Chapter 4: Celebration
Weeks later, the race was about to begin. The racers gathered at the Portofino Inn with their cars. The latest to show up was Rob Falcon and his team.
"Are you sure we're ready to do this?" asked Patrick.
"We're all set." said Rob. "I've been boning up my driving skills to the point where I can run with these guys. Besides, we're only in this to run, not win, so that pressure's off."
"Yes, I know that and I'm learning to live with it." said Patrick. "What I meant is if we covered all of Los Angeles with this little guy." he said as he tapped the garden gnome.
"I think we have." said Bison as he took out the photographs they took of the gnome. "Look at this. We've got him at the Queen Mary, the Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach, Mann's Chinese Theater, the Walk of Fame, the Watts Towers, the La Brea Tar Pits...what's this?"
He looked at one picture he didn't know had been taken, then looked at Patrick and Rob.
"Hey, you were the first to fall asleep." said Patrick.
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Several other teams of Cannonballers gathered in the bar. They were watching Terry's episode of "Overhaulin'". Specificly, they were watching him test drive the Chevelle.
"Just last week, Terry thought this car might not run again." narrated Chris. "Now, it's running better than ever."
Terry suddenly hit the brakes.
"Good enough for a surprise brake check." narrated Chris.
As Terry returned to the shop and thanked all of those who contributed to the build, Monkey turned to Marcie and said "I saw that thing and I thought it wouldn't run again."
"And you didn't see it wreck." said Marcie.
"After all that, there's only one thing to say." narrated Chris.
On television, Terry looked into the camera and said "My name is Terry and I've been Overhauled."
Jackie looked over his shoulder at the parking lot and saw Terry pull in with his newly fixed up Chevelle. "Here he comes!" he said.
The Cannonballers all turned to face the entrance. The bartender turned off the television and popped a tape out of the VCR.
A few minutes later, Terry and Sarah entered wearing "Overhaulin'" t-shirts. The entire room cheered their entrance.
Monkey started waving his fists in the air and chanting "I am...gasoline."
"Alright, alright!" laughed Terry. "I see you all caught 'Overhaulin'' last week."
"Taped it!" yelled Jill.
"Saw you as you pulled in. Looks great." said Jackie.
"Yeah." said Michael. Everyone applauded.
"Thanks, guys." said Sarah. "Like you'd expect anything less from Chip Foose."
"Hey, you blokes ready for the party tonight?" asked Jessie.
"I guess so." said Terry.
"I'm not so sure about the theme." said Sarah.
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In the lounge, Danny and Batman were setting up for the pre-race party under Mad Dog's watchful eye.
Batman took the microphone and said "Testing, testing, one two." After hearing his voice come through loud and clear, he leaned into the mic and sang "Soy...un perdedor. I'm a loser, baby."
"That's good. That's good." laughed Danny.
"Whatcha got there, Danny boy?" asked Mad Dog.
"Just the invitations for the party." he said. He handed them to Mad Dog.
"I'd like you to print one more." said Mad Dog. "But leave this part out here."
"But that's the main thing." said Danny.
"I know." said Mad Dog. "That's why I want you to leave it out."
"This is the theme of the party." said Danny. "If the recipient misses this vital part, they'll look like morons at the party."
"It's for Blake and Fenderbaum." said Mad Dog.
"I'll get right on it." said Danny.
----------
That night in their hotel room, Blake straightened his shirt and jacket. He walked over to Fenderbaum. "Ready for the party?" he asked.
"I'm not so sure about that." said Fenderbaum. "We should probably skip this party since the whole room hates us."
"Relax, they'll be tickled to death to see us." said Blake.
They rode the elevator to the ground floor where the lounge was.
"Okay, we'll show up, make our appearance, and leave." said Blake. "How does that sound?"
"Just great." said Fenderbaum.
"Then that's what we'll do." said Blake.
He reached for the doorknob for the lounge and opened it. They were surprised to see the room was full of people dressed in 80s outfits. "Lucky One" by Laura Branigan was playing over the sound system.
"I think something was left out of our invitation." said Fenderbaum.
"That or we hit a time warp in the elevator." said Blake.
Marcie danced over to them while wearing leg warmers, a blue lace skirt, a brown angora sweater, a phone cord belt, and a denim jacket and had her hair combed over to one side. "Hey, guys." she said. "You have no idea how ridiculous you look right now."
