Pole Position (33 page)

“I’ll tell him, I haven’t seen her yet today, she went to town earlier with Asher and another friend.  They are sitting in the grandstands I guess.”

“The grand stands?  I never got to sit up there with you boys, your dad made sure of that.  I’m sure the view is much different.” She told me with a laugh. 

“Yeah that’s what I was thinking but she said she wasn’t up for all the walking today, my guess is she might be a little hung
over.”

“Well take care of her Jet!” mom screeched into the phone.  Then asked to talk to Jason.

Just as Jason hung up with mom, they called for the A-qualifier race for the modified to line up at the staging area.  I got in my car and buckled in, “Remember top four go to the big dance, you’ll have all day tomorrow off if you make the top four.” Jason told me as he locked my window net in place.  I gave him thumbs up and started my car, Jerod motioned for me to pull out of the stall again. 

I was starting two rows from the back and needed to work my way up to at least fourth.  We pulled onto the track and made one lap like usual, then out of turn four the green flag was flying. 
With twenty five laps I needed to be able to make it from almost last ,clear to the front.  All the guys were racing and driving hard and fast into each corner.  It’s not very often that you go more than seven or eight laps without a caution coming out but according to the guy talking to us through the race receiver we were doing, “Specfuckintacular!” On lap eighteen the caution came out for three cars that had tangled behind me and had to be pulled to the pit area.  I was currently running in sixth with ten laps to go.  Once the green flag dropped again, I found a high line and started passing car after car until I was right on the rear bumper of the leader.  “White flag lap.” The guy told us as we pulled sideways off of turn four down the front stretch.  The leader dove to the bottom as I slung along the high side through turn one and two, out of turn two we were neck in neck for the lead down the backstretch.  Turn three came and we both stayed on the same line, him at the bottom and me at the top.  As we flew down the front stretch under the checkered flag I blew out a breath.  The guy came over the race receiver, “Fifty two J over eleven X by one tenth of a second.  Great race guys, be sure to go through the scales and we’ll see you top four on Saturday night.”

I pulled off the track to go through the scaling and tech area, after twenty minutes I drove to the trailer and backed the car up in front of the trailer.  Jerod ran to the car and lowered my window net
, “Great fucking race man!  Next year I have to bring my car for damn sure.” He said as he patted my shoulder. 

Once I was out of the car, Cameron was all smiles
, “Holy shit son, you looked like a million bucks out there.” He said and held his hand out. 

I shook his hand
, “Thank you!  This car is a god damn rocket I think I’ll let you keep the carnage inside our hauler and we’ll just take this beast back with us.”

We all laughed as Cameron talked about the last driver and how he
, “Tore more shit up than he could shake a stick at.” Were his exact words.   We talked about the All Star race and agreed that it would be up to me if I wanted to race it or not.  I told Cameron I would let him know Saturday morning. 

After numerous drivers and people had been over to talk to us and look
ed over the car we finally made our way to the concession stand. 

“Are the girls coming back to the pits or what?” I asked as put ketchup, pickles
, and mustard on my cheeseburger. 

“I’m not sure what they are doing, I know they both said they have some assignments to do.” Mitch said.

I nodded my head turned around and ran right into Riley.  She smiled, “Great race out there, I think your good luck charm worked from last night.”

I rolled my eyes and walked away from her without even saying a word.  Once I was back at the trailer I checked my phone to see that Chassis had sent me another text telling me good job.  I called her, “Hey.”
She answered in her soft voice.

“Hey, so how do you like the grandstands?”

“I don’t mind it,  they definitely don’t let people get bored up here that’s for sure.  I’ve won a t-shirt and Asher has a new hoodie, they give them away up here!” She said with a laugh.

“So, are you coming back out to the pits?”

“Sometime, we both have papers we need to work on and get emailed in so we don’t get a zero.”

“Well I’d really like to see you, I haven’t had a chance to even talk to you since the wet t-shirt contest last night.”

