Fast Cars and Fast Lives – Chapter 38: Toyota Owners 400

#48: Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro Ally

Sunday, April 18 – Richmond Raceway

“Good luck this weekend,” Alex says as he snacks on his Uncrustable while getting ready for that afternoon.

“Same to you buddy,” Alexa replies as she stands at the back of the crowd, keeping an eye on the latest run but not wanting to get too close for too much noise during the phone call. She had to find the secrets of the track, hence not wanting to totally take her eyes away. “We saw the speed and potential last weekend at Martinsville. While you keep saying you cannot drive these tracks properly, I believe in you.”

“I’d say the same to you, but we know that you know how to do this. Slide ‘em and smoke what you got as I expect a trophy when I get home. I hope you realize to the victor goes the spoils.” She couldn’t help but smile, as she was hoping to cash in and knew there was a good chance based on what she was seeing so far that day.

“I hope you’re prepared to deliver because I don’t plan on giving up this opportunity.” Alexa then hears her phone ping with a message, flipping to screen while being careful to not hang-up on Alex. “Well, that was strange….”

“What happened?” She could hear the intensity and worry in Alex’s voice immediately, as he had picked up on the tone of her voice. Certainly distance wasn’t always their best friend.

“My mom just sent me a good luck wish. She never has ever in my life sent me a good luck wish.” Alex couldn’t help but smile a little, remembering the conversations that were had and the positives, despite so much frustration afterwards all the time. He also remembered the additional messages they had left since the last meeting.

“Maybe she’s starting to come around and understand after your conversation.” Alexa laughed immediately, knowing that was practically impossible. If her mother hadn’t believed in her to this point, why now?

“Or maybe she’s afraid that she’s totally going to lose her daughter for good if she doesn’t fake some crap along the way so here she is. The best part is, though, I see through her fake cra-”

“Don’t be so quick to judge, though. You told me you saw a softer side. The same goes both ways, Alexa.” As she had all along, she appreciated his commentary and opinion. However, she had been living this life since being born and knew better.

“I allow her in, I open back up, and then boom – she slams the door even more shut than before and hurts me harder. I can’t keep doing it over and over, Alex…” Alex felt the emotion in those words, remembering the tears in her eyes at times, frustration from her every time they spoke of her mother. He wanted to balance it, but he also knew no progress would get them nowhere.

“You need to tell her that the next time you see her, so she knows and understands. If perhaps you both communicate more, something positive will happen.” Seeing Kelsey motioning for him to come her way, he knew that making this conversation any longer would not the best start to his deal. “Listen, I got to go so we’ll talk later, but don’t let this eat at you too much, don’t be so negative about it, and also focus on the task at hand today. We know you can get the job done so do it.”

Not being able to see each other and continue conversations had put a pause on the Elliott family reunion, as Samantha and Chase had been unable to make the trip to Georgia as they had originally intended.

“Do you know if Samantha is busy this week?” Chase asked Ryan as he caught up with him on the grid. Chase had wanted to get this moving along, as he felt guilty each time he saw his parents with this secret on his chest, even if he knew finding all the answers before divulging was the best course of action.

“I think she mentioned a client meeting on Monday and Thursd-” Ryan starts, though wondered why Chase was asking him. Didn’t they have each other number’s by now?

“Great. I am going to probably snag her away for the trip to Georgia on Tuesday afternoon once I am done my morning stuff at Hendrick. I already asked for the doctor’s availability and he is available during that time. Oh, and if you hear anything about your girlfriend and seeing a pregnancy doctor, I apolog-”

“What the hell is going on here?” Perhaps it was a good reason that Chase was asking Ryan about things, as Ryan felt very caught off-guard by everything he was being asked.

“I told him that I was setting up the meeting as I had a friend, Samantha, who had some questions about pregnancy and the process, and possibly finding an OBGYN for the future. I didn’t want to straight out set-up the meeting by saying this girl is the mastermind behind messed up pregnancy situations.” Ryan lets out a sigh, feeling a little relived, and to be honest, he didn’t blame Chase for the approach as he knew anyone involved in these situations typically tried to erase any evidence and connection.

“I’ll totally play along, man. I guess that’s the first step in being your future brother-in-law.” Chase’s jaw dropped with surprise in hearing Ryan say it, but it was just one of those things he was going to have get used to hearing.

“Pretty crazy how my best friend has been dating my sister for these years right under my nose without me knowing. Least I know there’s a good judge in character on both sides.” Ryan nodded his head, as it certainly added a comfort factor in decisions moving forward with Samantha.

“Just wait until we’re both related to Noah.” Chase couldn’t think of how to wrap his thoughts around that quite yet, shaking his head as Noah was certainly a mixed bag at times. However, so far, he could not complain about how he was treating Emily.

“If the truth was out in the open, Paige probably would’ve had Samantha doing full background checks and spies on the poor kid.” Ryan nods his head, not surprised that hadn’t happened already with how close the girls were.

“Have you told Paige?” Chase shakes his head no as now it was Ryan’s turn to be surprised. “Like I keep telling you and Samantha, I don’t want anyone to know until I have all the facts on the table because there’s going to be a lot of disbelief and questio-”

“I get your parents being that way, having been lied to and played. But Paige, that’s a different angle there bud. I think she’d be fully supportive, and it’d really close this circle so we could all talk about this properly, instead of trying to play secrets. I actually think Samantha would love for Paige to know so she’d have someone else to lean on that actually knows everything and everybody. How is it fair you get that opportunity but she doesn’t?” Chase takes a deep breath, as he glances back to where he knew the girls were going to be sitting that night.

“I guess there’s no harm in that….”

While the girls were at the track, Emily was unfortunately the one that was left behind.

The doctors had been able to run the additional tests necessary, determining it was a combination of arthritis and her vitamin D being low causing everything.

There was a lot of relief in knowing the cause, knowing that she could easily get better with the right care and steps in place. However, there was frustration in waiting for the process to begin helping her get better. Sure, she wasn’t as tired as she was, but she still had some rough days and was certainly not moving around as she hoped. She also knew the more weeks away from school, the further she got behind and less likely to be on the road to graduation as intended.

Thankfully, she wasn’t alone as Noah had been able to stay home due to the Xfinity Series being off. While not able to do much sucked, his company absolutely made it better and easier to deal with.

He was always cracking jokes to make her feel better. He was willing to do any errands or get anything that she needed. He also offered kisses and the cuddles as warranted to make the days easier to handle.

“If I had to bet, you’re cheering for your sister’s boyfriend today,” Noah comments as they get comfortable to watch the race from Richmond.

“It’s so weird how we both decide to date drivers with the same number,” Emily offers, to which Noah only chuckles back in response, though admittedly agreeing. “And actually, I got to tip my hat to Alex this weekend. I think the improvement he showed at Martinsville, combined with Greg doing what they need, is going to put that No. 48 in victory lane.”

“I’d have no complaints with that, but I’d rather him finish second to Joey.” Emily immediately sticks her tongue out with a big shake of the head no, as Noah just smiles. He felt confident in his choice, given Logano’s short track knowhow and Penske’s history there.

“Don’t let anyone who lives in this house hear you say that, or you’ll be hung upside down in the middle of town.” Noah knew the reference, having made the trip up to Georgia to spend the weekend with Emily as she was living at Paige and Chase’s place right now. Until she was feeling better, she knew there was no way of convincing her sister to allow her to do differently and it actually felt good to be close to family for a bit.

“Are they still mad at Denny Hamlin?” Emily nods her head, having remembered the comments spewed in each trip that she made to town in the weeks that followed after Martinsville that year. “They certainly call him the Golden Boy for a reason.”

“He may be Mr. Popular and all that to everyone, but the side of him that I’ve gotten to know from Paige, is total sweetheart, down to earth, simple, just doing his own thing. You would never believe he was this big shot if you didn’t know it.” Noah smiles with a nod, having witnessed that himself in the interactions they had shared together.

It seemed the conversation between Emily and Noah was right on point, though, as Alex found his way to the front despite starting deep in the field. While Denny dominated and Joey led some laps, Emily’s prediction was right on-point as Alex made the right move on the final restart to take the lead, and cruised away en route to scoring the victory.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the perfect day as Alex had envisioned for Alexa, as she came up one spot shy of scoring the victory in her drifting event, over sliding a couple corners. However, you wouldn’t been able to tell by their faces later that night when they reunited that it wasn’t the perfect day, as both held big smiles and kisses for the other in celebration of Alex’s achievement.

“I told you that you just needed to be confident!” Alexa tells him as she wraps both arms around him. “And I guess that means you get all the spoils tonight.”

“Then why are we still standing here?” Alex questions as he allows her to push him back against the closet door, lips clashing together as her arms find their way around his waist.

“Because I don’t know if I can my hands off you long enough to get up those stairs.” She then allows her tongue to run down his bare arm as she slips her fingers underneath the waistband of his shorts, pulling them loose and causing them to fall to the floor.

“Someone is in a hurry tonight..” She then grabs onto the bulge in his shorts, causing it to grow in size and harden instantly, with a moan escaping his lips.

“I think something else may agree with me.” She then runs her tongue along the waistband where his boxers were, before pulling them down and letting them fall to his ankles.

“Alexa….” His voice was dark and horse, every emotion and want and cry coming out as he pleaded with her name.

“Do you want something, Alex?” He nods his head as she lets just the tip of her tongue touch his bare cock for a mere second. “You know what to say.”

“Please Alexa, please baby girl…” She then takes him fully into her mouth, allowing his cock to touch every inch of her mouth and down her throat a little, before pulling back. She then brings herself close once again, this time beginning to suck ever so slightly. “Damn girl, stop teasing….”

Fast Cars and Fast Lives – Chapter 37: A Diagnosis

Monday, April 12

Emily sat on the doctor’s bed, glancing around the room feeling a bit in the dark in hearing his words for her.

“So the reason for all of this is Anemia?” She repeats the diagnosis just given to her by the doctor before her, to which he nods his head in return.

“That is correct,” the doctor responds as he watches her carefully. “Anemia is having a lack of blood cells – whether caused due to lack of production, or your body eating them.” Emily felt her stomach turn in hearing those words. It meant they still didn’t know the reason.

“So now you need to discover as to why…” The doctor nods his head as he opens the folder before him.

“I am actually surprised this diagnosis wasn’t found sooner, to be honest. A simple blood test is all that’s required. I would imagine with California’s stricter COVID regulations right now there was a wait for tests and things not happening accordingly.” Emily glances towards Paige with a sly smile – maybe it was a good idea Noah convinced her to say something and head back to Georgia with her. “I don’t think you have anything cancer related, so that’s a good thing.”

“But what does she have?” Paige wonders, feeling no relaxation in knowing that word was out of the picture. There were several things her sister could be facing without that on the table.

“It could be simple as a vitamin deficiency – lacking either iron or Vitamin B-12. Those are easily handled as we give you supplements, and your body gets back on-track with producing red blood cells. Another reason could be inflammation due to arthritis or kidney disease – again, those are both able to managed and treated.” Emily knew what that meant as well – they’d be lifelong and this would be something she’d be handling forever.

“So what am I supposed to do now while I continue being a science experiment?” Paige hated to hear her sister utter those words, knowing it was a definition of being helpless with countless questions and knowing more tests were ahead.

“I want to run another blood test and check for everything that I listed. I want to see what the results as one of those should come back off, and we can go from there. Until then, I am going to suggest some changes to your diet as certain foods can help with the production of blood cells. It will allow you to manage symptoms until we know the cause. If things get worse, then we may need you to check in to the hospital.” Emily swallows the lump in her throat, not wanting to imagine things getting worse or being stuck in that situation. She was dealing with experts so they’d certainly get answers before then.

“Is there anything else that we can do at home to help her?” Paige questions, wanting to do whatever she could to prevent the extreme as the worry was easily written on the face before her.

