Chapter 18. - Meeting the Girls and Boys -
"My wedding day has been a dream ever since I was thirteen." Sally said as they rode on the elevator "Every now and then I pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming."
"I know what you're talking about. After the disaster with Chelsea, I thought I would never find another person to love." Lightning said smiling at Sally "How are you doing? I hope you haven't been barfing all over the place."
"I've been keeping most of my food down." Sally said "Besides, I don't barf…"
"Oh really? What do you call it then?" Lightning said playfully "Hurl, ralph, spew, tango with the toilet, burp to the ninth power, bare your guts to the world…"
"Light, stop!" Sally giggled "You're going to make me wet myself."
"…Become a multicolored organic fountain, drive the porcelain bus." Lightning rattled on, making Sally laugh even harder "Toss your cookies, pray to the porcelain god…"
"That's enough. You can't talk." Sally said cutting in "Every time you get hurt, you puke your guts out."
"I can't help it!" Lightning said "That's how my body responds to pain."
The elevator doors opened and the couple drove out. They passed through the immaculate lobby and into the lounge, where a large group of cars were gathered. Sally drove over to the bar and got her and Lightning a cocktail. Lightning saw Merida chatting with another car, so he drove over to her. Lightning was shocked when he saw her take a drink of what looked like an alcoholic drink.
"Hey Minion!" Lightning said loudly, startling her "I thought you didn't drink."
"I don't. It's a Shirley Temple." Merida said as she wiped her drink off her side "Which is your broken axle again?"
"This one." Lightning said as he held it up "Why?"
Merida drove around to his good side.
"I don't know…" Merida said before she playfully punched him "Because you always fall for that."
Riley who was sitting nearby, laughed. Playfully Lightning grabbed Merida by her rear axle before he realized what he was doing.
"Oh crap!" He said "Please don't go ninja on me."
"Merida, don't hurt him." Riley giggled "Light probably wants to get laid tonight."
"I can see that." Merida said pointing at his codpiece "How much did you stuff in there?"
"Nothing, it's all me baby!" Lightning said "If you don't believe me, grab a feel."
He lifted his rear tire, daring Merida to touch his codpiece.
"Eeewww! Gross!" Merida squealed "Dad! You're a guy. Find out how much padding Lightning has stuffed in there."
Slightly drunk, Riley thought Merida was being serious. He reached over and grabbed Lightning's codpiece and jiggled it.
"None… no stuffing, all meat." Riley said "I'm glad you took after me in that department."
Merida made a gaging sound as she drove away.
"That explains why Sally is always satisfied." Lightning said "I'm not that big."
"You're big for your age." Riley said "Just wait a few more years. You'll get bigger."
Sally saw Lightning talking to his father so, she drove over to them.
"Riley, if you don't mind, can I borrow Lightning?" Sally asked, Riley nodded and drove away "I want to introduce you to Sly's family."
Sally and Lightning drove over to Sly and his family. Sly's wife was a dark green BMW with amber eyes.
"Hi Sly." Sally said before giving him a small kiss on the fender "I wanted Lightning to meet Hunter and Charlie. Lightning, this is Hunter, Sly's better half. Hunter, this is Lightning."
"Hello, Lightning." Hunter said "Sally has told us all about you."
"It's great to meet you too." Lightning responded before giving her a small kiss on the fender "I look forward to getting to know you."
He saw Sally drive over to a small car carrier and pick up a toddler; he was a powder blue Porsche with amber eyes.
"This is Charlie, my nephew." Sally said "He's eighteen months old."
Sally put Charlie down in front of Lightning. Charlie shyly smiled at Lightning and then hid behind his mother.
"Charlie, come out and say hello." Hunter said, as Charlie shook his hood as he continued to hide. "Give him some time to warm up to you."
Charlie peeked out from behind Hunter and moved a little closer to Lightning. When he saw Lightning looking at him, Charlie retreated to Hunter's rear bumper
"I'll see you guys later." Sally said "I want to introduce Lightning to the girls."
They took their drinks and Lightning followed Sally.
"I never asked, what does your bother do for a living?" Lightning asked "I'm curious that's all."
"He's a doctor, a surgeon really. He specializes in reproductive problems. " Sally said "So if we have any problems having kids, we know who we can talk to."
