Chapter 10- It's Over?

Even though I was feeling a lot more confident, I was still nervous when I woke up the following morning. Today was the day that we'd all worked so hard for. Would it all be for nothing? I hoped not, but I couldn't shake that anxious feeling.

Thank God Sammy showed up and distracted me for a little while.

"Hey, kid! In the mood for some company?"

"Sure."

"I was just wondering how you were doing", she began, sitting down beside me. "I mean, this race is a pretty big deal. For both you and McQueen. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah!" I answered. "I mean, I was nervous at first; I guess I still am, but coming to Thomasville has made me feel a little bit better about things." I knew Sammy knew I was more than a little nervous. So, I decided to change the subject. "Besides, last night was fun!"

"It was fun!" she agreed before getting back on the original topic. "I guess I'm just worried that you'll be upset if McQueen doesn't win. Somehow, I can't envision him as a mud flaps salesman."

"Well, why wouldn't I be?" I countered. "I want him to win and I think he's got a good shot."

"He's definitely gotten better", Sammy mused. "So has Cruz. And so have you."

"Thanks…" I tried to think about how to explain my feelings. "Right now, I'm just hoping for the best. If he's happy, I'm happy." I paused. "Still, it's gonna be a hell of a big change if he starts selling mud flaps."

Sammy nodded and was silent for a moment. She cleared her throat and began speaking nervously. "Speaking of big changes… Fudge, can you keep a secret?"

"That sounds like a challenge!" I kidded. Although, there was some seriousness to my statement; I can be a big blabbermouth sometimes. I don't mean to be, but if I found out information, I liked to pass it along.

"Seriously", she deadpanned.

"Sure... Why? What's up?

Sammy took a deep breath and grinned at me as she announced, "I'm having a kid."

"What?!" I don't know why I was so surprised. It explained the diet Coke at the bar every night and why she kept rubbing her stomach when she talked about unexpected things being great.

"I'm going to have a baby", my sister repeated.

"You mean... you're pregnant?"

"That's right. I'm not very far along. I only found out the day you guys arrived in Thomasville. You're the first to know."

"Well, I think it's great!" I informed her.

Sammy grinned. "Me too! You'll be an aunt!"

We hugged. I was so excited. No matter what happened that day, I now knew I had something to look forward to! I'd never really been good with kids or anything, but I already couldn't wait to meet my baby niece or nephew.

All of a sudden, the voices downstairs grew louder and Sammy gasped. "Everyone's downstairs, waiting for us! You better get dressed. And hey! Don't tell anyone what I just told you. I only told you today so no matter what happens, you will have had some good news today."

"It's not my news to tell", I reasoned.

Sammy smiled. "Thanks, Fudge. I knew I could count on you."

Once I was dressed in my cheerleading outfit, I stared at myself in the mirror, my heart pounding, my anxiety through the roof. This was it. This was the day. The day we'd worked so hard for. The day that decided Lightning's- and my- fate. Had we done enough? I was sure of it. Would he win? I thought it was entirely possible. I had no idea what I was in for that day. Sometimes, I wonder what I would've thought and what I would've done differently (if anything), had I known how the day was going to turn out...

When I joined the others for breakfast, I thought about how much I was going to miss Thomasville. I loved getting together with the others at mealtimes and listening to incredible stories from their racing days. I was even going to miss Herman, who had come to visit me that morning. He hung around with us as we ate breakfast and left me with one last fond memory…

The goose squatted a little and I saw he had left his breakfast on the floor.

"Herman!" I exclaimed, giggling.

River turned to look at Herman and me. "Did he make a mess?" he questioned.

"Yeah!" I laughed.

"Oh, Herman!" River exclaimed.

"Oh, you nasty goose!" Louise added.

River started cleaning it up. Their reactions made me laugh even more. Cruz laughed too, but Lightning just let out a weak chuckle. I think he was too nervous to be amused.

Luigi turned to me once the floor was clean. "So, what did you do last night?"

"Oh, it was awesome!" I grinned. "We went racing through the woods!"

"Racing?" Luigi echoed. "Did you go racing?"

Oops. "Yeah..."

"Fudge, you know how we feel about you racing!" my father scolded me. I didn't like how he was telling me off in front of everyone. "Especially after your accident."

