-flashback-

Beca's heart was beating out of her chest. She's confident with winning. She won three championships and nothing can go wrong. She just had to do her usual thing. Or so she thought.

Beca was preparing for the race. She strapped her gloves and she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned and smiled when she saw her girlfriend.

"Hey babe, I'm going to win this for you," Beca wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and leaned in for a kiss but the blonde pulled away. Beca frowned, "What's wrong?"

Lisa looked broken and avoided eye-contact with her, "I can't do this anymore."

"What do you mean?" Beca quirked her eyebrow.

"Beca, I can't watch you race and end up hurting yourself again."

Beca sighed, "Lisa, please not now. We'll talk about this later, okay?"

"No, I'm breaking up with you."

Beca stood frozen. She let go of Lisa's arms and watched the blonde walk away as tears streamed down her face. She felt someone pulling her.

"Beca, come on. The race is about to start."

Beca looked back and she didn't see Lisa anywhere. She made her way to the starting line. She was about to cry and her race engineer noticed her.

"Hey, is everything alright?" Steve rested his hand on Beca's shoulder.

"Yeah. I'm fine, Steve."

Steve nodded and continued, "You need to focus. This is the big race. I mean, the BIG race. If you win this, you win the title."

Beca just nodded and put on her helmet. She rode the motorcycle and started the engine. She breathed out and tried to focus. She had set aside her thoughts about Lisa but she couldn't help it.

The red lights are on. Her heart was thumping and she could feel the rush through her veins but she couldn't stop thinking about Lisa. Then the lights turned green and the racers raced for the first corner. She fumbled her start as racers zoomed passed her. She was literally moving backwards in the field. Beca shook her thoughts off. She recovered and began to overtake the other racers in the midfield.

By the end of the ninth lap, she was in second position. On the straight of the start/finish line, her mind started to cloud with the thoughts of Lisa again. "I can't be with you." Everything started to blur. "I'm breaking up with you." A tear rolled down her face.

She hesitated and slightly slowed down. When she realized she was slowing down, she accelerated again just when another racer suddenly swerved to her racing line to avoid a backmarker. She was caught by surprise. She instantly hit the brakes and steered to the left to avoid another racer. But too late. She hit the racer in front and the backmarker and slammed on the wall. She lost consciousness.

Beca woke up and felt quite dizzy. The last thing she remembered was her body crashing against the wall. She tried to move her legs but she couldn't feel her other leg. She lifted the sheets and her heart was crushed as she realized that her other leg was missing.

The door opened and she was greeted by her doctor. "Hello, Beca. How are you feeling?"

"How long was I out?" All Beca wanted right now were answers.

"Two weeks." The doctor simply answered, "There's no brain damage. You-"

"What the hell happened to my leg?" Beca cut him off and asked right away.

The doctor gave her a sympathetic look. He took a deep breath and said, "You suffered severe injuries with your leg. So we have no choice but to amputate your leg."

"Hey, Becs. You okay?" Jesse snapped his fingers in front of Beca who was in deep thought. As what she had promised Aubrey, she called Jesse so she could get a job.

Beca shook her head to wake herself up, "Y-yeah," she stuttered, "What were you saying?"

"I said Luke has an opening in his garage. Maybe you can take it."

Beca sighed, "Yeah. I'll go talk to him." There was a moment of silence.

"Is everything alright?" Jesse asked, concerned.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Beca forced a small smile and checked her watch, "I need to go. I still have some work to do."

"Okay." Jesse said and decided to drop the subject. They both exited the coffee shop and said their goodbyes.

Beca stood outside her apartment building and searched for her keys in the pockets of her jacket.

"Rent." A man said from behind. Beca caught her breath and slowly turned around with an apologetic smile.

"Hey, Mr. Gibson. Um, I really can't pay you right now. Can I-"

Mr. Gibson rolled his eyes and didn't let Beca finish, "Beca, you are walking on thin ice here. If you don't pay next month, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

"Good news, I found a job so maybe I can pay you in a few weeks," Beca stated.

