Page 22 of The Player Penalty
That’s news to me. The new rookie starts tomorrow, givingRivers Motorsportsa third driver in the Cup Series.
“Damn. I should send you undercover more often,” I say. Lily is giving convenient information. I’ve been mulling over the plans for a while, wondering whether to approach him. If he’s planning expansion now, it may be an excellent time to start a conversation. “How was school this week?”
Lily unconsciously rubs her legs. Her styled hair is in a loose bun, so she can’t pull at it. “Switching to childhood education might be the first intelligent decision I’ve made in a while. Itturns out school assignments are less of a chore when you aren’t miserable the entire time. Someone explain why I thought a business degree was a good idea.”
“Can’t help you there since I don’t get it myself.” For me, there was only racing. That’s all I’ve wanted to do since I was old enough to understand what it was. My father taught me, and once, I planned to do the same with my kids. That was a dumb fucking plan. “You’ll be a great teacher. Keep it up.”
Switching majors also means another year of her at the office with me, and I’m selfish enough to want that. Lily is the closest friend I’ve had in years. Sarah Rivers and I were friendly enough to hang out in the break room and not much else. Lily enjoys my company for its own sake. We get along, and if someone were to ask me why, I couldn’t answer, only to say we gel in some odd way that I don’t quite understand.
“You think so?” she asks.
“If you can handle me, you can handle a room of screaming brats.”
Lily leans back and narrows her eyes, pretending to inspect me. “You’re not…. horrible.”
“Wow, thanks. Now, drink your soda, and let me watch the race.”
She snorts and promptly ignores my instructions. “Hoping to learn a few things?”
“Yes, actually, I am.” I point at the Xfinity cars. “See how they drive around that oval?” she nods. Her eyes shine, and I feel an urge to stroke one of her cheeks. Instead, I pull my arm from her shoulders to keep both hands fully rooted in my lap. “I’m thinking of copying that same strategy tomorrow. You think it’s worth a shot?”
“I think whatever helps you achieve your goals is worth a shot. You have a lot of ambition in you, Julian. Let’s show the world you can pull it off.”
Lily says that while watching the track instead of paying attention to me. It wasn’t glib or insincere. I’m subjected to a fair amount of empty flattery, mostly from women seeking an evening’s entertainment. Lily said it straight out, with hardly any thought.
“There’s one more thing to show you before the race ends,” I say.
“What’s that?” A fan a few rows above us notices me and alerts his friends. Lily smiles sadly while they congregate around us, all requesting an autograph or offering a compliment over one of my wins. She moves down a few seats to give them room and probably to give herself a breather from so many strangers.
One of my rules is to stay until the last autograph is signed and the final handshake is offered. Like every other sport, NASCAR survives because of its fanbase, and I’m no exception.
“That was my first time seeing you as a superstar,” Lily says as she moves back to her seat. “I always struggle with the spotlight, and you make it seem easy.”
“That’s because it isn’t. See all these grandstands?” I point at the large number to both our left and right. “They’ll cheer me on now and then, boo, if they decide it’s warranted. I constantly stress over my performance, especially knowing every mistake is picked apart and talked over.”
I expect an apology, and instead, Lily grabs my hand and squeezes.
“There’s something else I want to show you,” I say, leading her the dozen or so rows down until we’re next to the track. “Wait for it.”
The speedway is more than loud. The engine roars travel through the ground and into the concrete, and their energy moves through the air. Once a person experiences it live, they become fans for the rest of their lives.
I stand behind her, knowing they’re getting close.
“What are we doing?” she asks.
The cars come. Their speed tears through the space between us and them. Lily loses her footing and falls against me. I grab her waist, steadying us both.
“Well?” I ask once her trembling stops.
“That was exhilarating,” she says. “Let’s do it again.”
Most of her hair escaped their clips. The coat I let her borrow hangs off one shoulder, and her eyes nearly glow.
“One more time. Make sure you hold on to me when they get close.”
She circles my chest, the cars stream past, and I hold her up again.
“Again?” I ask.
