Page 100 of Revved up & Ready

“Oh, good!” She braces her hand on my thigh, this time kissing my other cheek.

The clock ticks down, showing we have about twenty seconds before Sadie has to go back to the pits.

“So, I’ve wanted to tell you something, and I wasn’t sure when the right time would be,” she says.

Fifteen seconds before they take off my tire warmers probably isn’t it.

“But I like now.” She takes a deep breath. “I love you.”

“You love me?” I ask, bewildered.She’s told me she was trying not to love me, but I didn’t realize—

Her lips turn up into a bright, dimpled smile. “I love you.” She lifts onto her toes, kissing my helmet, just like she did at the first race. “Now go take what’s yours.”

The second the clock ticks to zero, she turns, running through the hot summer rain back toward the pits.

She loves me.

They release us for the practice lap, and the water on the track is even deeper than I expected. But I don’t care, becauseshe loves me.

I’m not the only one struggling in the rain, so Ludlow didn’t start with pole position. He’s in third, and I’m in fifth. It’ll be an uphill, soaking wet battle today, but when the green flag waves, and we’re finally off,I am thrilled.

Halfway through the first lap, the racer in second low-sides off the track. I’m not looking behind me, but I’d be shocked ifthere weren’t a couple more like him further back in the pack.The track is a sloshy mess.

Finding my groove takes a little longer than usual with the wet conditions, butI have this.

Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.

Sadie’s non-advice advice comes back to me.Take what’s yours.

When I finish the first lap and pass the pits, she’s standing at the edge by the pit board—jumping, waving, and screaming.She loves me.

On the second lap, I pass the racer in front of me, bringing me into familiar territory—behind Ludlow, but he’s not focused on me. He has someone to pass too.

My edge is different in the rain, and I know I have to ride it to pass him. By lap three of twelve, I still haven’t found it. I’ve gotten close, but the perfect moment hasn’t been there.Which means, I have to look for an imperfect one.

Coming out of the corner, I trail him, drafting so he pushes the wind and water out of the way for both of us, but when I move to launch past him, the momentum isn’t enough, and I slide back behind. I try it over and over, but I’m not able to get past.

It’ll have to be on theSturns, which isn’t ideal for passing—especially in the rain. It’s such a quick move to go from leaning one way, then leaning all the way to the other, then leaning back. It’s easy to lose grip when you’re not in the race line—exactly where I’d be if I need to pass.Sadie will hate it.

She’s there again when I pass the pits—jumping and cheering for me. She gave up on holding an umbrella, and Allie and Bea are standing with her—all soaking wet and smiling.

Coming into the first turn of my next lap, I’m lining up to draft Ludlow again, so I can—

Hart passes me.

Shit.

Now we’re halfway through the race, and I’m in fourth.

Ahead of me, Ludlow finally made his pass, so now he’s in first. Hart makes it around the same racer, and after a few turns, so do I.

Now there are five laps left, and I have to find a way to pass my two best friends on the track as safely as possible in the rain.

TheSturns are my best option to properly make the passes, but not the safest.Sadie won’t like it.So, I wait, not taking the opportunity and trying again to draft on the straightaways. It works with Hart, and I’m able to shoot past her, bringing me into second place and closer to Ludlow, but not close enough to pass.

We’re finishing the ninth lap—meaning we only have three laps left—when I’m coming up to pass the pits. But my board isn’t there.

What the hell?

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