Page 12 of Chasing Sarah

I jump up and down, screaming at the top of my lungs with a smile so wide my cheeks burn.

The makeshift racetrack and the surrounding area is jam-packed, and the atmosphere is electric. My brothers and I have been coming to these races for years and I love to soak up the excitement and intensity of every person here.

“Inside! Inside!” Xander shouts, cupping his mouth to help amplify his voice.

“You’ve got this, Tommy!” I holler, my throat already feeling sore from how often and loud I’ve been shouting.

My heart pounds against my ribcage as I watch him and the other racer fight for first place.

“Fuck, this is gonna be close. Too close,” I hear someone behind me mutter and I grin.

I hope the poor sucker bet against Tommy.

My shoulder is nudged, and I turn to my third oldest brother, Ronny, who holds out a helmet and gloves for me.

“You’re up next; let’s go.” He jerks his head to the side.

“Give ‘em Hell.” Colson winks and I knock his shoulder with my fist.

“You already know I’m going to wipe the floor with them.” I grin.

I place the gloves into my back pocket, and then tuck the helmet into the crook of my arm before following Ronny to the starting line. I keep my eyes trained on Tommy as he closes in on the lead racer.

“Go! Go! Go!” I scream, jumping up and down, flaying my arms around like a maniac.

The ripped up checkered flag is lifted.

Seconds pass and Tommy is flying past the finish line.

In second place.

“Fuck,” Ronny curses under his breath.

“How much did we lose?” I meet his concerned eyes.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about, kid,” he says roughly before turning away.

“Bullshit.” I grip his elbow, forcing him to stop. “How much?” I demand.

“This month’s house payment,” he responds through a clenched jaw.

“What?!” I shout in disbelief. “Xander bet all of it?”

“Xander doesn’t know,” he answers quickly.

“What the fuck, Ronny?”

Between the four of them, they are barely making ends meet. And since I’m still in school, they refuse to let me get a job.

After Xander turned eighteen, our mom just up and left without a word. She left everything, including her debt. Racing and other… questionable activities are the only other source of income we have.

“Tommy was sure he was going to win this race. Fuck, Sarah I was sure he was going to win.” He rubs his hand down his face.

“That doesn’t mean you bet money that took us way too long to even save!” I shove past him and stomp toward the starting line where Tommy is pulling in for my race.

He climbs out of the go kart and removes his helmet. Beads of sweat fall from his shaggy blonde hair as he shakes his head.

I’m fuming.

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