"I know how you feel, Luigi", Lightning piped up. "I feel the same way, but Smokey made sure she was safe and we all really had fun."

"I understand that you'd be worried", Smokey chimed in. "We used helmets and magnets."

"But don't get too comfortable with it, Fudge", Lightning added sternly. "That was a one-time thing."

I nodded.

"Are you ready to go?" Smokey quizzed Lightning, Cruz and me when we were all finished eating. "I wanna see how much you've learned."

"Yes, sir", Lightning responded determinedly.

We were all more determined than ever to get this perfect. Lightning and Cruz were on the track while I stood beside Smokey, wearing the headset. He wanted to see how much I'd learned too, so I was showing him. All of the lessons we'd learned in Thomasville were coming together. Lightning never did quite catch up with Cruz, but he got so close and I was growing more and more confident with each run. Lightning could win this!

"All right!" Smokey boomed finally. "We got time for one last race!"

Lightning took several deep breaths and stretched his tyres, trying to stay in the zone.

"Hurry this along, boss!" Mack called out worriedly. "We gotta get you to Florida!"

"Go!" Smokey shouted.

So, Lightning and Cruz went. The former pushed himself as much as he could, determined not to give up. I provided tips and encouragement whenever he needed them, but for the most part, I watched in anxious silence.

"Come on!" I jumped up and down with nerves. "You got this!"

"Let's go, McQueen!" Sammy shouted from beside me.

We all just watched as Lightning gained on Cruz.

"Come on, boy!" Smokey called. "Come on!"

Oh, my God! Lightning just caught up to Cruz. They were side by side. No way! He just overtook her! He was going to win this race! I was sure of it!

"Yes!" I cheered, continuing to jump up and down. "YesyesYES!"

I was so excited, I wanted to hug Smokey. Before I could, however, Smokey hugged me! Oh, what the hell? I thought, hugging him back.

"THERE YOU GO, BOY! THERE YOU GO!" Smokey hollered.

Unfortunately, my happiness didn't last long. Cruz was gaining.

"No!" I cried as the yellow car reclaimed the lead. Of course, I liked Cruz and it was nice to see her looking- and feeling- more like a racer, but my main concern was Lightning.

Lightning couldn't catch up to her. In fact, he seemed to be slowing down a little.

"Lightning?" I ventured nervously. "What's wrong?"

I didn't get an answer. It didn't matter, anyway. Cruz had just shot across the finish line ahead of him. My heart sank. Now, I wasn't as sure if Lightning could win as I had been a few minutes earlier. I looked around. Smokey, Junior, River, Louise, Sammy, Mack, Guido and even Herman looked as disappointed as I did. Cruz, on the other tyre…

"Whoo-hoo!" she hollered delightedly, doing donuts. "Yes! Did you see that?! That was incredi-" She stopped short, glancing over at Lightning and realising just what her victory meant for him. There was a long pause. "Uh... Sorry. I... I didn't mean to-"

"It's not your fault, Cruz", I murmured, talking more to the ground than to Cruz. I kicked a pebble around a little.

There was a long, painful silence. Already, I felt like I was going to cry. I thought I'd cry either way after the race, but I was already fighting back tears.

"Hey, uh... boss?" Mack piped up. "It's time to hit the road."

"Yeah", Lightning sighed. Downcast, he looked at the Thomasville gang. "I, uh... I... I wanna... thank everyone for the training..."He started to drive off towards the trailer. "We better get going to Florida."

We all watched him go sadly before Mack, Cruz and Guido followed. I hung back for a second and turned to Smokey and the others. "Thanks, guys. Really." I tried to smile a little, but I couldn't.

"Our pleasure", Smokey assured me.

Sammy gave me a sympathetic smile. "Things could still be great…" she reminded me, gesturing to her stomach.

I managed a smile. "Yeah… Thanks…"

"What are you…" Smokey glanced to where Sammy's hand was. "Sammy, are you..."

"Yeah, I'm pregnant", she confirmed with a grin

There was a moment of silence.

"I should've known!" Junior laughed finally. "You don't normally turn down my moonshine!"

"Congratulations!" Smokey and River added sincerely.

"I think it's wonderful!" Louise declared.

The six of us all had a group hug, excited by the fact that Sammy was going to have a baby.

"Well, this can't be good for the baby!" Sammy pointed out.