Mr. Gibson was surprised that Beca had finally got herself a job. "Really? What's your new job?" He quirked his eyebrow.

"My friend owns this garage and I'm gonna work there."

Mr. Gibson just gave her a dead stare. Beca was basically sweating and she felt scared. The man nodded in approval, "Ok. I'll give you until next month. I need the full payment. You haven't paid me for three months."

"I promise. I won't let you down, boss." Beca smiled sweetly and she watched Mr. Gibson walk away.

As she entered her apartment, she sighed deeply. She's almost broke and she didn't want to tell Aubrey. She didn't want to go get a job in the first place but she needed money. She had spent most of the money she got from her racing career on expensive parts for her motorcycle. She spent half of it on alcohol when she got depressed.

She made her way to the kitchen counter and decided to check out her mail. There were five envelopes. She opened one and it was a bill from the bank. She just scanned through the letter saying that she needs to pay 6,000 dollars. The next letter was from the magazine she had subscribed from. They were asking if she wanted to renew her subscription. She just ignored it and went on to open the next two envelopes and they were just post cards from her parents. Her mom is somewhere in Hawaii and she seems to be enjoying her single life. Her dad is in the Netherlands with Sheila. She was happy to see her parents enjoying their lives. She didn't want them to worry.

The next day Beca entered Luke's garage and had spotted him. He was talking to one of the mechanics. He smiled when he saw Beca.

"Hey, Becky. I've never seen you in forever." Luke reached out his hand for a handshake and Beca took it. Luke is Beca's childhood friend but Beca moved into a different city when her parents got divorced. She was glad that Luke had worked for the same company as hers when they grew up. Luke resigned when he got enough money to open a garage.

"Yeah. Jesse told me you're looking for a mechanic."

"Yep. He told me you'll take it. Come with me to my office will ya?" Luke gestured to follow him.

Beca smiled and followed him inside his office. It was a bit messy and it showed how a busy person Luke was. It's surprising that his desk is well organized. Luke went to the mini-fridge on the corner and took out two bottles of beer. He opened them.

"So what happened to the great Beca Mitchell?" Luke asked as he handed Beca the other bottle and leaned on his desk.

Beca accepted the drink and took a sip. "I just stopped," She replied.

"Come on. I've known you since the day you started racing. I know how much you love doing it. How's your leg?"

"Cold as always," Beca laughed lightly and looked away. Luke shook his head as he chuckled. He knew Beca doesn't just take a job as a mechanic unless there was something else. He could feel that something was up with Beca.

"I'm guessing you need money badly," He stated nonchalantly.

Beca sighed; disappointed that Luke had guessed why she took the job. "I'm almost broke and I have bills to pay. Can I get like the first half of my salary right now or something?"

"That's not how it works here. Is it rent?"

"More than that."

Luke breathed out and made a 'yikes' face. He paused for a moment and thought of a solution, "You know, there's a faster way to earn money."

Beca gave her a questioning look, "What?"

Luke smirked and took a huge gulp of his beer, "Do you miss racing?"

Beca sighed and smiled a bit, "All the time."

"Well, I have this racket. I think you'll be interested in joining."

Beca widened her eyes at the realization to what Luke is trying to offer her, "No. I am not going street racing."

"Come on, Bec. I need a racer and Ryan resigned. You're the perfect racer for the job."

Beca just shook her head and declined his offer, "Nope."

"I'll give you 70% of the money if you win," Luke said as he crossed his arms.

"Tempting," Beca gave him a smirk.

"Then what are you waiting for? If you lose, it's alright. I can lend you some money but you have to race for me," Luke stated.

Beca let out a breath through her mouth and laughed a bit. She knew if she started street racing, she wouldn't let go of it. This isn't like the ones she had entered before. This is a huge risk and she needs to think it through.

"So what do you say?" Luke asked with a hopeful smile.

"I'll think about it."

Luke nodded and took out a card from his pocket, "I hope you get to make a decision soon. Come by tonight at 7pm. Meet me here."

