"I don't think it's worth all that." I said, as I moved past the cars, retaining the same speed and distance.

I had managed to get the fiftieth lap done and I asked Robert the time. He told that it was five in the evening. I had doubled over on hearing the news. There was yet twenty more laps to go while I had already killed two hours of time, circling the same spots like a vulture.

"Its not about that, babe." Robert's voice grew soft at my doubts. "Its more to prove that you have the ability to think and react to the changing circumstances faster than others. Of course, if you think otherwise, I can totally understand."

"Hey!" I laughed. He had once again veered my anxieties in another direction, successfully bringing a small smile on my lips as a plus. "Twenty more to go."

"You are in the fifth place now." He said. "Don't you want anyone to know who Wild is?"

"I am!" I said a little possessively. The name Wild, even though was christened for me without my knowledge, was growing on me. It was like a tattoo that had become a disaster at first but now, I wanted to keep it as a souvenir. "Do you want me to drive like a Wild?"

"Just don't say these things to any other racer, Scarlet." Robert said, his voice teasing me. "I don't know what they have to say for that. With me, you know, you can always be Wild. In fact, I like the Wild you."

A tiny, but deep blush grew on my cheeks on listening to him. I did a mistake of looking away to settle my blush down, when another car, hit the wheels from behind. I didn't know what kind of things that one particular car was possessing, but I knew I had popped my tyres.

"I think he popped my tyre." I said, my voice panicky. "I'm coming over."

As I made my way back to the tracks, though the tyres were replaced, I knew I had lost time. With only ten more laps to go, I didn't know where I stood. Though Rob was not seen anywhere, I knew he was tensed too.

"You give your best, Stone." Robert said. "Let them do whatever they want. Make sure that your car is a little further apart from other cars."

"Okay."

The rest of the laps were smooth as I steered away from other cars. I was back in my spot while the one that popped my tyre was at the second position. When I raced further and reached the third place at the next apex, I saw that the one who was at the leading spot had a flat tyre after a bump with the second guy.

It was only two more laps to go when I was still leading in the third row while a red and the pop-expert was at the first.

"I'm going in." I declared. "It's a shame that NOS is not there in this car."

Robert didn't tell anything back but waited for the laps to be done. It was nail-bitingly challenging as I shared the second position with the red one. 

I shifted the gears and applied hand break, accordingly, making sure that I was at least in phase with the guy. The red one, was pretty strong for someone who went to the pit only once. I personally had gone thrice already.

"I'll go in speed. I think he has some pointy object that's popping the tyres of other contestants." I observed.

"You concentrate on yours." He said, angry that I had taken much notice of his car. "Let him handle his. You cannot afford to change tyres in your every boost."

"I know!" I said. "I only did that once!"

"Fine, no time for arguing now." He said.

I zoomed past the red car and stood in line with the green one. I could see his opaque helmet turn to my side and I was sure that he was smirking beneath it. 

I had my accelerator pressed to its maximum, pushing my car to its best limit. The last apex was a little trickier and when he went further ahead, not wanting to turn, I knew he was aiming for a late apex.

"Rob, I think I'm going to do something really wild." I said, a smirk on my face intact.

Without wanting to follow the traditional rules of apex, I went straight ahead with full speed. I shifted the gear to its maximum limit overtaking the green. I still had to turn right to get to the finish line and I saw things going in slow motion.

I had followed all the rules that Robert had laid down on me. I had made sure that none of the other cars were within a small distance around me. I was leading now, but the only difference was I was going straight when in reality, I should have been moving right.

"What the heck are you doing, Stone?" Robert asked and I was sure he was pulling his curly hairs on his head.

I let a small smirk play on my lips because, this time, I knew what exactly I was doing. As I stood perpendicular to the turn, I pulled the hand break down and turned the steering to my right putting all my strength into it. The speed with which I made the turn was risky, but I clung on the wheel like a viper, as my body shifted left due to inertia.

I had pulled it off, beautifully and without a mistake.

I had fucking drifted.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"He's making the turn now. He looks faster though." Robert said.

I removed the hand break and pressed on the accelerator, noticing that it was only a few meters to reach the end. My hands ached with all the effort I had put in, but I kept pushing. I shifted the gear to its maximum and hoped for the best.

The green one had caught up with me and we were parallel to each other. Thankfully, he stood half a foot apart of me. Within seconds, we both completed the race and the crowds shouted and screamed, but the winner was still a mystery.

