♛Cameron Dawson♛

I watch as Harley gives her all into keeping control of the car as she speeds along the black and windy road. In just a few weeks, Harley has accomplished the skill of racing. I can't even wrap my head around how good she is at it. Harley definitely has a natural talent for racing and is going to be an incredible racer, no doubt.

When the car skids to a halt and she looks over at me expectantly, I give her a wide smile. "You're a natural."

She rolls her eyes with a smile before turning the engine of the car off and leaning her head against the car seat. I watch the action, wondering what's going through her head. I know we're both on edge, and being a lot more aware of our surroundings, since the dress incident. I was so lucky I decided to show up early or else I would never have seen her lying on the floor. I was worried sick when I realized she couldn't move and when she started crying I panicked because I had no idea what was wrong. I didn't even think before I ran the bathtub for her and put her inside, ripping the dress- that was clearly covered in some chemical that burnt her- off. I was so frightened I couldn't even focus on the fact that I had basically undressed her. Then she told me it was from me even though it wasn't. Harley's gone through more than one incident that is suspicious over the last few weeks so it's no wonder we're both concerned. And now- knowing that whoever the sick bastard who is playing games with us knows where she lives and that we had a date that night- only worries me more. Frank, too, is concerned and is looking into the situation, trying to link it all together. But like he previously said- we don't really have much evidence to offer.

"Stop staring at me." I hear Harley mutter and I smirk.

"Sorry that my girlfriend is so breathtaking." I say sarcastically and she peeps at me through her one eye before we both chuckle. She falls silent again and wrings her hands in her lap, obviously nervous over something. My eyes narrow. "What's wrong?" I ask and she glances at me before sighing.

"I want to race." Is what she blurts out. My eyebrows raise before I frown.

"You want to have a legitimate race at the track?" I clarify and she nods. I stare back at her, trying to make out if she's kidding when I realize she isn't. She's dead serious. I feel surprise light up my features. It's not that I don't think she can do it but rather that I'm worried about whether she's rushing into this. Firstly, she's petrified of the dark. How is she going to race? And secondly, does she really want to enter the world of illegal racing? She'll never be able to live it down. I voice my concern to her and she frowns.

"I'm tired of letting my phobia run my life Cameron. I'm going to have to face it sometime. And yes, I want to race at the track- I haven't being scared off so far- and I want to race on Friday."

I purse my lips at her.

"What would you bet?" I ask. Harley doesn't have a car to bet on and I know she doesn't have the money either.

"Money."

I give her a curious glance. "How much?"

She kisses her teeth. "Thirty thousand."

My eyes widen and I give her a dubious look. She wants to bet thirty thousand on her fist race? Wow. She really is coming out with the big guns. However, I'm not too sure it's a smart idea.

"I know it's a lot but wouldn't it make people take me more serious at the track? If I start out on top, I'll always be viewed on top." She explains, her eyes watching to try and gauge my reaction. I purse my lips. What she's saying is true- if she bets that much money and ends up winning, she'll always be viewed as a good racer since most newcomers bet very little.

"How are you going to do it at night?" I ask with concern and she shrugs.

"I have to do this Cameron." Her voice is urgent and I frown. "Face my fear I mean."

I mill over it. I know she's capable of winning and if she thinks she can do it, I'm not going to deprive her of the opportunity. However, as much as I'm extremely proud that she's being brave enough to try and face her fear, I also don't want her to rush it. Because for some reason I feel like she's being a bit hasty- and she's never hasty.

"Do you even have that money?" I ask and she averts her gaze, giving me an answer without having to say anything.

"I was hoping you would, erm..." she trails off.

I don't mind giving her the money, I really don't- it's not like it'll hurt me- but I know she'd rather be betting on her own money so it only makes me think that she really is being hasty.

"You'll get it back if I win. If I don't, I'll figure a way to try and pay you off." She suggests and I shake my head.

"I don't mind giving you the money. I just don't want you to rush into something you don't feel comfortable with."

She nods her head, her hair falling into her eyes. "I know, Cameron, and I'm not rushing into it. I need to go ahead and do it before I completely chicken out. That's why I want to race Friday."

I purse my lips. "Okay. I'll make sure to speak to Emery 'cause he likes to know his racers."

Harley throws herself at me, her arms wrapping around me in a tight grip and I respond with winding my arms around her waist. "Thank you so much Cameron."

I kiss the side of her head and she pulls back with a giddy smile before glancing at the sky.

