Page 69 of The Player Penalty
“Thirsty?” I remove the cap before handing over a water bottle. “Can I get you anything else?”
“Our enemy’s tears.”
I shake my head while pride fills me. I get to see this part of Lily all the time, and it’s breathtaking. My guts still twist up afterrecalling my initial impression of her. I don’t remember a time in my life when I’ve been so glad to be wrong.
“There’s a good chance you’ll get that. Are you looking for tears from anyone in particular or the entire field?”
“We can be reasonable about this,” she says, returning the empty bottle. “Most of them.”
“We’ll do that. Now get back out there.” I slap the kart to make this part extra authentic, and she takes off.
Sarah and Maddie are both still in their pit boxes. What did I say about the first loser?
∞∞∞
“Three laps to go.” I scratch at my jaw, telling myself to remain calm. Early confidence leads to dumb moves, and the race isn’t ours. Yet. “The next one is hugging the right wall. Speed around the turn and brake.”
Lily does so, and her appearance surprises the other racers. Her foot slides off the pedal, allowing Lily to pass.
“Did you see that? We crushed her.”
I’ve created a monster. I love it. “One more. Keep it up, and the opportunity will appear.”
“Where is she?”
I check out the course and count the number of turns. “A quarter lap ahead of you.”
“We can’t do second, Julian.”
“We won’t, sweetheart. Keep going, and let me be your eyes.” Lily slowly gains, but the final lap grows closer. “There’s nothing yet.”
“Is this it?” Her disappointment is loud over the headset.
“Maybe,” I start, taking another scan with the binoculars. “She hit the wall. Gogogogo.”
Lily takes her final turn and passes, putting her in first place.
Unbelievable.
“I knew we would win,” she says, crossing the finish line.
∞∞∞
“Come here.” I swing her in my arms. “Look at us. Two-time champions.”
Sarah and Maddie take turns hugging her, commenting on how they tried their best, but the pedals didn’t work, the steering wheel fell off, and the brakes locked up.
They make a great team, just not a winning one.
Later, after the plastic trophies are handed out, we wind up under a giant canvas tent with 80s pop songs and some appetizers for entertainment.
I sip the sweet fruit punch and observe Lily talking with her father. She’s likely giving him a detailed account of the race all the way up to her fantastic win. Pete picks up the small trophy, holding it with the same care he would one for the cup championship. He listens carefully, smiling with pride over her every word.
It’s odd in some ways. He’s gruff with everyone in the garage and always demands perfection. With Lily, he gives nothing but love and patience. She has her own struggles, but we led very different childhoods in this regard.
“I thought we had it this time.” Jake takes the seat next to me. “You two were good today.”
Jake’s challenge is convincing his partner to care. Sarah views it as fun with her best friend instead of a competition.
