Metal clinked against metal in an old repair shop at the edge of town. At the back end of the garage a man stood in front of a car, his head bent over the engine, hands disappearing in the hood. The name tag on his overalls said 'Scott'.

Scott's face had grease filled wrinkles around his eyes and mouth and smudges of oil were on his nose and in the creases of his forehead. His dark black hair was dotted with silver and his jaw was covered in thick black hair.

The radio was on the music stopped as an announcer came on and began talking at the speed of lightning.

"I'll tell ya folks, if you ever wished you had been at the National street races then today would have been the day! In the last lap Thor, who was the shoe-in as victor, made a bad move and lost his chance at the upcoming Finals in two weeks. Royal created another lucky victory for herself after her horrifying accident earlier this year."

Scott rose from the engine and wiped his forehead with his sleeve, sighing heavily before bending back over the car again.

"We were all pretty worried when Thor's car had crashed into hers during the race, but she came out of it totally unscathed. That's our Royal for you! Don't forget to tune in later tonight for the full recount of the race as we head towards the last two weeks of the National competition. Time and place will be by word of mouth as always, don't let the red and blue shut us down!"

A dark car pulled up to the garage, the engine loud and powerful, causing Scott to rise again from what he was working on. He took one glance at the car and heaved another sigh, dropping the tools and wiping his hands on his overalls. He walked over to the radio and turned it off.

The dark car went silent and Scott walked towards it as the driver emerged slowly, a very sorry look on her face. He circled the car staring at the dust and dirt that covered it until his eyes found the dent in the door.

"I'm sorry." Royal apologized.

Scott knelt down next to the car and pressed his hands on the dent for a moment before rising again, his face stoic.

"You're mad aren't you? I know it was stupid of me to go out there." Scott glared at Royal and she went silent, looking down at her shoes.

"Are you determined to kill yourself Raquel? Or would you rather be arrested?" He asked, pointing to the radio that he had turned off before. Raquel didn't look up at him as she shook her head, she gripped her left arm gently, and readied herself for the yelling she knew was to come.

"You get in a wreck that could have killed you, causing street racing to become illegal, spend three weeks in recovery and then jump behind the wheel again as soon as you get the chance?" Scott's voice rose and Raquel shifted away from him.

"What were you thinking? If this accident today had been just as bad as the last-" He trailed off, and rubbed his hands over his face, leaving streaks of oil across his cheekbones.

"Dad, I'm sorry." Raquel sniffed, a tear falling off her chin. "I know I shouldn't have an excuse but I just..."she sniffled again, "I just wanted one more race before I never had the chance again."

Raquel's dad shook his head and pointed towards a small room off the side of the garage. "Go clean up yourself and set your arm, I'll finish up here and take you home."

Raquel nodded solemnly and shuffled towards the open door, slowly unbuttoning her thick racing jumpsuit with her right hand along the way.

Inside, she slides her left arm out of the sleeve, revealing a thick white cast. She slid her tank top strap off of her bandage wrapped shoulder and began to gingerly unwrap the gauze. With a bit of difficulty, she cleaned the fresh blood from her stitches and applied a new dressing from the first aid kit under the sink.

She did the same for the other two blood soaked bandages along her torso before producing a shirt from the pocket of her jumpsuit and carefully slid it over her head. From the other pocket she removed the sling she had stowed there and looped it around her neck, sliding her arm into it.

With gritted teeth Raquel tied the arms of the jumpsuit around her waist and sank onto the grimy sofa at the end of the room.

Raquel closed her eyes and inhaled slowly before exhaling, trying not to wince at every aching muscle, bruise, and wound on the left side of her body. She listened as her dad drove her car inside the garage and started closing up shop for the night. The familiar sound of clanking metal and the smell of motor oil causes a smile to spread across her face. She remembered all the years spent here in this garage, watching her dad as he worked on cars day in and day out.

It was going to be hard for Raquel to say goodbye to this place. As much as she was looking forward to leaving, she really was going to miss her home in Arizona.

If she hadn't gotten hurt so badly, she would have already been gone, spending her nights driving in the countryside.

Raquel opened her eyes and looked at the calendar that was tacked onto an old cork board behind the register. The words 'Raquel's journey begins' was scratched out and 'Raquel to GA." replaced it. The words glared at her in it's mocking red color and she frowned, wiping a single tear from her face.

This wasn't what she imagined her summer would look like after graduation, but then again, nothing in the last couple of weeks had been anything like what she had imagined in her entire life.