Beca hesitated at first but she took the card and quickly kept it inside her pocket. "Yeah. I'll just give you a call."

Luke stood up properly, "For the meantime, you can start tomorrow with your day job. You know how to fix cars as well right?"

Beca smirked and nodded, "Yeah. But when it comes to racing, I'm only into motorcycles."

"I know, Mitchell." Luke simply smiled. Beca decided to hang around for a while as Luke showed her around his garage.

Beca sat down on the couch and stared at Luke's card. It had his phone number written on it. She wasn't sure if she wanted to take Luke's offer. She had considered the consequences. What if she got caught by the police? She didn't care about the police. She's actually more scared if Aubrey finds out about it. Though she did need the money. She had kept a mental note to herself that whatever happens, it's just temporary. It's not like there's some girl who can stop her like before.

She picked up her phone and the card.

Beca [7:08pm]: I'm on my way.

She got up and changed her clothes. She decided to just go for a white shirt and black skinny jeans along with her leather jacket and sneakers. She felt her phone vibrate and Luke replied.

Luke [7:10pm]: Alright. I'll be waiting…

With that, Beca locked her apartment and made her way to Luke's with her motorcycle.

When she was almost at Luke's garage, she saw him standing by his motorcycle with a smirk on his face. Beca stopped in front of him and switched off the engine.

"Thought you were giving up on racing already," Luke said with a chuckle.

"Well, you know I need the money. So are we just going to stay here or start racing?"

"Now you're talking. Follow me." Luke smirked as he put on his helmet.

Beca and Luke parked their bikes inside a warehouse. The smell of gas and the sound of roaring engines filled the entire place. Beca just followed Luke and watched him greet a couple of guys. He also introduced Beca to them.

"Guys, this is Beca. She's part of my team," Luke smiled proudly, "Beca, this is Bumper and Donald." Luke gestured towards a guy with brown hair and an Indian dude. Beca shook their hands.

Bumper narrowed his eyes and said, "You look familiar. Wait, you were a racer!" He shouted and laughed.

Beca widened her eyes and freaked out as she saw people turning their heads to look at her. She never knew people would recognize her here.

"This should be interesting. Let's race. What do you say, Luke? 3,500 dollars each. Winner takes all." Bumper smirked at him.

Luke gave Beca a worried look and whispered, "You don't have to do this. We can ref-"

"Yeah sure," Beca cut him off and glared at Bumper, "Why not?"

Luke nudged his elbow against Beca's and looked away. He thought about it for a moment and Beca seemed sure about her decision, "Very well."

Bumper laughed in excitement, "Alright! Let's race!"

Everyone cheered and they all went to their vehicles. Beca rode her bike but Luke stopped him. She frowned and gave him a confused look.

"You're using one of my bikes," Luke said in a low voice, "It's the one that Ryan's been using. It never fails." He handed her a set of keys and Beca held them in her hands. Luke directed her to a silver motorcycle.

They lined up at the starting line. Beca readied as the referee walked to the center of the road and raised the flag in his hand. She revved up her engine and crouched low. When the flag went down, she went full throttle then released the clutch.

She shot ahead of Bumper. At the corner of her eye, she saw Bumper on her right mirror. She furiously shifted gears from second to third as she raced down the straight and shifted to fourth and fifth in quick succession. Slowly, Bumper was getting smaller on her mirror. She shifted down to second gear as she reached the first left hander then swiftly swung her motorcycle to the right. The two curves that followed were quick and she slowed down for the hairpin left hander. The three bikes suddenly loomed behind her. She took a line to cover her left side to prevent Bumper from passing her on the hairpin curve. When she exited, she shot ahead again. She shifted up to forth at the back straight. Another hairpin lefthander came and she slowed down. This time she saw Bumper maneuvering to her left as he attempted to pass on the inside of the hairpin.