So, we all broke apart and all of us except for Sammy reformed the hug.

Unfortunately, it ended and I was dejected yet again when I heard Lightning call, "Come on, Fudge! We gotta go!"

I turned back to the Thomasville gang. "I gotta go. Thanks for everything..." I started to make my way to the trailer. "See ya!"

"See ya!" Sammy echoed. "Wouldn't wanna be ya!"

"Come back soon!" Smokey instructed me.

"Anytime!" Sammy added.

"It was nice to meet you!" Louise informed me.

"You too!" I called back.

"Say goodbye to McQueen for us!" That was River.

"Bye!" Junior shouted.

With one last wave, I ran into the trailer to join Lightning, Cruz, Guido and Luigi.

The drive to the speedway was very melancholy. Cruz and I had tried to comfort Lightning at first (during which time, we received a phone call from the Thomasville gang, letting us know they were coming to the race, sans Herman), but it was clear that he wanted to be alone. I couldn't believe it seemed as though it was all over. Not too long ago, our spirits were at an all time high. Now, they had come crashing down. Our best efforts hadn't been enough. A question I had wondered after our fight on the night we went to Thunder Hollow resurfaced: Was this everyone's fault? Or nobody's? Then there was a more important question: Now, what were we gonna do?

Writing in my journal as I thought about it, I tried to envision what my life would look like in about six months. Lightning would be leaving town, not for another race, but to shoot another mud flap commercial. He wouldn't need me to go with him, so I'd stay in town. Besides, I'd have to help Flo with the dishes, feeling sorry for myself. Of course, I quite often do dishes with Flo and don't mind helping her out, but I most certainly didn't want to wash dishes for a living.

My vision was starting to get negative. I had to bring some positive things in there. Lightning still went away to film commercials, but he was never gone for as long. Yeah. And after work, I was free to do whatever I wanted. I could head to the Wheel Well or the waterfall. I could head home and lounge on my bed with Jennyfur and a book or my computer. Then I tried to picture Sammy with a baby bump, but I just couldn't. Sammy had a great figure and I couldn't picture it becoming big enough to hold a baby. You know, in a couple of months, you don't have to imagine, I pointed out to myself. That made me smile. Already, I was bursting to tell the others, but I was determined to keep my promise to Sammy.

What about Cruz? I closed my eyes and thought as hard as I could for a moment, wondering if my new best friend was in this picture. I definitely wanted her there and I think I could almost see her, but not quite.

I guess I must've been pulling funny faces because I was snapped out of it by Cruz. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah", I lied.

"He could still win, you know", Cruz pointed out, but she didn't seem any more convinced than I did.

"Yeah", I repeated with a heavy sigh. "I... I know."

Cruz didn't say another word. She just let me write my journal entry in silence.

I needed something else to do, though. Something to make me feel a little less depressed and a little more inspired. Reaching for my phone, I knew exactly what. I wanted to see Doc flip over another racer. I knew that would be awesome to see, so I punched Fabulous Hudson Hornet flip into YouTube. I just prayed I could find it, but I started by selecting the first video and hoping for the best. Pretty soon, I was engrossed in footage of a Thomasville race in the fifties and an excited announcer's voice.

Cruz came over. "What are you watching?" she questioned.

"Oh, I searched up the flip the Fabulous Hudson Hornet did", I answered. "You know, the one Smokey told us about? This was the first video that came up."

"Can I watch with you?" my best friend requested.

"Sure." I moved my phone over to let Cruz have a good view too.

I was able to watch for a little while and allow myself to relax. However, negative feelings returned to me when I heard Smokey talking in the video. Not only did he seem cool, calm and collected, but he was completely focused. He wasn't worried about how tired or hungry he was. He just worried about helping the Hudson Hornet.

That made me think about how doubtful of my skills I'd been lately. I could barely stay awake for races ever since the accident. I would eat a hot dog right there on the crew chief platform, talking with my mouth full and ketchup and mustard dripping down my chin. I cringed, just thinking about it. I knew what I had to do. And after watching the video (and being totally amazed by Doc's awesome flip!), I approached Lightning to do it.

"I really need to talk to you", I began.

Lightning sighed. "Whatever it is, can't it wait until later?"

"I think you should know this now." I took a deep breath. "I don't think I should be your crew chief anymore."