Blake and Fenderbaum made their way to the bar. They found Mad Dog there wearing a Members Only jacket.
"Hey, guys." he said. "What's with the outfits?"
"We weren't aware we needed them." said Fenderbaum.
"Oh, that's right." said Mad Dog. "You weren't given the full invitation. This is what we gave to everyone else." He took out a copy of the standard invitation. Taking up a good portion of the center was "80s themed-wear your best 80s outfit."
"Son of a bitch." said Blake.
"Well, I got guests to greet." said Mad Dog. He got up and left.
"Try to grow your jehri curls while you're at it." said Fenderbaum.
"Can't believe they screwed us like that." said Blake.
"I told you there was still bad blood in there." said Fenderbaum.
"What'll you have?" asked the bartender.
"I'll have a new Coke." said Fenderbaum.
Jackie and Michael walked over to them dressed like 80s geeks. "Hey, Blake." said Jackie. "Where's your 80s outfit?"
"I forgot." said Blake.
"You forgot?" asked Michael. "It was all over the invitation."
"I forgot! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!" said Blake.
----------
Compared to many of the other party-goers, J.J. and Pamela were dressed rather conservatively. They just had their hair in 80s styles and were wearing shirts from the decade.
"This was a pretty cool theme." said Pamela. "Who came up with this?"
"I'm guessing Danny." said J.J.
Victor and Lisa walked over similarly dressed. "Hey, guys." he said. "Did you see Marcie? Talk about going overboard."
"Uh, Victor, what is she doing here?" asked J.J.
"Oh, it's okay." said Lisa. "I'm here as a partygoer, not a race official."
"I thought I suggested holding off until the race is over." said J.J.
"I'm also here as a partygoer and not Victor's girlfriend." said Lisa.
"Oh, I guess that's somewhat okay." said J.J. "So, what's going on?"
"Well, on top of what Marcie was wearing, you should have seen Blake and Fenderbaum." said Victor. "They left the theme out of their invite and they showed up looking really out of place."
"They didn't." laughed J.J.
"They did." said Victor.
"Well, I have to check on the others." said Lisa. "See you soon."
"So, what is it you see in her?" asked Pamela.
"We have a lot in common." said Victor. "Similar backgrounds, similar insecurities, similar...escapes."
J.J. tensed up. "Define escapes." he said.
----------
Out in the parking lot, Rob and Patrick assisted in building a miniature skate park. Unlike the other Cannonballers (except for Blake and Fenderbaum), they wore modern clothes.
"Okay, they're almost done." said Rob.
"Then we can give that demonstration we promised." said Patrick. "I'm surprised the hotel manager let us do this."
"He was okay with it." said Rob. "The only problem is we have to take it down by morning."
"One little question." said Patrick. "If we're out here building a skate park, how are we going to get ready for the party?"
"That's easy." said Rob. "We're not going to the party."
"We're not going to the party?" asked Bison who was wearing a bandana, acid-washed jeans, an Izod shirt, and an 8-ball jacket.
----------
Back at the party, Batman was DJing. His only piece of 80s clothing was a pair of sunglasses that were twice as wide as his head.
Danny walked over wearing a dark blue and white windbreaker. "How's the party going?" he asked.
"Sweet." said Batman. "I played some requests, played some favorites. Good time is had by all."
"Good to hear." said Danny. "Well, I'm off to great the guests."
"Hold on." said Batman. He walked over to Danny and grabbed his hand. He then used his other hand to push up Danny's sleeve past the elbow. He then did the same with the other sleeve, then flipped up Danny's collar.
"Thanks." said Danny.
"No prob." said Batman. He went back to the booth and put on the next song. It was "Shock the Monkey" by Peter Gabriel.
At the table occupied by Jill and Marcie's team, Monkey tensed when he heard the song.
"Oh, give me a break." said Jill.
"I don't see what the problem is." said Jessie. "Just because your bloke's name is in the song title..."
"It's not that simple." said Monkey. "Back in high school, the other kids would make fun of me. And they'd sing that song."
"Oh, you poor thing." said Marcie.
"Sometimes, they'd use George Michael's 'Monkey'." said Monkey. "Sometimes, they'd just scratch their armpits while grunting."
"Maybe you should've hit back." said Steve.
"Like crapping in your hand and throwing it at them." said Pete as he took a sip of his drink.
