Some old enemies return in this chapter! Who are they? What's going to happen? Read on and find out...

Chapter 4- "Friends"

So, yeah... I got into trouble big time. I was grounded for a month for that and my family had kept me very busy with a long list of chores.

That wasn't even the worst part, though. The worst part was that Luigi, Guido and Lightning all wanted me fired from my position as crew chief. They had two reasons for that. First of all, they didn't think I should be anywhere near the racetrack after my accident.

"It's obvious you can't control yourself, Fudge", Lightning informed me sternly.

Second of all, if I was going to behave the way I had, they weren't convinced I was ready for the responsibility.

Long story short, however, I got to keep the job. I'm not entirely sure why they decided to let me continue as crew chief, but I wasn't about to knock it; I was determined to prove myself to be a responsible and reliable member of Team McQueen.

So, I spent my time by the racetrack focusing on helping Lightning win the races instead of winning my own (although, those thoughts were still in the back of my mind). When we were home from races, my family took my mind off training myself for races and studying up on racing techniques by keeping me on track with my schoolwork and giving me jobs to do around the town. That mostly consisted of waitressing at Flo's and running tours of the town because I've always been good at public speaking, but also including setting up tyre displays in my father's store, collecting ingredients for Fillmore's organic fuel, sending messages and items around town and other odd little jobs.

Although I missed being able to go on the track myself and it hurt to know that my dreams had been crushed, I still enjoyed race day. Lightning continued to get faster and faster. I was so proud of him. Of course, I was always proud of him for winning races, but I was even more proud this season than any other one. Why? For getting back out on the track, even after what had happened to me. Any idiot could see how difficult it had been for him to do that, but he never gave up. It was one of Lightning's many admirable qualities. I always wished I could be as confident and brave (I used to think of him as fearless, but when I saw him race after my accident, I knew that wasn't the case) as Lightning.

"Great race today!" I congratulated him as he came back into the pits.

"Thanks, Fudge-O!" Lightning grinned at me. He hugged me. "The season's going well, huh?"

"Yeah!" I agreed with a grin of my own. "I think almost everyone's forgotten you weren't here last season. Heck, even I forget sometimes."

Lightning's smile faltered for a moment, but he fought to keep it up. "Yeah, well, I've only been doing so great 'cause you're here to help me."

"No way", I countered. "This is all you. You're the best race car on the track."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't be on the track at all if it wasn't for you", he disagreed.

"Yeah, but-" I began.

"Okay!" Sally interrupted with a laugh. "You're both great! Can we leave it at that?"

I shook my head. "I'm not great..."

"Yes you are!" Sally insisted. "Case closed."

I wanted to protest, but Sally was serious about ending that conversation.

"Come on!" Lightning scooped me up onto his hood and I climbed onto his roof. "We gotta go talk to the press."

For some reason, the press seemed to really like me. Lightning said it was because I was the youngest crew chief, but other than that, there's nothing special about me. I'm just like any other crew chief, except not quite as talented or experienced.

"Lightning!" Shannon Spokes called out. "Do you attribute your recent success to your crew chief, Fudge Rossi-Topolino?"

(Oh, boy!)

"Absolutely", Lightning confirmed. "I wouldn't have been able to get out on the track if it wasn't for her. Now that I've got her right here with me after... after what happened last year, it makes me feel a lot better about racing. She and the rest of my family constantly push me to be the best racer I can be."

I felt my face turn red.

"And Fudge!" Kori Turbowitz shifted her attention to me. "What do you make of today's win?"

"It's fantastic", I replied. "Lightning always does an amazing job on the track and I couldn't be more proud of my big brother. I-"

I was cut off by a strange noise. For a brief second, I couldn't see anything, but then all I could see was silly string everywhere!

"Wha-" Lightning started.

A second later, Bobby, Brick and Cal's laughter told us everything we needed to know.

"I'm gonna get you guys back!" Lightning swore. "And I'm gonna get you back good!"

"Yep." I whipped my official crew chief notebook out of my pocket where I record things like Lightning's speed in practise laps or the conditions of each track. I opened it up to the To Do list and scribbled a note at the bottom: Plan revenge on Bobby, Cal and Brick.