"What?!" Lightning asked incredulously. "Fudge? Is something wrong? Don't you want to be my crew chief? I thought you liked it!"

"I do!" I insisted. "I do! I love it and I wanna thank you for letting me do it for the last three years. I just... don't think I can do it anymore."

"Fudge, how can you say that?" Lightning demanded. "After everything that's happened, how can you say that?"

"That's actually why I'm saying it..." I explained uncomfortably. "Um... I've been thinking and you were right. I have just been goofing off with Cruz-"

"Come on, Fudge!" he cut me off. "I mean, yeah, you were, but that doesn't matter. You've learned your lesson, haven't you?"

"Well, yeah, but not just that…" I continued. "I always get tired and sometimes fall asleep during races. I get hungry and eat hot dogs right there on the platform! I only just realised how unprofessional I must look doing that. You need someone who's focused, there one hundred percent and can do the job well."

"Fudge, you do the job well!" my brother protested "Maybe you're not the most conventional crew chief out there, but you get the job done!"

"Not if I fall asleep", I pointed out. "I wish I was the right person for the job, but I'm not. You deserve better than me."

"Fudge-"

"It's not as crazy as it sounds, Lightning!" I interjected. "We both know what happens if you lose this race! I just want to give you the best possible chance to win!"

"Well, what would you suggest?" he quizzed me.

"I think you should ask Smokey", I replied.

"Smokey?" Lightning echoed.

"Yeah, I mean he's been helping you way more than I have", I reasoned. "Even if I did the job just fine, I think he'd be the way to go."

"Well, what about you?"

"I'll go back to being the cheerleader", I informed him. "I think I was better at that anyway… I don't have much of a career left in racing anyway."

"What do you mean?" Lightning wondered.

"Look, I want you to win as much as you do and I think you've got a good shot... Still, you might not and even if you do, I think it's obvious that you're closer to the end of your career than the start. I don't wanna be the crew chief for just anybody and it's not like I can be a racer myself..." I stopped talking, noticing the evil glare Lightning was giving. I think he was mad at me for talking about racing again.

"Guess not", Lightning murmured softly.

"Maybe I don't know exactly how you feel with this whole thing going on, but your accident may have ended your career... Mine ended mine before it even started.

"I'm really sorry", I apologised sincerely, "but let's face it. Ever since Jackson Storm arrived, I've just been letting you down."

"That's not true!" my brother countered.

"It is!" I insisted, handing my headset back. "I'm sure about my decision. I think it would be better for the team."

"How dare you?!" Lightning yelled after me as I returned to the other section of the trailer. "HOW DARE YOU?! SHAME ON YOU! PUT THIS HEADSET BACK ON! IF YOU'RE GONNA QUIT, QUIT, BUT DON'T GIVE ME THIS CRAP ABOUT 'IT'S BETTER FOR THE TEAM!'"

I felt guilty. Was I being selfish? I wasn't trying to be selfish; I just wanted to give Lightning the best possible chance to win.

For the rest of the ride, I lay on my bed, contemplating whether or not I had done the right thing. Sometimes, the "right thing" wasn't as simple as it should be. It's not a black and white thing. Had I done the right thing?

In the end, I decided that I had.

Arriving at the speedway, I could barely stand up in the trailer with how much I was shaking. My heart was thumping and my breathing was heavy. Even though I didn't have to do anything now, I couldn't remember the last time I was so nervous.

Meeting up with Sally, Mater, Sarge, Fillmore and Ramone at least made me feel a little better. We got the pits set up, talking all the while. I took great delight in recounting the simulator story.

"Stickers destroyed the simulator?!" Sally exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yep," I giggled.

Guido and Luigi took great delight in telling the Thunder Hollow story, even though the others had seen it on TV. They just hadn't known how we ended up in a demolition derby.

"It was so funny when you were tryin' to squeeze through the fence, man!" Ramone declared, having a good laugh at my expense.

"You try competing in a demolition derby!" I retorted. "Cruz was great, though!" I added.

"Not that great…" an embarrassed Cruz replied.

"Well, we heard you won", Sally reasoned.

Then Cruz took great delight in recounting the watermelon incident.

"In my defence", I began as everyone laughed, "geese are frickin' terrifying!"

