Well, that's up to you to figure out, Mere~ ^-^ I've given a very obvious hint at the start, right?
Yes, you know introductory chapters, Pancake, hehehe~ x3
I just noticed: there isn't such a thing as an LA Motor Speedway. xD I changed it in Ch.1 for consistency, so there it is~
Chapter Three
He and Mack boarded the trailer, and started driving towards Fontana, California. The rest of the team would follow.
"So, get any sleep last night?" Mack offered for conversation. "You don't seem very…rested."
"Ehh," he shrugged. He figured he could tell his driver. "Girl-ridden dreams."
Mack elbowed his racer smilingly. "Heheheh," Mack chuckled. "Ooh, someone's in love!"
"I am not," Lightning growled sullenly.
"Well, you look like it," Mack replied.
"I am not!" Lightning shot back, blushing thickly.
The driver only laughed. "Lightning, in the three and a half years I've been with you, I've never ever heard of you having a girl back home," he said. "What's her name?"
"I don't know," Lightning confessed, rubbing his arm as he looked out the window.
"Well, you actually have to know a girl's name first before you dream about her, right?" Mack smiled at Lightning.
"I know." Lightning frowned slightly.
"Then why-"
"I don't remember her, Mack!" Lightning spat, frustrated. "I don't remember a thing about her! I don't remember her name, or why I've been dreaming about her these days!" He sighed, and a painful silence followed. "I'm sorry. I…I didn't mean to be shout."
"Eh; I get that all the time," the driver shrugged. "What..are these dreams showing you, at any rate?"
He might as well tell. "So far, the only things I know is that she's sort of in her twenties, still young, and she has dark brown hair." He looked out the windshield, and Mack was certain Lightning's blue eyes were wistful. "She has these beautiful green eyes, something I've never seen before. And…I always see her smiling at me." He sighed.
Mack pat Lightning's shoulder slightly. "You've got it bad, Lightning," he said gently. "You've got it bad."
This was it: the race at the Auto Club Speedway. He took a deep breath, and the scent of dust, exhaust and petrol filled his nostrils. He stared ahead, at the taillights of the car in front of him as he settled in the pits, his hands on the steering wheel. He then closed his eyes.
"Speed," he murmured. "I am speed."
As the announcement cane for the racers to enter the track, he revved away, and he heard the cheers of his fans over the engine. He grinned. He was a rookie that raced his way into the Piston Cup Championship. People admired his recklessness and his youth, as well as his looks. He was loved, and he knew it. And he'd do anything to keep that love.
Fifty laps around a circular track, and they were more than halfway through. He was running second as usual, just behind his hero, Strip "The King" Weathers. Right behind was Chick Hicks, a badass driver that'd do anything for the win.
Lightning checked his dashboard. "Charles, I'm going to have to pit; fuel's running low."
"Gotcha," his crew member radioed in, and at the next turn, Lightning turned to get himself into position to head for the pit lane. He turned to the lane, and his crew got to work.
"I just noticed, Darrel," Bob Cutlass called, "Lightning McQueen just booted his second crew chief this season!"
"Well, you know Lightning; always independent," Darrell Cartrip replied.
"Only three laps to go, and Lightning McQueen has a huge lead," Bob Cutlass said.
Just hold on for a while longer, Lightning, he told himself. Just hold on.
"There's no contest," Darrel Cartrip shouted excitedly. "Lightning McQueen is sure to get his twenty-five points!"
There was just ten turns left. Just two and a half rounds of the track left. That was all he had left, and he would surely take the win.
Lightning made the third turn, and a few meters away was the fourth. He grinned as he crossed the finish line, turning three laps to the last two. He ran down the straight that led to the first turn, and glanced at the rearview mirrors. The King was right behind him, Chick right on the blue Plymouth's tail. Lightning pushed on, but someone radioed in.
"McQueen, your tires are getting thinned out!" Charles called in.
"They'll last the last two, Charles!" Lightning spat.
"Do you want to win or not, Lightning?" Charles snarled. "If those tires burst, you're sure to lose this race!"
Lightning hissed curses as he turned to the pit lane. His crew got to work, and Lightning itched to get back on the track. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!" he shouted at his crew. "We're getting behind here!"
At the last word, his car was lowered and he sped away with a full tank and four new tires. But it wasn't enough. He was extremely behind, and he had to work one lap to get back to the top three. But not even his quick reflexes can get him to the top three fast enough.
"Whoa, looks like Lightning can't get to the front fast enough!" Bob Cutlass commented. "Looks like he's going to have to sit back for a while!"
At that comment, Lightning vowed he would prove Bob wrong. He twisted and turned, and gained slightly faster than before. Soon enough, at the third turn of the last lap, he was right behind Chick.
"Haha, looks like McQueen's on my tail again, boys," Chick called in to his crew, smiling as he glanced at Lightning through his rearview mirrors.
Lightning gritted his teeth. Confident Chick only blocked Lightning by turning the wheel slightly, and the younger racer hissed in frustration. But he slammed the pedal to the metal, and passed racer 86 with a triumphant laugh. The only one left was The King.
Just a few more meters, and the King won't budge. And he crossed the finish line, taking on a poor second again.
He stood at the winner's circle, once again standing next to The King, opposite to Chick Hicks. He, once again, had received 18 points.
But he didn't dwell on that. The weight and the drive to win had disappeared with his victory. He dwelt on other things, and he didn't even hear what the announcer said. But he heard when it was time to step off, he did so.
He gave his crew the night off for celebration, even if they didn't win, and Lightning returned to his hotel suite. He lay flat on his bed, exhausted. The dreams didn't help, either.
For five nights in a row, he'd dreamed of the same girl: nineteen years with dark hair and green eyes, always smiling at him. He'd felt affection and ardor as he stared at her, and he didn't know why . His heart swelled at every smile, and at the prospect of her leaving, his heart twisted.
He didn't know where these dreams came from or who that girl was or why he was dreaming about her.
