Page 30 of Driving Force

After I tell her all about it, Grace says, “I swear, Tin, if that isn’t one of the cutest things I think I’ve heard. So, when do you get to see him again?” she asks.

“Well, I was thinking of going to Charlotte after class on Wednesday when I’m finished for the week. That way, I can see him a few days before the Charlotte race this coming weekend.”

A few hours later, I sit in front of the TV, watching all the pre-race festivity from Dover and hoping to get a small glimpse of Ryan before he gets in his car. Only to see my driver walking to his car with a long, leggy blonde draped over him. Beside him like I was only one week ago. And does he look thrilled to have her? As I sit shell-shocked, watching the show play out in front of me. Rewinding the TV back to the beginning, I watch again as Ryan and this long-legged stick walk toward his car again. Standing up, I get closer to the TV like it’s going to tell me who the hell she is and why she’s with him. Feeling a panic attack coming on, I reach for the arm of the chair to brace myself, feeling Grace come to stand beside me.

Rubbing my back slowly, Grace finally speaks. “Tinley, what do you need me to do? I’ll help in any way I can. You just tell me.”

I can literally feel my heart break into a thousand pieces the more I see the show in front of me. Why would he do this? If he loved me like he had said only a few days ago, this is one hell of a way to show it.

“Tinley, I don’t want to pile onto you right now with having seen what you have play out, but you don’t need to look at your computer ok, I’m warning you. My heart breaks just a little more with Grace’s words. Sending him a single text, I turn my phone off to the world. The last thing I want is to see what the internet has to say about the poor girl who fell in love with the superstar only to have him play her.

Looking at my phone, I see I have a missed text from Ryan, but I’m so blinded with heart I ignore it altogether and start typing.

Me:

Why would you string me along like this? How could you? Lose my number and don’t call me again. Have a nice time with your model, driver. Thank you for breaking us. You did the one thing that I told you not to do….

Getting up from the couch, my world spins, and I don’t know if I will ever be the same. Ryan took the one insecurity I told him about and just threw it in my face with no regard. How can one person literally say I love you one second, then have another woman on his arm?

I slept like shit last night. My thoughts raced with what the media would have to say with Serena appearing in the garage yesterday afternoon, and it threw my routine off this morning to get ready for the race.

“Ryan, are you up?” Brad yells.

Groaning, I roll over to get up and meet him in the living room of my bus. Damn, dude, you look like shit.” He glances over at me as he sits the coffee down in front of us.

“Wow, tell me just how it is.”

“Would you rather I tell you that you look amazing and race-ready? Because that, sir, would be the biggest lie I’ve ever told.”

“Well, to what do I owe this early wake-up call?” Granted, I was already up since I got all of about two hours of sleep last night.

“Long night video chatting with Tinley?” he asks.

“Not even close. She went out with her girlfriends. However, I did get a drunken snap chat around midnight of her singing some country song Grace had requested at the bar.”

“Honestly, I wanted to check in with you before you went to the track; I know Serena the snake was here yesterday, and I got to say Tin may actually kill you or, at the very least, castrate you when she wakes up from what I can only imagine was a very drunken night to see the pictures of you a Serena in the garage after final practice. It doesn’t look good, man. Not at all.”

I should have texted Tinley as soon as we left practice yesterday to give her a head’s up about the shit storm that was going to hit this weekend would have been the stand-up thing to do. But honestly, I hadn’t even figured out myself why she was here and what she wanted. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of something that wasn’t. The last thing I wanted was to worry her with Serena around. But I had a bad feeling about the whole thing.

I send a quick text to Tinley to try to give her a heads-up.

My Girl:

Tinley, I am so sorry so the shit storm that you may see today. Please know this is not me. I love you and would never hurt you.

Grabbing my phone, I have a ton of Google alerts with the headline “NASCAR star spotted getting cozy with ex-girlfriend super model Serena Knox after final practice.”

The headlines are one thing, but the pictures are even worse. Some are of her jumping into my arms, others kissing me and speaking in my ear. My stomach turns, and I think I may be sick. Staring down at the endless messages, the one thing I worried about happening was becoming a reality. Serena came in like a bull in a china shop and just fucked my life up with one interaction. How is Tinley supposed to trust me when this happens the one weekend I travel when she’s not with me?

Within 72 hours, I have gone from the happiest I’ve ever been to now wanting to fall into a pit and never come out. “Brad, what am I going to do? This is not what happened. Yes, she came into the garage and kissed me, but she was also told to leave me alone and get out. Tinley will not take this at face value, will she? She’ll hear me out. She must. I’ll spend the rest of my days making sure she knows I love her more than any race or championship could ever offer.”

“Ryan, this is a lot more than just a few pictures. Serena must have been planning on you reacting the way you did. She’s already issued a statement stating that you guys have been seeing each other again, and,” he pauses for a second, “she’s saying she’s pregnant, man. That you’re the father.”

“WHAT! Brad, you know that that’s not true. I haven’t seen her in over a year and she can’t be pregnant. I have been faithful to Tinley, and I always use protection.”

“Ryan, what I’m getting ready to say you're not going to like, but this needs to be done today, okay, so hear me out. Taking a long breath, I brace myself for what he’s going to say, but honestly, I think I really hear about half. “During the race today, I need you to look in love with Serena to make a show of it. Let her walk with you to your car, stand with you, all the things that a girlfriend or wife of a driver would do. Then first thing Monday, I am going to get the bottom of why she’s throwing these claims and making a show like this,” he says calmly.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me, Brad. No way in hell am I doing that. Serena has lost her mind if I will ever let her walk with me to put her hands on me. She’s throwing out claims that aren’t true, and we are rolling over and letting her.” Getting up, I storm toward the bathroom to shower and get ready for the race.

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