Finally, got a long, new chapter for you all! Enjoy!

Chapter 9- Geese, Watermelon and Moonshine

Smokey had a lot of ideas on how to improve Lightning's speed and skill. One of them was having Lightning and Cruz tow massive trailers with all of us on top of them. That didn't work out so well. They couldn't move them an inch. I'm not surprised. They were huge trailers! Still, I was a little disappointed to see things not going well.

Having Guido and me chuck hay bales at him while he was driving didn't work out so well either. Every single one hit Lightning in the face, much to my amusement.

"Maybe this'll go better", Lightning remarked as we headed towards the tractor field.

"All right!" Smokey called out. "Fudge!"

I looked his way. "Yeah?"

"You got racin' gear or do you need some?"

I grinned. It looked like things would get better! Maybe I'd get the chance to race again. "Um…"

"Neither!" Lightning piped up on my behalf. "She's just a regular crew chief, not a rider crew chief."

My shoulders slumped and I tried not to let my disappointment show.

"I understand that", Smokey assured him, "but I want her to-"

"With all due respect, Smokey, I don't want Fudge racing!" Lightning insisted. "Sammy told you about what she's been through, hasn't she?"

There was a moment of awkward silence.

"Fine!" Smokey agreed reluctantly. "Fudge, you watch from here with me. Cruz, Lightnin'..." He gestured in the direction of the tractor field.

"Why are we in a field?" Lightning wondered as the fence was closed.

"Ah, the times I've asked myself that very same question after a big night", Sammy joked, appearing behind me. Well, she said it in a joking tone, but knowing Sammy, she was probably serious.

"Sneak through that window!" Smokey hollered.

Sneak through the window? What the hell did that even mean? I had no idea.

"Go!" Smokey ordered, honking his horn.

The tractors mooed loudly and they started moving. When I saw the stampede surrounding Cruz and Lightning, I couldn't help laughing and feel grateful that I wasn't in there with them.

That is, until Smokey turned to me, "Help 'em, Fudge! You're the crew chief! Watch what's goin' on! Help 'em sneak through the window!"

So, I watched one and tried to keep Lightning and Cruz informed on where the tractors were. Unfortunately, Smokey didn't seem too impressed and I felt embarrassed, frustrated and annoyed.

That was nothing compared to how embarrassed, hurt and frustrated I felt later that day. Smokey led me back towards the track.

"I need to help Lightnin'", he explained to me. "And I'm gonna help him by also helpin' you! I wanna help you become the best crew chief you can be."

"All right", I agreed. That made sense.

"A good crew chief knows the track as well as the racer!" he informed me. "If you're gonna be a crew chief, you gotta help your racer navigate the track in the best way possible. I want you to walk side to side, back and forth, all the way around the track. See everything, feel everything, know everything! Got it?"

That caught me off guard. I understood what he was telling me, but there was no way I could do this. "I think so..."

So, with Smokey prompting me all of the way round, I moved around the track. I shuffled back and forth, side to side, analysing everything I could. It just seemed like a typical dirt track, complete with dirt (of course), gravel and… What was that? At one of the turns, there was a large pile of watermelon. I had no idea what significance that could possibly have.

"Do you think you know the track?" Smokey quizzed me when I'd made my way entirely around the track.

No. "Uh…"

"I hope so. 'Cause now you're doin' it blindfolded."

"Oh, no…" I moaned. "I... I don't know if I'm ready for this!" Well, I did know. I knew I wasn't.

Unfortunately, that didn't stop Smokey from shouting, "Go!"

So, I had no choice but to go. I couldn't see what I was doing and so, I was unable to walk in a straight line and I got dizzy. It got even worse when I tripped over a rock.

"Owww!"

I staggered to my feet, but only a few seconds later, I tripped over the track boundary.

"Dammit!" I groaned, trying to stand up and get back on track (both literally and figuratively). Only, I did a faceplant as I tumbled over the boundary again. "Dammit!"

"Come on!" Smokey boomed. "Let's move!"

This was already hard enough, but Smokey's shouting wasn't making it any easier. I kept going and I seemed to be doing okay until I had a strong scent of watermelon wash over me. That wasn't the worst part, though. I tried to ignore the watermelon and keep going.