"Did I get it?" I asked, my breathing ragged as I slowed down the vehicle and went inside the infield.

"They are putting up on the monitor." Robert said. "That was one hell of a driving, Scarlet. I'm proud that you learnt it from me."

"I'm tensed here, Rob." I said, a smile already dancing in my eyes. "Don't make me laugh."

In the monitor, we both had come to the finish line at the same time, but the green blotch had come one fourth of a second faster than me and he had bloody won.

"Shit, man." I hit the steering wheel hard, not caring if I was having a purple bruise on it in another half hour. "All that for nothing."

"Look at the screen, love." Robert said, his voice light and carefree.

As I looked up, trying my best not to let those humiliated words affect me, I saw a big 'FOUL' written on the screen with the green car next to it. They played a video of how it had affected the tyre changes in a few cars including mine.

"So, that means...?" Robert left the words hang.

'WILD WON!' was written on the next pop-up, answering all our questions.

---

"You did it!" Calvin came first, leaving over the window of the car, as if he couldn't believe that I had actually won the damned race. "Oh, it's going to get so much publicity!" He whispered more to himself than to me, as he gave hard pats on my back.

"Scar!" Dan and Luke were next. "The last thing you did there was so wicked!"

I laughed and gave fist bumps to everyone who was there and helped me with the technical stuffs. "I wouldn't have it done without Luke changing my tyres that fast." I nudged Luke's shoulder.

As I made my way out of the car with my crew beside me, I pulled my hair lose and put on my dark sunglasses on. With a cap on top of my head, I knew that no could recognize me and a dual life would still be there for me.

I was taken away from the crowd as my name 'Wild' was being chanted all the while. A small trophy was presented to me at the stage, cheering on my tricks and telling how brave I was to stick away from the normal rules that were supposed to be followed in them. In reality, I was just lucky enough not to get a penalty for that alone.

I was made to stay in the same outfit till all the formalities were completed. I was given a champagne bottle to spritz it all over once the distribution of the trophy was done. I was made to stand on the podium, making sure that I had waved to the growing fan base.

Of course there was a grand party organized by the VS people and I had to attend it. Thankfully, I had brought a pair of cloths to change after the race. Though it was not party worthy, I was sure I would be okay. My track suite was already sweaty, grimy and sticky with all the champagne.

As I reached my tent, Robert was not there to congratulate me. Though it pricked me, I let it go. I was sure he was tired of the flight and his races. I heaved a sigh and got into the comfortable clothes that I had brought along. It was a simple white lacy top and a blue jean.

I walked outside where Calvin was waiting for me. His coat was back in its place and he had regained his demeanor like one's manager should. His cooling glasses for the night screamed business and I didn't know if it was a good thing. As soon as he saw me outside, balancing my bag on one shoulder, he walked towards me with a small smile on his face.

"Ready to party?" Calvin asked and before I could answer him, he started speaking again. "Dan is getting the car, just get inside it." He tucked me by my forearm as if I was his prodigy child, making me learn all the rules at once. He looked at me as he walked, pulling me along with him. "Could have dressed better, don't you think? That's a little under-dressed for the party."

"This is comfortable." I pouted, a little offended by his words.

"You are going to be on TV, Scar." He shook his head, as if thinking it was better to shut his mouth than give lectures about my attire for the day. "Anyway, get in the car."

"What about my Dad and friends?" I asked. If I was going away for a party, which I knew was a funeral party, what about the people for whom I had bought tickets? What about the guy who had given me tips and tricks during my race? "Where is my earpiece?"

"Yeah, yeah." Calvin rolled his eyes and I wondered if I had known Calvin at all. A small car came to the place where we were standing. Without looking at the driver, Calvin opened the passenger door and literally pushed me in. "They're all going to be there. You go ahead, I'll catch you in the next car."

"Hey, Star!" Dan said, looking at me from the rear-view mirror. "Few hours back you were only a school kid, now you are a racer. How does that feel?"

Dan started the car and to his right, Luke sat with a grin on his face. As long as these two were there, I got a bit comfortable and I started to relax.

"It makes me feel like a celebrity." I said, pretending to be in a dreamland. "If it was not for you guys, then I don't know what would become of me. Wait, this is on record, right?"

Dan laughed while Luke smirked looking ahead of him.

"You forgot to mention my charm." Dan remained.