Jill kicked him under the table and he almost choked on an ice cube. He spit it out and said "Not nice."
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At the bar, the Drake and Ron looked over the crowd. They were dressed normally, but still managed to blend in.
"See him yet?" asked the Drake.
"Not yet." said Ron. "Unless he didn't actually enter the race, he's no doubt in this room."
"He entered." said the Drake. "It's just the way his twisted mind works."
Venom walked over to them also dressed normally. "Boy, I almost didn't recognize you, you're dressed so differently." he said.
"See Brad yet?" asked the Drake.
"No, but this looks like a good vantage point." said Venom. "We'll find him sooner or later."
"Sooner." said Ron. He pointed and said "There he is."
Brad snuck through the crowd wearing a white suit with a pink shirt underneath. Susan was with him wearing a green dress with a dark green bolero jacket over it.
"This is the end of the hunt." said the Drake. "Let's follow them and trap them somewhere."
----------
Chuck strolled up to the D.J. booth. He was dressed relatively conservatively. "Hey, Batman." he said. "How about a request?"
Betty, also dressed conservatively, was sitting with J.J, Pamela, and Victor. "Chuck says that after this, we'll be taking a second honeymoon." she said. "We're thinking maybe Aruba or Barbados."
Chuck walked over to them. "Hey, honey." he said.
"Hey, sweetie." said Betty. "I was just telling J.J. and Pamela about our second honeymoon."
"Good." said Chuck. "I just put in a certain request."
"For what?" asked Betty.
Just then, "The Promise" by When In Rome started to play.
"Why are they playing the end song from 'Napoleon Dynamite'?" asked Jackie.
"Wanna get up and dance?" asked Chuck.
Betty got up and danced with him.
If you need a friend,
don't look to a stranger.
You know in the end,
I'll always be there.
And when you're in doubt,
and when you're in danger,
take a look all around,
and I will be there.
I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say.
(I promise)
I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be.
(I promise)
And if you wait around a while, I'll make you fall for me.
I promise you, I promise you I will.
By now, the crowd had parted to watch Chuck and Betty dance. It was then that Rob and Patrick entered.
When your day is through,
and so is your temper,
you know what to do.
I'll always be there.
Sometimes, if I shout,
it's not what's intended.
These words just come out,
with no gripe to bear.
I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say.
(I promise)
I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be.
(I promise)
And if you wait around a while, I'll make you fall for me.
I promise you, I promise you.
I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say.
(I promise)
I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be.
(I promise)
And if I had to walk the world to make you fall for me,
I promise you, I promise you I will.
"Should we invite these guys outside yet?" asked Rob.
"Let's wait 'til the song finishes first." said Patrick.
"Good idea." said Rob.
I gotta tell ya.
I need to tell ya.
I gotta tell ya.
I gotta tell ya...
I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say.
(I promise)
I know they don't sound the way I planned them to be.
(I promise)
And if you wait around a while, I'll make you fall for me.
I promise you, I promise you.
I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say.
(I promise)
I know they don't wound the way I planned them to be.
(I promise)
And if I had to walk the world to make you fall for me,
I promise you, I promise you I will.
I will.
I will.
I will.
The crowd burst into applause.
"Thank you!" said Chuck. "We're here until the race starts."
"Speaking of things starting," said Rob "Patrick and I have decided to put on a skateboarding demonstration. That's taking place outside. Come on."
----------
"Don't you want to attend the skateboard show?" asked Susan as she and Brad snuck through the back hallway.
"The less time I spend around those hooligans, the better." said Brad.
Venom stepped out of a doorway in front of them. "Going somewhere?" he asked.
Brad and Susan turned around and started to run, only to see Ron and the Drake in their way.
"Drake." said Brad. "How are you? I wasn't aware you'd be here."
"You know I'm here whenever there's a race." said the Drake. "I had a feeling you'd be here to show me up again. I just wanted to give you this."
He took a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Brad.
"What is this?" asked Brad.
"It's a bill for the repairs on my M3 4-door." said the Drake. "Since you caused the damage, I thought it would be your duty to compensate me."
"You're expecting me to pay for the damages to your BMW?" asked Brad.
"M3 4-door." said the Drake. "I've got a dozen Bimmers. You have to be specific with the model."
"He's rich. Remember?" said Ron.
Brad ripped up the bill and tossed the pieces into the Drake's face. "How about that?" he asked.