“Other than offering her as much comfort as you can for symptoms, there is not much else you can do,” the doctor explains, deflating every bit of extra hope Paige had in becoming special here.

“How soon can we get the tests going?” Emily asks, not wanting to waste any time.

She had already wasted enough in dealing with a delay in diagnosis. Why should she bother to waste more?

The additional blood work did not take long – another needle in the arm with more red liquid acquired. She was then sent on her way, with a promise from the doctor he would address her as soon as she could.

“You can stop overbearing worrying about me,” Emily comments on the drive back home. “I can see it in your face. I am going to be okay as they know the caus-”

“They don’t know why, and I know you’re worried just as much as I am based on your reaction,” Paige cuts her off, not wanting to hear any voice of reason on the topic. There was nothing that would change how she was feeling right now.

“That doesn’t mean you need to pour all of your energy into it. I can handle this. I am a grown adult.” Paige takes a deep breath, believing in her sister’s strength in having seen what they went through together. However, it still didn’t change her route.

“It gives me something to do rather than think about things.” Emily looks over intrigued by the comment as it was rare that her sister allowed the door of discussion to be open.

“Do I want to know what’s on your mind?” Paige lets out a sigh, wishing she hadn’t said anything – but it wasn’t like she could take it any longer. Normally she’d voice her concerns to Samantha, but that was hard when Samantha was the reason. She knew she could go to Alexis, but what if Alexis turned the tables and went straight back to Samantha?

“Have you noticed Chase and Samantha spending a lot of time together?” Emily was now ultra confused as she shook her head no. “They were talking during the Bristol rain delay, as well as once again at Martinsville. She even handed him an envelope with something in it.”

“Well, Samantha is a private investigator. Maybe Chase asked her to look into someone or something for him.” Paige wouldn’t doubt that being the case, as everybody knew of Samantha’s abilities. However, it still felt off.

“He hasn’t shared a single detail with me. We share everything, Emily. That’s what makes this so od-”

“Do you think they’re seeing each other?” Paige’s jaw drops in pure shock and horror, though admittedly, the thought very briefly had crossed her mind.

“I don’t think so. Chase wouldn’t do that to me. That’s not Chase. He isn’t the type of person to go stab someone behind the back, and sleep with his best friend’s girlfriend. I just wish I knew why they were spending time together – and what was going on. I shared everything with him – every absolute detail of what we went through. I’d hope that would mean he could do the same.” Emily takes a deep breath, having believed that to be the case with her and Noah, and it was so far. Now seeing the doubt in her sister’s eyes, it created doubt for herself. What if that happened down the road with Noah?

“Why don’t you ask him?” Paige knew that’d solve all the problems, and even was about to at Martinsville. However, she felt like it was too pushy – would set off alarms in being overly curious and nervous. Besides, it wasn’t like he was the only person talking to someone else right now.

“Because I am having my own doubts and second thoughts on things right now. I ran into Austin and it brought everything back from his constant trips to the house, to our nights together. I can’t get him out of my mind and wonder what could’ve been if we would’ve stayed doing that.” Emily wanted to puke, as she had hated the string of events in occurrence. She knew Austin was just her dirty little secret, and nothing more. She was glad to see it end worth a genuine meeting with Chase

“Please tell me you haven’t hoo-”

“Emily Porter, you damn well know your sister better than that!” Emily was taken back by the sudden shout, but knew it was probably deserving. “Austin offered to be a friend, talk, rekindle some discussion while respecting I was ready to move forward with Chase. I turned him down because we were never the talking type, and I’m honestly afraid of what could happen if we were left alone together.”

“You told me you absolutely loved Chase. You told me he completed your world. You told me you couldn’t believe how much he touched you, changed you, believed in you – and was so grateful for that meeting at the café. If all that is true, there is nothing that can break the bond you have together – and allowing Austin to have any power of that goes against it.” Paige knew her sister was right, remembering the words they shared in private about the relationship.

“I think it goes back to the trust issues. I am scared of repeating our parents mistakes by diving into so much trust, that maybe I am willing to allow myself to fall back on something that isn’t so divulging. Is it weird? Sure. But isn’t that the definition of our parents?” Emily wanted to chuckle, but kept a straight face as she nodded her head.

“Just promise me that you’ll be honest the whole way through. Don’t repeat their mistakes in filling minds with lies, and don’t break Chase too harshly if you go down a new route as he doesn’t deserve it after everything he’s done for us.” Paige nods her head, having already repeated that to herself multiple times already.

Unease seemed to be the name of the game on Monday, as Alanna was feeling the same way a couple states over. While comfort was supposed to come with moving in with Ryan and Samantha, that obviously wasn’t the case as of this night.

8:30pm
Where are you, Alanna?

8:35pm
You know I am going to find you.

8:40pm
I have people that will find you.

8:45pm
You can’t hide from me. You need to be paid your lesson for your trouble.

Alanna takes a deep breath, trying to ignore every urge to scream or cry as she read the messages.

He couldn’t hurt her anymore. He didn’t know where she was. He wasn’t near her anymore. He didn’t have the power to control her. There was no way his threats would be a reality – they were just empty comments to manipulate feelings.

It was why she allowed her hand to highlight his name in her contacts, open it, and place the finger above the block button. She almost hit it – though froze. She couldn’t bring herself to do it.

She had to know where he was, what he was doing, and whether he was breathing. She had to know so she had the upper hand of control. She also knew if she ever grew the courage to tell someone some day, she needed him there so he could be found.

She then closes the thread, telling herself to not open it up once again despite going off another five times with more messages that followed. She instead tried to focus on other things – like the book in her hands, but wound up stuck on the same page for next five minutes as her eyes traced their way back to their phone.

“You look spaced out there Alanna,” she hears, snapping her from every thought as she about jumps out of her skin in looking towards the doorway. “Easy now….”

“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting you and I was so wrapped up in this book,” Alanna comments as Samantha enters the room, peering her eyes into her friend’s lap.

“Haven’t you read Twilight like five times already? You’d think you’d know the story to not get that wrapped in….” Alanna forced a light chuckle, but felt every nerve course through her body in knowing Samantha was reading over her quickly. “I wanted to come let you know that I may be making a trip up to Georgia this week and possibly next. I have a doctor that I need to go see in relation to my adoption scenario.”

“That’s fine. I mean, just because I am here now I don’t want to stand in your way.” Alanna also hoped it didn’t result in her friends getting hurt for their favor, either.

“And if that pans out, Ryan may come up with me on a future trip. You’re welcome to join us, or stay here by yourse-”

“I’d love to travel up to Georgia and check out things.” She knew she couldn’t take a chance of being by herself.

“Awesome.” Samantha then sits down on the bed, eyes still focused on Alanna. “I haven’t been totally forthcoming but my act of going to see the doctor is just a step in putting together the pieces of everything. An original person involved told me the date and state of my birth – and it aligned with Chase’s. Ryan and I snuck a DNA test, and it came up a match. Chase and I did a secondary test following our discussion, and it was a match, as well. The doctor visit is just to get answers, to try and understand clarity as to how and why this happened before we go forth to his – our parents.”

“I’m happy for you, truthfully. It’s nice to see that you were able to get answers.” Samantha takes a deep breath, nodding her head as it was certainly a nice feeling – despite the remaining mixed feelings that were in play.

“I just feel terrible that I could not give you the same answ-”

“What if that’s why you cannot find those answers for me? What if there’s no trace due to a whole identity hidden and swap?” Samantha freezes upon those words, remembering her original proposal to Dr. Shepherd in wanting him to check into her case – and how quickly he turned the offer away. Seeing the pleading eyes before her, though, she wondered if maybe she owed him a second phone call.

“It’s possible. I am still learning about how this all works and why, but certainly you’re right that I can’t be the only one and it’d explain a lack of paper trail. Maybe this is a blessing – for us both. I get a family that I never knew I had that’s amazing, and you may finally get the answers you hoped for.”

Fast Cars and Fast Lives – Chapter 36: Being a Little Caring

Thursday, April 8

“I wish I was going to be there with you,” Emily comments as she lies in bed with a sigh, knowing Noah was in the midst of ensuring he had everything for tomorrow’s trip to Martinsville.

“The most important thing is you take care of yourself,” Noah answers. “Once they have the answers and you’re feeling better, we’ll be able to take plenty of trips to Martinsville together.” Emily smiled at the thought, still in partial disbelief she was laying there envisioning a future alongside this man. How did he always do this to her?

“I used to not always be a fan of going to the track, but I can say you’ve certainly changed it and now I hate being the lonely significant oth-”

“Ashley (Allgaier) isn’t goin-”

“She’s pregnan-”

“And you have a reason – you’re sick and need to take care of yourself. Remember – your health comes before anything else as how can we have a future without that?” She lets out a sigh, having grown old of hearing the constant repeat of advice from now both Noah and Paige over the past couple of weeks. Why did they insist on constantly reminding her? If anybody knew this fact, it was her. It was why she had put a pause on her all dreams, and regretfully returned back to the care of her sister.

“I know. It just sucks sometimes…” Noah didn’t need her to say that, knowing how much his stomach tore up in knots. Rather than peaceful sleeps, he was now left with wide awake nights, questioning her symptoms, what they could mean, and why they could not have a diagnosis sooner. What was taking these doctors so long?

“Look at it this way – they did say they will probably be able to give you a reason soon having ruled out several factors and done other tests. Eventually we have to get an answer.” She chuckles, admittedly finding some humor in his comments in some odd fashion.

“Unless I am the medical mystery for the rest of my life. Those do happen.” Noah did not find the same humor in the comment, but rather feeling his stomach twist just one knot tighter.

“I don’t believe that’ll be the case. I know for a fact your sister will move heaven and earth to find out what is making you ill and help you feel better – and I’d be right alongside her.” Emily appreciated the vote of confidence, and believed the statement. She had already overheard Paige’s conversations with Chase, and possibly contacting others they knew in North Carolina through Mr. Hendrick’s connections.

“You’re probably right. How about you just make me feel better by bringing home one of those clocks?” Noah smiles as he would never complain about that fact, even if it’d make things tight in the loft with already having one there from a couple years ago.

“I’ll do my best, actually beyond that. I will do whatever it takes, just for you. I love you, Emily. I believe in you…” She smiles, letting out a sigh in wishing she could feel his arms around her right now.

“I love you, too.”

That’s all she could manage to say.

She wanted to ask for him to come to Georgia and be with her, she wanted to ask for his company while he was off, and she wanted to beg for more time with him – to feel those warm, protective arms.

But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. What if she pushed too hard? What if she got too demanding and it chased him away?

Noah, meanwhile, was already one step ahead of her.

Once he was off the phone, he spent the night sending out e-mails to contacts he knew with the symptoms, inquring if they kenw a specialist that may be perfect to solve the problem. He also sent a message to Kelley, ensuring his schedule was kept as clean as possible to ensure the most time he could with her through the break.

Considering he couldn’t get rid of his stomach being tied up in knots, he was going to do everything to comfort those fears and hopefully erase them soon.

#9: Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro NAPA Auto Parts

Saturday, April 10 –  Martinsville Speedway

Chase lets out a sigh as he takes a glance towards the sky. Given his aviation background and having studied many skies and radars for the purpose of preparation, he could already tell they were going to be in for a long night. The skies had already opened up some, and you could tell even with a clearing there would be more to follow.

He knew the end result was going to be postponed to Sunday, so why even show up today?

“This is ridiculous,” he comments to himself as he ensures he has his phone, wallet, and bag with suit and helmet, ready for the day ahead. Even if he didn’t believe they’d on track for long, he knew better than to leave everything behind and get stuck in a bind. Besides, he get grilled by the entire HMS staff if he didn’t follow usual procedure.