Pictures of Raquel's father next to a sleek old school race car were framed on the opposite wall as the calendar. Trophies and medals from professional race events stood on shelves next to each picture. Raquel smiled, she had grown up with the familiar sight of these trophies and dreamed that someday she might be just like her dad.

Scott poked his head into the room and told her it was time to go. Raquel pushed herself off the couch and after waiting for the pain in her leg to pass, limped stiffly out the door, turning the light off behind her.

They were both quiet on the way home, Raquel sneaking glances at her father along the way, waiting for him to explode again, but he didn't. No words were spoken the entire way home.

When they pulled up to the house, Raquel's dad helped her from the car and they both went inside where the heavenly aroma of baking bread hit their noses. Scott's stiff shoulders relaxed and a smile curled at the side of his mouth.

They walked to the kitchen and found Raquel's mom, Millie, bustling around, stirring the contents of a saucepan before pulling fresh bread out of the oven.

"Perfect timing. I was just about to put supper on the table, would you mind lending a hand Scott?" Millie's accent caused Raquel to smile.

Scott walked across the warm, scent filled kitchen and washed his hands in the basin next to his wife. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek as he dried his hands. Millie smiled up at him and nodded her head towards the steaming bread next to her.

He walked around her and gently removed the bread from the pan and began slicing it on the cutting board.

Raquel limped towards the plates that were sitting on the counter by the sink but her mother stopped her. "What do you think you are doing young lady?" Raquel stopped and looked into her mother's face.

"I'm trying to help out. I can set the table at least." Millie stared at her for a long moment, lips pursed before she nodded and turned back to the stove.

Raquel picked up half the stack of stoneware and brought them to the table. She set them down carefully, and put them in place. After she had set down each of the plates she went back for the rest. Once all six plates, the cutlery and cups were set, Raquel sat in her usual chair at the table and sighed heavily.

"You wouldn't be so tired if you hadn't gone racing today." Raquel stared at her mom in disbelief and then pouted at her dad.

"Don't look at me like that, I wasn't the one who told her, but I should have." Millie touched her husband's arm gently and kissed his cheek.

"Yes, you should have told me." Her gentle expression turned hard as she turned back to Raquel. "You do know that street racing is illegal now right?"

Raquel nodded as she massaged her thigh and opens her mouth, about to reply, when the front door to the house opens and a voice called out,

"Mom, you're killing me. More bread?"

The source of the noise came into the kitchen covered head to toe in dirt. He was the spitting image of his father. His dark wavy hair was pulled back into a bun on the back of his head and his jeans were covered in mud, the unmistakable scent of manure wafted into the room.

"Harvey, you are not taking one step into this kitchen covered in all that dirt and mud. Go wash up and bring your grandparents down, supper is ready." Harvey's once excited face fell dramatically,

"Can't a man just have food before he has to remove the drudge of the day?" Raquel's mom shook her head and he backed out of the kitchen, hands up in defeat until he is out of sight.

"Don't get any of that on the carpet. Just throw it all in the wash when you've changed." Mom called after him. He grunted in response and then thumped up the stairs.

Raquel continued her self massage as her parents whispered quietly to each other by the stove. Out of the corner of her eye she watched as they exchanged a kiss and she looked away with a frown. Her parents were always affectionate but it always made her feel uncomfortable.

A thunder of footsteps come from the stairs and Harvey reenters with their grandparents behind him. His clothes were clean but you could still smell him, he smiled at their parents' linked hands and dropped down into the chair opposite Raquel.

"So Royal, heard you had a killer race today. How'd Thor's face look when you beat him?" At the mention of Royal, Raquel's face broke into a huge grin, but when she saw the disapproving glance from her dad her expression fell and she moved her massaging to her abdomen.

"Heard your race on the radio." Their grandfather, Edward, said in the same accent as her mom before taking his seat next to Harvey. His face wasn't as wrinkled as it should have been for his age, but his head was covered in silver hair, he had kind blue eyes and a gentle face.

"I thought street racing was illegal now, how'd you manage to get such a big race put together?" Their grandmother, Alice, asked in the same accent. If Raquel hadn't known better she would have thought she was younger than Raquel's father with her thick brown hair.

Raquel loved to hear them all talk, their accents sometimes got so strong that you'd have to strain your ears to understand what they were even saying.

"Didn't the announcer mention that you showed up out of the blue? That the race was supposed to be a final practice race for Thor before his professional career?" Harvey asked as their parents took their seats at each end of the table.