"Are you up for your first night lesson?" I ask her and I see the smile on her face falter slightly as she gulps. She recovers quickly though and nods her head.

"Better now than never."

****

Harley and I keep practicing until the sky darkens. It's only then that I see the anxious and uncomfortable look on Harley's face. Her hands grip the wheel in a vice like grip as she stares out into the never ending darkness.

"It's just like you've done it every other time Harley. Now it's just darker." I try to reassure her. I can't relate- or even begin to imagine- how nervous she feels like that because I've never had an issue with racing at night however, if Harley really wants to do this then she needs to try and put her fear aside.

She lets out a shaky breath. "I have to do this." She mutters and she starts the car up. "I think I'm going to vomit." She confesses and I grip her shoulder to force her to look at me.

"Hey." I say sternly, looking at her hazel eyes that swirl with emotion. "I'm right here."

She gulps, kissing her teeth before looking back at the road and slowly stepping on the gas. She does it steadily but I can see the nerves in her eyes- how scared she is of doing this. We pick up speed before we're soon gliding down the street with Harley focused purely on the task at hand.

I wish I could take her phobia away from her- allow her to live freely without having that looming over her head. However, that can't be done unfortunately.

She moves the car along the road and although it isn't as smooth or effortless as her racing usually is, it's still better than I was expecting. When the familiar curve comes across, she switches gears before turning the steering wheel. However, the car seems to glide off of the road and onto the gravel. Due to the darkness, it's hard to see where we're going and other than the fact that the car twists uncomfortably, we wouldn't know we're completely off of the road. I sense Harley's panic but am unable to comment on it when she suddenly changes the gear again and presses on the exhilarator while twisting the steering wheel in an attempt to straighten the car.

The gravel beneath the tires loosen, making it hard to take off, and Harley grits her teeth in frustration, pressing her foot further into the exhilarator. The speed meter climbs higher and higher and I open my mouth to tell her to just stop the car when she manages to get the car back onto the road. The car swerves from the sudden speed and Harley steadies it, her breathing heavy, before she stops the car after driving a little further.

When she stops the car, I can't help but look at her in awe. It wasn't perfect, yes, and she nearly lost control, yes, but she actually did it. She pulled herself together and kept going- that's what she needs to do with racing because sometimes it's often a matter between life or death.

"I did it." She whispers, staring at her trembling hands. I find my lips curling up. "I actually did it!"

Her face is one of shock, like she can't believe it and when she suddenly bursts into tears, I cannot help but frown.

"I actually did it." She manages to mumble through the tears and I pull her into my chest, stroking her hair. I don't say anything to her as she cries tears of happiness and shock.

She truly is capable of anything.

****

After numerous practices in the late evening and at night with Harley and many almost panic attacks, today is finally Friday which means Harley will be racing.

After she succeeded in racing for the first time in the dark, it was like she had a newfound set of determination to push herself. Besides the fact that I had to calm her down a few times, she surprisingly handled it well. We also practiced for a lot longer than usual- mainly because I could see how much Harley wanted to excel and we often stopped to have a few make out sessions- so I'm fairly confident in how her race today is going to go.

However, even though she was amazing at practice, a legitimate race and practice are two very different things and I hope that Harley doesn't lose her cool or end up competing against a dirty racer who will make it difficult for her. When I had asked Emery if he minded Harley racing, he was immediately impressed that she was willing to give it go so he was all for it.

Caleb, Audrey and I are all here to support her and I really hope that it goes well. I remember how frightening and stressful my first race was and I'm hoping that- due to Harley's knowledge- she won't have to go through with that.

I lead her by the hand to my garage and Harley looks up to me with a curious look.

I had told her that I would arrange a car for her to race in, because she can't exactly race in her car. When we enter into the pristine area, I let go of her hand.

"Pick one." I say and she looks at me with wide eyes.

"What?"

"Pick the one you want." I repeat and she looks at all my cars in admiration.

"I don't know. Which one do you think will be the best to race in?" She asks and I smile softly. I have two dozen cars and it wouldn't hurt to let her have one. She deserves one after all. This car can help her start her own collection of cars.

"Don't choose one just to race in. I want you to choose one that you'll want to keep and use every day." I say and her eyes widen to the size of saucers.

"Are you serious?" She asks incredulously and I smile. Before I can react, she throws her arms around me and squeals in my ear.
"Thank you so much Cameron."

I chuckle. "You haven't even picked one."

