I'm new here. I have read some stories and thought that I start by rewriting one of my favorite stories. If you have any ideas, I will consider them
Story originally written by Account has been terminated. How ever this account is no longer active. I have not read a lot of stories, but this one is my favorite. It seemed to be missing a lot of details, I have added to the story including some of my own. The basic story is the same, but some things I've added and there is some things that I've taken out.
Rated M for language and sex.
Sidelined
The eighteen-wheeler's rear gate lowered and Lightning McQueen rolled half way down the ramp 'Showtime' he thought. The flashes of the paparazzo's cameras around him blinded him. Lightning revved his engine, and sank down on his left front tire, sending a ray of reflected light bouncing from his lucky chrome sticker to the crowd "Ka chow!" Lightning exclaimed, causing the crowd around him to erupt. Lightning grinned; he had so many loyal fans. "Lightning!" called Kori Turbowitz, Kori was a highly respected journalist who actually understood her boundaries, so she was one of a few reporters that was allowed in the restricted section. "What do you think your chances are of winning today?" Only a year ago, Lightning would have made an egocentric comment saying there was no reason for him to lose his race, but instead he answered, "Who knows. There are many risks in racing. I may win, come in last, or I may not even finish. There's no way to know." "Thank you," said Kori. She turned to the video camera filming her. "Those were words directly from the Piston Cup point leader, Lightning McQueen," Kori said. "Lightning!" called another reporter. "What's this we hear about you dating a Porsche?" Lightning smiled. Sally was everything to him, even more than racing. "It may be true," he said. "But then again, it may not be. I have no comment on the subject. No more questions please."
Lightning drove down the rest of the ramp. He drove over to where his Crew Chief, Doc Hudson was waiting on him. Doc was a racing legend whose career was cut short by a tragic accident. Before Doc's accident, he had won three Piston Cups. "Hey, Doc," Lightning said, parking next to the older car. "Hey, Rookie," Doc said in his usual gruff manner. "How was your trip?" Lightning was racing in his third race of the season. "The trip was good and I got nothing to complain about," Lightning said, staring across the asphalt parking lot to the Dinoco huge area. Last year, he was tied in first place in points with The King, aka Strip Weathers, and Chick Hicks, Lightning's rival. The three cars had come in a three-way tie at the final race in the Piston Cup series, the Dinoco 400. Lightning, The King, and Chick had to go to a tiebreaker race in California. On the way to California, Lightning was accidentally ejected out of his trailer and ended up in Radiator Springs. Lightning surrendered the Piston Cup in order to help The King finish his last race. The King was retiring from racing and his highly prized sponsorship was up for grabs. Chick purposely wrecked Strip during the last lap of the race, and Lightning chose to help Strip finish his last race instead of winning the cup. As a reward, Lightning had been offered Strip's sponsorship from Tex the owner of Dinoco and the racing team, but he turned the offer down in order to keep his original sponsor, Rust-eze medicated bumper ointment.
Strip has three girls, 'his jewels' as he calls them, Sapphire, Diamond, and Ruby. The sponsorship went to Strip's oldest daughter, Sapphire. She looks a lot her father, but she is not as tall and does not have the huge rear spoiler that Strip has. Sapphire has two piston cups to her name. Her two sisters don't race, but they are huge fans. Last year, she had a severe wreck and was out rest of the year. This season she is healthy and is considered a leading competitor for the piston cup. In fact, she had beaten both Lightning and Chick at the last race. During the year Lightning had formed a friendship with the Dinoco Blue colored racecar. She helped him during his first couple of races. "You're telling me that you're not complaining about something?" Doc asked "That's a fucking first." "It is not!" Lightning retorted. It was always funny for Lightning to hear someone venerable as Doc, using 'bad words'. Lightning knew he was like any other racecar, he liked to swear. When Doc was around other racecars and/or in company of close friends, he didn't feel the need to censor himself. They watched Sapphire and her new crew chief, Victoria preparing for the race. "Is that Sapphire's new Crew Chief?" Lightning asked "Yeah, Sapphire fired her old one after he caused her accident" Doc said. "She's new the Piston Cup Circuit, but she is one of the top crew chiefs in the Touring Car League" "She looks a lot like Tex Dinoco" Lightning said "Kid, do you ever pay attention at meetings, she is Tex's daughter." "I sometimes pay attention" Lightning said. Victoria is a great trainer and Sapphire looks just as powerful as she was before her wreck." "Yes, if last weeks race was any idea, she is going to be tough to beat."