"So… he's a doctor and you're a lawyer." Lightning said "Nice."
"Don't start with me Stickers." Sally said "Hunter is a professor of world history here at the University of Los Angeles."
"I like this." Lightning said "I feel like a soon-to-be trophy husband."
"You just keep telling yourself that." Sally said "I'm just proud of you that's all."
Lightning laughed in response. Sally led Lightning to a small group of girls. They varied in color, size, age, and model.
"Girls… this is Lightning McQueen, the man of my dreams." Sally said when they got to the group "Lightning, this is Ashley (a dark green Toyota Tundra), Vivienne (a yellow Audi), Sarah (a white Prius), Hannah (a dark red Honda Acura), Jill (a blue Mazda), Melissa (a brown Altima), Whitney (a white Lexus SUV), and Tawni (a pale blue Infinity)."
"Good to meet everyone." Lightning said, smiling at them "Sally has told me about you all."
Each of the girls smiled and greeted him. Lightning saw some of them look immediately between his real rear wheels. Which made him flinch and want to cross his rear wheels. Lightning wished he had changed into a different codpiece.
"Good race last night!" Vivienne said "It was a close one. You had me worried for a while."
"You were really consistent, even with your injury." Jill agreed "You stayed within the racing lanes. Very impressive."
"Thanks. Doc was happy with it." Lightning said "You seem to know a lot about racing."
"You could say that." Jill said "I'm the head technical judge for the junior league."
"I thought I recognized you." Lightning said "But I know so many people, I didn't want to assume."
For a couple of hours, Lightning talked with Sally's friends. They were all different; Ashley was probably the most reserved. Whitney and Hannah were best friends; they laughed constantly. Melissa and Sarah were the individuals of the group. They had never met before, but they bonded quickly. Vivienne was by far the most social. She was the life of the party, and she had Lightning laughing constantly. Jill was quiet, more observant than anything. Tawni was obviously Sally's best friend. They talked and laughed, recalling how they used to play on Tawni's family farm.
Lightning saw his parents and sister talking quietly by themselves across the room. Merida looked like she was ready to burst into tears. His parents didn't look happy themselves. Lightning drove over to them.
"Conas atá tú (What's up?)" He asked, glancing at his mother and father "Cén fáth go bhfuil an chuma ar Merida go bhfuil sí ag caoineadh? (Why does Merida look like she's going to cry?)"
"Tá sé rud ar bith Mil. (It's nothing Honey.)" Bella said in a casual voice, not making eye contact "Téigh ar ais chuig spraoi a bheith agat. (Go back to having fun.)"
"Is féidir liom a rá go bhfuil tú i do luí .(I can tell you're lying.)" Lightning said bluntly "Céard atá mícheart (What's wrong?)"
Losing her voice, Bella looked at Riley.
"Inseoidh mé dó. (I'll tell him.)" Riley said sadly "Tá Brody i dtrioblóid arís. (Brody has gotten into trouble again.)"
"Shíl mé go raibh sé i bpríosún? (I thought he was in jail?)" Lightning asked "Cad a tharla (What happened?)"
"Bhí sé sa phríosún go dtí gur chuir muid ar bhanna é. (He was in jail until we bailed him out.)" Riley said heavily "Ní bhfuair muid ach glao gutháin ag rá gur gabhadh é. (We just received a phone call saying he has been arrested.)"
"Cad a rinne sé an uair seo? (What did he do this time?)" Lightning asked, his stomach twisting uncomfortably "Ar mhaith liom a fháil amach? (Do I want to know?)"
"Gabhadh é ag déileáil drugaí… (He was caught dealing drugs…)" Bella said, her voice shaking slightly "…To an undercover officer."
"Drugs?!" Lightning asked "Are you kidding me?"
He knew Brody had serious problems, but drug dealing seemed radical, even for him.
"Your mother and I have some things to work out, so we're going to our suite. We'll see you tomorrow." Riley replied "Keep an eye on your sister. She's taking this very hard."
"I will." Lightning said as he leaned against Merida "Goodnight, sleep tight."
"Goodnight, Sweetheart." Bella said distractedly "If anything changes, we'll let you know."
Once his parents left the lounge, Lightning and Merida drove over to Sally and her friends.