In that split second, visions of her accident came back. A few seconds of distraction caused her to shift gear late. She lost acceleration as Bumper shot passed her on the left. Another racer saw the opening and followed Bumper. She instantly recovered and shifted gears. But too late, the racer behind Bumper shut the door on the right hander. The straight to the finish line was too short for her to catch Bumper. She finished third.

At the finish line, Beca was met by a disappointed Luke. She sighed as she saw Luke walking towards her. She remained seated on the motorcycle.

"What happened? You almost had it!" He gave her a look of disbelief.

"I just need some practice," Beca answered and was frustrated with herself.

Luke slightly frowned and asked, "I think something's bothering you. You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."

Someone shouted, "Cops!" Everyone scrambled to their bikes and rolled off in different directions. Beca thundered off but an officer in a cruiser decided to pursue her. She saw the light in her mirror and jammed the throttle in full and shifted gears furiously. She crouched low to build up speed and glanced at the mirror as the cruiser became smaller and smaller on her mirrors. She was beginning to feel outracing the cruiser when her engine suddenly sputtered. Two seconds after the engine died.

"What the-"

And the cruiser loomed behind her as her bike grounded to a halt.

"Put your hands up where I can see them and get off the bike slowly!" an officer said.

Beca had no choice but to comply to what the officer had instructed.

Beca got detained. She had somewhat regret joining but part of her wanted to do it again. She was snapped from her thoughts when she heard footsteps getting louder and saw a man unlocking her cell.

"Hey Mitchell, you're out of here," the man said with a smirk. Beca just gave him a dead stare. She made her way out and saw Jesse.

"Seriously, Beca. What were you thinking?" Jesse frowned.

"Luke talked me into it. You know, I miss it so bad and I needed the money," Beca answered.

Jesse sighed and shook his head. He slowly smiled, "Well, you have to take me with you the next time you race."

Beca chuckled lightly, "Yeah, I'll call you. Thanks for bailing me out." They exited the station.

"Yeah, well I didn't." Jesse turned away from her. Beca stopped her tracks when she saw Aubrey getting out of the car.

Beca glared at her bestfriend, "What the hell?! Why did you call her?"

"And I'm out." Jesse said. He raised his hands in defeat and started walking away.

"You are in so much trouble right now, Beca." Aubrey gritted her teeth and fought the urge to slap her cousin. She walked towards the brunette.

"Well, I just got out of jail so…" Beca said nonchalantly.

"Why?" The blonde crossed her arms and glared at Beca.

"I needed the money badly," Beca replied not making eye-contact with her cousin.

"Why can't you just get a decent job?"

"I need the money and I need it that bad! I'm broke, Bree," Beca retorted.

"I know you're good at this-"

Beca cut her off, "The hell I am! This is what I know best." Aubrey just shut her mouth and stared at Beca. The brunette bit her lip and pulled her hair back to relieve the tension.

"Listen to me," Aubrey began, "Do what you gotta do. But make sure don't be in it that long. It's quick money but it's the shortest way to death."

Beca knew Aubrey was right. She simply nodded but she couldn't promise anything. Aubrey gave her a ride home but it was long and silent. Aubrey pulled over in front of Beca's apartment building.

"Aubrey, please don't tell Dad what I've been up to," Beca said softly.

Aubrey looked back at Beca's pleading eyes and sighed, "I won't. But if something happens, I'm telling them." Beca gave her a small smile and exited Aubrey's car.

As she entered her apartment, she took off her jacket and went straight to the bathroom to take a shower. She thought about what went wrong. She almost won. She blamed herself because of letting her thoughts cloud her mind.

After taking a shower, she had put on her pajamas and plopped down the couch as she read through her messages. A few were from Jesse asking a bunch of questions about street racing. Luke's message caught her attention.

Luke [1:01am]: You're still racing for me. We had a deal.

Beca [2:15am]: I know. I do need to fix your motorcycle though.

She placed her phone on the coffee table and went to sleep.

A/N: Sorry it took so long. I thought about how this story would go and I got it all figured out. I'll try to update soon. Don't forget to review! :)