"Racecars please make your way to the track!" the loudspeaker called. The sound echoed throughout the pit area. Lightning's stomach lurched. Lightning looked at Doc. "I'll see you in five hundred laps, Old Man" he said grinning. "Good luck, Rookie," Doc said as Lightning rolled out onto the track and lined up in his given position next to Sapphire. "You look good today Sapphire." He commented "However you are not going to beat me this week, because I am speed" "Lightning" she said "If you want to beat me today, your going have to bring your A game. Didn't I show you boys what racing was all about. Or have you forgotten who won last weeks race" Doc's voice cut into the friendly banter. "You ready?" he said through Lightning's intercom system. "Yeah" Lightning said, watching the racing official raise the yellow flag. Lightning started his engine and revved it loudly, along with the forty-two other cars. "Remember, float like a Cadillac…" Doc said. "…And sting like a beamer," Lightning said, watching the green flag being raised. The official held the flag above his hood and then dropped it quickly. Lightning shot onto the track along with all his competitors. Half way in to the race, Chick was up to his dirty tricks and debility and purposely rammed into Lightning, trying to nock him out of race. "Ouch! Fuck that hurt" he exclaimed. "Chick, you fucking ass hole, stay in your fucking lane." Lighting knew that he would be fined for using profanity out on the track. Using profanity during a race was not against the rules, but it was considered unsportsmanlike conduct. Racecars, pit crews, and crew chiefs that were caught using profanity in a race normally faced a stiff fine. Unlike Doc, Lightning rarely cursed. This time however, he couldn't help himself. He glanced down and saw he had a dent in his side, and the paint had been scratched off. "You okay, Kiddo?" Doc asked. "Yeah," Lightning replied. "It's just a dent and a scrape." "Be careful out there. Just get back up to the leaders." Doc said "And Watch your language, Kid, you don't want to be fined for using profanity" "Well, it might be too late for that" Lighting said. "You have to no room talk, how many times have you been fined for cussing" "Just get your rear finder up to the leaders" Doc growled.
Lightning was settled in sixth place. He easily passed four cars and ended up behind Chick. Chick was incredibly hard to pass, he always blocked the cars that attempted to pass him, or he would bump the car that was trying to pass him, causing that car either to spin out or to crash. Chick was a dirty driver and he got away with an occasional nasty trick and cheating he was known for. Chick could talk his way out of anything and the racing league rarely punished him for his bad behavior. Four hundred and ninety-eight laps later, Lightning and Chick were headed into the last lap. Lightning's side was throbbing painfully but he still fought for the lead. Going into the final turn, Lightning saw an opening on the inside of Chick and he floored his engine. Lightning passed Chick on the inside and saw the finish line approaching. Lightning already crossed the finish line in first place, when Chick rammed into his back right tire, causing him to slam into the wall. Incredibly, Lightning was not hurt and he headed to the victory lane. Chick however was fined $10,000 for hitting Lightning after he had crossed the finish line. Either the racing officials didn't hear or they ignored it; Lightning was not fined for his profanity. He grinned and waved to the crowed despite the pain he was in. Lightning posed for pictures, accepted his trophy, and answered a few questions from the press. After he was done answering the media's questions, Lightning drove back to his pit area to help his team clean up.
"You okay, Kid?" Doc asked. He had an expression saying he did not care, but Lightning knew he really did. "You took a beating out there today." Lightning shrugged and winced slightly. His bash into the wall had increased the amount of denting and scraping. "I'm okay," he replied. "But I'm glad I'm going home for two weeks to rest and recover." There were no races for two weeks after the first three races in the Piston Cup series of every year for the officials to have meetings. Doc nodded. "Let me see it," he said. Lightning turned gingerly. He glanced down and saw the dent was considerably larger and most of the paint around the injury was scraped off. Doc looked at it and winced slightly. "I'm getting you an ice pack; it will help with the pain as well as keeping the swelling down." Doc said as he went to medial clinic. A few minutes later he came back with ice wrapped in a magnetic sleeve. He attached the ice to Lighting's side. "There that should help." Doc asked "I'll have to work on that when we get back." "Ramone is going to have an engine attack when he sees how the paint has been scraped off." "He'll just have to redo it, that's what I'm paying him for" Lightning said. "Chick is getting rougher and rougher every race." "If that fucking ass hole does something like this again, I'm going to the officials!" Doc growled angrily. "Don't worry about it, Doc," Lightning said. "It's no big deal." "Yeah it is," Doc said. "Now let's go home."