That was the plan, but I was distracted by the loud honking noise. I knew right away who- or maybe I should say what- that was. I screamed as I heard Herman's little feet padding towards me. I took off, but I could tell Herman was right behind me.

"Even when you know the track, unexpected things can happen!" Smokey explained. "When things go wrong, you gotta adapt! That's just as important for the crew chief as the racer!"

Again, that made sense, but all I could think about was the menacing goose that was chasing me. "Get that goose away from me!" I screamed. "I can't run!"

All of a sudden, I felt myself slip over something hard on the ground. It was a piece of watermelon. I couldn't stand up and I fell face first into the pile of watermelon Smokey had set out.

I was embarrassed enough as it was, but Smokey wasn't the only one laughing. When I removed my blindfold, I found Lightning, Cruz, Luigi, Guido, Sammy, Louise, River and Junior there too. They were all laughing at me. I felt my face burn as I staggered to my feet. No matter who had seen me do that, I would've been embarrassed, but the Thomasville gang were people I really wanted to like me (I mean, I want everyone to like me because generally, they don't, but especially my heroes)! So, I was sure that this wouldn't get them to like me.

"IT'S NOT FUNNY!" I yelled, willing myself not to cry. (I didn't think it was funny at the time, but now, I look back at it and laugh.)

"Now, that's not true!" Sammy countered, laughing hysterically. "I'm just sorry I didn't record that!"

Thanks a lot, Sammy! I knew my sister was capable of being sympathetic, but sometimes, she had a funny way of showing it.

At least, Cruz, although she was still laughing, showed some sympathy. "Are you all right?"

"Herman nearly killed me!" I knew I was being melodramatic (which embarrassed me even more!), but I couldn't help it.

Smokey rolled his eyes and I can't say I blame him. "He didn't nearly kill you."

"He just loves his watermelon, don't you, Herman?" Louise added.

"I need a shower!" I shouted, running back off to Sammy's house.

The shower made me feel a little better, almost like it had washed some of the humiliation off of me, but I really didn't want to face everyone when it was time for dinner. When I showed up with Sammy, who was showing me where to go, Smokey, Junior, River and Louise were all talking softly and laughing. I was already sure of what they were talking about, but when I heard the mention of the word watermelon, my suspicions were confirmed.

"Hey, Fudge-O!" Lightning called out, the first one to notice me.

Everyone turned to look at me.

"Are you feeling better, angel?" Luigi wanted to know.

"A little", I answered halfheartedly.

"Are you hungry?" Smokey asked me. "We got plenty of food here."

"Please tell me we're having goose", I deadpanned.

Smokey burst out laughing along with everyone else. "Sorry. No."

"Herman is our friend, Fudge, not our food", River informed me.

"Have you been watching Finding Nemo again?" Sammy wondered.

"It doesn't have to be Herman", I countered as I sat down. "I'm sure if we eat a different goose, he'll get the message."

"We ain't eatin' Herman's brothers and sisters either", Junior affirmed.

I couldn't help grinning a little.

I was pretty quiet during dinner. That was partly because I was still angry and upset about the watermelon incident, but partly because the Thomasville gang were busy telling stories of their racing days. Just listening to them could make anybody shut up and be amazed. Their stories, well, I was going to say they were unbelievable, but there was just something about the way they were told- maybe it was because they were told so passionately or with a hint of reminiscence- that made me believe them. Either way, they were amazing. I listened politely and enjoyed it, but I wasn't up to making conversation much.

Later that night, I changed into my pyjamas and was up in the bathroom, brushing my teeth when I heard voices coming from downstairs.

"She'll be over it by tomorrow", Lightning was informing the others. "She's just sensitive."

"It was pretty funny, though!" Sammy remarked, laughing.

"That's enough, Sammy", Smokey scolded lightly. "The poor girl's suffered enough."

"Then why'd you torture her like that?!"

I couldn't hear what they spoke about next, but just as I was rinsing my mouth out, I could hear them again and they were still talking about me.

"...got a lot of potential", I heard Smokey comment.

