Right on Track Pt 1

-2-

-Sophia-

Days after a race always seemed the hardest. No matter how much I stretched or moved up to or after the race, my body was achingly stiff. It had spent the majority of the night, sitting in the same position for a long period of time, being jostled in the car as I sped around the track. Last weekend's track had been exhilarating, with so many twists and turns, yet even almost a week out, on a Friday afternoon, I sat in the corner of Dad's garage bay still paying for it.

Dad and Joey were arguing about something as they got ready to work on Dad's pulling truck. Aside from racing, this is something that brought the two of us together, truck pulling. When Dad had bought his Silverado in 2001, none of us could have imagined all of the money and manpower he would put into revamping that truck. At this point, he has lost count of how much money he had put into it.

As they argued, I worked on my computer, finishing up the last little bit of work I had left for the week. Friday's I usually work from home, and the rules were a little lenient as to where 'home was." Looking out the garage door, and out onto the open field, I couldn't help but smile. This place, Fair Hopes, Kentucky was home.

Fair Hopes was a small Kentucky town, an hour and some change outside of Lexington. It was so small that people in Louisville, a mere two hours away, hadn't even heard of it. This is where I grew up. My grandfather built his entire career on those open fields, training thoroughbred racehorses. Three of his horses have won the Kentucky Derby, but none were able to take the Preakness or Belmont. He was bitter about it, but didn't let that stop his dream of achieving Triple Crown glory. He died days before his rival's horse Justify would win at Belmont, the last Triple Crown victory.

I never felt like I was missing much by living in a small town. When I was 17, I wanted to leave, to see the world outside of Fair Hopes, but I always knew I would always come back home. A full ride to Bellarmine University, one of the oldest universities in Kentucky, and then the same to UofL kept me close. My mother being buried next to my grandparents brought me back.

"I talked to Liam, he is on his way over."

I frowned, my eyes finally moving up over the laptop, my interest piqued. Dad responded quickly to Joey about that being okay. Checking the time, I followed Dad's movement as he walked over to his toolbox looking for something. "Ethan should be here soon. Soph, are you going to stay so we can work on changing out this motor?"

"Nah, I'm out." I smiled, nodding in his direction. "Girls night pregame." I joked just to get a rise out of Joey as I started to put my laptop away. Emma, Zelda and I were meeting up and then the guys were going to join us later. "Don't get too dirty Joey or Emma will surely have your head."

"Be careful." Dad said as he gave me a wink. "If you girls get out of hand, please give me a call."

"That's exactly what they want Archie," Joey joked, a huge smile on his face. "For Soph's old man to show up. We'll meet up with you girls later."

I nodded, adjusting my box dyed burgundy hair that had fallen from my messy bun as I moved towards Dad, before slinging my backpack over my shoulder. "Emma has planned the bar crawl so confer with her. She also said that you must remember this counts as best friend date number 1."

"What?" He asked, scoffing at the idea.

"Yep, number 1, outta the way." I smiled, turned to Dad, giving him a big bear hug. "I love you Dad."

"Love you too sweet girl, be careful."

As I drove home, I couldn't help but point out the differences between me and my friends. Where I had grown up in the small town, Zelda Phillips and Emma Powers grew up in Chicago, the bustling Windy City. Their playground was Millennium Park, playing in the fountains, taking in the hustle and bustle of the city. After Zelda graduated from The University of Illinois at Chicago with her MS, she had convinced Emma that they should try their hand out in the small town. She found rural life entertaining, the littlest of things granted her such joy. I knew that one day though, Fair Hopes would be too small for her. Emma on the other hand, she had fallen in love. Joey and Emma had been off and on for the past few years. There was something keeping Joey from committing to her. I'll never understand that man.