like cats—then it’ll eat my face off. Since I’m alone, no one will find me until it’s too late. Insert face palm emoji here, please.

After finally pulling myself out of the shower and drying off, I’m met with three pairs of eyes staring at me like I’d just said I was Team Jacob instead of Team Edward.

“Umm, ladies, what’s up?” I no sooner get the last word out before different clothing options are thrust at me like I’ve never dressed myself before.

“Okay, let’s slow down. Of course, I have some questions. First,” I lift my hand, “where are we going? And second, why are all three of you so excited about this?”

Lily is the first to chime in. She’s usually the quieter of the four of us, the normal southern girl.Auburn red hair, dark green eyes, and the sweetest personality you will ever meet. Even if she told me she planned to kill me in my sleep, she’s so sweet I wouldn’t believe it until it happened. This explains how she landed James, the star baseball player, two years ago. We are all sure she’ll follow him to whichever farm team he lands at after the draft in a few months.

“Ok, so don’t kill us, but we’re going to a NASCAR race,” Lily tells me, a little too excited for my taste.

Pausing to let it sink in a little, I finally reply, “Umm, y’all know I like quiet places, right? I mean, I work in a library and want to go into publishing when I finish school. In what universe did you think this would scream, ‘Hey, Tin will love this and will put up no struggle whatsoever about going?’” I ask, looking at them quizzically.

“Yeah, yeah, we know you like boring,” Grace chimes in.

Yes, Grace is that friend, that bitchy girl that will always say what she thinks even if no one wants to hear it. She has blonde hair, green eyes, and wears her signature red lipstick, ready to cut any man who might impede her because she gets what she wants.

“But guess what, Tin? You’re going! I pulled some strings, and a family friend who does PR for a team is letting me get some experience for my PR/Social Media class. He got us all passes to the Food City 500 Race in Bristol, Tennessee since it's only an hour from here.”

Knowing I don’t really have a choice, I shrug. “I better get dressed, then. Yee haw, make me a NASCAR pit lizard, I guess. Show me what I’ve been missing all these years.”

None of my friends find my sarcasm or exaggerated Southern accent funny. Instead, they pounce on me like lions in the jungle that just found their last meal. When they finally give me an inch of breathing room, I turn to look at myself. The dark colors of the royal blue fitted tee and dark-washed jeans enhance my curvy figure, but my favorite part is the signature sparkly chucks that I always wear.

“Let the games begin, bitches!”

Grace does her Breakfast Club fist bump in the air. Lily stands back, jumping and clapping, and Mia just shouts, “Hell yeah, you are smoking hot!”

I don’t know about smoking hot, but I feel better than average with my hair done in loose curls and a little makeup applied. The humidity living in North Carolina can be rough, so it’s best to just go natural.

Going to a race might be the craziest idea known to man because I know I’ll be out of my element. But my girls have all the confidence in the world, making me smile and hold my head higher. Just as we walk into the living room, a knock comes from the front door. Lily heads toward it like she has a beacon on James and knows his every move–but I've always been told that it’s the quiet ones you’ve got to watch out for.

James no more gets his foot in the door than I realize I’m once again the seventh wheel. Lily and James are so cute it would make anyone sick. When James settled down, his buddies wanted that same thing, so that’s how Mia and Grace fell for his best friends. Here I sit, a single girl in a room full of couples. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I notice a guy I haven’t seen before trailing behind Miles. Granted, it’s hard to see around Miles. Standing six foot three and built like a linebacker, he takes up a lot of space. James is the shortest of the bunch by a few inches. It's hard not to look at them and see why my best friends are lucky women. Internally kicking myself for being so picky. Great, not only am I going to a sporting event I know nothing about, but now I’m being set up on a blind date. Yep, where is the wormhole I can jump in?

“Okay, are we ready to go? I need to see what the huge deal is with NASCAR.”

Miles, Grace’s boyfriend, is the first to chime in. “You’re going to love it, Tin. Fast cars and beer. What’s not to love?”

“Miles, you know me so well.” Just kill me now, is what I really mean, but I give him a playful smile.

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