"I know she still wants to race", Lightning declared sadly. "I can understand it, but... After what happened last time, it's just hard. She… She almost died!"

"The doctors said they almost lost her in surgery", Luigi added, almost sounding like he was going to cry, probably at the memory.

River cursed in disbelief.

"I wouldn't have known, just by lookin' at her", Louise voiced her opinion as I left the bathroom and crept to the wooden railing by the top of the stairs to eavesdrop. I could see them all gathered together in the living room. "She's got a couple of scars and she limps a little, but she doesn't look too bad, considerin'."

"Yeah!" Cruz chimed in. "She looks great!"

"But it took a long time", Luigi pointed out.

"Right!" Lightning agreed. "Months of surgeries and physical therapy… I could never let her go through that again! Sammy, you're training to be a doctor. And you saw Fudge after the accident. You know I'm right, right?"

"I understand it would be difficult for you", she assured him, "but I see no reason why she physically can't race."

"Really?" Lightning asked in surprise.

Sammy nodded. "Absolutely. She's made a remarkable recovery."

"That's just the point!" Lightning countered. "Fudge has worked so damn hard to recover. I don't want her to blow it by racing again. 'Cause what if she doesn't recover next time? I already hurt her bad enough… I'm surprised she doesn't hate me for it."

"How is this any different to you racin' after your crash?" Smokey wondered. "Or Hud trainin' to get back after his?"

"Because Doc and I are professional racers", Lightning explained. "Fudge is- was- just an amateur."

"So?" Smokey pressed.

"Uh…" Lightning was struggling to find the words.

"I gotta admit, we were a little disappointed we couldn't see 'er race", Junior put in. "Hud told us so much about her and so did Sammy… Sounds like she could make a pretty good racer. That is, if she's improved since she was six", he added with a little laugh.

"You know what Hud said in the letter he left when he split town?" River quizzed Lightning. "'There's a lot left in me. I never got a chance to show 'em.' That's probably how Fudge feels right now."

I couldn't help but get excited. Some of the biggest racing legends thought I had potential? I wasn't so sure I agreed, but it meant a lot to hear it from them. I wondered what they'd think if they ever saw me race. I knew I'd never find out, though.

"I…" Lightning began, trailing off.

He and everyone else all glanced up at the exact same time to find me standing there, watching over them.

"Hi!" I giggled, embarrassed by them all staring at me, even more embarrassed because I was in my pyjamas (a huge racing T-shirt that came past my knees and with sleeves that hung at my elbows and soft pyjama pants with cats printed on them).

"How long have you been there?" Lightning wondered.

"Not too long..." I replied as I started making my way downstairs to join them.

"Look, Fudge, we were just-" Lightning began.

"I know. I heard."

"Don't get your hopes up. It's not happening."

"I know", I repeated, though I was a little disappointed again. "Let's just worry about getting you racing again."

"You should probably get some rest", Smokey informed Lightning. "We've got another day of hard work tomorrow."

Later that night, I was sitting in bed, writing in my journal about the bad day of training we'd had and the silver lining of meeting Smokey, Junior, River and Louise. I was interrupted by a knock at the door and Sammy came in in her pyjamas: a long, white T-shirt and blue and white plaid pants. Her hair was in a messy ponytail and her feet were bare. She had two mugs in her hand- one of tea for her and one of cocoa for me.

"Thanks." I took the mug and set it aside on the bedside table to cool.

Sammy sat in the bed beside me and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Do you ever regret leaving CHROME?" I questioned.

Sammy laughed. "What's brought this on?"

"Just wondering."

"Not really. Do I miss it? Of course. Fighting crime was fun, granting people justice felt right and Finn and Holley are great. But do I regret leaving? Absolutely not. I knew it was time to let go and move onto something else." She sighed. "This is about what's going on with McQueen, isn't it?"

"I just can't imagine doing anything beyond racing", I thought out loud. "Things aren't going well so far and I'm getting really worried. If he doesn't win, I don't know what I'm gonna do."

"Fudge, you're only sixteen", Sammy reminded me. "You've got plenty of time to figure out what you want."

"Not that much time!" I countered. "I hadn't planned on going to college and I've heard of kids my age studying abroad or doing volunteer work to get into college! I haven't prepared for that at all."