"Yes!" I agreed. "That special key chain was like my pole star, getting me the win. I owe it all to you Daniel."

Dan laughed. "Thank you, sweetheart." He looked at me in the mirror once again, his eyes dancing mischievously. "But there are other ways to owe me." His wink was hard to miss.

I chuckled, leaning forward to hit him on his shoulder for pulling out innuendos on me. As I hit him, the pain on my hands, which was silent till now, shot up my spine and the muscles ached. It was the result of the stunt I had so famously pulled. I clenched my teeth and tried to ignore it.

Dan laughed and he increased the volume of the radio that was singing some happy song. I laid back and went through my bag to retrieve the phone that I had not used ever since the race was over.

As I scrolled through the news feed, I noticed that I had made it to the evening news. Fortunately, all of my photos were present with my helmet on or with the cap. My face was barely visible.

I sighed a sigh of relief since I still didn't want to be known all town as a racer yet. I checked my messages and there were only few. Lily had texted me telling me that I was the best and she was going to party. There was one from Monica saying that she wanted to congratulate me in person and she was attending the party only because of it. But there was none from Rob-freaking-Bert.

Deciding to call him and confront him, I dialed his number and waited. He received the call in the last ring.

"Where the fuck are you, Hastings?" I blared, on the phone. I hoped the music in our car was loud enough to not let the two passengers with me hear the colorful words that I was using.

"No hellos?" Robert said, his voice very cool and controlled. It was as if he was smiling to himself as he spoke with me. "Things change when one gets famous. I didn't believe it when that happened to me. Do you think I've changed?"

"I'm going to kill you." I declared, angry that he was insisting on things that weren't true. "But before I do, I'm going to repeat it again, where are you?"

"In your heart." Came his cheesy answer.

"I hate you." I said, angry to even give him a piece of my mind. I cut the call immediately, watching the scenery pass by with my nose flaring.

I had hoped that he would call me but he never did. Just as I was to turn gloomy, Dan had talked me out of it with his lame fake interview questions, making me laugh.

"And we are here." Dan said, stopping our car at the entrance. I noticed that it was a valet parking and soon, two of the chaperons came running to us, with big smiles on their faces. They congratulated me and said that they would take care of the car very well. I took my phone and wallet in my hands before they took the car away.

We went in, me in the middle escorted by two men, one of whom was cracking jokes while the other stayed silent with a grin on his face acknowledging the jokes. As I made my entry, all eyes fell on me and this time, I really felt under dressed rather than comfortable.

Few of them came forward and congratulated me on my win while the others raised a glass of whatever they were having as a form of acknowledgement. I gave warm smiles to all of them even when I felt like I would crumble on the inside.

I spotted Mira on one of the tables and I excused myself to reach her. Dan and Luke let me go, as they caught up with other racers that they had encountered before.

It was not a funeral party at all. It was very formal. 

Big hotshots, sponsors and investors were around with a thick glass of the best alcohol they could ever get their hands on. The place was lively with bright lights. The food court, liquid delicacies and dance floor were separated and each of them were packed with people. The air conditioning was on full swing with tall roofs and hideous chandeliers.

"That was one hell of a race!" Mira said as soon as I reached her. Her eyes were sparkling, and I wondered if she had a little too much to drink this night. "You were rocking. I had never seen a race before, that was wonderful!"

"She's just drunk." Monica said with a chuckle. "Congrats Scar." She gave me a hug. "You deserved it. And this is a great party."

"Thank you." I said sincerely. Before I could ask where the others were, Lily came running towards me, her floral dress sweeping the floor. Behind her, the three boys of my life smiled looking at us. I was only getting ready for the impact of her hug, when she jumped on me. I fell a few steps back, but caught her all the same, thanking the conditioning that I did every day. "Whoa!"

"Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" She exclaimed, making me roll my eyes at her. "You won!"

"Lil, calm down." I laughed and reached for Dad. "Hey, so what do you think?"

I was dreading what he might say to me. But Dad only smiled back, his eyes shining with pride and delight. He opened his arms wide and that answered all my questions. I bent down and hugged him tightly. That had meant more than he could form in words.

Nick and James hugged me next giving me their words of appreciation. Not wanting to bawl my eyes out for their love for me, I decided to have some liquid courage.

"Drinks anyone?" I asked, making sure that my voice was leveled. They all showed their filled glasses and I nodded my head. Only for me then.