Once that was taken care of and Lightning and I finished talking to the press, I took a nap. Ever since the accident, I still hadn't been able to stay awake for an entire day.

"Fudge!" Lightning whispered. "Come on, sweetie. It's time for the party!"

I groaned sleepily as I opened my eyes. "Do I have to go to the party?"

"Everyone wants to see you." Lightning sighed as he picked me up and placed me in my wheelchair. I didn't use it that much now, but it was there for me to use when I wanted a nap. "Tell you what. You come to the party for an hour and say hi to everyone. Then you can go back to the hotel and go to sleep."

I yawned. "Okay."

He chuckled and pushed me in the direction of the Dinoco tent where the party was being held. "All right then."

We met up with the rest of the team at the party and the Dinoco team greeted us instantly.

"Hey, McQueen!" Cal called out. "Congratulations on winning the race!"

"Thanks, Cal."

"Fudge." The Dinoco racer turned to me. "Welcome. I didn't think you'd be coming."

"Just for an hour", I informed him. Already, I was struggling to stay awake.

"She's tired", Lightning explained for me and it didn't occur to me at the time that what I said could've sounded rude.

"Well, we're glad to see you either way!" Tex piped up. "You were doin' a good job as the crew chief again, Fudge."

I beamed with pride. "Thanks!"

"Hey, McQueen!" Markus Krankzler, racer number 6 for Transberry Juice, called out. "Come over here! You know the rules!"

"Yeah, the winner of the race buys drinks!" Dud Throttleman reminded him.

"You didn't forget, did you?" the racer for Blinkr, Speedy Comet, who sported the number 21, teased.

Lightning rolled his eyes, but he was grinning. "All right, guys! This first round's on me!"

Everyone cheered.

With Lightning chatting away to the other racers, I decided to walk around the party a little bit. I wasn't sure where to go, what to do or who to talk to at first, but then I got distracted by the sound of revving engines.

"Hey, hey!" a man's voice shouted out. "We've been over this! No racing! Just get inside and behave!"

"But Dad-" a girl's voice whined.

"No buts! I don't know why your Uncle Dud invites you to these things. It's clear you don't know how to behave."

Uncle Dud? Oh, no! That could only be the Throttlemans. I didn't see those kids very often and I'm not sure what happened to Piper and Spencer for trespassing on the track, but I knew they thought I was the one who told on them. I also knew they hated me for it.

Sure enough, the eight Throttlemans and their frazzled parents came pouring into the Dinoco tent. Immediately, all eight of them took off as if they were in a race.

"Spencer, Phoenix, Aaron, Jesse, Matthew, Piper, Blaze and Dylan!" Grace Throttleman called out. "What did we just talk about?!"

I spun around to head the other way, but I almost smacked right into Andrew Fletcher.

"Fudge!" he greeted me. "How you doing?"

"Good", I responded. "You?"

"I'm very well, thank you."

"I didn't know you'd be here", I commented; he'd retired three years earlier.

He shrugged with a smile. "Well, we happen to live right here in Illinois, so I figured why not come to a race. I do miss the track."

"Yeah, me too", I agreed.

"Well, I suppose after your accident, it's for the best that you stay away", he informed me. "Listen! I'm glad you're here. I brought my family with me... You remember my daughter, Mackenzie, don't you?"

Oh, no! There she was. An auburn-haired girl all dressed in black approached Piper Throttleman on the other side of the room. "Piper!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Mackenzie!" Piper sounded just as excited as the two of them hugged.

"Why don't you go and say hello to them?" Andrew suggested.

Obviously, Andrew didn't remember what happened when I was eleven.

I knew Andrew wanted me to and I think everyone else would too, so reluctantly, I approached Piper and Mackenzie. Maybe they'd grown up a little bit since dumping me in the woods? Piper was fifteen, almost sixteen while Mackenzie was fourteen like me. Could people change that much in that time?

As soon as they saw me, I could see them both trying- and failing- to put on a smile.