"You know, Fudge, college isn't the only path after high school", Sammy pointed out. I was about to tell her I knew that; I'd been planning on staying in the racing world, but she kept talking after swallowing a swig of tea. "I wasn't planning on going either. I wanted to stay with Jamie and Cody, but then… S**t happened and I decided to change my path." (I knew she wanted to avoid talking about her sons' tragic deaths.) "I went to college and I wanted to become a lawyer 'cause I wanted to help people and... I guess in a way, avenge my mother's death. But then I met Rod and got kicked out of college. You know the rest. Did some spying, got cancer, moved back to Thomasville and now, I'm studying to be a mechanic."

She stopped and glanced down at her stomach, placing a hand on it. I didn't know why at the time.

"You see?" Sammy went on. "Life is always changing. Look at me. I'm twenty-seven and I'm still trying to figure out what I want out of life... How old is McQueen now? Thirty?"

"Yeah. Thirty", I confirmed.

"See? Even thirty-year-olds have to go through what you are now. You've got plenty of time to figure things out."

"I guess…" I wasn't so sure.

"Come on!" my sister persisted. "Even if McQueen doesn't win, I'm sure everything will work out. He's gonna find something great; you're gonna find something great; everything will be great. I promise you." She smiled softly, patting her stomach.

I nodded as I took a sip of my cocoa, trying to act like I believed her, but I really didn't. "Thanks, Sammy."

Even so, I still tried to hold on to hope that Lightning would win.

We were silent for a while.

"You better get some sleep", Sammy informed me finally. "Smokey's gonna put you through more unimaginable torture tomorrow."

"I don't doubt it", I remarked, managing a small smirk, despite my concerns. "Night, Sammy."

"Night, Fudge", she responded, kissing my forehead and standing up.

"Hey, Sammy?" I called as she was about to leave the room.

"Yeah?" she responded, turning around.

"Is the door locked?" I questioned.

She laughed. "Yes! I've just locked it."

I laughed a little too, but I was mostly relieved. "Thanks!"

"Good night, Fudge."

"Night, Sammy."

I continued writing for a few minutes before switching out the light, climbing into bed and falling asleep. I knew it was cliché, but I told myself tomorrow was another day.

Unfortunately, although the next day was another day, it certainly wasn't a better day. No matter how hard Lightning tried, he just couldn't catch up to Cruz. I was growing more and more worried with each run. So was Smokey, it seemed.

"Only two days left, kid!" he shouted. "You gotta work harder!"

Later that night, Lightning, Cruz, Luigi, Guido and I followed Smokey round the side of his garage. All I could think was what possible career options I had. I didn't think I could be a doctor or nurse; I was quite squeamish. Definitely not a firefighter. Fire scared me more than anything (even geese!). That was also why I didn't think I could be a chef. A teacher? I struggle in school enough (I'm not a bad student, but I struggle to pay attention); there's no way I could teach someone else. Besides, would I have to move to do that? I'd have to find something I could do in Radiator Springs.

Luckily, what Smokey wanted to show us was a good distraction from my concerns. The others had set up a projector, so Lightning could watch one of Doc's old races. The second the film started up, I was completely engrossed and forgot about everything else. It was like the Hudson Hornet had me under a spell. Although, Smokey did want us to pay very close attention to the film, especially when the Fabulous Hudson Hornet was right behind another racer, so close to his rear bumper that he was almost touching it. He was drafting.

"Hud was a master at lettin' the other cars do the work for him", Smokey explained to Lightning.

"He used to say, 'Cling to 'em'", River put in, "'like you was two June bugs on a summer night.'"

"He stole that from me!" Junior pointed out. It was true. Junior Moon discovered the draft.

"Drafting?!" Lightning questioned incredulously. "I've never had to do that."

"Yeah, that's when you were fast", Smokey reasoned in that blunt, no BS Thomasville way. "Now, you're slow." It made me giggle because Lightning had almost sounded like his old, cocky self and now, Smokey was putting him in his place; just like Doc had done to Lightning many times over the years. And Smokey probably had to Doc as well.

"And old!" River called out.

"And rickety", Louise put in.

