Page 105 of Trading Paint

“I don’t know?” Was the nonsense that left my mouth in the form of aquestion.

What the fuck is wrong with me today?

I started to panic and thankfully, he lost interest when the Red Bull girls caught his eye.

Later that night we all planned to go to dinner since Grandpa Casten made the special trip out here.

When I told Jameson what we were doing his response was, “I don’t like the sounds of that.”

“You wouldn’t,” Casten grumbled at him.

Grandpa Casten was hardly suitable for public. The Nine Inch Nails concert was a prime example of that.

“Do you want to sit with him?” I asked Jameson motioning to Spencer and Casten in the backseat of the Suburban Jimi rented.

Jameson gave me a glare. “No, I can’t sit back there with them. I might strangle them.”

Spencer perked up and nudged grandpa. “I can’t understand why he wouldn’t trust us.”

Grandpa snorted. “It’s like he has no faith in family.Dumb shit.”

Jameson looked at them and then back to me. “Do you see what I mean?”

The days flew by and before we knew it, Saturday had arrived and the field was set for the A-feature. Twenty-four cars had fought for a place on the grid.

Tyler had missed the lock-in by one position when he finished fourth in the B-feature. I felt bad for him when he threw his helmet against the side of the transporter and punched the wall. These poor guys had battled for days, and then to not make the main by one position, he had every right to be angry.

It was a rugged field for the main, Jimi, Justin, Bobby Cole, Tate Harris, Levi Carlson, Alex Reed, Brad Westin...all good drivers, great drivers but Jameson had the confidence in him. Not once throughout the week had his optimism wavered. I watched him closely thinking at any moment he’d lose it and show some sort of nervousness but never.

Jameson started eighth in the main lined up behind Jimi and Bobby Cole. Levi was on his outside with Alex Reed right behind him. I bite off all my nails thinking of the last time he and Reed tangled but I hoped Jameson kept his head.

Prior to the feature, he pulled me in for a kiss, telling me I was his good luck charm.

I couldn’t turn him down even if I wanted to.

Tyler, Spencer, Tommy and I made our way to the pit bleachers to watch when Tommy nudged my shoulder as we walked. “You know, some would think you two were dating by the way you act.”

Spencer chuckled, as did Tyler but I wasn’t laughing.

“Shut up fire crotch!”

“I’m justsayin’,” he dodged my swing for him and then leaned in to whisper in my ear. “He’ll come around.”

I choked on my own spit. Tommy had to pat my back as we took a seat.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about. It’s not like that.” I managed to say between coughs.

Tyler and Spencer looked over at me as I continued to choke.

Announcing the drivers for the feature got underway and thankfully no more talk about Jameson and I was mentioned. I knew people had their assumptions,Christ; we couldn’t have appeared any stranger. Here we were best friends, but we touched and kissed all the time. Who wouldn’t think we were together but the thing was,it never escalated. Besides the time in the sleeping bag when we woke up without shirts on, we kept it innocent.

That’s not to say these days I didn’t want things to escalate because boy did I. But that wasn’t us. We were friends. At least this is what I told myself.

For never being at the Chili Bowl before, Jameson received quite the uproar when his name was announced.

When the green flag dropped I was ready to start biting Tommy’s nails if he would have let me and was crushing his hand I was holding in an attempt not to have a nervous breakdown with the insane battle between him and Alex Reed for sixth by half way through the race.

Jameson had pulled his usual lagging back until half way and then became like a different driver. The caution came out soon after that for Jimi when he tagged the wall after his right rear blew.

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