"Fudge!" Piper exclaimed in a funny false voice.

"World's youngest crew chief and professional attention seeker, Fudge Rossi-Topolino", Mackenzie droned sarcastically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.

They looked at each other. "Nothing", they answered in unison.

"How are you doing after that horrible accident?" Piper asked me, but I wasn't sure if she was being sincere.

"I'm okay..." I replied warily.

For some reason, that made them laugh. I didn't understand.

"So, you like being the crew chief for Lightning McQueen?" Mackenzie asked me.

"Yeah..."

"Yeah, kids who have one little fall on a racetrack get whatever they want, don't they?" Mackenzie went on.

"All of a sudden, they're something special to everyone", Piper added.

I started to walk away. I didn't know what they were doing, but I didn't like it one bit.

"No, no, no!" Piper called after me. "Come back! We're kidding!"

"Were you kidding when you left me in the woods overnight?" I deadpanned.

"We're really sorry about that", Mackenzie informed me. "That was just a joke."

"We didn't know how far Aaron was gonna take you", Piper chimed in. "We didn't know you'd be stuck in the woods all night. We're sorry."

"Hey! I never told you!" Mackenzie exclaimed abruptly. "I've started racing! I race on Friday and Saturday nights now and it's great!" She looked innocent.

"And that dumb sexist pig who used to coach racing in my town retired. So, now, I can race too!" Piper grinned at me. "So, you been doing much racing lately?"

"No. I'm not allowed."

That made them laugh even more,

"Why don't you race anyway?" Piper wondered.

"I did", I informed them. "I got caught and I was grounded for a month."

Again, they laughed.

"That's stupid!" Piper remarked. "We've been to jail!"

"Yeah, thanks to you!" Mackenzie added.

I couldn't answer. I didn't think they would ever believe me if I told them I never told their parents they were trespassing on the track.

"Don't you wanna go racing again?" Piper quizzed me.

"Of course I do, but-"

"Oh, that's right!" Piper interrupted. "You're too much of a wuss to do that."

"Yeah, because you're not allowed!" Mackenzie mimicked me.

I rolled my eyes and groaned. Not only did I not want to get into trouble, but I remembered the look on Lightning's face when he caught me racing with Cal. He was near tears and looked absolutely heartbroken. I knew it had upset him terribly and it brought back the awful memories of my accident.

I decided to change the subject. "So, what have you guys learned in racing school?"

Luckily, that was a good way to distract them. As they talked about racing skills, they seemed kind of annoyed that I seemed to know everything they were talking about (even though I didn't say it), but at least there were no nasty comments.

All of a sudden, Mackenzie stared at her phone.

"S**t!" she exclaimed. "I almost forgot Josh Murphy's having a party tonight! And I really wanted to go!"

"You're leaving already?" Piper asked, disappointed.

"Sorry, but this is important to me. Hey! You guys wanna come?" The auburn-haired girl was looking at both of us.

"Yeah!" Piper responded instantly.

My only response was to yawn loudly. "I need to find Lightning..." I muttered sleepily.

"Hey, Daddy!" Mackenzie greeted her father sweetly as she approached him.

"Hello, sweetheart!" They hugged and kissed.

"So", she began, "Josh Murphy's having a party tonight. Mom said I could go, but if you want me to stay-"

"No, no", Andrew cut her off. "You go and have fun! Just let your mother know you're leaving."

"Thanks, Daddy!" She beamed excitedly. "We just gotta ask Richard and Grace if it's okay if Piper comes."

"You do that, sweetie."

"Fudge." Mackenzie looked at me. "You weren't gonna ask McQueen if you can go?"

"You wanna go, Fudge-O?" Lightning asked me.

"Nope", I yawned. "I'm exhausted."

"Oh." Mackenzie looked highly insulted.

Oops. Maybe the way I worded that was rude.

"Thanks for the offer", I added. "I'm just tired a lot lately."

"Uh-huh", Mackenzie muttered rudely.

"Come on, Fudge-O." Lightning led me away. "I'll take you to say good night. Then you can go back to the hotel and get some sleep."