"And dilapidated", Junior joined in.

Sammy had pulled up a thesaurus on her phone and she and I began to read from it. "Aged, ancient, elderly, mature, fossil, senior, along in years, broken down, over the hill, senile-"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Lightning cut us off.

I thought Cruz would laugh because she had been calling Lightning old too, but she didn't. I glanced over at her and she had her eyes glued to the film. She seemed to be entirely absorbed in it like I had been a few minutes prior.

"The new you has to look for opportunities you never knew were there", Smokey informed Lightning.

That was definitely some interesting advice. Maybe that was how I had to find my future career. It certainly was something to think about.

We watched a couple more films before Smokey sent us all off to get some rest, promising more work to do in the morning. I wasn't worried about that just yet. I was more worried about Herman, who was on the prowl. I steered away from him.

Sammy laughed. "I think what happened yesterday was a personal vendetta against you, Fudge. He hates being locked out", she commented.

"But you're still gonna lock the door, right?" I wanted to know.

"Of course", Sammy answered with another laugh. "I'll feed him some dandelions to make up for it and then I'll lock the door."

"Dandelions?"

"Oh, yeah", Sammy confirmed as she picked some dandelions. "He loves them. Watch this. Herman!" she called, bringing that horrible goose over. "Herman!"

However, as Herman ate the dandelions out of my sister's hands, I saw him in a different light. He didn't look so scary. He looked innocent. He even looked kind of cute.

"There. You're a happy boy now, aren't you, Herman?" Sammy gave Herman a small pet. "See? You're not so scary. How could anybody find you scary, you beautiful boy?" She laughed softly.

I couldn't help laughing a little too.

However, I was still caught off guard when my sister handed me some dandelions. "Here. You try."

I hesitated. "I don't know..."

"Come on", she urged me. "Just try it."

"Okay..." I held my hand out to Herman. "Herman."

"You gotta show him the dandelions", Sammy pointed out.

"Okay..." So, I did and Herman crept towards me, eyeing my hand. "Oh, my God! I am so close to death right now!"

"Show him what you've got", Sammy repeated.

"Herman!" I repeated and the little menace began eating the dandelions right out of my hand. "It tickles!"

"Why don't you pet him?" Sammy suggested.

"I don't know..." I'd already faced my fears and fed him.

"Come on. He likes being petted right here." She showed me.

"Okay..." So, I petted him tentatively, hoping he wouldn't start attacking me. He didn't. He seemed quite content and I found it wasn't so bad either.

"See?" Sammy asked me. "Nothing in life is to be feared, but understood. Especially not someone as sweet as Herman."

Hmmm… I glanced around the house to see if there were any more dandelions. Luckily, there were.

"I don't suppose I could pick some more dandelions for him tomorrow, could I?" I questioned.

Sammy looked at me in surprise. "What for?"

I grinned. "You'll see."

Smokey delivered on another hard day of work. I didn't mind too much, though, because that was when everything finally started to fall into place.

At first, when Guido let the tractors in, surrounding Lightning and Cruz with Smokey hollering, "Sneak through the window!", I thought we were in for another hopeless day of training. Fortunately, that wasn't the case. Lightning figured out what was going on when he noticed a gap between two tractors, big enough for him to squeeze through.

"Sneak through the window!" I heard him repeat excitedly.

"What?" Cruz shouted.

"When a window opens, take it!" Lightning clarified, charging forward to do just that.

"Oh!" I realised what he was doing. "Lightning! There's a window open to your right! Cruz, to your left!"

I watched what was happening carefully and advised Lightning and Cruz whenever they needed it. They did most of the work themselves. Cruz even got ahead of Lightning at one point!

"Whoa! I made it!" she cheered.

"All right!" Lightning hollered as they shot through one last opening.

"Yes!" I cheered.

"You got it!" Sammy high-fived me.

"All right!" Smokey boomed out from behind me. "You did it! Now, go around and do it again!"

The hay bales and the trailers went a lot better too. Lightning managed to avoid every single hay bale that Guido and I sent his way. He even avoided much larger items such as a giant tyre and even an anchor! I gotta admit, that was pretty impressive!