“Given your reaction, I have the assumption the weatherman was right today,” Samantha comments, bringing a slight smile to his face. “I already figured that myself, though.”

“It doesn’t take a genius to out think NASCAR sometimes.” The chuckles between them then began – until an envelope landed in his hand from her. A glance between them and no words needed to be said about the contents. “Have you opened it?”

“I have a real strong belief in the first step and the sample I collected to know what this is going to say. I thought I’d give you the honor this time.” He wasn’t sure how much to embrace or enjoy that, but certainly took it as he ripped the envelope open, not wanting to leave any additional questions any longer on the table. “Well?”

“Welcome to the family, Cassandra Elliott.” While caught off-guard initially, she actually smiled in hearing the comment. She knew she’d never change her name, but knowing her middle name was the one Cindy picked if she had a girl was fitting. Now she just had to get used to Chase using it now and then.

“Thanks, Clyde.” He couldn’t help but smirk, knowing he deserved that in return. “Or should I call you William?”

“Clyde fits better, but I wouldn’t blame you if went the other way as you’re unique.” Samantha just rolls her eyes, knowing he knew how to play the game well. “Have you told anyone?”

“Ryan knows. He knew about me being adopted, overheard the phone call, and developed the plan for the first sample. I told him that we spoke as he was worried about things being awkward if he knew a secret.” Chase nods his head, though immediately has an odd realization as he looks over at her.

“Damn – my sister is dating my best friend. That just spells all kinds of trouble.” Samantha wanted to chuckle, but felt nerves and a pit in her stomach in knowing that sometimes went the other way in other families. “I actually can’t wait to see the look on Dad’s face when he realizes that.”

“Have you told Paige?” Chase shakes his head no, as he stuck by the word in not wanting to do anything until the yhad all evidence and reasoning in hand. It was why he still wasn’t sure about taking the next step of bringing his parents into the equation.

“I don’t want to tell my parents until we speak to Dr. Lipton. This is going to shock, rock, and cause a lot of interesting feelings and turmoil for them – more so than I am feeling so I understand this not being easy. I want to go to them with the most information we have possible and feel we need to learn what Dr. Lipton has to say.” Samantha nods her head, having already been set in figuring out the best way to speak to the doctor.

“I am curious myself for my own story and ability. What causes a man to want to hide a baby from a mother? What causes someone to go to those lengths? How did he pull it off with the hospital? I want to find out for my own self, and for the reasons you stated for your par-”

“Our parents.” Samantha nods her head, taking a couple deep breathes. That was certainly going to take getting used to as she still couldn’t believe this was her brother standing right beside her.

“But I also want to know for possible other people who reach out to me for similar answers. How do you explain to them a scenario like this? Maybe if I have a doctor’s motivation, like Dr. Shepherd as I told you, right or wrong it at least gives them reasoning to the story.” Chase couldn’t argue with her as certainly hearing someone’s reasoning allowed you to be in their shoes for a brief second, and sometimes brought comfort.

“I can fly you down from North Carolina to Georgia one day and we can set up the meeting. Alternatively, you can drive down. Heck, you can even tell Ryan the real reason for the trip and come spend some time with Paige and I.” He then glances towards where Paige was, flashing a smile, before focusing back on Samantha. “I know that I should tell her – I’m curious as to her reaction, too. Maybe I’ll tell her before you make the trip so she understands why.”

“She may get jealous of the time we’re spending together.” Chase couldn’t help but smirk at the thought, but he also knew something else.

“I know how much she loves and cherishes me. She wouldn’t let someone just take me away that easily.” Samantha smiled, hopeful those words were true, as they were a couple she was rooting for.

“I also told Alanna that I am adopted, so we have some understanding in each other’s stories. I shared with her some route to where we are, but not about you being my brother quite yet.” Chase also understood her motivation there, as well. He had heard from Ryan about Samantha being tied up in a case, unable to solve it, and always reflecting back to it once in awhile with hopes of a change.

“I was surprised that you easily allowed her to move in with you and Ryan. I hope you know what you’re doing as I wouldn’t want it to backfire. Just be careful, okay?” Samantha nods her head, surprised by the commentary as it wasn’t like Chase to come out with something like that previously. Was this a product of being related now?

“Don’t worry – I think I know better than most how quickly things can turn into a dumpster fire.” Chase nods his head, having heard about her road to get to this point from previous conversations.

“I’m glad, because trust me when I say this – I wouldn’t want something to happen to you.”

Fast Cars and Fast Lives – Chapter 35: Moving Places

Sunday, April 4 – Dawsonville, Georgia

Emily takes a deep breath, wishing she could be anywhere but here right now. She glances over her shoulder, knowing the only reason she hadn’t ran away was due to the gentleman beside her.

“We should go,” she says quietly, to which Noah shakes his head no right away, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

“No, she needs to know,” he replies. It was his idea to make the trip across the country. It was his idea for her to say something, and continue this process with comfort – surrounded by those who loved her, and family. She rejected, knowing what Paige was like in these circumstances – and knowing someone overbearing could screw up her plans.

“Let’s do this tomorrow – please.” It was Easter. Emily remembered the last family reunion – Christmas, and how that resulted in a fight before Chase and his parents. Was she ready to repeat the same circumstance? “Besides, I feel bad enough that you’re missing Easter with your famil-”

“They agreed that taking care of you was most important. Besides, Grandpa says we can go golfing anytime.” She couldn’t help but smile as it was always refreshing to hear how close he was with his family – even if hers seemed to be the opposite.

“So there’s no way I am getting out of this?” Noah shakes his head no as he reaches over her shoulder, knocking on the door.

It wasn’t long until they were greeted by Bill, met with surprise in seeing them there on Easter but trying to hide it. It wasn’t long before Emily and Paige were in their own room, with Emily laying everything out on the table.

“You weren’t going to tell me originally….” Paige lets out once Emily was done explaining everything, getting a shake of the head no.

“Noah convinced me,” Emily confesses. “To tell you the truth, Paige, I really didn’t want to say anything because I know you can be overbearing, over-trying, and a pain in the ass. I really can’t deal with that and it was actually nice being in my own bubble. However, as Noah says, it’s best that I have some family in case things get worse – and who knows what’ll happen once we figure what’s wrong.”

“How does this affect your doctors?” If she was in the process of trying to solve a mystery, that’d mean seeing doctors at the other end of the country. What happened now?

“They agreed to transfer everything to specialist here in Georgia. They felt it may be beneficial as they were coming up empty handed.” Paige takes a deep breath, glad that she had at least taken the right steps that way.

“I know our relationship hasn’t always been full of angels and greatness, but you have to understand that I would do anything for you. Obviously, your health triumphs everything and I know you call me overbearing – but it’s out of love. Don’t ever forget that as you can always turn to me.” Emily nods his head, accepting, almost feeling bad for having kept quiet for weeks now. “And for the record, I guess Noah isn’t as bad as I thought.”

“I told you he was a great guy…” Paige couldn’t help but smile as she glanced towards where Noah stood in the doorway, feeling quite a bit better.

#12: Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Ford Mustang Advance My Track Challenge

Monday, April 5 – North Carolina

“Is that everything?” Ryan asks as he sets down the last box in the room which was set to be Alanna’s.

“That’s all that I brought,” she answers as she glances over the collection. “Thank you once again, Ryan. You don’t understand how much this means to me.” Ryan smiles as he looks in her direction, trying to be polite, but also eying her as this was the first time they’d crossed paths.

“It’s not a problem. You mean a lot to Samantha, so I don’t mind helping you.” She smiles, though couldn’t help but feel a weight on her shoulders. What if this plan failed? “May I ask why you wanted to move?”

“To be honest, I’ve come up short on money with losing my job, couldn’t afford the rent, and I looked towards the one person that I knew I could trust. Desperation makes you do whatever you can to survive – and I don’t know what I’d do if you guys said no.” It was that desperation which also had gotten her in this bind in the first place.

“Well, I’m glad we could help. I know some people who work with businesses looking for some help, so I can certainly help you with landing your feet.” She nods her head, accepting the offer, glad he was buying what she was offering. “And, for the record, I know we’re strangers but you can trust me and tell me if something is going on.”

“If I need someone to talk to, I’ll certainly keep your offer in mind,” as she truly did want to share everything with someone finally. “And while we may be strangers, I know I can probably trust you considering you’re willing to let me in your home as a stranger. It says a lot about you, Ryan.”

“I always try to do the best that I can for people, in hope that I get the same in return. I’m making steak for dinner – I don’t know if you eat that meat, but I’d be willing to make up an extra plate.” While it wasn’t her favourite meat, she wasn’t about to ruffle feathers on day one.

“Thank you, I appreciate that. I can certainly help you later with dishes and chores around the house.” Ryan smiles as it was certainly a nice compromise.

Once he was out of the room, she let out the deep sigh she’d be holding in, glancing around. She wanted this to feel right. She wanted to feel safe and different than where she was before. She wanted to believe this was her true second chance to start over.

However, she knew better than that. She knew what he was like and willing to do to get his way. It’s why she felt like she was just counting seconds and minutes to his arrival.

#12: Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Ford Mustang Advance My Track Challenge

Austin took a deep breath, not believing he was possibly doing this. She had moved on – probably closer with Chase than he could imagine. She’d probably think it was weird that someone was still chasing after her.

Heck, he didn’t even know if she still had the same cell number – but here he was, calling it, fingers crossed behind his back.

“Hello?” He hears at the other end, causing his breath to catch in his throat.

“I see you haven’t changed your phone number,” were the only words that found their way out of his mouth, and he knew they could be taken in several different ways.

“How can I help you, Austin?” It wasn’t as sweet and endearing as he hoped for, but it wasn’t a total turn off either.

“I was wondering if we could talk and catch-up. I realized we drifted apart and how much I hate it when we crossed paths there.” Did he sound too desperate?

“Austin, we were never talkative or close to the point we really knew nothing about each other – except for one thing, which you were good at might I add.” She purposely added that – which just made him lick his lips in remembering her, and smile with a bit of his own pride. “What makes you think that conversation and everything as friends will come now? If anything, it may be even more awkward – hence why friends with benefits doesn’t always work. I also got a lot going on right now, too, to where I don’t know if I have the time.”

“I understa-”

“Trust me when is I say this – I’m not purposely blowing you off. I really actually do have things going on, from a new job to my sister’s health. If my life was more aligned and simple, I’d certainly give it a try for the sake of everything we had.” He takes a deep breath, feeling a bit better in hearing that addition upon his initial hesitation.

“Well for what it’s worth, I hope your sister is okay, and I hope we can catch up in the future. I mean it when I say – I miss you.” He bit his tongue immediately, knowing he was coming off too strong.

“I appreciate the sentiment, but like I told – I’ve moved on with Chase. I really don’t see that changing, either, knowing how much he’s changed and helped me. I’m sorry but I’m trying to let you down easy and understand expectations.” Yep, he had made himself look like an ass.

“I understand fully and completely. It’s always better to be honest, right? Look, you have my number now so feel free to reach out and check in if you want. Hopefully we can be friends. Bye Paige.”

“Don’t beat yourself up, Austin. You’ll find someone who equals your sentiments and wants to be with you the same way, be your equal. Goodbye Austin.”

“Goodbye.” He then presses the hang up button, taking a couple deep breathes.

He had talked. He had confessed – but now felt even worse with having a door slammed in the face. They say it’s better to know the truth – but sometimes, it was better to not know and be able to dream up your own assumptions.

Paige, on the other hand, immediately forced herself to put the conversation and any feelings out of her mind, heading to the guest room to check in on Emily.

“Are you okay?” She asks quietly, following a small knock on the door.

“Tired, but I’m okay,” Emily answers, though certainly had other things she was about to add – still feeling the ache throughout her body.

