Revved

Back on Track

Strella is obsessed with some racer named Shane. Or is it Sean? Vanny doesn't know, nor does he care. It's been over a year since he kept up with anything on the circuit...

All he knows is one minute she's pleading and begging him to get her two tickets to the first round of tryouts for the motorcycle Grand Prix, then the next, he's texting Lily out of the blue to see what deals he can get on front row seats.

Lily didn't ask many questions at first.

He gets the tickets, sends them to Strella, and thinks that's that. Only, hours later he finds out her date bailed. It's too last-minute to find someone else and of course, she doesn't want to go alone, so... Vanny is clearly the next best option...

I can't. Never again.

At least... that's what he thinks to himself.

In the moment, it seems like the right thing to do: ask Lily if she would sit with Strella for the evening so she isn't alone, but no. No, no, no. That's where he went wrong. Very wrong.

He receives a call out of nowhere. It happens so fast...

"Strella is your friend after all," Lily explains, "so why shouldn't you go with her? Plus, you and I haven't caught up in a while either, and oh my, what's this? There just so happens to be three seats available together on the front row and one happens to already be mine?"

He'd walked right into her trap, unable to think of any excuse to back out even though there are plenty.

And that brings him to his current predicament—his heart pounding as he sits in the front row, adrenaline flooding his system every time the row of bikes zip past at top speeds. He squints at the massive screen in the distance that supposedly covers up-close footage, but it's a fuzzy blob.

"Here Vanny, you can view it here," Lily says, and he looks to his right, forgetting for a moment the others are there too.

She hands him a tablet, the images now a foot from his eyeline and clear as can be expected. He nods gratefully, taking it. "Thanks."

"No problem!" She tosses the long white braid over her shoulder, smiling at him. "So, how'd you and Strella meet? Did you finally get a roommate, or you still living alone?"

He gives her a look when Strella answers shyly: "We were friends in high school. We haven't hung out in a while though, but I knew with the past racing experience and all—er." She looks at him quickly and her face pales, standing out against the color of her bright pink hoodie. "I mean! I just knew that you and Lily knew each other, and seeing as though Lily is Caio's sports agent..."

"It's alright, Strella," Vanny says reassuringly, ignoring the way his heart sinks. "You're right. I do have nice racing connections."

"You and Caio still talk regularly," Lily states, not even trying to pose it as a question as Vanny looks at her curiously. "He might be the only one that you do, it seems."

"Wait, how do you know?"

She snorts, pointing to herself. "His sports agent. Remember? You two are constantly texting. It can be a real hassle sometimes, you know, especially when he needs to be on the track in five minutes and he's sending that last message to you."

Vanny's lips part. "I told him he doesn't have to answer back right away! He promised he wasn't going to do that anymore!"

"Well, he does and is. Nothing I say will stop him."

Vanny pulls out his phone, immediately bringing up their messages by impulse. He's already pressing send on a scolding text to Caio when Lily swipes his device. "Oi! Seriously? I can't have him checking his messages right after his race! He'll never get changed and out the door anytime this year!"