Page 27 of Revved up & Ready

“No,notunnecessary,” she practically scolds me. “Cameron.” She says my full name again. “You have to be very careful to protect yourself tomorrow—fromthe sun. You could get very, very hurt if you’re not careful.”

It finally clicks.She’s doing what I asked—avoiding theCword—but in her own way, she’s giving me a safety talk.It’s kind of adorable.“You’re right,” I say. “I could. The sun is dangerous. But I’m really, really good at being safe,” I stick with her metaphor, “in thesun. Some might even say I’m professional.”

“You can never be too safe.” She goes quiet again, and I feel lost without her body language.I wonder how she’d respond if I tried to video call her.

“The safest thing would be to just stay inside,” she says.

“That would make it awfully hard for me to race tomorrow.” I’m half touched, half hurt by how concerned she is. If she’d ever had a real conversation with me about this, maybeshe’d understand why I need to race—how it feeds my soul—and I could explain the level of risk.

“I guess,” she sighs.

Maybe sticking with her analogy is the way to get through to her. “But I have extra layers ofsunprotection.”

“Yeah?” she asks, hopeful.

“Yeah. The helmet I wear is thick and padded. The sun doesn’t stand a chance against it.” Making sure she knowsIknow what we’re talking about, I add, “You know, ifthe sunever did manage to get through my helmet, I’d throw it away.”

“What?” she gasps.

“I have backups for that exact reason. Every racer does.” Searching for a way to keep her calm, I say, “If a helmet’s compromised in any way—” I trail off, but she finishes the thought for me.

“If it was crackedsomehow, and sunlight could get through?” she asks, being bolder than I expected.

“Straight in the trash. New helmet time. Same pretty much goes for my leathers and boots. Those are repairable, but I only wear them when they’re in good shape.”Would telling her my suit has an airbag freak her out more?I skip it. “When I’m out there—in the sun—I’ve got layers of thick, sturdy fabric and foam that protect every inch of my skin. From a sun flare.”

I don’t even know what a sun flare is, but she doesn’t question me.

“Isn’t that expensive?” she asks, some of the severity dropping from her voice.

“It is,” I laugh. “That’s one of the reasons you’re helping me.”

“So, by pretending to be your girlfriend, I’m helping you stay safe?” she asks. I hear a muffled sound in the background.

“Exactly,” I say. “You feel a little better?”

“Actually, yes,” she says, surprised. “Oh shit,” she mutters under her breath. “That still doesn’t look right—ugh.”

Before I can ask, she quickly ends the call.

It’s the first time in years I wish I wasn’t alone the night before a race.

When I wake up the next day, I find a text from her sent a little after three in the morning.

Sadie: Don’t forget your SPF!

Chapter 6

Sadie

Go to a motorcycle race –from Sadie’s list of things she’s never done

“Stick with me,” Allie says, reaching her hand back for me to hold as she weaves through the crowd. “We’ll turn left up here,” she adds, waving the hand I’m not holding to show me the correct direction.

The smell of freshly poured asphalt mingles with the concrete-y scent of the stadium as we pass through the fans gathered to watch the race. Engines roar louder the closer we get to the pits, where we’ll be spending the entirety of Cam’s race.

A girl wearing a whiteRace Nakedshirt bumps into me, and I almost lose hold of Allie’s hand.I should’ve guessed I wouldn’t be the only one here supporting him, but I didn’t expect half the crowd to be in black and yellow.A self-satisfied smile pulls at my lips.I’m the only one wearing his clothes, though.I catch sight of another woman wearing an oversized black and yellow hoodie with207printed across the back.Maybe I’m not the only one. What if there are women here who—

“Keep up, Winslow!” Allie yells, squeezing my hand and pulling me forward. We’re not late, but she’s thrilled to be here.She talked about what an incredible racer Cam is the whole drive, sharing anecdotes from races she’s seen over the past year. I nodded along and did my best to act interested, like a girlfriend should—even though I still haven’t told Allie about that. It was a good chance for me to practice calming breaths.I can’t let him know how scared I am for him. It’ll only make him more likely to get hurt.

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