“Let me know if you need or want anything. I can help you with whatever.” Paige takes a deep breath, allowing herself to come into the room some more. “I may be what you called in being overbearing, over concerning, but I just want what’s best for you…”

“I know, and I appreciate it….” Emily wanted to add more, telling her to back off already, but knew to be nice in knowing the hospitality being offered.

Paige went to say more – but instead bit her tongue, retreating back to down the hall where she was prior.

She was then brought back into her thoughts, having lots of questions about the past couple of days.

What did she really think of Austin? Should she reach out for conversation? Was it worth opening the can of worms?

Why was Samantha and Chase having what looked to be a down-to-earth conversation at Bristol? Why was she so scared to ask Chase about it? Why hadn’t Chase told her anything about it?

Could Alanna really be trusted? Was Samantha making the right move allowing this mystery adoptive girl to move in? What would happen moving forward with her?

Was Emily really going to be okay? How long would it take to answer their questions? Why were the answers taking so long? How badly was this, truly? What would they need to do?

Taking a deep breath, she leaned back against the doo rand knew one thing for certain – life was never simple. It was always full throttle, whether behind the wheel or trying to navigate each day. She’d made it this far, proving she was up for the challenge, giving her the confidence she’d make it through the next phase okay –as long as her sister was okay.

Fast Cars and Fast Lives – Chapter 34: My Confession

Monday, March 29 – Bristol Motor Speedway

“Chase!” Chase hears his name yelled, which had become not a surprise following events.

Typically it’d be someone from the media getting his attention, his fan, or another crew member. Though with covid regulations, it was something that had become a distinct reality. So why was it happening right now?

“Chase!” His name was yelled once again, drawing his attention even more coming from a female. He had just gone to the motorcoach, quickly changing and grabbing what he needed, ready to fly out of Tennessee back home.

“Samantha?” He questions, now really intrigued in seeing it was Ryan’s girlfriend catching his attention. He could only wonder as to why, whether wanting to go out for dinner, or something else.

“Hey Samantha….” She walks over, catching up with him, glad she had gotten his attention.

“Can we talk for a bit?” He nods his head, though still caught off-guard by the meeting. He was now beginning to wonder if she had something to ask him about Ryan. “This is probably not the time or place for this discussion, but we rarely see each other – and I don’t want to wait any longer to say anything.”

“Should I be worried?” A light hearted chuckle escapes her lips, still unsure as to what his reaction may be when she did reveal everything.

“It depends on what your reaction is going to be. Can we go sit down?” He was now even more confused, but easily nodded his head as they went and took up a seat at one of the picnic tables. He could see the stomach knots written on her face, probably the only reason he was being a little extra forgiving right now.

“So what’s on your mind?” She takes a deep breath, debating where to start.

“My mom – or who I thought was my mom, revealed that I was adopted when I was younger. This is where it gets interesting, though. She has a bit of a criminal past, thanks to her ex-husband, and wasn’t able to go through the usual threads. So therefore she went through someone who could do it illegally, and they wound up with me.” Chase nods his head, not totally surprised even if a little intrigued by the story. It didn’t answer why she was sitting before him right now and nervous.

“Everybody has back stories – they don’t make up who you are, as you do that for yourself. You have nothing to be ashamed or upset about.” Samantha smiled as it was nice to hear the advice she already knew.

“Thanks, but that’s not why I’m sharing with you. I did some digging and a little surprise came up.” It was now Chase’s turn to go from curious to confused.

“Is there where you’re worried about my reaction?” She nods his head, instinctively causing him to take a deep breath. “Go on…”

“We’re related. Actually, we’re twins.” The response was as she expected – a mix of confusion and shock.

“Our birthda-”

“I was lied to. I was born same date and year as you. They changed it to two months apart to help their cov-”

“Do you realize what you’re saying?” Samantha nods her head as she reaches into her pocket, pulling out the envelope. She places it on the table before him.

“This envelope contains a DNA test. We kind of took a sample when we last spent time together, and sent it for testing. It matched. Now, we can run another test if you don’t believe me.” Chase opens the envelope, reading the details with a deep breath. “Now that’s the only proof that I have for certain right now, because the only way I knew to think about you was the fact one of the doctors mentioned baby in Georgia and birth date. It was almost too much of a coincidence so I decided to run the test for curiosity and I was surprised as you. I can walk you through how I got to this point.”

“I have so many questions….” Samantha knew the feeling, easily been there herself previously.

“I am willing to answer what I can.” Chase knew there was only one thing that mattered as the bulk of this as if it was true, other people should know – right?

“I want the DNA test redone – just in case, but do my parents know?” Samantha takes a deep breath, shaking her head no, which causes all curious and alarms to go off in response.

“This doesn’t make sens-”

“That’s why I offered to go through the full story for you…” Chase nods his head, taking a deep breath. How was he supposed to process everything? This seemed surreal. “My first contact was to Diane, whom offered the contact for Alexis. She gave me the phone number of the broker, who reluctantly handed the mastermind behind the plan. His name is Dr. Derek Shepherd – an underground doctor whom was one of the most influential at a hospital, till he got tied up with some government plot and ended up having to go underground. I don’t know the whole story, but he got into baby business to cover bil-”

“Where’s the sympathy for families, for everybo-”

“Desperation makes people do desperate things, right? He feels bad now, has a conscience, and pleading to that resulted in the information being handed over.” Chase nods his head, willing to go with it as it went along with everything thus far. “He would connect with doctors in hospitals that wanted extra cash, knew of twins being born. They’d come up with a plan to lie to the mother – all ultrasound images would show a single baby, when reality is there was a pair. They’d show those images, assure things were alright, and analyze the real ones later and offer any issues upon follo-”

“So my mom and dad have no idea that she carried twins, thought there was just a little boy?” Samantha nods her head as Chase takes a long deep breath. Where would he begin when he approached his parents?

“Dr. Lipton was the doct-”

“I remember seeing his name on the documents.” Samantha couldn’t help but smile as it added another layer of truth to the story. “Look, I don’t even know what to say or feel – so much is going through my mind. I’m in disbelief, a little joy, a little shock, a little to where I don’t know what I’ll do about this connection. I also then worry about my parents – their reaction, their shock, and every feeling imaginable when the truth is told. But I feel we need locked down answers before we move forward.”

“That’s why I offered the second test, and then maybe we could also both approach Dr. Lipton for some proof….” Chase nods his head, feeling confident with those sentiments.

“I’m game. I’m willing to do whatever it takes….” Chase then freezes as he thinks everything over. “Samantha Cassandra Vincent. Cassandra was the name that my mom said she would’ve used if she had a girl. My grandma absolutely adored the name…”

“I always thought Cassandra was more fitting.” Chase couldn’t help but smile as it was nice to share a connection already.

“You would’ve loved Grandma. There’s so many reasons why she was my favourite person in the family at times by far – from the treats, to the conversations. Her belief no matter what just lifted you up no matter how bad the day you had.” Chase takes a deep breath, feeling a couple emotions boil to the surface. “I admit I haven’t’ said much since she died, afraid of my parent’s reaction. When we talked about Casey, there was always glossy eyes. I feared that’d turn into tears, upset people, always stopping me from moving forward.”

“Well, as I get to know the family, don’t be afraid to share those stories with me. I’d love to get to know her. I never really had a grandma of my own – she was gone already, and left a trail that you wouldn’t want to know.” Chase could only look over intrigued. “Like I said, my family has a history, a real strong history..”

“Is that what made you want to become a private investigator?” Samantha smiles, nodding her head. It seemed Chase was the only one to fully put those pieces together.

“I guess I was set wrong by the stories and things that happened, sometimes Alexis getting guilt she didn’t deserve, and wanted to make things right. I started as a kid trying to solve my mom’s problems, find the real guilty party and expose them before she took the fall. I fell in love and well, here we are…” Chase glances over the envelope, thinking over the trail that led to the evidence before them.

“Well, you’re doing a mighty fine job there, Ms. Elliott.” Her jaw drops a little shocked at the comment. “I believe in your trail, and I believe you would’ve ensured you cross checked everything before coming to me. But let’s do the test just to make sure we have everything. I don’t want to say anything to my parents without absolute certainty.”

“That’s a deal.”

#9: Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro NAPA Auto Parts

Tuesday, March 30 – Los Angeles, California

Emily took a deep breath, as she stood before the door. She didn’t want to do this, but knew it was for the best.

How else was she supposed to take care of herself right now?

Opening the door, she felt a rush of fear through her as she saw the lady before her. She had seen this lady before, briefly spoken, but nothing else.

“Ms. Porter, you wanted to see me….” was all that was stated. No hellos, no nice greetings you would expect in a casual setting. It seemed fitting to the reputation she bared.

“I need to talk to you about something,” Emily starts, trying to erase all the nerves that she felt. “I need to talk to you about my health, and my schoolwork. While I am passionate about the program and my work and want to do the best thing that I can, I need to take a break for my own well being.”

“What are you trying to say, Ms. Porter? If you’re having some stress related problems, we have a psycholog-”

“Physical problems, ma’am. Tiredness, sickness, coldness through my body, other symptoms. I have a follow-up appointment with a doctor but they haven’t discovered anything through the tests that they have ran so far. All I am asking is for a break until I have a diagnosis and am able to handle the symptoms. I can’t be doing my work right now while I am dealing with this.” She had tried, and failed miserably. She either lost concentration and started typing gibberish, or she fell asleep with laptop on her lap – to which Noah quietly closed and tucked her in.

“Breaks in the program are not taken lightly as missed lessons need to be made up, and everything must be learned. We don’t give breaks on exams, and should you miss enough to not make-up, failing an exam would e the result and no grace is given. Do I make myself clear?” Emily wasn’t expecting sympathy – she knew better as this business was cut throat.

“I know and I respect that. I am just being responsible in explaining my absence from class, and know it may result in failing to pass, and having to repeat. I understand that. It is my responsibility for this sickness, but hey, we take what life gives us. Thank you for your time…” Emily then turns on her heels and heads for the door, taking a deep breath as she opens it to leave.

“Emily!” Emily freezes, turning around to face the lady in charge. “Thank you, and perhaps we can work with you depending on the time that you are away. I respect your honesty and hope you feel better.”

“Thank you ma’am.” She then follows suit, closing the door as another breath escapes her.

There was only one destination now – to head back to the loft, and relax, and pray. Hopefully when the appointment came around, she would get the deserving answers she needed.

Fast Cars and Fast Lives – Chapter 33: Playing Games

Saturday, March 27 – Bristol Motor Speedway

“Damn it!” Chase lets out as he gets shot in the game, shaking his head as he takes a sip of his drink.

What else were you supposed to do while the rain fell outside? For Chase, it was time to get a couple rounds of Fortnite in. Considering he hadn’t played for awhile, it was showing with some very sloppy moves getting him eliminated.

“You’re quiet,” he comments as he glances towards Paige sat on the couch, looking out the window, watching the rain steadily fall.

“What do you expect me to do?” She questions, a little caught off-guard by his comment as he normally falls into concentration with his game and nothing is heard.

“A little conversation, company. Is that allowed? You just seem distant…” Her eyes hadn’t left the window, weaving through the motorcoaches outside.

She couldn’t get her mind off of yesterday – the chance meeting, seeing him again, being transported back to those moments right away. Now with the rain falling, she remembered the time he came and stayed at her apartment rather than the motorhome at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which turned into quite the night.

She shouldn’t be surprised to see them cross paths. In fact, she expected it to happen sooner being with Chase. However, she had kept telling herself it didn’t matter –that was in the past. Though now it seemed like a brick wall right before her.

She thought about telling Chase about her past with Austin. She would break down how they met, what happened, and the fact it was just about having fun together and nothing more – perhaps a bandaid for everything. However, she couldn’t bring herself to say the words. What would he say in response?

