Page 67 of The Player Penalty
I’ve spent the past several races watching them with Sarah and Maddie. So far, I’ve learned Sarah survives off fruit while Maddie nervously keeps her hands occupied.
The seating around Julian’s pit box isn’t very comfortable, with all the noise and people. So, accepting their repeated invitations was a simple choice, especially as Julian was happy enough with me close by until the engine starts.
“As much as I appreciate your parents coming to cheer him on, I wish it wasn’t this one.” Maddie squeezes her eyes shut and rubs at her temples. “Please don’t think I’m ungrateful. It’s very sweet they want to support him, but Boone is already under so much pressure.”
Sarah and Boone have Tom Rivers for a father, a man many consider the best Cup Series driver of all time. He’s mostly retired now, which means Boone has the bulk of the company’s responsibility. I don’t envy him at all.
“It’s difficult keeping proud parents away,” Sarah says, and our eyes meet. “Julian is lucky to have you.”
“Everyone deserves a cheerleader,” I say. Julian’s parents never attend. He drops the occasional hint about them, which is not enough to tell a complete story, but he doesn’t need to. I always had Dad on my side, after all. It was only the two of us, so he always cheered me on, so much so that it was like he wanted to make up for the lack of family in our lives.
Maddie interrupts before Sarah can press, effusively complimenting my every achievement. “We must not be great at it, lounging around here like we are. Oh, look at that. It’s the last lap in the second stage.”
The three of us go silent as Julian’s car pulls up next to the 41. The two cars pace each other, one pulling forward and then the other. Julian pushes, and the distance between them grows from two to three car lengths as his lead grows.
“I think you’re his good-luck charm, Lily,” Sarah says.
Maddie sticks the bowl of kiwi in Sarah’s hands. “He’s having a great season.”
“Julian’s worked hard for it,” I say, unsure any other reason is warranted. He’s earned every point toward the series championship.
Julian keeps his lead several laps into the third stage before low fuel forces him to pit. “He’ll climb back up,” I say confidently. Dad may not care for Julian personally, but he acknowledges his skill at moving up through the ranks. He once told me it’s easy to climb to tenth; the struggle is getting to ninth.
“Cheerleader.” Sarah uses a fork to point at me. “I’m not teasing; it’s good there’s someone on his side. You didn’t know him before, Lily. He’s friendly with everyone. He’d usually act cheery, and then this air of glum would take over. Once last year, he made a comment about his family. This was during my fight with Boone.” She reaches a hand over to Maddie, who accepts it with a squeeze. “I stupidly commented on how difficult family squabbles could be right before him. Julian said he would know better than anyone, considering what happened to him.”
“What happened to him?” They aren’t close; he shared that with me a long time ago. This is the first time it has occurred that there might be more. I always assumed it was because of a terrible childhood. Julian drops the occasional comment about his father, and they’re all equally horrible.
“The cheating scandal.” Sarah’s face blanches. “You don’t know? Oh, hell. Jake is rubbing off on me. I went and popped off without thinking about it.” She waves at Maddie. “Help me, please.”
“Sarah meant to say it’s wonderful you give him support. I believe she was encouraging you to keep it up,” Maddie says.
“Yes, that. You’re good for him,” Sarah says.
I’m not quite as confident about that; mostly, it seems as if he’s good for me. We have our arrangement, which I intend to completely enjoy - right up until the end. He’s a great friend, and I genuinely enjoy hanging out with him. We went for a late-night snack run last week and giggled like little kids the entire time.
I check out the leaderboard, noting Julian has already moved back up to ninth place with forty laps to go. He’s not available to answer my question.
“What cheating scandal?” I ask.
25-Julian
“How do I look?” Lily tucks the headset behind her ear before fiddling to get the right fit.
“Like you need your clothes ripped off.” She swallows back a laugh and licks her lips. I pretend to be confused. “Oh, you mean the sign on your back? It’s fantastic. An excellent fashion statement.”
“You have one on, too, you know.” The annual go-kart race might be my favorite race of the year, even if I’m not the one behind the wheel. It’s fun and lighthearted, a way to compete without the typical high stakes. This year,RMShas three teams entered, while Jake and Sarah compete under their new company’s name for the first time.
“How long do we have? I want to see my dad before it starts.”
“Five minutes.”
She forgets to say goodbye and leaves me standing alone. It was a surprise the first time it happened, but now I realize she shifts gears without even realizing it.
One of my favorite pastimes is indulging Lily. When she isn’t available, my other one is antagonizing Boone Rivers. Luckily for me, Jake has already started the job.
“Let’s make a bet. Whoever loses has to throw the race on Sunday,” Jake says. His cocky smile tells me how much joy the conversation brings him.
Boone pinches the bridge of his nose. “That’s unethical, and I’m not that dumb.”