"Keep an eye on Merida for me. I need to talk to Doc." Lightning said quietly into Sally's hear as he looked around "I'll tell you later what's going on."
Sally nodded and pulled Merida into her group. Lightning spotted Doc and Sophia on the periphery of the room, enjoying each other's company. They were kissing passionately when Lightning drove over to them.
"What's up, Kiddo?" Doc asked "Or did you come over here to ruin my fun?"
"Physically, I'm doing okay." Lightning said "The way you two are kissing, I know what you'll be doing later."
"Yeah… sleeping. Unlike you, I didn't take a nap." Doc said, knowing something was bothering Lightning "What's wrong? Merida looks like she's fighting tears."
"Brody got arrested again." Lightning sighed "We just got the news."
Sophia rubbed his side in a comforting manner.
"I thought you said he was in jail?" Doc asked, looking confused "What happened?"
"He was." Lightning said "Until my parents decided to bail him out. He got caught dealing drugs."
"I'm sorry, Rookie." Doc said "Is there anything I can do?" "No, I don't think so." Lightning said "I'm sorry for my parents, they're the ones that are going to have to deal with it."
"I'm sorry, but they should be enjoying your wedding." Sophia said "Are they going to bail him out?"
"I have no clue." Lightning said, stifling a yawn "That's what they were going to go talk about. I hope they don't. Brody will never learn if they keep bailing him out."
Doc nodded.
"You need to get to bed." he said "You're going to need your strength."
"I'm planning on it." Lightning said "It doesn't help that the painkillers are making me very sleepy."
"That's because that's what they are supposed to do." Doc said "Take it easy Kiddo, you've got long days ahead of you."
"I know." Lightning said "Goodnight Doc, Sophie."
"Goodnight, Rookie." Doc said "Do you think you need something to help you sleep?"
"No, I'm good." Lightning said "I'll see you tomorrow… that's if you can move after getting laid."
Doc growled something under his breath as Lightning drove over to Sally.
"Hey, Beautiful." Lightning said "I'm heading to bed. I can hardly stay awake."
"Merida said she was going to bed too." Sally responded "I'll see you in the morning."
He gave Sally a quick kiss and went up to bed. The next morning: Lightning woke up at nine. He got out of bed and groaned. His axle was throbbing, so after his shower, Lightning took a painkiller. Soon: Lightning drove out of his hotel suite and was mauled by a group of his old-school friends. Lightning grinned at them.
"Guys!" Lightning said "You're here!"
"Yeah, we are!" Daniel said "We've been waiting for you to get your butt out of bed."
"We're ready to have some fun!" Chris said "Have you seen all the hot babes!"
Thankful his friends had arrived. Lightning and his 'pack', drove down to the restaurant. Lightning saw Sally, Sylvester, Hunter, and Charlie eating with Lilly and Lance. The guys broke off and parked at a table not far from Sally and her family.
"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty." Sally said affectionately when Lightning drove up "It's about time you got up."
"Good Moring everybody!" Lightning said, yawning "Sorry, I haven't fully woken up."
"Did you get enough sleep?" Lance asked "You look a little better."
"Yes, Sir." Lightning said, smiling "I'm feeling good today."
"How's your axle?" Sally asked "You were favoring it when you drove in."
"It's okay." Lightning replied, shifting his weight off his broken axle "It's tender, but a little better."
"You're going to take it easy today. The wedding coordinator is doing all the last minute work. Our plans for today is to have fun in the sun." Sally said "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends? They seem like a fun bunch."
Lightning and Sally drove over to the table.
"Guys! This is Sally. The most gorgeous woman on earth." Lightning said "Sally this is, Alex (a green stock car), James (a silver stock car), Chris (a brown Prius), George (a silver BMW), Harrison (a dark blue mustang), Austin (a blue Mazda), Stuart (a brown Altima), Preston (a black Lexus), and Bane (a blue hummer)."
"I'm glad to meet all of you." Sally said "I look forward to getting to know you."
Bane who was almost as big as Lightning's father, offered Sally a spot at the table.
"Yur real purdy!" Stewart said in a strong southern accent "I sure is happy for you alls."
Sally was surprised to hear him sound just like Mater.
"Stewie, stop." Lightning said "Why don't you tell Sally what you do other than act stupid."
"Ok." Stewart said in a New Yorker accent "I teach quantum physics at New York University."