“I didn’t want to bother you while you were trying to play considering you’re having a hard enough time keeping yourself alive there,” she lies, as she finally takes her eyes off the window to look at him.

“I’d like to see if you could do better,” he offers, to which she shakes her head no. They both already knew the answer as she wasn’t one to play a lot of video games. “You know what, forget it. I’ve probably wasted enough time doing this anyway. How about we play a game together?”

“A game together?” He nods his head as he puts the video system away, retreating to the cupboard that held various board and card games for when they had friends over. It had originally been Paige’s idea, but it seemed Chase opened the doors more than she would.

“I might as well help you become not bored so we can both pass the time doing something here…” She knew it was probably better than thinking about every theory surrounding Austin in her head. Maybe that’s all she needed – a distraction.

“You can pick because I know no matter whatever you put before me, I’m winning.” She watches as he pulls a box from the cupboard, going over to the little table and sitting on it. She joins it, smirking as she looks over the choice of game. “Sorry?”

“That’s what you’ll be asking me to say when I kick your ass.” She looks on surprised, though was willing to accept the challenge. This shouldn’t be too hard, right?

The idea of playing card games was spread around the motorcoach lot, with the same happening in the Bowman coach. They had resorted to something more simpler, with Go Fish taking place at the table.

“What do you know about your mom outside of her career?” Alex questions in-between rounds as Alexa shuffles the deck.

“Why do you have to ruin today with discussion about her?” Alexa wonders, to which Alex lets out a sigh. He wasn’t surprised by the response, but couldn’t help but think over what Greg said to him.

“My day is ruined by the rain already so I might as well pass along the good vibes..” She rolls her eyes in response, still not wanting to dive down this road. Why did he keep at the topic?

“Why do you seem to care so much about my mom?” Alex couldn’t explain it. Part of him wanted the family approval as he had always been close with his own. The other part of him wanted to solve the puzzle, give Alexa the complete cycle of happiness rather than wondering what could be.

“Can you please not be stubborn and answer the ques-”

“My mom doesn’t share much about herself, if anything at all. When I was younger, all I can think of how she was focused on the business, doing what she could. It was why even the trips we took were business focused. You wouldn’t see her going to some concert or event for fun.” Alex was intrigued by that, knowing everybody needed some sort of stress relief at some point.

“So there’s no hobbies?” Alexa shakes her head no. “Then what does she do for fun?”

“Spread sheets.” Alex couldn’t help but laugh in response.

“Stress release?” Alexa shrugs her shoulders, never having seen her mother do that. sometimes she wondered if that was the missing piece and she was instead venting at everyone.

“Now, can you answer my question?” Alex didn’t want to really say that he had been talking to Greg about her and her mom. He didn’t want to make this a bigger deal than it seemed to her, considering how uptight and defensive she got about him trying to do something.

“Sometimes a person can be pushed so much in one direction, not wanting to allow someone else to push in another because their dreams failed, because of something that happened. I wonder if she avoids everything because of that.” Alexa was actually now intrigued by the theory, as it matched alongside that CJ had suggested in trying to find the driving reason behind why she acted how she did.

“So you figure if you can discover that, offer some sort of cure and therapy, she’ll somewhat turn from the devil to an angel?” Alex wasn’t sure either way, but what else were they supposed to do?

“Nothing else has worked. What’s the worst that can happen?” Alexa laughs, knowing Alex had only caught a glimpse of the type of mother she had through his experiences so far. “I know you continue to think the worst of her, but there’s got to be something nice in there. After all, your father shows some sympathy and he married her. You also come from them and you have a good heart – so that came from somewhere.”

“I’ve also been told I’m crazy, so I guess that comes from her, too…” Alex didn’t know whether to laugh or not, wondering just how sarcastic she was being right now. “It’s why I look between us and really wonder how we make this work sometimes.”

“People have always told me I’m different and strange for the things that I do. I guess that makes us two peas in a pod.” She was willing to go with it, even if she wondered sometimes just how this would work down the road. “Just like next weekend. Most people would be like spend the holidays relaxing, enjoying your time away from the track, go see your family – and we’re heading cross country to go play with cars.”

“There’s something strange about doing that?” Alex nods his head, having heard the response from others around him. It hadn’t changed his mind, though, in knowing the trip had several reasons to have fun. “Please don’t ever let me be normal.”

“Not a single chance, because then we wouldn’t be compatible.”

Saturday, March 27 – California

With a focus on Emily taking care of herself, Noah had been doing whatever he could around her dorm. He even went ahead and did some house cleaning – which was surprising considering he wasn’t even willing to do that for himself much.

However, even knowing she was feeling a little off, they were both intent on making his trip special so that’s why they elected to go out to dinner Saturday night, choosing one of the local restaurants that Emily heard fellow classmates raving about.

Though as they sat halfway through dinner, Emily found herself shilling out more yawns than expected, more than she had probably ever done. In additionally, she even debated curling up and having a nap.

“Are you okay?” Noah questions as he looks up from his plate to catch her eyes. she simply nods her head, though he could see it all over her face. “If you want, we can head back to the dorm…”

“You’re enjoying your dinner,” she comments, feeling mixed thoughts as she looked at the food on her plate. How could she eat this if she could barely keep her eyes open? “I don’t want to ruin your meal or our time out togeth-”

“You wouldn’t be doing that. I can warm up the rest of my dinner after we get back.” He then sets his fork down, reaching across the table to brush the top of her hand – caught off-guard by how cold it was despite the warmth of the restaurant. “We don’t need to be in some fancy restaurant for our time to be special – just being with you is that way for me, as I love every minute we get together. Though we both know you’re not feeling well, and you should be taking care of yourself – that includes knowing when you need rest..”

“I just hate this because you came here to spend time with me while you’re off and I’m ruin-”

“It’s okay. Besides, I’m actually glad I came out to see you so I could take care of you.” He then gives her a hand a light kiss, before motioning before the waiter to come over.

“I just hate this. It’d be so much better if I had some answers from the doctor.” She felt the tears from earlier threatening to fall, quickly wiping them away as Noah reached over and squeezed her hand.

“It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay, Emily. Everything is going to work out..”

Once their plates were packaged up and he paid for the dinner, he took her back to her dorm room, where he tucked her into bed, making a hot chocolate to sip on as he finished the rest of his meal.

As he got near the end of the food, he glanced up and his eyes locked on her, feeling so much all at once. He didn’t want to fall quickly and he didn’t want to over panic, but damn, he felt so much worry and pain seeing her in this situation right now.

How was he supposed to go home for Easter this coming week if she didn’t improve?

Saturday, March 27 – Bristol Motor Speedway

With the race being postponed, the usual was happening throughout the driver motorcoach lot, as various ones got together for either movie night or game night.

For Austin, it was game night with a couple teammates and his brother. Though as they played the latest round of Cards for Humanity, he found himself distracted – stuck on the encounter from earlier in the weekend.

“Can I tell you something?” He breaks the silence that had fallen over the room, catching a couple of his table mates off-guard.

“It’d be nice if you could take your damn turn,” Tyler Reddick offers, resulting in a surprising glance in return from Austin’s brother Ty. “But you have seemed distant all night so I guess we could listen.”

“I ran into my ex on Frida-”

“Wendy?” Ty questions, disgust entering him immediately. He didn’t even want to think about how that relationship played out.

“Nope, before her,” Austin clarifies, causing confusion around the room. “This goes back like four years ago now actually. We were hook up buddies. I met her at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and then found myself driving to Georgia a couple times a week just to see her. No strings attached, no conversation – all focused on one thing alone. We both enjoyed the time we spent together in bed and in truth, I think we were both the perfect distraction therapy for each other, like an escape from reality. Well, she’s here this weekend – with another driver and we ran into each other in the driver’s lot yesterday.”

“The big question – who?” Austin takes a deep breath, knowing the jaws would drop upon saying it. It was why he stopped himself from saying her name – did he really want that connection and discussion just yet?

“They’re dating, but damn, that one look into each other’s eyes, and I can’t stop thinking about everything. I almost asked her if she wanted to hook-”

“Who?” Tyler questions, obviously getting annoyed without the truth.

“She told me they were committed, but you could see the longing glance as I walked away,” Austin continues, totally ignoring the questions in the room. “I don’t think I realized until now just how much she meant to me, how much I should’ve told her, how much she affected me. And I fear it’s too late because she’s with him.”

“Who?” Tyler and Ty now ask at the same time.

“Paige.” Both of their jaws drop immediately, knowing exactly whom he was referring to now. Anybody who had Instagram had seen the couple images dropped by the couple.

“So what are you going to do?” Ty questions, trying to ignore the elephant in the room. Truthfully, he cared about his brother’s feelings more than everything else connected.

“I want to reach out, I want to tell her the truth,” Austin confesses. “I can’t stop thinking about her and I feel I won’t move on until I tell her everything. I want to just spill the tea, and tell her what I feel. Maybe she’ll realize that we weren’t truly over as intended.”

Fast Cars and Fast Lives – Chapter 32: Doing What’s Best For You

Friday, March 26 – Bristol Motor Speedway

Greg Ives glances over at Alex, watching him closely, before retreating back to his notes. However, it wasn’t long before he was back looking towards his driver.

“For someone whose been really looking forward to this race and in his element, you don’t seem happ-” Greg starts, catching Alex off-guard and surprised. Was his mood about everything going on with Alexa really coming through?

“The Ally Chevrolet is great, Greg,” he tells him, hoping that’d be the end of conversation. It wasn’t like the pair discussed their personal life commonly. It was more do their work together, get the job done, and have some fun along the way.

“Then what seems to be the problem?” Alex lets out a sigh as he glances back towards his phone, seeing the latest text message from CJ. That’d be another way to lie – say it was based on the weather the sprint car guys were facing, but Greg was probably smart enough to read through that lie.

“Alexa-”

“Uh oh….” Greg knew of Alex’s previous relationship and how it fell apart. Seeing the dread on his face and laced in his voice, he worried they were headed down a similar path. Heartbroken Alex was no fun for anybody.

“Everything is fine between us before you say anything. Actually, I don’t think it could be greater because we both love and support each other, want to be there for each other. It’s just drama with her parents. They have never approved her decisions, and she says it doesn’t bother her – but she’s tried to reach out past couple years and more so these past couple months, and has gotten nowher-”

“And now you’re worried about her even though she continues to tell her that it doesn’t bother her?” Greg finishes it off, to which Alex just nods his head in return. “You said it yourself – you’re in love, you care about her, and you’d probably give her the world. That’s why you don’t want anything to be wrong for her, whether fixable or not, and that’s why you push to be there for her. These feelings and reaction to her saying it’s fine is okay.”

“I actually called her parents a month ago and tried to work some magic myself. It was the opposite. It actually gave me a glimpse into her world and broke me further. How could someone literally slap your dreams in the face and tell you you’re a failure because you won’t go into their business?” Greg shakes his head, surprised in the response.

“Someone who doesn’t understand how much work goes into the business that we’re in. Someone who thinks you just turn left and do nothing else.” Alex chuckles, having heard that quite a few times from random friends – till they rode in the passenger seat of a car and got an eye-opener.

“Maybe I need to take them for a two-seater ride…” Greg looks on a little horrified as he thinks over what Alex is saying.

“Always business oriented, wanting her to focus on money and do nothing else but pure professionalism is what they are instilling, correct?” Alex nods his head, curious as to the direction Greg was going with this. “What do you know about her parents? Because I know people react and do things as a cause and effect, they always have a reason because something happened or logic filled that. You tell me how the car is handling, and I make a change as a reaction to improve it. I almost won-”

“Her mother is a very grumpy person, turned off against Alexa doing something different. What if her dreams didn’t turn out? What if she wanted to do something, and instead got pushed down the directions he did?” Greg smiles, glad that Alex picked up what he was getting to easily.