“We’ll be out there sometime, I’ll let you know when.”

“Chass, is something wrong?  It sorta seems like you are avoiding me.”

“No, I’ll..I’ll let you know when we are coming out there.” She said then hung up.  I stood there looking at my phone.  “What the fuck?” I said to myself. 

“What?” Jason asked

“Chassis, if I didn’t know better I’d think she’s avoiding me.  I apologized to her for snapping at her after yesterday’s wreck, surely she isn’t pissed about that.”

Jason just shrugged his shoulders and mumbled something I couldn’t understand as he walked into the trailer.

“What did you just say?” I asked

He looked up at me
and shook his head, “Nothing.”

“Bullshit, what the fuck is going on?”

“She…I think she just massively hung over.”

“Right.” I said and shook my head. 

The rest of the afternoon we watched some of the other class’s race and visited with the race teams parked next to us.  I decided I would go to the RV and take a nap then work on the assignments I needed to.

I bought another cheeseburger then headed to the camper, once there I opened the door.  There sat Chassis and Asher with their laptops on the table as their fingers flew across the keyboard.

“I thought you were going to let me know when you were coming out here.” I said then kissed her on the top of her head before I sat down next to her.

“Yeah, uh, sorry we haven’t been here long.” She said but never looked away from her computer.

She would stop typing, flip through her notebook then start typing again.

“So I think I’ve got a damn good chance at winning Saturday night, Cameron wants me to run the All Star race too.”

“Awesome!” She said with a smile then flipped through more notes and typed more on her laptop. 

Asher looked up at me over her laptop screen then looked back at her screen, “Chass do you have the notes from Tuesday?  I know I took some but I can’t find them.”

Chass dug in her back pack pulled out another notebook, flipped through the pages then handed it across the small table to Asher.

“Do you think I should run the All Star race?  Cameron’s car is pretty fast.”

“Sure, I think you would have fun.” Chassis said but never looked away from her laptop.

I wrinkled my eyebrows together, “When are these due?”

“Friday by noon.” Was all she said.

“Asher will you give us a minute, I want to talk to Chass alone.”
I’d had enough of Chassis being so short and cold towards me so I wanted to talk to her.

“I’m right in the middle of this I’m not stopping now!” She told me with an irritated tone.

I looked over at Chassis, “What the fuck is your deal?  You won’t look at me, you barely talk to me and you act like you could care less about the races.”

Her fingers stilled over the keyboard for a split second
, “I just want to get this typed up so I can proof read it before I have to email it.” She said but never looked at me.

“What the fuck ever.” I said then stood up from the table and walked back to the bedroom.  I could still hear her and Asher typing away on their laptops as I laid there staring at the ceiling. 
I thought about what I had done with Riley and felt my own heart skip a beat as I thought about my son.  I dozed off and was woken up three hours later by a very drunk Jerod. 

He was determined to get me drunk he said as he tried to get me to take a shot of tequila.  I walked into the living area, Chassis and Asher’s laptops weren’t on the table and their back packs were shoved under the table.  “Where’d they go now?” I asked Jerod.

“Uhhh (he closed one eye) I think Wal-Mart?  I can’t remember.  Ask Mitch or Jason even though I think they might be a just as wasted as I am.”

I pulled my phone out and called Chassis, it rang three times then went to
voice mail.  I sent her a text; *
Where r u?
*
~ *
At the store, bbl
* ~ *
Like when? Soon?
* ~ *
Not sure will let you know when we r headed bk
* ~ *
Chass what is going on?
* ~ *
Nthng, just came to do some shopping w/ Asher and Carley
* ~ *
Well I’d like to spend some time with you to, can you fit me into your overly busy schedule sometime this weekend?
* ~ *
Yeah
*

I slammed my phone down on the table
, “I sure wish I knew what her fucking problem is.” I grumbled

“Who? Chass?” Jerod asked

“Yeah CHASS, who the fuck else would I be worried about?”

