WINNING MEANT NOTHING ANYMORE. NOT when you didn't have someone to share it with.

I spent the better part of the trip coughing up a lung in the front seat of Bear's truck, my throat scratching like burning pistons with no oil. All his hand sanitizing didn't help my mood either.

We woke at the ass crack of dawn, loaded the bikes and headed out after my dad lost his shit on me the day before when I told him I might not be able to make it to the final race.

That was a big mistake on my part. I was required to race this weekend. Rain, snow or fucking fever-ridden, it didn't matter. If I wasn't there, I was dead.

We pulled into the pit lane, checked in with the mechanics and coaches, then Morin and Bear dragged my ass across the lot toward the tents, where we were told to register, greet fans and sign some swag.

The last place I wanted to be was here. My body ached, and my head throbbed, but I was a professional, as my asshole dad reminded me, and I wouldn't bitch.

Morin glanced sidelong. A backwards hat fitted over his bald head, his black and white jersey freshly washed and ready to go. "How's Baker?"

No one said a word or dared to ask questions when I showed up last night. Sicker than a fucking dog. Baker was the talk of the racing community, and because I was there, I was dragged into it. Especially after that prick, Jace called nearly everyone I knew in search of my number.

Bear eased in a bit at Morin's murmured question, tearing his attention from a blonde who caught his eye. Apparently, Baker's condition was more important.

"She's fine," I answered, lips pursed and eyes narrowed against the low-hanging sun.

I checked in with her via text this morning before we left. I couldn't call. Not with my dad lurking, and I wasn't about to put my relationship with Baker or lack thereof, on display for Bear and Morin's entertainment. The teasing I didn't mind. It was the warnings they'd given after they bore witness to my dad's scolding lecture the night before.

Bear scratched the tip of his nose with a thumb, his gaze falling to his boots. "Word is Jace is pissed."

"It's none of Jace's fucking business," I snapped, my reply as gravelly as the road crunching under my boots. "They're not even together."

"He was calling like they were," Bear replied. "Hey, Morin. Like we had any fucking clue what was going on."

I scoffed. Jace didn't want information on Baker's well-being. He didn't give a shit. Jace wanted to know what was going on with me because what he hated more than anything was the fact that Baker and I were together that night.

We rounded the corner, the tents in sight, when a loud resounding bark seized. "Hunt!"

For fuck sake.

I turned slowly, finding Jace and half his team practically sprinting towards me. "What the hell happened?"

I waited till he closed the distance. "You'll have to be more specific."

"With Nadine, you bastard."

He glared eye to eye, nose to nose.

I didn't move. "You have a phone. Why don't you ask her?" Or her dad, I thought. Jace was the fucking wonder boy. I was surprised Nick Baker didn't bring him along that night.

"I tried," he snarled. "She's not answering my calls."

"She answered mine."

Jace snatched my arm, whirling me back around when I made to leave.

Morin grasped my shoulders, stopping me from retaliating. "You think you mean anything to her, Hunt!" Jace roared.

Bear and a few others rushed between.

"I showed up," I spat, being pushed from all angles. "I wasn't out fucking her best friend!"

I didn't give a shit who was watching. I was sick of it. All of it.

I clenched my fists, trying to shove past Bear. He didn't budge. "Stop," he barked, refusing to move. "He's not worth it."

Maybe not, but he'd picked the fight, and I wasn't about to lie down. Not anymore.

In the chaos, Lilly Bell shoved her way through, but it wasn't me she snapped at. "Calm the fuck down, Wynters."

She pushed him back–hard, and the team quieted, the tension between them astronomical.

A muscle in Jace's jaw feathered, his gaze red hot.

"Go!" she shouted, pointing a long arm. "Jessica's waiting for you."

Jace glared.

"Yeah, Jace," I said, jabbing my chin over Lilly's braided head. "Jessica's waiting."

He nearly shoved Lilly aside. "You think Nadine's really gonna stay with you, Hunt?" The others reacted, snatching him before he could advance. "You're nothing but a night! A rebound."

"Better a night than a cheating piece of shit," I growled, Morin's fingers digging into my shoulders.

His jaw clenched—the others trying to force us apart. "She's hurting right now, and as soon as she snaps out of it, she'll bail. You know why?"

I didn't answer.