“To understand why a person does something is to understand what makes them who they are. Get to know her. Find out why she makes the decisions she does. Instead of focused on Alexa and you, turn the table and ask about how she got into business – and her interests. It may surprise you, and give you a way to relate.” Alex was surprised to hear the advice, and have some renewed hope. However, it also took him back to Alexa’s last words for him from the final conversation.

“For the first time in what felt like forever, she thought she found a common ground with her mother. Her mother kept insisting handing her the business, and she told her mother why would you give it to someone who doesn’t have the same passion? Why would you want to give it to someone who may crush all your hard work at once? They found a common understanding in that hard work, not wanting to throw it away. I think there’s something she had to throw away….”

#48: Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro Ally

Friday, March 26

Alanna glanced over the suitcase, standing back with a smile. It was the last bag she had packed – ensuring every piece of clothing she did not want to leave behind was within the fabric.  Before that, she had loaded her truck with other luggage she did not want left behind – from clothes to random furniture artifacts.

The note was already written for her landlord, in stating she needed a change in pace and was moving across the country. She had included her last month’s rent, with a note to do as he wished with the rest of her belongings.

Knowing she needed a break, she sat down on the floor, back against the wall, sipping a bottle of juice while snacking on some grapes. She picked up her phone, allowing her eyes to rest on the number that had texted her.

50 unanswered text messages. 10 within the time she had spent packing all of her crap during that day alone. 5 written in capital letters demanding an answer.

She resisted every single urge to send a message to go off a cliff to the person. She resisted every single urge to allow him back into her life, knowing she needed the distance, knowing this was the right decision for herself.

Though hearing the familiar ring tone she’d grown used to over the past several months, it was almost too much to bare anymore.

“I told you to stop calling me,” she says as soon as she allows her fingers to touch the answer button. “Haven’t you gotten a clue yet?”

“I think you forgot about our little deal,” he responds back in return, chuckle laced in her voice as usual. It was almost comical – till you realized it was cruel.

“I never made a deal. I wouldn’t ever sell my soul to the devil.” The devil seemed to be an accurate description, considering the crackle she heard in return and the tone of his voice as always.

“You ain’t no angel either, princess. That’s what got you in this situation to begin with. You should be thanking me for getting you ou-”

“I did thank you. I told you thank you a bunch of times. I paid you back what I owed you. Isn’t that enough?” Knowing what she knew now, she probably wouldn’t had allowed him to be her savior that night.

“You would’ve been dead, or trapped in a circle of torture without me saving your filthy ass. I should’ve left you to be trash just like you are.” She takes a deep breath, trying to not allow his comments to seep into the holes of her heart – but feeling too broken already from his constant words.

“You’re the trash – not me, remember? That’s why I told you to kick roc-”

“Because you’re afraid,” which wasn’t a lie as she knew he was right in those words. “You’re afraid that you’re going to let your guard down and show all your true friends what I know about you – how filthy you can be. The fact that you are walking the devil’s road in your decisions even if it appears you’re wearing a halo to your friends. You can’t hide forever, Alanna. I will find you. I will get my hands on you, and I will teach you what you need to know. You need to be taught a lesson, young lady.”

“Fuck you.” She then hangs up, knowing she couldn’t bare to listen to anymore, but knowing even more that she was doing the right thing in moving – again.

Though for the first time, she was going to a place where she had friends, ones she hoped could make everything better as they seemed to do in their message.

Friday, March 26  – Los Angeles, California

Knock. Double knock. Knock. Double knock. It was a constant pattern, and all Emily could ask – who was at the door?

Despite the unwillingness in wanting to move a single inch, she finally gave in to the constant knocking and went to the door opening it. Seeing the individual before her, her jaw dropped immediately.

“Noah?” She questions, absolutely stunned and shocked by his visit. “What are you doing here?”

“I have an off-weekend, and as we said, we both want to spend every single damn waking moment togeth-” Emily remembered the conversation, but still didn’t expect for them to cross paths today.

“I thought you’d still go to Bristol to catch the spectacle of dirt for the first time…” He shakes his head no, as he finally allows himself to take in the sight before him. She was beautiful – part of the original attraction, and she certainly didn’t offer reasons to look away. However, something was off.

“That’s what TV is for, but if you don’t want me here I can go…” He didn’t know why she’d have a reason to do that, considering their constant text messages, late night phone conversations wishing for time together. Now having two weeks off in a row, wasn’t it time to take advantage? “Are you alright, Emily?”

“I just have a lot going on….” She then takes a deep breath, allowing herself to fully take in the past couple weeks. “A classmate tested positive for COVID. I started feeling sick, and I got tested and it’s negative. However, a couple weeks later, I’m still crappy…”

“Have you seen a doctor?” She nods her head, remembering the latest appointment. It was at that moment she walked away from the door, allowing him to follow her inside. There was no hiding anything anymore as she’d already said enough he would not go away without explanation. It was easy to hide over the phone and text, but definitely not standing eye-to-eye.

“Aches, chills, a cough here and there – and yet there’s no reasons behind why according to the doctor based on the tests they’ve done. It’s now waiting for a specialist to look it over, order more tests, and see if they come up with anything.” She leans back against the wall, a tear trickling down her cheek for the first time. “I feel like a human test subject, test dummy, and I don’t know what to do at times…”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Noah felt offended in being kept out of the loop, believing they had enough trust to be there for each other no matter what.

“I don’t know. I guess I was afraid. I guess I thought it was nothing originally. People get sick – they figure what it is, take some drugs, and it’s dealt with. I didn’t want you to worry for no reason.” Noah walks right up there, face-to-face, wiping the stray tear that remained on her cheek away.

“It wouldn’t be worrying for no reason, because frankly, I care so much about you that I think about you any day anyway. It’s okay to let someone in. You don’t have to – and shouldn’t go through this alone. I love you, and I want to be there for you.” He then pulls her off the wall, letting her body collapse against his as he wraps an arms around her tightly. “I’ve got you, and I’m not letting you go. Let me be there. Let me take care of you. This week, I am doing everything for you…”

“I don’t think you could do my homework for me….” Noah thinks it over, though knew she was right. Even though he had some good suggestions in regards to design, he wasn’t about to divulge his way into her textbooks.

“I’ll do everything else, though. I can hold you, cuddle you, let you express your fears, warm you up, make food, do errands – let me make this as easy as possible on you. Your main focus should be trying to take care of yourself.” She takes a deep breath, nodding, remembering those words being repeated by Paige as well.

“It’s just hard to take a step back when I’ve worked this hard to get to this point…” Noah nods his head, knowing where she was going with this.

“Sometimes you have to do what’s best for you – and you alone. This, all of this, will be waiting for when you are better. But if you don’t take care of yourself and do the right thing, you’ll never get to write the last chapter of accomplishing everything.”

Fast Cars and Fast Lives – Chapter 31: Decisions

Thursday, March 25 – Charlotte, North Carolina

Ryan walks into the room, sitting down on the couch, having just let Sturgess out to go the bathroom. His eyes immediately land on the envelope still resting on the table where it had been since the beginning of the week.

There was so much riding on the contents inside, and he couldn’t help but be curious for more reasons than one. What if Samantha was Chase’s sister? What if he was indeed dating his best friend’s twin?

“You still haven’t opened the envelope,” he comments to which she nods her head, eyes having followed his lead. There were times she wanted to reach out and rip it open, and other times it felt like fire was right there ready to burn apart.

“You still haven’t given me a decision,” she replies, in reference to the possibility of Alanna staying with them. It was a simple decision – yes or no. She wanted an answer to purely put Alanna at ease with something, but knew it wasn’t easy to decide either way.

“Why haven’t you opened the envelo-”

“Why haven’t you made a decision? This can go two ways, Ryan…” Ryan lets out a sigh as he knew the game she was playing in avoidance. She did it well, and most times it worked with everybody. However, he wasn’t just anybody in her life.

“The decision whether Alanna comes and stays with us affects our future. It could change anything and everything depending what happens. The contents of the envelope – they don’t change as they are what has happened, just revealing the tru-”

“Which could affect a lot of people, or no people at all, and change lives in that matter. If the truth is that we’re related, I even wonder if I should tell them. If so, how do I tell Chase? How do I tell Cindy and Bill? There’s much more than future relations and knowledge relying on this, as it meant her pregnancy was partly a lie, things could be very different, and who knows…”

There was also the possibility that every hunch they had about this was wrong, and it was just coincidence her and Chase were born on the same day in the same state – or perhaps she was lied to about her date of birth having shifted, too. Was she ready to realize this hunch was wrong, and she reached another dead end, beginning the search for the truth again?

“If you open the envelope, I will give you a decision,” Ryan states, now wanting the questions to be over. There was no way he could face Chase that weekend without knowing these answers.

“Pinky swear?” He nods his head, holding out his pinky as they lock together. Eyes locked on the envelope, it was certainly now or never.

She reaches her hand out, picking up the white object and bringing it to her lap. She allows her finger to run across where it was sealed, pealing the paper away from each other to reveal the piece that lied inside with all the answers that she had wanted these past couple of weeks.

She reaches her hand in, pulling it out as it remains folded in the process, tossing the empty previously frightening envelope aside. She then slowly unfolds the paper, as Ryan glances over in trying to get a preview of the contents with her.

“What does it say?” He questions, knowing by her eyes that she was reading over the contents to see what everything meant.

“What do you think it says?” She offers, to which he just shrugs his shoulders in return, trying to get a read on her in the meanwhile. She wasn’t excited or precisely happy, but she wasn’t upset or angry. “Chase is my twin brother – DNA is a matc-”

“Which means Bill and Cindy are your parents, and she was lied to throughout the pregnancy in being told she was only having one child.” She nods her head as a wave of shock comes over them both as they remain still on the couch. “Don’t lose that piece of paper. There’s no way they’re going to believe you, best friend or trusting or not.”

“I already know a second DNA test will probably be requested, and ran at a different facility. I have no objections because to be honest, I don’t know how I’d feel if a long lost sibling or child just showed up on my doorstep.” Ryan knew what it was like to have sisters – but he knew them for his entire life, it wasn’t like they just showed up a couple years into the program.

“Imagine realizing this person has been right under your nose for a couple years now, too…” She nods her head. She didn’t want to believe things would change moving forward – just new knowledge, possible closer communications. However, she had to wonder if the shock and everything would create a wave effect.

“Are you going to tell him this weekend?” Ryan takes a deep breath, unsure whether he wanted to be the one to deliver the new. After all, this wasn’t something he looked into, and it was her welcome to the family. Perhaps there may be right for conversation afterwards.

“He’s your sibling, your twin. I think this is something that you should share with him. Now, do you want to tell him this weekend or next week?” She knew that meant he was ensuring something was said one way or another, and ultimately she agreed. She couldn’t find this out and walk around in the dark forever.

“Can you look at him this weekend and speak with him as an honest friend without saying the truth?” He takes a deep breath, knowing that’d be a tall order. Any secret was tough to keep, but he believed it was easier in knowing the full story now.

“If that’s what you want, I can bite the bullet for you – but let’s not prolong this, please….” She nods her head, knowing that was probably the best solution, unlike another problem right now.

“Now, you told me that you would give me a decision…” Glancing around, he knew they had a spare room – and an extra body didn’t seem to threaten changing the course of things. He also knew how much she continued to stress about not being able to answer Alanna’s adoption questions – so maybe helping in another way would relive that.

“Go ahead and tell her she can come stay with us. Sturgss may like the company.” Samantha smiles, nodding her head as she pulls out the phone to send a message. “As of Monday, she can come up here….”

“Thank you….” He simply nods his head in return, though hoped he didn’t regret it as he remembered the initial apprehension Samantha had with the offer.