As for the trailers, last time, Cruz and Lightning couldn't budge them, no matter how hard they tried. This time, they managed to keep a nice, steady pace as they inched the trailers forward. That was a lot of fun. The rest of us were riding on the trailers, shouting out words of encouragement. A couple of times I wobbled and ended up sprawled across Junior's hood. Luckily, we all just laughed about it. Aside from the fun, it was excellent to see Lightning making progress.

Before we got to the trailers, though, Smokey had me walk around the track again.

"You ready?" he quizzed me as I tied my blindfold over my glasses.

"I think so..." I responded, a little more confident than I was last time. I was still nervous, though. What if it didn't work? What if this plan backfired?

"Go!" Smokey shouted.

So, I went. I shuffled around the track, able to take a lot more in this time.

"Come on now!" Smokey hollered. "Know the track!"

I ignored him and focused on what I was doing. I felt everything around me very carefully, taking things in.

"Pebble number one hundred and forty-three!" I jumped over it. "Ah ha! You will not trip me up again, pebble number one hundred and forty-three!"

I continued for another three or four minutes before I smelt watermelon. I stopped, fingering the dandelions in my jumpsuit pocket. I was ready. Just wait for Herman…

"Honk, honk, honk!"

"Hey, Herman!" I unearthed the dandelions from my pocket and held out my hand. "I got something for you!"

I heard an excited honk and the little padding of goose feet running up towards me. I felt his beak nuzzle my hand as he started munching.

"There you go, you dumb goose!"

I could hear Smokey burst out laughing, which was a good sign. "You better watch out, Herman! She knows your weakness now!"

I scattered the rest of the dandelions on the ground and made my way around the track again.

After I'd removed the blindfold and seen everyone watching me again, Smokey had one word for me: "Better."

"Although, I wanted to see you end up in the watermelon again!" Sammy chimed in, laughing hysterically.

I shook my head. "Not today!"

"Oh, yeah?" Lightning laughed before he, Sammy and Smokey started chasing me.

"No!" I screamed. "No! No fair! I can't run!"

I felt two pairs of tyres and a pair of hands grab hold of me and pull me down on top of a large pile of watermelon! A grin spread across my face; it was pretty funny! I burst out laughing along with everyone else as Junior and River got me up to my feet. I looked ridiculous covered in watermelon, but I didn't care. However, with the others laughing at me, I thought, Two can play at that game! So, I picked up some watermelon and hurled it at Lightning, who clearly wasn't expecting it, if his scream was anything to go by.

"Guess you need to work on your reflexes some more!" I teased..

He got me back by chucking some watermelon at me, but unfortunately, he got Smokey as well. Smokey stared at him, unimpressed before throwing some back at Lightning. We all laughed.

"Watermelon fight!" Cruz shrieked, scooping some up and throwing it at Lightning.

River threw some at Cruz and just like that, it was a massive free-for-all.

"Hey!" Smokey yelled.

"I know that was you, Cruz!" Lightning shouted.

Junior whipped around. "I figured that was you, Louise!"

Giggling, Cruz and I ducked for cover in some shrubs, but that just made us targets. So, we launched our supply of watermelon at Junior and Louise. I can't remember laughing so hard in my life.

As great as that was, what was even better was when it got to racing on the track again. I'd learned quite a lot about the track, so I was able to help Lightning. And he was so close to catching up to Cruz. With a few more runs, he could do it, for sure!

"Yes!" I cheered.

"All right!" Smokey called approvingly. "Look who finally showed up!"

Knock, knock!

"Fudge?" Sammy called.

"Yeah?" I switched off the water in the shower, so I could hear my sister better.

After dinner that night, I had a brief nap and now, I was having a shower to wash the watermelon out of my hair and off my body.

"When you're done, Smokey wants you to meet us by the garage."

"All right", I promised. "I'll be there."

I was planning on going to bed, but I was curious to see what Smokey had in store now.

Lightning and Cruz were there, waiting for me when I got to Smokey's garage, but the others weren't. We talked while we waited, but I was dying of curiosity. So, I was excited, nervous and relieved when Smokey showed up with Louise, River, Junior and Sammy.

"We're goin' for a little drive", he announced.

