Page 3 of Crash Course Omega
230. 275. 300kmph. Both of us in top gear, our engines screaming.
And finally, right when it doesn’t matter, Jaxx pulls back.
We’re seconds from the finish line. The Ox and Warren are already through, and the crowd goes wild.
I glance at Jaxx, and he lifts two fingers, giving me a firm salute as I zoom past.
I stick my hand up from the cockpit, a middle finger raised at the asshole who cost us the race as I speed across the line in third place.
Maddock
“You asshole!” I shout as the deep thud of my fist connecting with my teammate’s face shudders through my body.
Gasps rip around us and people instantly run to help Jaxx as he stumbles backward, clutching his face.
My hand bursts in pain, but Jaxx would get off worse, and a snarl tears from me as I raise my fist again. But he just bursts out laughing.
We’ve already been to the cool-down room, where one of the Blue Ox’s almost exploded at the Warren driver. All of us were hyped up on pheromones and the thrill of the race, and the cool-down room was meant to help us get our shit together before we stood on the podium to celebrate, but I was stewing so fuckinghard over Jaxx that downing a bottle of ice water and some stretches didn't make a difference.
It’s tradition that we spray champagne on every podium win. Which just left me dripping in cold champagne, doing nothing to help me calm the fuck down.
“I could have won! I would have won that if you had just fucking moved!”
Jaxx straightens himself up, clutching his left cheek.
“Hey, at least you didn’t come second!” he says, his southern drawl grating against my ears.
Jaxx can’t help but draw looks wherever he goes, with his classic blonde hair and blue eyes.
Two of the alpha crew stand by him, and I know they’d fucking try it if I went for him again. It wasn’t the first time I’d punched him, and probably not the last either.
The crew is dismantling our cars, but everyone had tensed up as I entered, snarling like a bear.
The whole crew is decked in white and green suits of the Grace team colors, and the bright red blood shows as it drips from Jaxx’s nose.
Even though the sun is setting, it is still forty degrees in the garage, and I need to breathe.
Jaxx just gives me one of his winning smiles that gets him all the advertising spots as he presses his sleeve against his nose to stem the bleeding.
“Maddock, if you'd tried it, you would have crashed us out. I watched your training sessions, I knew where you were going with that hairpin. We finished third and fourth. That's enough to get us ahead for next weekend.”
“Next weekend isn't now! I could have finished first if you’d just let me pass!”
He shrugs, plucking an ice pack an assistant rushes out with. They are actually celebrating the fact we lost Brazil for another year.
“Maybe think about that halfway through the race instead of right at the end when it doesn't matter,” he says casually.
I snarl at him again, but he just smirks before he pushes the ice pack against his cheek. I couldn’t punch him again like that.
Jaxx swans off, waving a hand behind him, and the team casually goes back to tearing down the car and getting ready to pack it all up to ship to Vegas.
I snap as I kick a stack of car tires, hurling my helmet at the floor. It cracks off the ground, bounces against the wall, and echoes through the room.
The team watches me out of the corner of their eyes as they try to stay busy, waiting to see which way I am going to go.
But it’s the still, heavy look from Everest, our pit stop boss, that pulls me back. He always makes me feel guilty when I kick off. Everest loves cars more than anything else, and hitting Jaxx on the last lap means I am on his shit list. I don’t want to lose another friend because of my temper, but even I know I can be a fucking idiot sometimes.
My contract with the Grace team is winding down. My second-place wins aren’t enough to show our sponsors that I’m still a good investment when I burn through tires like matches and throw my fists too easily off the grid. I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t control myself when Jaxx pulls stunts like that.