"Sally!" Lightning playfully said "That's what a 'super nerd' looks like."
"You're just jealous." Stuart shot back playfully "Seeing it's coming from a guy who drives in circles for a living."
"How many times to I have to tell you I don't drive in a circle!" Lightning said playfully "It's an oval… well most of the time. Besides Stewart, you wouldn't know what to do with a woman if one was stuffed in your codpiece."
The entire table busted in to laughter at the friendly exchange of insults. Sally spent an hour talking with Lightning's friends.
COMMENTS:
Guest 2
Lightning and Sylvester are already acquainted. Ha that was funny. At least Sylvester understood the confusion from the resemblance between himself and his sister.- As twins, Sally and Sylvester are used to the confusion.
Sylvester couldn't be any prouder to call Lightning his brother.- As long as Sally is happy, he doesn't care who she's with.
All this first things first before Lightning's fun is really aggravating given his style but he's a good man nevertheless. I know Doc hasn't been in the Navy but he sounds like a strict commanding officer.-Yep, Doc is a no nonsense kind of guy.
Sally and Bella are a bit dramatic but then I got slapped for not answering my phone.- You probably know people that are drama queens, so I based Bella off those people.
Hahaaa! Oh Riley and Bella are kinky for their ages but that makes no odds to their sex life.- Age has nothing to do with it. If you're horny, you're horny and you let everyone know.
Never had Lilly come in with Lance but I guess we'll see her later. Lightning is really feeling the pressure from his race. I know you said it's coming up soon it's just I'd like to see more of Merida's wild ninja side defending her big brother.-Hopefully, I can get it into the next chapter. No promises though.
Both Lightning and Merida are honourable to each other.- Like all brother and sisters, they might squabble and fight, but they still love each other.
Sally really spoils Lightning. Being the man of heart that he is is what gave her what she wanted. That bond of dialogue and trust is what makes them inseparable.- And that's what true love looks like.
That codpiece is so kinky haha. I feel more hungry than tired after doing half marathons. I'm not ready to do the full marathon yet.- You'll get there. Me, I do good to run around the block.
You get that feeling wanting to show your loved one off to your friends.- Yep I sure do.
Yeah I understand the drug testing side.- It's something you have to put up with when you're an elite athlete.
Alcohol I'll admit doesn't taste nice I know. I only drink it socially not stupidly and heavily. I don't smoke either. I tried it but it's nasty..- Smoking is what killed my dad… and yeah, it smells nasty.
I'm not saying everybody has to be physically fit like me. We all have our own uniqueness.
I love my sports so I do exercises every week. Mainly for endurance. I don't wanna be bulky like Schwarzenegger when he was younger just toned.- I don't like bodybuilders where they so heavily muscled that their veins are popping out, and their necks are thicker than their heads. I kind of like Hulk Hogan when he was at his prime. Muscled, but over muscled. Hate the mustache though.
For certain purposes you need this and that but I like speed and I'm tough at the same time.
You don't need the muscles of Schwarzenegger or the speed of Usain Bolt to have a good life.
Just be you. In a good way though!- Lightning is like that, strong but fast. Usain is a sprinter, I imagine Lightning as a cross country or marathon runner.
Never like Brody!- A lot of people don't like Brody… a lot more than I ever imagined.
I have 2 more ideas for you. Lightning and Merida could have a brother and sister talk over Lightning opening up to Merida how he met Sally and what a right jerk he use to be before then and how much he changed. Next idea is Lightning and Merida could run in to Chelsea and Chick whilst in LA. See what you think. OK no more for a while. I leave you to surprise me- I'll do my best.
You know I described Sally like she's as gorgeous as a rose, more flawless than a diamond with a loving personality? I'd describe Lightning as a dragon bolt. Striking, hot and very loyal.- I like that, I'll try to put that in somewhere.
We all know though that Sally's nickname for Lightning is Stickers. You probably had Sally mention in Sidelined why she don't like being called Sal I'm not sure.- Justin called Sally, Sal all the time, knowing she hated it. He didn't care and liked how it irritated her.
I do not own Cars or any of its characters. PIXAR AND DISNEY CLAIM THAT RIGHT. READING ENJOYMENT ONLY
Please read and review! I need criticism and encouragements! Rated M for language and sex.