"But first", Sammy piped up. "Fudge." She tossed me a set of magnets, a helmet and a pair of goggles. "Happy birthday."

"I mean, my birthday was eight months ago", I joked, "but it's the thought that counts, I guess." My heart pounded as I suited up, even though I was waiting for Lightning to protest.

Sure enough, he looked horrified. "Wait. Why does she need those?"

"I know how you feel about Fudge racin'", Smokey informed him sympathetically. "After what you and Sammy told me about Fudge's accident, I don't blame you. I just think it's important that Fudge comes with us for this."

"Come on! We want Fudge there!" Sammy begged, climbing onto River's roof. "Don't worry. She'll be perfectly safe."

"You promise?" Lightning questioned nervously. (To be honest, I was a little nervous myself. I hadn't gone racing in a while, so I was afraid of getting hurt again. Still, I was convinced it wouldn't matter because there was no way Lightning would let me race.)

"We promise", Smokey, Sammy, River, Junior and Louise all assured him.

Lightning hesitated for a moment. Just say no already and get the disappointment over with! I thought.

However, Lightning ended up surprising me. He took a deep breath and… "All right, but just this one time."

"Yes!" Sammy hissed, hugging me.

"Really?" I asked in surprise.

"Sure, but just this one time", Lightning repeated seriously.

"Well, if it's just one time for Fudge, we better make it count!" Smokey insisted.

"So, Fudge, do you wanna ride with me?" Junior offered.

I grinned excitedly. I couldn't believe it! Junior "Midnight" Moon was letting me ride with him! They really were making my only chance to race count! "Sure!" I answered, trying to sound casual. "Let's go!"

"This is gonna be fun!" Sammy proclaimed as we headed off.

Under the full moon, Smokey led us all into the woods. "This is where we cut our racing teeth!"

"In the woods?" Lightning questioned sceptically.

"Let's just say the moon was always shining on us!" River answered.

"Huh?" Lightning was just as confused as I was.

"If the moon didn't shine, we didn't have to..." Louise began. "Oh, never mind."

"We ran moonshine, dummy!" Junior shouted.

"Oh!"

I should've known.

"By the way", Smokey's voice came from ahead of me, "no lights! Instinct only!"

"Wait!" I exclaimed. "You don't really mean-"

Smokey and the others switched off their headlights, .

"I thought you said I'd be safe!" I cried nervously. This seemed extremely dangerous and on top of that, I didn't want to admit it, but I'm a little scared of the dark.

"Don't worry. We know what we're doin'", Junior called back to me.

"You sure?" I questioned doubtfully.

"Sure I'm sure", he insisted.

A couple of times, it looked like we were about to smash right into a tree. However, every single time, Junior avoided it smoothly. Pretty soon, I found myself laughing hysterically and with an enormous smile on my face. I felt like I was flying! I wasn't sure if it was because I missed racing and I was glad to be back into it. Or if it was because racing under the full moon was so awesome, filling me with euphoria! Or if it was because I was also filled with hope that Lightning could win. I think it was all three! In that moment, I felt like anything was possible.

I didn't want it to end, but unfortunately, we came to a stop at the end of the woods and ended going our separate ways for the night. Of course, Sammy and I went our separate ways together.

Sammy slung her arm across my shoulder as we walked back. "You feeling a little better now?"

I nodded. "I think he's got a really good chance." I meant it too.

"Me too", Sammy agreed. "I really hope he kicks Jackson Storm's ass!"

It was my turn to give a, "Me too." I sighed and added, "I really ought to thank Smokey and the others before we go." I smiled at my sister. "Thanks to you, too." I genuinely appreciated the amount of work the Thomasville gang had put into helping Lightning. They didn't have to do it and they'd gone above and beyond to get him back in the game.

My sister beamed.

"And even if he doesn't win, remember what I said. Things'll still work out. Life doesn't have to go the way you planned to be great."

I gave a weak smile; I knew she was right, but I didn't want to think about that just yet. "I know. Thanks, Sammy."

Then I gave her an odd look. As she and I were talking, she was rubbing her stomach again.

If you've read Driven to Win, you'll know why Sammy was rubbing her stomach.

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