He shrugged his shoulders then walked out of the camper. 
I grabbed my phone off the counter and followed behind him.  Lawrence greeted me with a gallon jug of his famous ‘Apple Pie’. “Dude that backup car is faster than shit!” He yelled.  I nodded my head then poured me a cup of the apple pie.

“That it is.  So what’s going on tonight?”
I asked.

“Another stripping contest
and the live band.”

“Have you hung out with Chassis much?”

“Eh a little, she got hooched last night.” He said with a big smile.

I shook my head, “Yeah and she’s been fucking bitchy and avoiding me all damn day too.  I’m guessing the hangover is kicking her ass.”

“HA, probably!  She won almost eight hundred bucks from the wet t-shirt contest.  I think it was burning a hole in her pocket so they just had to go see what stores were in town.”

I nodded my head then turned and grabbed two beers out of the cooler, “Well I guess I’ll drink while I wait for her to get back.”

“THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKIN’ ABOUT!” Lawrence whooped and laughed. 

An hour passed and I still hadn’t heard from Chassis, I was throwing the beers back like they were water.  It was eating me alive that I knew the very second I told her about Riley that she would be crushed.  I had promised to never hurt her, then turned around done exactly that. 
I tried to call her but finally gave up when the numbers on my phone looked like they were shaking away under my fingers.  A bull horn sounded followed by a set of drums playing wipe out.  “It’s time for the T and A show boys let’s go see what eye candy is on stage tonight.  Everybody get on the cart.” Lawrence yelled as we all piled on. 

We made it over to where the live band was set up, the bass player started strumming deep long notes as the drummer thumped against the bass drum.  I sat on the golf cart with one foot propped up on the dash and a beer in my hand.  The first person I seen walk out on stage, “What the fuck?” I said and stood up off the cart.  I pushed my way through the crowd to the front of the stage.  Chassis was wearing a pair of silver glittery stiletto high heels, a tiny fucking black mini skirt that showed her ass cheeks
, and a checkered flag skin tight leather tank top.  The lead singer started humming into the microphone as more women walked out on stage.  Carley, Chassis, Asher, and four other women were up on stage looking like full blow high dollars strippers.  “We would normally play for this show but we’d really rather be able to watch and enjoy so …(the lead singer nodded his head toward the women) LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!” he yelled into his microphone.  The crowd in front of the stage erupted into cheers and wolf whistles as ‘
Single Ladies
’ the signature song for the stripping contest, started playing again. 

I cocked my head to the side and watched Chassis, she wouldn’t look at me for longer than a few seconds before she would turn around, bend over then shake her ass towards the crowd.  I could see her hot pink booty shorts under that tiny black skirt she had on. 
She strutted over to the lead singers microphone stand and did a stripper dance in front of him, then circled behind him and slid down his side with her back.  He bit his lip ring and whispered something to Chassis that caused her to laugh, she slapped him on the ass and walked back to where the other women were.  I was fuming pissed but couldn’t take my eyes off of her.  All the women were getting dollar bills, twenty dollar bills, and even some hundreds shoved down the front of their shirts, skirts, bras or thongs.  Chassis threw her head back and laughed as some guy blew her a kiss.  I narrowed my eyes at him and focused back on Chassis.  The song switched to ‘
Timber’
by
Pitbull
and
Kesha
, all the women on stage walked up to the stripper poles and started doing some kind of body roll while holding on to the poll.  Chassis reached behind her and unzipped the skirt letting it fall to the stage floor.  Guys whistled and cheered as she slowly peeled her checkered flag top off, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.  I knew every curve of her body every fucking inch.  She twirled the top around on her finger then threw it into the crowd, Carley walked over to her grabbed both of her tits then licked from between her breasts up to her mouth.  They stood there making out in front of everybody, I stood there mouth open in complete shock.  Carley pulled away and smiled at Chassis then turned to the crowd and blew a kiss and walked off stage and into the trailer.