The Drake smiled, scratched his nose, then grabbed Brad by his jacket and threw up against the wall.
"If he can do that, what does he need us for?" asked Venom.
"You know, your behavior is getting out of hand!" said the Drake. "At first, it was fine. You make a ridiculous bet, I counter it. I make a wager, you match it. Now, you are openly attacking me? What are you doing?"
"Let him go, Seymour." ordered Susan.
"You stay out of this, Susan." said the Drake. "Brad, I don't know what you're up to, but I'm not going to take this vandalism lying down."
"Drake, put my husband down now!" snapped Susan.
The Drake, Ron, and Venom looked at her in shock. "What?" whispered the Drake.
"We got married in Vegas on the way in." said Susan.
The Drake turned back to Brad, released him, and spat "Really?"
Brad took a breath and nodded.
The Drake glared at him, then asked "So, where are you registered? 'Cause, I gotta apologize. I didn't get you anything."
"Mr. Drake!" said Ron.
"But you still owe me for the damage to my car!" said the Drake.
"Stop it!" said Susan. "Look, there's only one way we're going to solve this. Drake, are you in the race?"
"Yes." said the Drake.
"Perfect." said Susan. "The way to solve this is to race each other. If the Drake wins, Brad, you have to pay for his car. Drake, if Brad wins, you have to overlook the whole incident. Do we have a deal?"
"I guess." said the Drake.
"I accept the challenge." said Brad.
"Good." said Susan. "Now, grow up."
----------
Outside, Rob and Patrick stood atop a half-pipe and looked over the crowd.
"Thank you for showing up for this demonstration." said Rob.
"Basicly, what we're going to do is show how we do what we do." said Patrick.
"What did I miss?" asked Professor Weathers as he ran over.
"Nothing yet." said Jackie.
"We're also going to show our appreciation for your attendance by putting on our best moves." said Rob. "However, we have no appreciation for those of you who decided to park their cars in front of the walkways."
"Come on, guys. People have to use those." said Patrick. "I'm talking directly to the guys in the blue 300C, the white Audi S8, and the red Miata."
"MX-5!" yelled Marcie.
"Any requests?" yelled Batman as he went to a stereo system set up.
"There's something in there already. Play it." said Patrick.
Batman hit the play button and the Bangles' "Hazy Shade of Winter" began to play.
"The Bangles?" asked Rob.
"You've got your tunes, I've got mine." said Patrick.
Patrick rolled down the half-pipe quickly and shot up the other side. When he reached the top, he performed a 720 degree spin in the air and landed back on the half-pipe. He then came back up the other side a few feet down from Rob. While Patrick did a rail slide, Rob joined him.
Rob rolled down the half-pipe and up the other side. Meanwhile, Patrick's section had turned into a quarter-pipe with a ramp that sat next to a pair of pickup trucks. Rob flipped his board in the air while Patrick went off the ramp and jumped the pickup trucks. On the other side, he landed on a platform and continued to a staircase with a railing in the center. At the stairs, he jumped his board onto the railing and did a rail slide. He then returned to the half-pipe while Rob repeated his routine.
"That looks easy enough." said Pete. He ran over to the half-pipe.
"Pete, don't!" yelled Jill.
Pete climbed the ladder to the top of the half-pipe and looked around for a skateboard. He couldn't find one. Below him, Patrick was going up on the sides of the half-pipe trying to reach the top. He was largely succeeding. Pete waited intently.
"Don't do it, Pete. Don't." whispered Jessie.
"I hope he doesn't do what I think he's going to do." said J.J.
Finally, Patrick reached the top of the half-pipe on Pete's side. "Can I borrow this? Thanks!" said Pete as he pulled the board out from under him. Luckily, he was able to land on his knees and slide to the bottom.
"No, Pete! Don't do it!" yelled Steve.
Ignoring him, Pete launched himself down the half-pipe. At the top of the other side, he tried to do a trick, but failed. Things went downhill from there. He went back up the other side into the quarter-pipe section and tried to get off at the top. He failed again and rolled down to the ramp. He flew off the ramp and fell into one of the pickup beds. The skateboard went flying and breaking glass was heard.
Monkey cringed while Marcie covered her mouth in shock. Steve ran over to get him. Bison was already helping Pete out of the bed.
"Next time, leave it to the pros." said Rob.