Two days later, Lightning drove down his trailer's ramp and thanked Mack, the truck that pulled him around the country. Abby, Mack's girlfriend, pulled Doc's trailer. Doc rolled out of his trailer and thanked Abby before heading to his office at the hospital. "No problem, boss," Mack said. "Take it easy." "Will do," Lightning replied. "Mack and I are looking forward to our vacation. If you need us, just call." Abby said. "No I won't' you need time off, go have fun. I'll see you in two weeks," Lightning said as he drove stiffly into the office of the Cozy Cone Hotel and saw Sally sitting behind her desk, doing paperwork. "Hey," Lightning said "Oh, hey!" Sally said. She drove around the desk and hugged him. "How's your side?" "It feels a little better; Doc put ice on it before we left the track." Lightning replied. "Doc said that he would fix the dent while I'm home." Sally looked at Lightning's large dent that interrupted his sleek sides and started to rant. "Chick shouldn't be able to do that!" she said. "Sally…" Lightning said, attempting to stop her. "He's so self-centered!" Sally raged on. "He needs to be suspended!" "Sally," Lightning attempted again. "Really its okay-" "No it isn't!" Sally exclaimed. "He's been getting worse every race and it's…" Without thinking, Lightning rolled forward and kissed Sally. She stopped talking immediately. Sally eyes closed and she just enjoyed the kiss. Lightning backed up slowly. "You mean a lot to me." "Wow," Sally said quietly. She was silent for a few moments before saying, "I've felt the same way." "Well hello you two!" came a very strong southern accent. Both Lightning and Sally jumped. The shelf next to Lightning brushed against his dented side, causing him to wince. "Hey, Mater," he said. "I told you loved Miss Sally!" said Mater, somewhat triumphantly. "Thanks, Mater," Lightning said. "I would have never figured it out without you." "Yup," Mater said, still beaming. "Anyways, Doc wanted me tuh come and tell ya that he go and look at yur side now." "Okay" Lightning said, not wanting to leave Sally. "Want to come?" he asked her. "Sure" Sally said, following him out of the door. Together, Lightning, Sally, and Mater made their way to the hospital. On the way over, most of Radiator Spring's residents recognized Lightning and called his name out. Lightning smiled and waved to them but kept going; he was ready to get the dent out of his side, it was sore. Lightning dropped into Ramone's body shop on the way to the hospital. He wanted to see if Ramone had an opening later that day so he could get his side repainted. "Ouch, Lightning, that's gotta hurt" Ramone said in his Spanish accent. "Yeah, Ramone can fit you in after Doc gets the dent out." "Thanks, Ramone," Lightning said. "I appreciate it. No problem, Man," Ramone said. "Hope you feel better." "I'm fine," Lightning said.
Fifteen minutes later, Lightning was on Doc's examining table. "I can get the dent out," Doc said. "But it's going to hurt like the Dickens." "Okay," Lightning said. "Let's just get it over with." He glanced down at Sally who gave him a reassuring smile, and gently reached down with his tire and gave Sally an affectionate stoke across her hood. Doc connected a device to Lightning's side. "Are you ready?" he asked. "Yeah," said Lightning holding his breath. Doc turned a wheel on the device quickly. Lightning felt the aluminum on his side stretching. He bared his teeth to keep himself from making a noise, because it was very painful. Lightning heard the aluminum pop out completely and it was over. "You okay, Kiddo?" Doc asked. He removed the device from Lightning, and quickly inspected his side. "Yeah," Lightning said. "You'll be sore for a few days," Doc said. "Just don't go over a hundred for a week" "But Doc!" Lightning protested. "I have to train!" "Take it easy, Rookie," Doc said. "Don't rush it. You'll be fine." "Okay," Lightning said, still eager to get back to training. Doc knew that Lightning would not follow his instructions completely. "Thanks, Doc." "Uh huh," Doc said. "Take it easy, Kid."