I walked to the left following the directions to reach the bar lounge. My muscles were aching from sitting in the same position for a long time. My hands pained each time I lifted them to say hello to the next person I knew nothing about. This was the networking my Dad was talking about, I guess.

"One white wine, please." I asked the bartender and he nodded his head, acknowledging me.

"Congrats." He leaned in flirtatiously. "I heard that you were the one who won."

"Thanks." I smiled and before he had an outrageous idea of asking my number, I wanted to get out of here and stand next to the ones whom I knew well.

But apparently, his talks were not yet done. "I didn't get to see it, but I heard you are amazing back there. Just how you are now."

I looked at my attire and resisted the urge to roll my eyes. If he had seen me actually making an effort to look nice, I was sure he would have flipped. But now, I restrained all my comebacks and gave him a fake laugh, sparing a reply. 

The bartender wasn't done yet.

"I wanted to be a racer when I was young." He started mixing up two liquids in a trendy manner, as if I hadn't seen enough of Tom Cruise in Cocktail movie. He pressed the lime to the mouth of the glass and slid it across the counter for another girl winking at her when she caught it. He turned towards me, handing over my drink as he gave a toothy grin. "Maybe you could show me some of your moves?"

I wanted to puke at that. "I..."

"I'm the one who taught her." Robert came to my rescue, sliding his hand to the small of my back. He pulled me to his side possessively and gave a cool smile to the guy. "You should join my classes if you're interested." He leaned forward towards the bartender, as if he wanted to tell a secret. "But I must warn you, they aren't cheap."

With a wink, Robert pulled me away from the bar lounge. I tried my best to walk along with him and for once that night, I was happy that I had my canvas shoes on rather than a pointy stilettos. Robert was talking long strides and I tried my best not to spill the white wine all over the floor.

"You don't talk to bartenders, that's rule one." Robert muttered, not looking at me.

I looked at him, as he guided us through a small crowd, giving fake smiles and nods every now and then. He had worn a jacket, a classic black one with a matching bow. His shirt was white, and it matched with his fair skin tone. With that stubble that was a little longer than the usual ones he kept, he looked devilishly handsome and I had to try harder to take my eyes off of him.

In fact, if I observed carefully, most of the men and women around here had dressed formally. The only people who were not formal were Nick, James, Dad and me.

"Why didn't you tell me I had to dress for the occasion?" I glared at him. He was looking so good that the intensity of the glare reduced to half within seconds.

A slow smirk played on his lips, as he saw me from the corner of his eyes. "It's a party, babe. What do you expect?"

I drank the wine as I walked. It was the best blended wines I had drank so far.

"Well, I had been to like one party after a race, which looked like a funeral for your pet cat." I recollected. "The second time, I was ushered out of the place before I could spell party."

Robert chuckled. He let go of my waist and clung to my hand. He squeezed it together in comfort. "You look beautiful, babe." He said, taking away my wine and tasting it. He made a disgusted face and put it on the counter nearby, muttering something about how bad a drink was to one's health. "I know you were fishing for some compliments." He whispered.

I pushed him away. "Jerk." I walked away from him, but he laughed and caught my hand again.

"Come, I want you to meet my best bud." He said, pulling my hand in the opposite direction. All my anger bubble popped dead and I wanted to meet his friend.

The sole thought that he wanted to introduce me to his friend was heart-warming. I knew he was a closed off person, not letting anyone come a foot closer to his inner circle. My smile was broader than the one I had when I had just won.

The person whom I had to meet had his back towards us. His gray hair was familiar, but I was not able to locate the guy. His blazer on top of his body made him look fatter than her already was. I spared a look at Robert who only smiled warmly back at me. When we reached the said person, Robert patted on his shoulder.

The grey-haired guy turned towards us, a surprise face ready to be taken in. When he recognized that it was only us, his face broke into a grin. His nose was round with his skin dipped all over his face. He had shaved the best he could, but I guessed the dips in his face made it difficult, and hence a five 'o clock stubble spread on his jaw unevenly.

"Scarlet Stone!" He brought his hand forward, for a quick handshake. Robert let go of my hand and I shook it with his. "Pleasure to meet you, officially if I may add."

"Hey, weren't you there at that go-karting?" I asked, surprised.

"You remembered?" He asked, taken aback. He looked at Robert and they shared some weird look between them. "It was your birthday, wasn't it?"