Samantha
4:04pm
Ryan says you can come as of Monday. Look forward to seeing you. Oh, and I have something to tell you when you get here.

Samantha knew it was bold to send that – and didn’t even know if she’d be able to share. Actually, she even doubted sharing in knowing it may create jealousy. But she knew if anybody could relate to apprehensions about things, it was Alanna.

Alanna
4:07pm
Awesome ty. R u pregnant?

Samantha couldn’t help but chuckle in response to the message. Of course that’d be her assumption.

Samantha
4:09pm
No – something else.

Alanna takes a deep breath, slightly curious, but excited regardless as she already began throwing some clothes into the suitcase. It was going to be an interesting – fun, but interesting.

Another deep breath, and she just hoped it went well without regrets or any more trouble coming her way. There was a reason she was doing this, after all.

“Just pack your bags, start the drive, and take a deep breath,” she tells herself as she folds a pair of pants. “You can do this. You can survive. You’ve done it all your life so far….”

#3: Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet Camaro Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road

Friday, March 26 – Bristol Motor Speedway

Paige couldn’t help but smile as she looked down into the Great Coliseum.

She loved the original Bristol Motor Speedway, great side-by-side racing, bump-and-runs, short track feel that you got with the event. It was heartbreaking in seeing that’d be taken away in trade of filling the place with dirt.

Though taking a glance over the track, and having seen Chase run the dirt late model just the week prior, she admittedly was being quickly converted over to a fan of everything.

“Paige?” She hears, catching her attention as she glances towards the direction of the voice. As soon as she caught a glimpse of him, her heart leapt in her throat.

“Austin…” She quietly lets out as Austin Dillon walks over, smiling as he rubs Fletch’s head. He had already met the dog, having passed by Chase when he was walking him around in past seasons.

“It’s nice to see you. How have you been?” She lets out a sigh, knowing it had not been all sunny and roses. However, those conversations never seemed to come about with him.

“Great, actually. How about yourself?” It was casual conversation, something they were used to – but nothing more.

“I’m doing okay. I was just surprised to see you here. I’d feel bad if I didn’t say it, but I miss you…” There was the heart leap once again as their eyes caught each others.

“Austin, you kno-”

“Look, I know that you and Chase are together, been for awhile now from what I gather. I’m happy for you, but it’d wrong if I didn’t tell you the truth and that’s I miss you. I miss those nights together. I miss that passion we awoke in each other, that bond that we had. I almost wish we could’ve kept that…” She swallows the lump in her throat, as her body certainly wanted those moments once again, as well.

“Those nights were great, some of the most memorable, but I’ve moved on. I thought you were ready to move on.” The eyes hitting the ground for Austin said otherwise, and broke her heart at the same time. “I’m sorry…”

“It’s not your fault. I thought she was the right one but turns out, she just wanted the fame and attention. I should’ve known and seen it coming having grown up in the business, right?” Paige wanted to reach out, offer comfort, but knew craving into anything at all was asking for trouble.

“Just as I’ve found the right person for me, I know she’s out there for you.” Austin didn’t need to be told that as his eyes caught hers in return.

“What if she’s standing right before me and doesn’t realize it? I’m sorry, but I better go. I have practice after all…”

He then hurries on his heels towards the track opening, away into the crowd, before Paige can even utter a response, or think of one for that matter.

For the rest of the walk with Fletch, she couldn’t help but think about the conversation.

It brought her right back to the nights they spent together. For them, there was nothing personal – just a physical attraction. He had a lot on his plate with the pressure of the world and the name, she had a lot on her plate with everything going on in their lives.

A night of crossing paths at Atlanta Motor Speedway turned into a lot of trips back and forth from Georgia and North Carolina for them both, utilizing the physical attraction with each other for therapy and distraction.

He was the one that cut off ties originally, having believed he was ready to move on, find someone whom ticked every box. However, that hadn’t been the case by his words – unlike the fact she believed to have done so with Chase.

Though as she walked back into the motorcoach, she admitted needing a cold shower. She felt hot and heavy in simply having lied eyes on him as all those nights coming back to her immediately.

Fast Cars and Fast Lives – Chapter 30: The Next Steps….

Tuesday, March 23 – Dawsonville, Georgia

Paige walks into his room downstairs, and stops in the doorway with a bit of surprise. She had heard him down there, but wasn’t expecting the sight before her. Initially, she had to chuckle a little in watching him.

“You’re actually practicing?” She questions, catching him off-guard as he gets a little loose on the game, sliding up into the wall significantly. She felt bad, but actually was surprised how quickly she broke his concentration.

“I don’t want to totally embarrass myself, considering two of my teammates rock at dirt and the other is an iRacing genius,” Chase answers as he hits the reset button.

“Aww is Chase feeling no love this weekend?” He shakes his head no as he takes a long sip of his drink. “You can admit it to me, you know…”

“I thought you were busy…” She then looks at him a little surprised by the comment, but also wasn’t surprised. If he didn’t want to say something, he would just dodge around the topic.

“You didn’t answer my quest-”

“A little practice never hurt anyone, but it doesn’t matter going into the weekend as we know the whole event will be totally different. Now, weren’t you busy?” She nods her head, knowing when he retreated downstairs she had been in the midst of working on a story. It was actually refreshing for her to be focused on something she liked more so than the usual old stuff she was doing which seemed to drag her spirit down. It showed in her work, too, as she felt more confident about this piece and it had been easier to write.

“The piece is officially completed so I thought I’d come check on you.” He was admittedly surprised, knowing how she normally obsessed over every single little detail. It was why he was beginning to wonder about her true intentions.

“Should I be worried?” She shakes her head no, actually feeling more confident than other in where things stood with herself, and them together. It was surprising how much the discussion had helped, and no doubt she was still feeling a high after last week’s anniversary celebration.

“There’s only one question that begs to be asked, though. Where do go from here?” He was caught off-guard by the question as he finally took his eyes off the screen to meet hers in return. It wasn’t like her to ask psychological thought provoking questions, or wonder about the future and everything. What had changed?

“What do you mean?” She takes a deep breath, having thought about it quite a bit, especially in watching other couples begin bigger lives together, whether through family or planning a future.

“We both love each other, and want to be together. We both enjoy every minute that we can have together, and believe in each other. Frankly, I surprise myself in how much faith I continue to put in your hands. So what now?” Now he wasn’t surprised by the question – but knew to not push any buttons yet. Just because she was looking into the future and forever did not mean they were ready for proposals.

“We enjoy every minute that we get together. We enjoy new experiences together. We take advantage of the opportunities that we have because we never know if we will get them again – whether in relation to work, or something else. We just keep enjoying this and growing closer and closer together.” He then reaches out, placing his hand lightly on top of hers. “I love you, Paige, and I don’t need a guideline or book to follow. I just want to enjoy being with you and the fun that we have together.”

“I have no complaints about that, either.” She then leans in, letting her lips brush lightly across his. “I wouldn’t change a single thing, by the way.”

“Neither would I.”

Tuesday, March 23 – North Carolina

Alexa pulls out her checklist, beginning to glance over every single item as they had listed out. It was something they’d put together months ago, with the plan to utilize it before each race weekend. After going through times of being in a hurry and forgetting stuff, this was the next step in organization.

“You’ve gone over that list twice, right?” Alex questions as he loads the last of the spare tires into the trailer. Alexa nods her head yes, noting the double checkmarks beside each item as listed. The only thing not checked off yet was the sprint car, but that obviously would not be happening today. “Okay, so we just need to go over the car once agai-”

“Didn’t you go over it twice already?” Alexa questions, knowing Alex had spent every single moment not at HMS yesterday and today in the shop. While she wasn’t surprised, she also knew the overworrying wasn’t normal for him.

“I just want to make sure everything is perfect. What if I missed something?” Alexa lets out a sigh as she watches him walk back over to where the sprint car sat, smiling with a bit of pride as she was certainly a beauty.

“Alex, you are acting like a nervous father right now. Breathe, relax, and believe. Everybody here is here for a reason – they know what they’re doing, and CJ is included. You don’t need to run around here stressing.” Alex stops, glancing over at her. Normally, it was her going crazy and stressing while he was carefree about things. What was happening?

“You’re right – but I can’t help it. This is what we’ve been working towards. This is why we’ve put in the time, done things, dreamed of. Now that it’s happening, it’s almost like surreal. Is it really happening?” She then walks over, pinching the back of his hand, causing him to scream. “What was that for?”

“A pinch of reality.” He then couldn’t help but chuckle, though easily returned the favor. “I didn’t deserve that.”

“Are you sure? Because it seems we’re still at square one with your parents as someone keeps putting that of-”

“And for good reason might I add. I mean, who asks for a business plan about someone’s life? I’m sorry but nobody life is supposed to follow a certain structured plan and such. You can have goals and ways of reaching them, but that’s a little far – and strange. Besides, it’s the perfect way for mommy to set me up for failure as she grades it like a term paper and tears it apart.” Alex was taken back by her words, but understood why given the history of the relationship. It was why he wasn’t surprised when the idea was shelved once again.

“So where do we go from here? You did promise to work on your relationship with your parents.” She takes a deep breath, remembering those words as she told Alex. However, the closer she came to doing that, the further drawn back it seemed.

“One step forward, two steps back is all I feel that is happening. When do you throw in the towel and say that you cannot do it anymore? That’s where I am, Alex. Every time I open the door, I give her an opportunity to upset me, anger me, tear me down. Nobody deserves that in their life. So I think it’s time to create space, and maybe try again in the future – or maybe convince her by creating space what she’s miss-”

“What about your father?” Alex actually wanted to have a conversation with her dad – just them, no influence one bit from Amber. He felt that maybe he’d get somewhere as he did recall Alexa saying that there was a common ground met at one point.

“He has my phone number, he has my address. Communication is a two-way street and it’s time that he utilizes it. You said it’s a two-way effort by both people, but that’s a door I keep having to push. It’s time he learns to do the same.” Alex understood her theory, but also had developed one of his own – and it was why he wanted that conversation. Perhaps her father was the gateway to everything.

“What if he’s afraid of your mother being upset over conversation? What if that’s why he holds back? Truthfully, I think that’s a door you should never close because maybe, just maybe, he’d give you the rest of the reason why your mother is so adamant about your involvement in the business. You mentioned she had a hear-”

“A sliver of a hear-”

“There’s something, though, and that’s a gateway to perhaps what you have always wanted in her approval. I know you tell me it doesn’t matter, but there’s a reason why the door is opened, and why you do create the conversations every now and then. Your father fell in love with your mother for a reason – and I think he knows the rest of the story.” Alexa nods her head, actually understanding Alex’s approach now. However, it was still a matter of when do you draw the line and stop allowing the same results?

“Alright, fine, I’ll keep reaching out to him to say hello every now and then. But Alex, you have to understand that not everything is so easy and going to happen as you want.” He wraps an arm around her shoulders.

“I’m a racecar driver, Alexa. We plead for everything that we can out of our machines and always strive for that perfection, but in the end, we know it’s not always going to be checkered flags every single day.” She smiles as it was definitely a way of putting it.

#12: Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Ford Mustang BodyArmor

Samantha sets the envelope down on the table, taking a deep breath. She knew what the contents held – she knew all of her answers rested in a couple pages within an envelope. All she had to do was rip it open and she’d potentially know everything about her history.

However, she couldn’t find a way to do it – because the knowledge scared her. She didn’t know what was going to do if it answered all of her questions, or if it began to leave the door open for others to be asked. She also didn’t know if she could pass along the knowledge to others moving forward. How would Chase feel? How would Cindy feel?

Alanna
12:43pm
I forgot to tell you. Congratulations to Ryan.

Samantha was thankful by the distraction, and couldn’t help but smile in reading the text message. There was nothing ever wrong with winning an event – in fact, it was a good distraction, too. It was something to think about instead of a simple envelope.

