Hello guys and gals, and welcome to my first fanfic! I tried my best to check my English (it's not my native language after all), but in case you find any mistakes, please don't be afraid to notify me about it! Other than that, please enjoy the story and don't be too harsh in the review section ;) !
Warning: Contains yaoi (gay relationships).
Sometimes, we have those times when we ask ourselves why we like something so much. Those dips that cause us to feel really upset. These things just seem to happen sometimes, and no matter how much you like something, most people will, sooner or later, have this kind of dip.
And this time, Lightning was the victim of this condition. And he wasn't worried about himself per se; he was more bothered with what his friends might think. Will they be let down, angry or even worse?
Well, they're friends after all, and they won't be angry, but they will definitely be let down. This made it very hard for Lightning to tell them what was going on. After all, the next WGP was going to begin next month, and he knew he will disappoint his friends if he decided to retire from this race.
Of course, Lightning didn't just feel this way out of the blue. It all began on the day he noticed that his fans suddenly seem to disappear. Sure, there was still a group of fans, but nowhere near the amount he's used to be. Ever since this was the case, he has wondered why this has happened.
Fans are very important to him, after all. It's just not much fun without them, and it sucks to see the other cars have this huge crowd. Some of them seemed to have changed their attitude towards Lightning too, which seemed odd to him, not to mention worrying.
What has he done wrong? He's friendly to his fans and to his competitors and has changed a lot, compared to how he was years ago. Before, he hasn't learned how much friends are worth, but now he knows better.
The doorbell rang, and Lightning opened the door. It's Guido and Luigi. Their happiness and excitement were just over the top. This just means one thing: the WGP was going to begin in exactly 30 days.
"Hiya McQueen, you'a know what kind of day it is'a, don't ya?", Luigi asked.
"Yes, yes I do", Lightning answered.
"Great! You will'a love the party we're throwing for sure then", Guido said, "see ya soon at Flo's-e V8-cafe!"
They both turned away happily and Lightning closed the door. He heard Luigi talking to Guido in an accusing voice, but didn't pay too much attention to it.
That wasn't his biggest concern, after all. He did want to go to the party, but that would rise the expectation that he's going to race. Not going to the party would hurt their feelings, though. They must've worked really hard on it, and all would be for nothing.
"I'll go and tell them what's up with me," he assured himself. He didn't want to make the same mistakes he has made in the past. Thinking about that made him feel very selfish, which in turn made him sad now. But he didn't know any better back then.
Meanwhile at Flo's V8 Cafe, the last things were being prepared. Flo took care of the drinks Fillmore made, Red helped Luigi climb up to hang up the Christmas lights (not that it is Christmas, but it made the place look brighter), and it was DJ's job to play some beats.
"Seems like we're done," Flo said when the last task was finished. The place just breathed racing: lots of tires stacked on top of each other (and the wonderful smell that matches it), WGP and 95-stickers, American flags and a small stage with awesome lighting.
Oh yes, and the cream of the crop, but that will have to wait until Lightning has arrived. And they couldn't wait to show him how awesome it is.
Lightning tried to make up something so he didn't have to go, but to no avail. There was just no way out. After some hesitation, he slowly opened the door and went outside. He headed to Flo's.
He could already see the lights from far away, just like he could hear the music.
"Hey, McQueen buddy!", Lightning jumped from the sudden encounter and turned around.
"Mater! No jumpscares from now on, okay?", Lightning laughed nervously from the shock.
"I ain't doin' no jumpscares, but I like to jump when I am this happy! Lemme guide you to our party by da way, you gonna love it fo' sure!", Mater said with his cute smile. Together, they drove to the place.
"Wow, you guys did all of this... just for me?", Lightning asked upon arriving at the party. Needless to say, he was amazed by all the hard work they must've put into it.
"Ya, you gonna show us what you've got at da WGP, so we do something back fo' you", Mater said while winking at Lightning. That was what he was afraid of. The struggle was almost palpable, but Lightning managed to hide it for now.
"You guys really didn't have to do this," he then said.
"Nonsense! And guess what? Da best has yet to come!" And there she came, dressed up like the most beautiful girl in the world. Sally drove to Lightning and invited him to dance. Something he won't ever refuse. His friends sung some karaoke at the stage, and DJ stole the show at the near end.
Drinks were being served and everyone had a great time. "I invite'a you, Lightning McQueen, to enter this'a stage," Guido said. Lightning's heart pounded while trying to figure out what to do, and how to bring the message the best way possible. He drove onto the stage and he headed to the microphone.
"Thank you very much for this awesome party, it was great. But... I don't feel really good... I'm not going to attend the WGP I think..." Everyone was shocked at first, but someone started to laugh, and so did everyone.
"Hahaha, that's a good one," Luigi said, who's next to him. That turned out well.
After the party, everyone went home. Well, almost everyone. Lightning went with Mater, as he wanted to talk with his best friend. A friend who's always understanding (well, almost always, occasionally explanation is required) and sometimes gives some good tips. Sometimes.
It was already midnight, so he felt safe to tell what's going on inside his head. "Mater, can I ask you some advice?", he asked carefully.
"Only if ya can prove ya can handle it," he said.
Lightning smiled a little, but quickly reverted to his original mood. "About that not going to attend WGP thing..."
"McQueen, we already understand. Someone musta been really drunk to believe ya'r not gonna attend da WGP."
Lightning didn't like where this is going. He knew if he just told him it's real, he still wouldn't believe it. And that's not really weird, because Lightning has never taken such a drastic decision before. He needs to substantiate his statement.
"Mater, you have to believe me on this," he almost felt a tear rolling down, "the amount of fans is not the way it used to be anymore."
Mater looked a little bit sad, even though he didn't want to believe him. "But ya never skipped a WGP-event before," he said in an attempt to be skeptic, "and ya always wanna learn Francesco a lesson."
It truly hurt Lightning to see his friend being so sad. And while it's true he wanted to race against Francesco, his will didn't feel that strong anymore.
"Ya'r not gonna skip!"
"I'm afraid I will," Lightning said. Not even his best friend could encourage him. "I'm... going home," he quickly turned away in an attempt to hide his emotions, but it was too late; Mater already noticed. "Please tell the others," he then said to Mater.
When Lightning went to Flo's, there was a wide range of emotions. Some disappointed, some sad, but surprisingly nobody was mad at him. Except for Sally.
"Did you enjoy your party, McQueen," she asked with a pissed undertone, "you know, the party we organized to celebrate that you were going to race?"
Lightning didn't see this one coming, nor did the others. Suddenly, he made himself strong, because he couldn't talk himself out of this any other way.
"Listen, I really wanted to go to the WGP, but the amount of fans is..."
"Decreasing? That reason sounds a little bit selfish, doesn't it? What about us?" Lightning shouldn't have used this as his first argument, he just thought. Oops, too late now...
"That's not the only reason. I just don't feel in the right mood to race anymore." Everyone looked at him acceptably, but Sally's still not convinced.
"So you're trying to explain to me that you made the sudden decision to leave Francesco, your enemy, alone this time?" "Actually, I do. I'm really sorry for you guys, but I just need some rest," Lightning said. Maybe just too loudly...