Page 11 of Tandem

As we watched the first two races, my blood pounded, and my adrenaline soared as each driver took off from the starting line. It was so crazy to hear them roar down the road, see them take the turn and fly up the alleyway on the other side of the chain-linked parking lot, and then around the last corner. There really weren’t any favorites when it came to races like this. I was just cheering for the excitement of it all.

Then it was Jayden’s race, and when he kept the last straw, it was Stevie that he was up against. This was going to be a race where we all held our breaths in a way—a Bugatti versus Stevie’s new car. I didn’t even get a good look at it before they needed to line up. But I smiled at the fact that he had picked a red-colored car this time when he bought it. It must have been influenced by me painting his last car.

I stepped up to Jayden as he waved at me. “What’s up?” I asked as I jogged over next to the rolled-down window. He held out the large stack of cash, and I took it from him.

“Hang onto this for me.” He winked and rolled up the window, and I laughed, tucking it in my jacket pocket and backing away to the sideline. The woman who had been flagging off the races tonight waved them forward to the bright green line we had spray-painted on the ground. Street racing sometimes involved making a line where there were none.

Stevie revved his engine. I could hear him yelling something at Jayden, who laughed in return and flipped him off before he revved Dad’s car in response. Flames popped from the backs of both cars as the woman in the middle raised her arms, stilling between both cars. Respect for flag girls because if they didn’t stand entirely still, they could get hit by one of the cars.

I smiled, remembering Dad telling me once that Mom used to be the flag girl for Flywheels events. I’d also done the occasional flag-off, but I was usually racing with them, so I couldn’t do both.

The crowd’s cheers reached an all-time high, and she dropped her arms. Jayden’s and Stevie’s cars jumped from the line at exhilarating speeds, and we watched them speed toward the end of the street and get to the first turn. Jesus, they were neck and neck. But Jayden wasn't used to Dad’s Bugatti, so Stevie pulled a little away from him from the corner. He was almost caught up again when they hit the second turn.

That’s where it all went wrong. As Stevie started to enter the corner, we first heard tires squeal and lock up. Then, there was a loud bang of a car crashing. Jayden slammed on his brakes, and his car’s back lights lit up the alleyway as I heard a second sickening sound of metal meeting metal.

I took off, willing my feet to grow turbos to take me faster. "Jayden! Stevie!" I screamed as guys who were faster than me started running in the same direction. Please no, please no! I begged in my mind for Jayden to be okay as I hit the end of the road and turned the corner, preparing myself for the worst scene imaginable.

People were already crowding around the Bugatti, which had slammed the passenger side into the block wall. I ran over just as Jayden pushed the driver’s door open and pulled himself out of the seat, leaning up against the side of the car. Thank God! I ran over to him, flung my hands around his neck, and hugged him tight. I felt his shaky arm wrap around me for a moment when I heard Hank's voice.

“Someone call an ambulance! Oh fuck!”

I turned to look at Hank and saw him stepping over some rubble on the ground. He looked white as a ghost, like he was about to throw up. Someone pulled out a phone and started to dial. I let Jayden go and began to walk over to where Hank was.

Hank called over to me. I think he was crying. “Rosalie, don’t go over there.” I heard him, but I didn’t think it really registered in my brain. Slowly, I walked over the debris toward the building, where the red taillights glowed on the wrecked car. Since the driver’s door was up against the wall too much, I stepped over to the passenger door and leaned down to look inside the smashed window.

The airbag had gone off but was deflated now, and Stevie sat there in his seat, a gash on the side of his forehead bleeding slowly. “Guys, why aren’t we pulling him out?!” I yelled behindme as I reached in and yanked the passenger door lock, then heaved the door. Surprisingly, it opened.

“Rosalie! Don’t!” I turned my head. Hank was holding Jayden up as they stood by the busted wall, and Jayden’s voice called out to me, but I still climbed in with my knees on the passenger chair and reached over to touch Stevie's face.

“Stevie, can you hear me? It’s going to be okay. Jayden called the ambulance, and they will be here soon,” I whispered out. His face felt warm, so why wasn’t he waking up? Suddenly, I heard the sirens in the distance. I felt a hand on my shoulder all at once, and my eyes went down Stevie’s body. And I wasn’t sure if I screamed or if it was just the sirens echoing in my head, but I looked down and what I saw, I didn’t know if I'd ever forget. The car’s dashboard looked like it was inside him, his t-shirt ripped and resting on the edge of the wheel, which wasn’t where it should be.

And then it went dark and the last thing I remembered was Jayden’s voice calling out, “I got her!”

I finally came to a bit later. I blinked at the harsh light overhead and squinted as I looked around. I was in the back of an ambulance on the stretcher with an IV hooked up to me and an aluminum-looking blanket on top of me. “W-what’s going on?” I got out as I sat up, and a paramedic and Jayden sitting next to me talking both reached over.

“Just relax, Miss Wells. You’re fine.” He reassured me a few times that I would be okay, and that I was most likely in a bit of shock, to stay put, and that my brother was here with me. The paramedic got out, and I looked over to Jayden, who was sitting next to me in the ambulance.

“You passed out, but I caught you.” Jayden wouldn’t look at me, he just kept looking at his hands on his lap. I sat up fully and blinked, confused.

“Passed out? But I was fine? Wait… What about Stevie?” Worry started to creep in again. “Where is he? Another ambulance? The hospital? I’m fine. You should be taking care of him! He was the one in a car accident!” Jayden leaned in and hugged me, holding me still. He held me so tight it felt like all the air was being squeezed out of my lungs.

“Stevie’s dead, Rosalie. He doesn’t need the ambulance.” Jayden’s voice rang in my ears as I sat there, and I felt the tears in the corners of my eyes.

“That’s not true…” I cried out softly. Wrapping my arms around Jayden’s back, I held back a sniffle. “He was just laughing with us. He’s fine, right? Just being a jerk and pulling a twisted joke on us like usual, right? Right, Jayden?” My voice broke when he squeezed me tighter.

“No, Rosalie, he’s gone. It was a really bad accident. This time, he’s gone.” My tears started flowing freely now, and he held me close.

“No… NO!” I cry. “This isn’t fair! We were just having fun! He c-can’t be gone… He just can’t!” I sobbed into his shoulder, no longer able to form words through my tears.

Jayden held me for I didn’t know how long, but after a while, I vaguely remembered Hank coming to the doors telling Jayden that our parents were on their way and that he was going to go home. Jayden nodded, and the paramedic removed the IV and blanket.

As we got out of the back of the ambulance, Mom and Dad walked over, wrapping both of us in their arms and hugging us tight. Mom walked us back to the cars. Jayden was telling her he was fine, and Dad said something to the police and tow driver. Then Mom walked to their car as Dad walked me to mine, helping me get into the passenger seat while he hopped into the driver’s seat, and we all drove home in mostly silence.

Dad held my hand as he drove, it was warm. Except I just felt numb all over besides his warm touch.

“There is nothing I can say to make this day better, honey.” Dad squeezed my hand, and I quietly cried, looking out the side window.

When we got home, I took a warm shower and changed. Just in shock thinking about Stevie being gone. I couldn’t believe it. It was crazy. We’d raced that road a hundred times, and no one’s ever wrecked on it. But he did. And he did it and died. Maybe this was all a bad dream, and when I would wake up, it'd be fine.

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