"I'm getting there." said Pete.
"What is his problem?" asked Pamela.
Professor Weathers walked back from the parking lot with the skateboard. "I believe this is yours." he said as he handed it to Patrick.
"Thank you." said Patrick. Bison handed him a magic marker and he started to write something on the board.
"Oh, and to whoever is driving the black 350Z," said Weathers "I know a good shop that does quick windshield replacement work."
Patrick handed the signed board to Pete.
"Thank you." said Pete. Then, he looked at the board and said "Wait, a restraining order?"
"You know, I hope you're paying to repair that windshield." said Marcie.
"Alright!" said Pete as he walked by.
"Boy, that sucked." said Michael as he walked away. The rest of the crowd followed suit until just J.J, Pamela, Jill, and Marcie remained.
"What do you want, McClure?" asked Marcie.
"What's the deal with Pete all of a sudden?" asked J.J. "He wasn't like this two years ago."
"I knew this was going to come up." said Jill. She took out a picture and handed it to J.J. "This was Pete's car."
J.J. and Pamela looked at the picture. It showed a blue Toyota Corolla Levin street racer. The right side was completely mangled.
"What happened?" asked J.J.
"He sideswiped a truck during a race." said Marcie. "And if that doesn't look scary enough, keep in mind that's a JDM. The driver sits on the right."
"So, he had a front row seat to the crash." said Pamela.
"Yeah, and ever since then, he's had some kind of death wish." said Jill.
"We're trying to get him over it before it kills him." said Marcie. "Unfortunately, the five of us aren't having a lot of luck."
"And these incidents are increasing?" asked J.J.
"Everyday." said Jill. "I'm really starting to worry."
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The next morning, Blake and Fenderbaum laid in their beds. Blake slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the alarm clock, then slowly closed them. Then, he quickly opened them and sat up in shock.
"Fenderbaum!" he yelled. He jumped out of bed and tried shaking Fenderbaum awake. "Fenderbaum, wake up!"
"No school." mumbled Fenderbaum as he awoke.
"Fenderbaum, you have to get up!" said Blake. "We've only got two hours before the race starts!"
"What?" said Fenderbaum as he jumped out of bed. "Weren't we supposed to get a wake-up call?"
"I'll find out what happened to it." said Blake.
----------
A few minutes later, Blake and Fenderbaum stormed down to the parking lot and found Ron and the Drake.
"Drake!" yelled Blake.
"Blake!" said the Drake. "Did you ever notice our names rhyme?"
"Did you cancel our wake-up call?" asked Fenderbaum.
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't." said the Drake.
"Now, thanks to you, we only have an hour and a half to prepare for the race." said Blake.
"And thanks to you, Mr. Drake was kidnapped by an Australian gangster and held for ransom." said Ron.
"Well, if you're going to hold a grudge." said Fenderbuam.
"And you're going to have to prepare." said the Drake. He turned to face the parking lot and yelled "Brad!" He then walked over to him. "Hell of a honeymoon, doncha think?"
----------
Rob and Patrick skated through the parking lot.
"I see the Chrysler and Audi have taken our cue and moved." said Patrick.
"Do you think Terry's going to notice we have his gnome?" asked Rob.
"No, I don't think so." said Patrick. "He hasn't so far."
"Let's go by him again and see if he notices this time." said Bison as he rolled after them in his office chair.
"Good idea." said Rob as he looked back at him.
"Rob, look out!" yelled Patrick.
Rob looked forward. Someone in a Solstice had opened a door in front of him. He swerved to avoid it and ended up going behind a row of cars. He then hit a ramp. Jackie dropped to the ground as Rob flew over him. Rob landed the board on the side of the Raider's pickup bed and did a rail slide.
Jackie got back up, yelled "Jerk!", and threw an empty Saran-Wrap box in the trash.
----------
In the lounge, Frankie and Rocco looked around at the party debris.
"Looks like they had a hell of a party last night." said Rocco.
"Yeah, wish we were there." said Frankie.
Rocco looked out the window. "Look at all those cars." he said. "I think this line-up is bigger than two years ago."
"Or last year." said Frankie as he looked over the scene. His eyes fell on Betty "interviewing" Chuck. A bush obscured the Mustang. "Hold on, I see him."
"Who? The target?" asked Rocco.
"That's the one." said Frankie. "Soon, he will be toast."