"Yeah." I said, tucking my free hair behind my ear. I hoped that my hair had obeyed tonight and was acting how I wanted it to. "You are Gary?"

"This one has brains." He jokingly said to Robert. "I'm Gary Kartwheel."

"He'd been cartwheeling in his childhood days and hence the name." Robert smirked at him. "He often charms young girls like you, especially when you hand him a beer." He took the beer glass from Gary's hand and placed it on the guy who was taking away all the empty glasses. "Sorry, it had to go."

I laughed at their banter while Gary just huffed.

"He's never been a fan of drinking." He said.

"How do you know each other?" I asked. It was more a question of curiosity. I knew Rob would never open his mouth about his part or private life and hence I wanted to dig a little deeper with anyone I found who was associated with him. "You guys worked together?"

"I'm his coach." Gary shrugged for which Robert muttered something under his breath. "I took him under my wing when he was around fifteen or sixteen." He leaned forward and then whispered. "He was a rogue back then."

"Really?" I asked, not able to believe him. The Rob I knew was so organized with clean kitchen counters and a majestic decree which he followed like a religion. I mean, I couldn't even imagine him being a disobedient kid.

"I know I did a terrible mistake of introducing each other." Rob said, pulling me away from Gary. "Babe, did you know he makes go-karts?"

"Go-karts?" I asked. "That's why you work there. Now I know from where Rob finds his inspiration."

Gary laughed. "Anyway, congrats on the win. I'm actually pitying myself that I wasn't there to witness it."

"That's alright." I said. "Rob was going to miss it too if he hadn't come on time."

"Oh, please." Robert rolled his eyes at me. "You were so pathetic until I made my presence. You are just so chicken to admit that you cannot race without me."

"That is so not true!" I said. "I could have handled it. By the way, the last move which everyone are talking about, is completely me."

"I am your coach." Robert retorted. "So, I'm the master behind the art."

"Kids!" Gary interrupted and laughed. "Someone I know have come. I'll just go say hi, but you guys carry on."

He left us both and I was red with both embarrassment and getting caught. I had met someone whom Rob associated with and yet, I had acted like a hooligan. I'm sure Gary would have thought me like another spoilt kid who had seen the racer ways.

"He likes you." Robert said looking at me. I didn't know if he had read me or was just a statement he had made to make sure that I was okay.

We walked further and Robert introduced to some of the other racers, but with the way he was speaking, I knew he was not close with any of them.

"Why were you late to the party?" I asked once one of the group had dispersed.

"I had to look dashing, why else?" He asked with a smirk. I shoved his arm playfully. "I had to drive Calvin here."

At the mention of his name, Calvin was at our side, snatching me from Robert as he introduced me to some of his friends and colleagues. I made sure that I left a few visiting cards to them. One hour later, I knew I had to meet my own set of friends and when I excused myself, I found Robert looking at me.

I smiled and stretched my hand towards him. He caught mine and squeezed it. The muscle ache started again and I gritted my teeth to avoid the pain.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Side effects of racing." I shrugged. "Come, let's meet Dad."

He nodded and we headed to the table where all six of them sat together. They were laughing at something when we reached there. Though Monica and Mira had said that they would be leaving after they had met me, they were still there and I was happy that they had liked the party so far.

"Here comes our winner!" Nick, who saw me first, said.

"Hey, what did I miss?" I asked, my smile intact. All Monica and Mira, who were facing away, turned around to look at us and that was when I realized that Rob and they hadn't met at all. "This is Robert, my coach." I said with a smile. "And this is Monica and Mira."

Mira's face suddenly turned ashen as if she had seen a ghost. She got up from the small table and wobbled a little. I could tell that she was already wasted. She came near me, her eyes fixed on the boy who clung on my arm.

Robert's hold on me tightened as if he was scared that she will snatch him away from me. I placed my hand on top of his, trying to give him some reassurance. I looked at him and he looked almost... scared.

Mira lifted her hand up as Monica stood behind her. All of us were watching Mira like she was going to perform some magic. With trembling hands, she stroked Robert's cheek. A wave of relief and a sudden shock seemed to have gotten into her. "You... you..." She started.

And before she could say what she had in mind, she fell down unconscious.

---

A/N: I really like the confidence that Rob spritz all around. Don't you? Ah, Mira and Robert met. Why do you think that is? What are your guesses?