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Commentator 1:Maybe someone should tell that to Wile.

Commentator 2:It comes down to discipline—discipline and patience. River Wile is maximizing on her skill today.

Commentator 1:Daniels is squeezed out by Mills, Wile goes wide.

Commentator 2: Daniels is gunning for a better, spot he’s trying to get past… he almost clipped her. Wile goes wide. Daniels missed his opportunity and is pushed off the track by Mills.

Commentator 1: Wile gets underneath Mills. Wile takes the win by a tenth of a second.

***

When she thinks back, today will be one of her favorite moments, right then as she crossed the finish line, seeing the flag waved, indicating she had finished the race. First place felt good. All she could hope for was the Double Down racing team would pick her up.

Pulling into the pit, she was congratulated as she was tossed around in the crowd. It was interview after interview as she struggled to get to the podium.

She didn’t even mind being asked if it bothered her to always be in Cypress’s shadow. River never saw it like that. Cypress was an Indy car racer and she races superbikes, but she acknowledged the impression he has made on her and how she could only give it her best in hopes that wherever he is, he’s proud of her.

River smiled as another reporter asked her about how she handled the tension and emotion coming into an important race like today. Her honest answer was basically you have to leave everything behind when you get on the bike, you have to put things in a box and go on. It’s that way or you will find yourself in the back of an ambulance waking up wondering what the hell happened.

Stepping up onto the podium, she remembered telling Mal earlier that a racer had to be hungry enough to fight for it. You have to be that way to deal with the pain and the suffering. Grabbing the champagne bottle that was handed to her, she popped the cork, spraying the liquid out over the cheering fans. She held the bottle up and raised her other hand, waving.Perfect moment.

Chapter Two

River rushed back into the pit, ready to look at the race footage. It was crazy how fast things could change. Nothing could kill her mood; she couldn’t wait to tell Cypress and Riot she won. River saw Double Down Racing waving her over, presumably wanting to talk about a spot on their team. It was quiet in the pit. Too quiet. She couldn’t help noticing there was a panic spreading through her friends. Something had changed in the last few minutes.

“Mal, what’s wrong?”

She was doing that thing she does when she’s nervous—twisting the edge of her shirt. That can’t be right… she said there’d been a wreck, but the race was over. A reporter was pointing at her, and it didn’t appear to be about her winning. Turning, River searched for Dan and Duncan. They would know what was happening. When she found them, she asked, “What?” over and over. It was Duncan who answered her. “There’s been a wreck at Fontana. We don’t know anything else.”

River dashed to her locker her hands fumbled with the lock. Once she finally retrieved her phone, River tried to call Cypress then remembered he’s in his car and he doesn’t have his phone. The race can’t be over. She paced back and forth, frantic to find out what was happening. She pulled up Twitter and watched the timeline fill with comments about a crash. There wasn’t any mention of drivers, just that there had been a wreck. The phone rang. As she was scrambling to answer the phone, she saw a comment mentioning her brother…

“Hello?”

“River, it’s Ben. There’s been an accident, a bad one.”

She can barely hear him with all the noise in the background. “Ben, what’s happening?”

“…It’s Cypress, he’s been in a wreck. You need to get home… It’s bad.” He looked at his feet, shuffling back and forth, trying to decide how to tell her just how bad it is.

“Tell him I’m on my way.”

“River, Riot was in the crash also.”

She hung up the phone and forced off her racing gear. She had barely wrapped her mind around Cypress being hurt, much less Riot also being injured. Ben didn’t say how badly. She needed to calm down. Ben will call her back if he finds out any news. She has faith in that.

Slipping into street clothes, River yelled for Mal; she needed her to handle things here. She hopped across the room, forcing her feet into a pair of beat-up Converse, trying to think what else she needed to get home.Wallet. I need my wallet.Gabbing the wallet along with her phone, she yelled again for Mal, who came running around the corner.

“Mal, you are in charge.

“River, stop. Double Down sponsors want to talk to you.”

“Please get the guys to help you get things packed up.” She dug into her wallet then shoved a credit card into Mal’s hand. “That will get y’all whatever you need to make the trip home.” Breaking into a run, she headed for the parking lot. Mal caught up with her stopping her. “Mal, Cypress was in that wreck, Ben said it’s bad. I have to go home. Tell the DD team I’m in a hundred and ten percent.”

“I’m not your manager.”

“You are now.”

Flagging down a cab, River told the driver she needed to get to the airport, but he refused until River gave him all the cash in her wallet. The price of a ride was two hundred dollars.Asshole.

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