She pulls back with a wide smile before turning to the cars with a thoughtful expression on her face. She walks between them and I immediately notice the car she's moving to, already having guessed it would be her first choice. She stops beside a charcoal coloured 1967 Mustang and she gives me an innocent smile. I laugh at her adorableness, heading towards the keys hanging on a rack on the wall, pulling one off and throwing it to her. She catches it and looks down at the keys before glancing up at me.

"I can't take this Cameron." She finally declines. "You've worked hard to get these cars. I need to work hard, too."

I shake my head. "You need a car to start off with. Besides," I shrug casually as I approach her. "I want to give one to my girlfriend."

She looks back down at the keys and I can sense the hesitation on her face before I clip her chin and make her look up at me. Different emotions swirl through her eyes and I notice how nervous she is.

"Take it Harley. You deserve it." I mumble and her shoulders slump in defeat before she drops her head onto my chest where she sighs. I wrap my arms around her.

"What did I do to deserve you?" She mumbles and I feel my heart swell. If only she knew how much I didn't deserve her.

"You deserve the world."

She looks up to me with a smile and I grin as she jingles the keys in her hands. She grins before running a hand over her car. I watch the moment, savouring it to memory so that I can always remember the beginning of her journey.

"You should pull it out before your race." I say and at the mention of her race, her smile falters slightly.

"Yeah."

After I move the Dodge in front of the Mustang and Harley pulls it out, I park the Dodge back in my garage and close the doors. I head back to Harley and check my watch. She is in for the third race and the first race is about to start in fifteen minutes. She leans against the car and glances at the crowd beginning to form on the road.

"You're going to be okay." I feel the need to reassure her. She looks back at me while kissing her teeth and she nods.

Before I can tell her that she's going to be amazing out there, Audrey and Caleb walk towards us. Audrey immediately pulls Harley into a hug after greeting me and I turn to Caleb who gives me a wide smile.

"Hey man." He pats my back.
I nod in greeting. He glances at our giggling girls. "So? Harley racing, huh?" He asks and I nod, glancing at her briefly.

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm sure she'll be great since you taught her."

I smile at his words but shake my head. If Harley wins, that's all on her. All I've done is encourage her and add to her knowledge but her actual ability and determination is on her.

"Nah bro. Harley deserves all the credit."

Caleb chuckles. "Always so humble Dawson."

I roll my eyes at Caleb before I hear a familiar name calling Harley. I look over my shoulder to see Emery walking towards us. I turn to him and he nods his head at me. "Hello Cameron." He greets and I smile.

"Emery."

He smiles at Audrey and Caleb before turning to Harley. "Can I speak to you for a second please?" He asks and Harley frowns just before Emery glances at me. I frown in a silent question and he smiles, letting me know nothing is wrong.

"Erm, okay." Harley responds, following Emery off to the side before talking to him. I watch the encounter and notice her smile widely before nodding.

"You're really sweet Cameron." A voice catches my attention and I look to Audrey who is now in front of me.

"Why? Because I gave her a car?" I ask and Caleb gawks at me.

"You gave her the 'Stang?" He exclaims before walking over to the car and glancing at it. I let out a breath of a laugh at his reaction.

"No." Audrey rolls her eyes. "The fact that you've helped her organize the race. Heaven knows she needs it to help her mom pay for the house before they're evicted."

I freeze at her words, my thoughts coming to a standstill.

"What?" I ask and she rolls her eyes.

"I really hope she wins. She needs this y'know? And she'll never forgive herself if she doesn't help her mom." She says looking over at Caleb.

I open my mouth to say something but nothing comes out.

"Come check this out babe." Caleb says to Audrey and she walks away from me.

I look down at the floor and let my mind digest what Audrey's just told me.

Harley is racing because she's helping her mom pay off the house?

No wonder she suddenly just wanted to race, I thought she was being hasty. That's why she wanted to race today and why she's so nervous- because she actually has a lot more on the line here than just a race.

I feel a stab of hurt.

Why didn't she tell me? I would've given her the money or helped her get it somehow. But she didn't.

Does she not trust me enough to tell me something like that?

I feel anger bubble up slightly however, when I remind myself why she's doing this, I feel the anger sizzle away. She's just trying to help her mom and save the house. She should have told me but I'm not going to stand here and let her let Olivia down. If this means a lot to her, then I'll support her.

And I'm going to make sure she has no chance of losing.

"I'll be just a minute." I tell Caleb and he nods, waving me off as he talks about Harley's new Mustang with Audrey.

I make my way to the betting room, knowing just what I have to do.

•••
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