Raquel shrugged her right shoulder and slumped as much as her injuries would allow her to in her chair.

"Harvey, no more race talk. It's time to eat." Their mother scolded and Harvey nodded his head obediently, folding his arms across his chest as the others did. Scott said a prayer over their meal and they began to load their plates with the meal Raquel's mother had prepared.

"How is your packing going honey?" Alice asked Raquel after taking her first bite.

Raquel set her fork down, and sipped her water before answering, "I was waiting until I could sit on the floor to do it, but I can barely sit in this chair so I might have to wait a little longer." She grabbed her fork and attempted to spear some chicken with it.

Alice looked at Edward and they exchanged a look that Raquel didn't miss.

"Why?" Raquel asked, wondering if the look they shared meant she wouldn't be leaving with them in two weeks. Alice looks at Millie and she nodded her head slightly. What in the world had they been talking about while Raquel was gone today?

"Your grandfather and I are planning on leaving on Friday this week." Raquel met her grandmother's gaze with hesitancy. "We planned to take you early so you would have more time to rest and relax in the countryside before having to start shifts at the Inn."

Raquel's eyes widened in surprise.

"Really?" she asked.

Everyone but Harvey nodded their heads eagerly at her. Raquel stared at her plate and thought for a minute. They would really want to take her a whole two weeks earlier than planned? What about the National races these next two weeks? She really wanted to compete, and had a good shot at winning, was it worth giving up?

Raquel pictured driving through the countryside, taking the dirt roads faster than necessary, banking left, and then right. It would be a fun experience for sure.

"I think that would be a great idea!" Raquel said with enthusiasm. Harvey choked back a laugh and took a large gulp from his glass.

"Harvey, eat your dinner." Millie scolded.

"What?" Raquel asked as her older brother turned away from the table to clear his throat. He shook his head and picked his fork up, shoveling the rest of his food in his mouth, a loose strand of hair falling over his eyes.

"What?" She asked again, looking at each of them in turn. Seeing their nervous reactions gave her a bad feeling.

"It's just so typical that you didn't see this one coming." Harvey scoffed.

"Harvey," Raquel's mom warned.

"I mean you break the law by racing and think you are getting a free pass when really they are just shipping you off at the first chance they get."

"Harvey!" Scott yelled across the table. Raquel jumped at his raised tone and looked from Harvey's red face to her father's, her heart sinking to her stomach.

"You mean to say that sending me off with grandma and grandpa is my punishment?" Raquel asked quietly, her eyes looking straight at her father's. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and that was all the answer Raquel needed.

"I thought you were sending me there so I could finish my online classes and help out at the Inn? I was actually looking forward to it, but now I'm being sent there as punishment?" The fork in Raquel's hand dug into her skin when she clenched her fist.

"Honey, I thought you had been wanting to go there for years now." Millie asked her gently, her accent soft.

"Well yeah, I always wanted to go to study the landscapes and focus on my art, not necessarily just to work at the Inn, but I thought that would be fun too."

"It will be fun," Her grandmother chimed in "It's not so much a punishment as Harvey is making it out to be than it is a retreat."

Raquel looked at the kind faces of her grandparents, then her mom. They all wanted her to believe that it had been her idea in the first place. That's why they never said anything. They knew she wanted to go, so what better way to get her to accept the consequences of her actions than by taking her to a place she had been dying to go to.

She saw it now. She now knew why Harvey had been so supportive of her decision to go. He knew she was being sent away but didn't have the gall to tell her. He was too afraid that she might find out and want to stay and take away his chance at becoming a professional racecar driver. It all made sense now, but if he had been so afraid, why did he decide to bring it up now?

"Alright." All eyes looked at Raquel, but her eyes were trained on Harvey. "I'll go. But as soon as I am okayed by doctors for full functionality of my leg and arm then I'm coming home. And I'm going to race." Harvey's eyes darkened and the corner of his mouth twitched into a frown. Her eyes bored into his until she looked over at her father. "Professionally." Silence fell over the room and no one dared to say anything.

Raquel squared her shoulders, set her jaw and rose clumsily from the table, the chair scraping on the wood floor beneath her. She exhaled loudly and limped dramatically from the room, her full Royal persona overcoming her usual calm and quiet demeanor. She knew if she had rationalized that all as herself she probably would have cried. She knew that in order to get through the summer, she'd have to be Royal just to survive.