"Are you really okay?" Sally asked once she and Lightning were outside. "That looked like it hurt!" "Nothing I couldn't handle," Lightning said smoothly. "After I get my paint redone, do you want to go for a drive?" "You shouldn't overdo it," Sally said, looking at Lightning. "I'm not going to over do it," Lightning said, heading into Ramone's body shop. "Well, I've got some paper work to do at the hotel," Sally said. "Come over after you're done." "Okay," Lightning said. He pulled into the body shop as Sally headed in a different direction. "Hey, Lightning," said Ramone. He was rummaging through a cabinet and pulled out a can of red paint. "Go ahead and get on the tarp. Ramone quickly covered Lightning's tires. He quickly prepped the scraped area. Ramone put a coat of polyurethane on the area and redid Lightning's bolt. Lightning's side was still a little sore and he winced a few times as Ramone worked on him. "Thanks, Ramone," Lightning said, admiring the new paint job. "No problem, Man," Ramone said. Lightning drove back down the main street of Radiator Springs and arrived back at the Cozy Cone. He saw Sally helping customers find the cone they were staying in, so he waited patiently for her. "Hey," Sally said, driving from Cozy Cone number eight. "Let me see". Lightning turned his right side to Sally. "You can't even tell anything happened," he said happily. "Can you?" Sally asked seriously. "Sally I'm fine," Lightning insisted. His tone softened slightly. "I wouldn't lie to you. Besides, getting banged up a little is just part of the game." "Okay," said Sally. "Let me close up the office so we can go on that drive." "I can't wait," Lightning said. His side was really feeling better, but he could tell it was not fully back to normal yet. "Where should we go?" Lightning asked once Sally had returned. "Wheel Well," Sally replied.
Together, the racecar and the Porsche drove up to Wheel Well Hotel, an old deserted hotel that Lightning turned into his racing headquarters. They were parked where the view was the best. "What do you look for in someone you have a relationship with?" Lightning asked, staring out to the horizon. Sally smiled sideways at Lightning. "Every quality you have," she replied. "Seriously, Sally," Lightning said insecurely. "I want to be perfect for you." "I'm being serious, Light," Sally said. "I fell for the real you, and now that I'm dating you, I want you to be the same car you always have been." "I love you, Sally" Lightning said. Sally smiled. "And I love you Stickers" Lightning turned to where he was facing Sally. He pulled forward and passionately kissed her. A certain part of him responded to the kiss, and Sally saw it. "Well, I can tell that your happy to see me" She backed up and slipped a tire under him, rubbing his codpiece, Lightning groaned with delight. "You want to do it in your office?" Sally playfully asked "It wouldn't be the first time, now would it" Lightning said lustfully. "It would be easer than the trailer. " "We are never doing that again, I hate trailer sex" Sally said. Lightning just laughed. "Hey, Rookie!" Lightning jumped backwards and wheeled around to see Doc parked behind him. "I need to talk to you," Doc said. "NOW, come on." "I'll see you later," Sally said and she sped down the road that lead to Wheel Well and disappeared.
"Damit Doc, couldn't this have waited?" Lightning asked, both embarrassed and annoyed. "No," Doc said. "Mainly because what you were doing is what I need to talk to you about. I'm surprised that your coherent enough to talk, with all your oil going someplace else other than your brain" "You want to talk to me about my relationship with Sally?" Lightning asked, incredibly confused. "It's a bad idea, to be dating her, not to mention banging her" Doc said. "What do you mean?" Lightning asked his tone a bit colder. "You don't need to be distracted," Doc said. "Not now. You're doing too well." Lightning furrowed his eyebrows. "I love her," he said. "I won't do well if I can't see her." "See, she's already distracting you," Doc said coldly. "Doc, I respect your racing judgment, but I love Sally, and I'd be willing to quit racing if I had to choose between it and Sally," Lightning said defensively. Doc glared at Lightning. "And I thought you were a racecar," he said, colder than ever. Lightning returned the glare, spun his tires, and tore away from Doc, going over one hundred miles per hour. Lightning was unaware of the pain behind his front right wheel where injury was. He tore through the dusty road to Radiator Springs. He sprinted through the main street, into the parking lot of the Cozy Cone, and into his own Cozy Cone. Lightning slammed the door behind him and sulked. Then realizing the pain behind his tire, he winced and leaned so most of the weight was off that side.
