Page 80 of Revved up & Ready

“When you go around the turns, you don’t want your tires screeching, but a little chirp is okay.” Sadie moves on to racing advice.I’m not sure if she’s ever been cuter.“If your tires are screeching in a go-kart, you’re losing all the momentum you built on the straightaways. Not worth it.”

“Did you just teach her that?” Luke’s voice is quiet at my shoulder, careful not to talk over Sadie.

“Sure did,” I nod, rubbing my thumb at her hip. “I think she might like it enough that we’ll get to build her a custom kart.”

“I bet Allie loves it, too,” Luke says, likely already imagining the specs of the racer he’d build for her.

Devon’s eyes are trained on Sadie, like she’s mentally taking notes.Something tells me she’s the most competitive person in this group.

Rhett steps in close to Luke and me. “How much trouble you think I’ll get in if I beat Devon out there?”

“You ever raced anything before?” I ask.

“Never,” he answers.

Taking in the set of Devon’s jaw, narrowed eyes, and the stance that looks like she’s ready to pounce, I laugh. “Don’t think that’s gonna be your problem, boss. I’m half worried she’ll beatme.”

“How do we determine the starting positions?” Devon asks after Luke and I have lined up the karts on the track. “Are there qualifying laps we need to do?”

Shaking my head, I answer, “We’ll put the experienced racers in the back. The third and fourth kart already have warm tires, so that should help even it out between who starts out front.”

“So damn precious with your tire temperatures,” Allie laughs as she walks up to the second kart.

Devon’s eyes narrow, not liking my answer. I’ve never been Devon’s favorite, and I know she’s still skeptical about Sadie and me. She doesn’t doubt if we’re truly dating, but I’m sure she questions if I deserve her.We have that in common.“Okay,” she agrees, and I honestly cannot tell if she’s unhappy about it or not.

Bea ends up with the first kart, followed by Allie, then Devon, then Sadie—who insisted she’d have more fun if she got to pass some people.My racer girl.Rhett, Luke, and I fill up the back three.

Once my buddy from the track waves the green flag to indicate the start of the race, Sadie does an impressive job of laying into the turns exactly how we practiced, immediately gaining on Devon.

Luke and I both pass Rhett fairly quickly, bringing Bea into focus—meaning Devon and Sadie have passed her already.I wonder which turn Sadie used.Part of me wishes I wasn’t racing, just so I could watch her the entire time.

Before long, Luke and I are at Allie’s tail. But he hesitates to pass his girlfriend.Coward.We’re close enough to the front now to see that Sadie is holding on to the lead, but just barely. Devon—who’s presumably never raced a kart in her life—is all over her, nosing in on every turn.

I hate it. I want to get in there and dice it up with Devon to keep her out of Sadie’s way. I’d be up there already, but Luke is pulling out on every turn next to Allie, leaving no room for me to pass, but also not passing her.Again, coward.

He’s a tough challenger on a racetrack. Professionally, it’s lucky for me he enjoys the mechanic side more and gave up racing before we even got out of high school. This is the first time I’ve raced him in years, and it’s time to show him what’s changed.

On the next turn, he pulls to Allie’s outside, and I begin nosing in on the inside. Poor Allie has no clue how to handle it and slams her brakes, letting Luke and I both fly by, putting Luke in third and me in fourth. Which is absurd, considering the race is almost over and we’re the only two people on this track who have any experience racing.

I can’t take him yet, so I give him a little love-tap, letting him know I’m here.

Racing is rubbin’.It’s a racing phrase I specifically have not shared with Sadie because I’m sure it would scare the shit out of her. But itisfairly common—even in motorcycles—to make a little contact with other racers on the track.In go-karts, when we have rubber barriers framing the entire track? It would almost be rude not to.

As Luke and I continue to battle it out, we end up right on top of Sadie, who is now just behind Devon.I want Sadie to win this, but I can’t hand it to her.He’s holding his line like a pro, but I manage to squeak by him with minimal contact, using the momentum to rocket past Sadie.

On the next turn, Sadie starts gaining on me.Good girl.Come and get me.

The first turn I’m close enough to Devon to pass, I grab it—shooting past her. We’re on the last lap, and I’m in first.But that’s not what I want for Sadie.Breaking my own rules, I glance over my shoulder and see that Luke has passed her, and he’s gaining on me. When we only have two turns left, he’s too close to pass without clipping me. I brace for it, thinking it’ll be a love-tap, but he gets me at just the right—or wrong—angle.

As we both spin out, my first thought is how this will register to Sadie as a crash. She’s doing so well, and I don’t want her to lose her edge. We’re fine, but will she know that?

My kart slides well enough out of the way, but Luke is an obstruction on the track. Devon’s coming too fast, and slams her brakes, barely missing his kart and losing all of her momentum.

The track is different now with three karts in the way, but Sadie maneuvers it perfectly, adjusting her speed and braking for the tighter turn. No one has enough time to catch her after that, and she crosses the finish line first.

She did it. She beat every single one of us.

She has her helmet off immediately, and I’m unsure if I’m about to get yelled at for crashing or—

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