Samantha
12:45pm
Thank you. Hope you’re doing well.

With everything on, she hadn’t been messaging Alanna as normal. They’d always been in contact previously, daily basis, talking about the challenges Alanna was handling – as well as anything on her mind. Though it seemed those messages had stopped. It made Samantha wonder just how things were, and even feel bad a bit in being so self-centered on her adoption mess when in reality, so many people had it worse than her.

Alanna
12:50pm
About that. I want to ask you a favor. Could I come stay with you and Ryan for awhile?

Admittedly, she was surprised by the message. By all intentions, Alanna seemed to have everything going as she wanted – job, some new friends, finding direction for her life. So why would she want to move to another state entirely?

Part of her wanted to say go for it – as she’d do anything for Alanna. However, the other part of her knew she needed to ask Ryan first. After all, they shared this house and Ryan lived here first.  

Samantha
12:53pm
I’ll have to ask Ryan, but why?

The investigator instincts in her said something was the reason for the move – whether a break-up, totally out of money, an event happening, the current distance between them. Though she couldn’t let any negative thoughts cross her mind as for her, Alanna was pure gold and someone she felt bad for in every thought.

Alanna
12:57pm
Need a change in pace. So many emotions here that I want a restart. You understand….

Samantha takes a deep breath, as she probably knew better than most. She had moved away from New York in wanting a fresh start from Alexis’ mob background and potential illegal connections. She had becomes friends with Paige and Emily, who moved away from their beginnings due to the events with their parents.

Starting new, getting a refresh is something that many looked at negatively in saying you were running from your problems. However, she knew from herself and friends, it was probably the best decision they made.

Samantha
12:59pm
Let me get back to you. I’ll see what Ryan says.

Fast Cars and Fast Lives – Chapter 29: Raceday

Sunday, March 21 – Dawsonville, Georgia

With the girls unable to be at the track, they had elected to gather at Paige and Chase’s instead, set to chill together with some racing action on the tube.

“So, what’s going on with your adoption deal?” Paige asks Samantha while they’re in the kitchen getting drinks together. Paige had wanted to ask her sooner, but wasn’t sure if Alexa knew about it yet and whether to mention in front of her. “I mean, I know you told Ryan but that’s it.”

“I spoke with the broker and he got me in touch with the doctor,” Samantha starts, taking a deep breath. She still hadn’t gotten the DNA results back yet, resulting in not wanting to share much with Paige until she was able to confirm or deny the suspected connection. “He’s trying to see if he can place the name of my mother or the city born.”

“Well I hope he can because I know how badly you want to know the truth.” Samantha nods her head, though takes a deep breath. She wanted to know the truth – that was why she began this journey. But was she ready to upturn everybody else’s lives?

“I assume you spoke to Chase…” Paige nods her head, remembering the conversation fondly.

“Yeah, and it went a lot better than expected. He understood why I wanted to have the conversation, and surprisingly shared more of his emotion than normal. We’re kind of on an equal footing and hopefully it means any other things that arise we’ll just blast through.”

Paige then heads in to the front room, sitting on the couch as she hands over Alexa her drink. Samantha went to immediately follow, though was stopped by an alert on her phone.

DNA Lab
5:20 pm ET
Samples received. Samples tested. Should have something for you tomorrow.

Samantha takes a deep breath, unsure if she wanted to pick up the results immediately as so many doubts and questions surrounded her at the very thought. However, she was still thankful for the quick results.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” She then hears Paige let out from the living room, causing an immediate shock. She walks into the room eyes peered on the TV, expecting to see a wrecked or spun No. 9 car. Instead, though, she sees one along the apron of the track with smoke coming out the back of it. “Hendrick Motorsports never has motor issues but of course it happens when we have a good car at his home track. Unbelievable!”

“I hope that’s not a trend for the rest of the day,” Alexa offers, feeling a tinge of nerves in having watched Alex run up front along with the rest of the Hendrick stable. It’d be fitting for his season, though, as they’ve had speed each week but keep finding bad luck.

“Well, he did have some hood damage so maybe that played a factor,” Samantha comments as she sits down on the couch.

“I seriously doub-” Paige starts but Alexa nodded her head in agreement.

“He mentioned the bracing possibly being broken. It may have hit something, or blocked off the fans to run hot. Sometimes you get damage that you don’t expect in incidents, and especially when you slam into someone else.” Paige lets out a sigh as she wasn’t fully believing the girl’s theories, but understood how they helped Alexa right now.

“Regardless of the reason, it damn well fucking sucks. He drove his ass to the front after starting in the back again thanks to Gustafson and then has this happen. Screw the juice, I need wine.” The other girls just laugh as they watch her return back to the kitchen.

“Should we share that Alan causing him to fail tech now may help for later due to testing out the edges of the rules?” Alexa whispers, causing Samantha to shake her head no immediately.

“I know you can stand up to her and kick her ass if necessary, but let’s not spark a fight here,” Samantha offers as she tries to get comfortable, ignoring the other nerves surrounding her. “Besides, Alan did cause them to fail pre-race tech at Phoenix last yea-”

“But he still won the championship, in a dominant run might I add, which is all that matters. Sometimes it pays to push those windows of control and rules. How do you think I’ve become a queen?” Samantha just lets out a sigh, but had to admit her friend was right. After all, pushing the limits in investigations was normally how she found the truth.

#5: Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro HendrickCars.com, #12: Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Ford Mustang BodyArmor

After watching Chase’s mishap, the girls had buckled down to watch the rest of the event. While it sucked to see one of their men out of contention, there was something about the ‘ol charm of aged pavement and saving tires that had them all invested.

Besides, Ryan and Alex had managed to keep themselves in the top-five all day long which certainly helped everybody’s interest in watching. There was also amazement in seeing the domination by Kyle Larson. Everybody knew he was good behind the wheel, but never expected to see this performance.

For the longest time, it seemed as though Kyle was going to cruise to his second win of the season. Though as the race broke into its final 15 laps, the gap between him and Ryan began to close.

“Is it wrong that I am cheering against my driver’s teammate?” Paige questions as Alexa shakes her head no, knowing the feeling. While they wanted to see another win for HMS, they couldn’t help but cheer on Ryan for Samantha.

“Even if you were cheering for Kyle, it wouldn’t help right now,” Samantha answers, seeing the gap grow even smaller over the past five laps. “He’s used up those tires. Ryan was right in letting the rabbit go and chase him down later. Conserving tires – the secret to Atlanta, and the opposite of what you’re known for there.” Alexa just smirks, knowing her sport was definitely different in ensuring as much usage and smoke as you could make.

“At least my driver is following the protocol,” Alexa comments, seeing Alex run solidly in third – not losing ground to the top-two, but not gaining anything as he kept a solid hold on the spot.

“Try as you might Larson, but you cannot run my man’s line as he can…” The girls chuckle as they watch Kyle try to run the exact same line that Ryan was running in an effort to stall the run, but it seemed nothing was working.

“He’s so loose off the corner – tires are shot…”

The predictions and cheers by the girls were right on point, with Ryan going on by with seven laps to go. He then put some insurance behind it, driving out to a second lead, by a second and a half advantage.

The strategy and speed all day paid off as the girls cheered, sharing in high fives as Ryan took the checkered flag.

“Hell yes!” Samantha lets out, raising both fists in the air. “Hell yeah baby!”

“Someone is getting laid tonight,” Paige sings as Alexa just chuckles. The comment earned a pillow being chucked at her in return.

“Someone is going to be doing the same to cheer her man up.” Paige’s jaw drops a little, surprised by the comment as Samantha just smirks back. “Come on, you have to give me some credit.”

“I could kill you truthfully – but I won’t because I love you, like a sister.” Samantha freezes upon hearing those words. If everything was true, then Paige would be her sister-in-law once Paige and Chase tied the knot. Their friendship had always been super close and sibling like, but she could never imagine that becoming official.

“Samantha, are you okay?” Alexa asks, seeing the deer in the headlights look.

“Why wouldn’t I be okay? My man just won!” She knew she couldn’t dwell or wonder any longer because that was forgotten for the next couple hours – until tomorrow and the days that followed at least. For now, it was all about Ryan and him reaching victory lane.

Amber (Mommy)
7:05pm
So where’s that proposal princess?

“Now you look like a deer in headlights,” Paige comments after watching Alexa read a text message on her phone. “Should we be concerned? I mean, Alex finished third. That shouldn’t be cause for concer-”

“It doesn’t deal with Alex,” Alexa replies as she shakes her head in re-reading her mom’s words over.

She remembered the conversation. She remembered the proposition that was at hand – prove she was doing right by herself, in trade of approval from her parents.

When she got off the phone, it was a simple concept she planned on fulfilling as requested. However, in the days that had followed, she hadn’t been able to lay much down on paper – and was beginning to wonder if it was worth it. If she hadn’t been able to prove anything to this point, what would change with this document?

It was why she already knew what she was going to say in response.

Alexa
7:08pm
Deal is off. I’m done playing people pleaser.

“Those fingers look like they’re type quite fast there,” Samantha analyzes, as Alexa takes a long deep breath afterwards. In a way, it felt good to that off her chest. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Do you really both want to hear more bullshit about my parents?” Alexa questions, grabbing the wine bottle that Paige had set down on the table earlier. “It doesn’t matter what is said, what is attempted, nothing changes with her.”

“Take a deep breath…” Paige says as she places her hand on top of the wine bottle. She knew Alexa was keen on flipping off the deep end when things didn’t go as she wanted, or she felt backed into a corner. Getting her to calm down and think most times took her off the bleak, something they’d gotten used to doing.

“My whole life has been about my parents and trying to make them happy. Then I reached a point where I was sick and tired of being pushed into a corner that I did the complete opposite of what they wanted. In the end, though, right decision as I still love my hair…” Both girls nod in agreement, as it was certainly a unique appearance, but you could not deny the pink and blue highlights. “However, I began to want that connection with my family, my mother, so I circled back around to trying again. But no matter when I speak to them, and even when Alex went, it was just the same constant feedback. CJ suggested taking a different approach, asking why she badly wanted me to do it. Truthfully, I almost caved everything at hearing her wor-”

“Heartfelt, all about hard work paying off, seeing her legacy continue, and more?” Samantha wonders, to which Alexa nods her head. “Yep, I hear that a lot when it comes to investigating businesses. You’d be surprised how much heart and dedication these people have put in to getting where they are, that they’re willing to do whatever it takes to ensure the future for it. You’re not the first daughter to feel alienated or wrongly done by.” Alexa could only roll her eyes, as that certainly didn’t help; a big mouthful of the wine would probably do more.

“Misery loves company I guess, right?” Paige eyes her firmly, though, not taking her hand off the bottle as Alexa tries to pull it closer. “I told her if she cared that much, why would she want to hand it to someone that didn’t? We actually connected for a single moment – before she turned it right back on its head, saying I needed to prove I was doing the right thing, submit a business proposal. Do you realize she equated and valued her daughter’s life to being equal to a business proposal?”

“Business is what she knows best,” Paige tries to sympathize, though knew it was a long shot given no experience in the parental understanding department herself. “It’s the language that she knows and probably equates to every life decision. Maybe if you say it in a way that she’ll understand, then maybe she’ll understand.”

“Or maybe she’ll just tear it apart like she does everything else – finding every fault and reason because I’m not the perfect business adequate daughter. Truth be told, I’m done going around in circles. I’m done letting her do this to me and ruin my days with her comments – hence why I told her that I’m done. I’m happy with Alex, I’m happy with my career, and damn I’m happy about my friend choices. Take it or leave it – because I can’t keep doing this to myself….” She then takes a deep breath, eyes trickling down her cheeks. “I just can’t do it anymore….”