"Because she's using you to get to me. Because she knows you'll do anything for a win, just like your fucking dad."

Morin snatched me before I could lunge. "Chill, Hunt. One wrong move, and you're done."

I knew he was right, but I couldn't help it.

"Nothing good can come out of you two being together," Jace hollered as the others forced him back. "You're just too blind to see it."

Lilly whipped around. "Let it go," she urged, pushing me back.

I let her. More because I knew what would happen if Jace and I fought. I'd be blamed not because I started it but because of who my dad was. Who I was by default.

I conceded though it wasn't without effort. I shoved Morin off me, storming back toward the trailer.

"Hunt," he called, but I didn't answer, not with the blood roaring in my veins.

Lilly followed. "How is she?" She, as in Nadine.

I glared sidelong. "Ask your uncle," I snapped, not in the fucking mood to deal with anyone else from Nadine's team or her family.

"I'm asking you," she snarled, cutting me off.

I did my best to reign in my temper. I didn't know Lilly Bell. I was never given the chance. Whenever Linda would take us out, she'd only ever bring Nadine. I assumed it was because Lilly was younger, only by a year, give or take a few months.

She stood ramrod straight, her ten-foot-tall attitude making up for her height. "I know you were with her."

"So?"

"So I want to know what's going on. Nico said you were there when it happened."

I cracked a humourless smile. "It's none of your business."

She arched a thin brow. I didn't care. I was so done with all the questioning.

I made to walk away when she sidestepped, blocking my path. "Nadine's like a sister to me, do you understand? It's my job to make sure she's okay."

My anger turned molten. "If you cared about her so much, you would have told her about Jace."

"He was supposed to tell her," she defended, her green eyes like the hottest flame. "I didn't know what was going on. Not till Nadine and Jace broke up. And even then, I wasn't sure."

"Bullshit. You were there at the cliffs that night. You saw them together."

"He gave her a ride."

"I bet he did."

Lilly Bell snapped. "I told her what I saw! Every time they were together, I reported it! And every time I did, it was like a little piece of Nadine died."

She continued. "Did you stop to consider that maybe Nadine knew all along? She isn't stupid, Hunt. She had a lot on her plate. We all did. It was easier just to pretend."

Because they needed something to look forward to when the end came. Or someone.

My heart sank. Nadine hoped Jace could fill the void. And when he didn't, I conveniently stepped in.

I glanced toward Bear and Morin, fear clinging to my insides. Would Nadine bail? Would she leave me if Jace ended it with Jessica? I wanted to say no, but if what Lilly said was true...

"We went through hell," Lilly went on, taking me from thought. "Was it wrong to hope we could continue with our lives? And go back to the way things were?"

I didn't have the heart to tell her that wasn't possible. It didn't matter what they did. Nothing would ever be the same.

"Nadine deserved to know," I said without a sliver of remorse. Not for Lilly. "And you should've been the one to tell her."

I walked away and didn't look back.

***

I could feel Jace's sidelong gaze as I drove up to the track. Could hear the roar of his engine as my own idled beneath me.

I had enough and was seconds from channeling all my rage into smoking his ass. But I couldn't shake his words from my thoughts. Or Lilly's. They stuck to me, scrapping beneath the intruding conversation that elbowed its way into the fray. The one my dad and I had the night before.

I grated my teeth as the storm in my head raged louder than the bikes next to me.

My dad warned me about getting too close to Nadine. She was a distraction in his eyes, and I'd done nothing to prove him wrong. I hadn't been on my game since we started hanging out.

Morin clasped my shoulder reassuringly, leaving me to click my gear in second as he backed away.

Thoughts of the hospital came to mind, of Nick Baker and his son. They didn't want me with her either. No one did.

My racing heart dimmed as the checkered flag went up.

Maybe it was time I came to terms with it and accepted that Nadine and I were never meant to be.

As much as it hurt, it was better this way. Safer for her heart and mine. No one would ever accept us. We weren't even together, and they were doing everything they could to ensure we'd never get there. 

The flag dropped, and I released my break, earning the holeshot and putting it all onto the track.

A/N: Don't listen to them Hunt!!

A/N: (October 2022) Sorry, this chapter took forever. The short film has been taking up most of my time. It premieres Saturday!

Thank you guys for being so patient! I appreciate you all so much!!!