"Okay..." I muttered sleepily. "Thanks."

As we went around saying good night to Bobby and the Dinoco team and several others, I could hear Piper and Mackenzie talking.

"I don't understand why Mom and Dad won't let me go!" Piper whined. "Just because we gotta get up early to head back home! Who cares?"

"'You need to get lots of sleep, honey'", Mackenzie mimicked the Throttlemans. "Yeah, right! You can sleep when you're dead!"

"I guess you and Rossi the Wussy are gonna have to go without me", Piper muttered dejectedly.

"Rossi the Wussy's 'too tired!'" Mackenzie was now impersonating me and I did not like the way I was being portrayed. "I guess it's just as well. She would've started crying the second she got there."

"Yeah, because we lied about..."

I didn't hear the end of that sentence and didn't care about it. I was more focused on finding people I actually cared about and who cared about me, so I could say good night.

"Bye, Fudge!" were Cal's parting words for me. "It was good to see you again. I'm really glad you're doing a lot better now."

"Me too", I agreed.

"Me three", Lightning chimed in, kissing me on the forehead. He looked back at Cal. "I'll be back once I've dropped Fudge off at the hotel." Then he glanced at me. "Unless you want me to stay with you..."

"It's fine!" I assured him. "I'm just gonna sleep. You're not missing out on your party just to watch me sleep."

Lightning chuckled softly. "I can and I will if it's to make sure you're all right."

"Yeah, the fire alarm went off at the hotel in Dallas and you didn't even wake up", Cal reminded me with a laugh.

I gave a little laugh, remembering the others telling me about that. "Yeah..."

"Well, I don't want that happening again", Lightning informed me. "Let's go."

"Okay..." I couldn't argue with his reasoning, but I still felt bad that Lightning had to miss out on his party.

Luckily, he didn't have to; we ran into Guido and Luigi on our way out and they took me back to the hotel instead. So, Lightning was allowed to stay and drink and party with his friends. (He tries not to drink too much while I'm around, but since I wasn't there, there was nothing stopping him from getting drunk.)

So, I fell asleep as soon as we returned to the hotel. Normally, I would sleep until morning, but unfortunately, that night, I had a really bad dream. I don't know what prompted it, but I remember that I was dropped into a trash can by my mother. Then, all of a sudden, the trash can turned into a racetrack. I hit the ground hard and there was pain surging through my body. Then there were sirens and flashing lights and I bled and bled, screaming in pain.

The thing that jolted me awake was the bang as the ambulance doors slammed shut. I sat up and tried to slow my breathing down. I hadn't woken my fathers up, had I? Nope. Luigi and Guido were both fast asleep. What time was it? 2:03 AM. I had to go to the bathroom, anyway. Besides, my face was dripping with sweat from my bad dream, so I crept towards the bathroom as quietly as I could, not wanting to wake my dads.

Just as I was splashing water over my face, I heard the sound of revving engines and squealing tyres. It sounded like it was a bit of a distance away, but it was still very loud. My heart stopped a second later as I heard a SMASH! The revving of engines and the squealing of tyres stopped.

As if that wasn't bad enough, I heard a deafening boom. It sounded like an explosion. My heart pounded. The noise scared me. I've never liked loud noises like that and I was having a flashback to the café explosion in Paris.

What had happened? It sounded like a horrible collision. Was anybody hurt? Probably. What do I do? I didn't have an answer to that, but when I came out of the bathroom, I could see that Guido was awake.

"(What are you doing awake?)" he wanted to know.

"(I had a bad dream)", I answered. "(Then I heard this crash.)"

Guido's only response was to hug me.

"(What do we do? I mean, there was that big crash and-)"

"(I don't think there is anything we can do, baby)", Guido informed me gently. "(The police and paramedics will probably be there soon. We just have to hope the cars involved are okay.)"

"(Okay, you're right)", I realised.

He kissed me. "(Get some sleep)", he suggested.

I nodded. "Okay."

So, I climbed back into bed just as I heard sirens coming closer. That was quick. Maybe things would be okay then.

Maybe.

What's going to happen next? You'll find out soon... Please review!