"No they're not, man!" Fillmore countered. "Geese are one of Earth's most beautiful, intelligent creatures!" Fillmore says that about every living creature, so I took that with a grain of salt.

"Well, we'll have to meet this Herman", Sarge remarked with a smile.

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you!"

On top of being amused by our stories, everyone was happy to see that I'd finally found a best friend. Well, I was glad too.

I had to go get Smokey and Sammy into the grounds and I sent Smokey to see Lightning while my sister and I went straight back to the pits.

Of course, the first words out of Sammy's mouth were, "So, did Fudge tell you about Herman?" No hello. No how are you? Just, "So, did Fudge tell you about Herman?"

"Yes!" They were all laughing.

"They want to meet Herman", I added. "Can't imagine why."

Sammy laughed. "I think we might be able to arrange that."

"Herman kin come visit us in Radiator Springs, can't he?" Mater questioned.

"Yeah! Think of all the fun he and Fudge can have in Radiator Springs!" Sammy teased. "You better stock up on the dandelions now, Fudge."

Sarge, being an authoritative figure, gave her an amused, but reproachful look. "Samantha", he warned, though he was smiling. "Be nice to your sister."

I smirked at Sammy triumphantly. She stuck her tongue out at me.

Cruz, Sammy, the others and I talked for a while longer before Mater hollered, "Hey there, buddy!"

"Hey, guys!" I heard Lightning call.

"Stickers!" Sally exclaimed.

Lightning and Sally conversed, but I was too distracted by the engine approaching Cruz and me. He got an eyeful of our outfits. Cruz was still wearing the Jackson Storm decals that we'd fashioned for her in Thomasville and I was wearing my cheerleading costume: Rust-Eze racing jacket; 95 T-shirt; red shorts; red and yellow striped kneesocks and Lightning McQueen high-tops.

"Wow!" Storm exclaimed, starting with Cruz. "Nice costume! C'mere; let's get a picture! It's so great to meet my number one fan!"

"I guess I should've taken this off back in Thomasville!" Cruz remarked, looking annoyed.

Then the turdwagon looked at me. "You know, your costume's a cute look too. Too bad it went out of style years ago."

"Well, it's making a comeback!" I shot back, sick of his garbage.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, sweetheart", Storm replied in this slimy tone that made me cringe. "And I see you're not making a comeback. What happened to being the old timer's crew chief?"

I shrugged. "I'm not doing that anymore."

"Why? Did you already get your assisting the elderly badge?" he continued to make fun of me. Then he yanked me by the wrist. "Come on, girl! What do you say you get with a real racer?! You could work for me!" (AN: Again, Storm is not interested in Fudge like that; he's just trying to wind her up.)

"No!" I tried to pull away but I couldn't; Storm was stronger than I was.

"You sure about that?" he teased.

I pulled away again, but his tyre still stayed around my wrist. "Don't touch me!"

"Hey! She said no, Storm!" Cruz piped up. "Why don't you leave her alone?"

"Why? Are you jealous?"

"She's not a fan, Storm!" Lightning jumped in, rolling forward as he nodded at Cruz. Then he nodded at me. "And if you talk to my sister- or any woman- like that or lay one tyre on her again, I will punch your goddamn lights out! That is no way to treat a lady! Is that understood?!"

I was grateful Lightning had intervened. There was no way I was brave enough to stand up to him on my own.

"Oh! Hey there, champ!" Storm exclaimed in a mock friendly voice, dropping my hand. "I heard you're selling mud flaps after today. Is that true? Hey!" he called, beginning to drive off. "You put me down for the first case, okay?"

"You girls okay?" Lightning wanted to know.

I nodded, now more angry than scared. "Thanks."

"Someone needs to teach that moron a good lesson!" Lightning commented.

"Yeah!" I agreed. "Let's hope he gets one today!"

Lightning knew what I meant. "I wouldn't count on it, Fudge."

"If not, then I'll do it!" Sammy offered, rolling up the sleeves of her denim jacket.

"Where's Smokey?" I wanted to know.

"He should be here in a sec", Lightning responded.

"Did you ask him?" I questioned nervously.

He nodded. "Yeah. He said he's happy to do it."

"All right..." I couldn't help but be disappointed, but I knew it was the best thing for everyone.

An announcement came on, instructing racers to report to the track.

I hugged my brother as my anxiety came rushing back. "This is it!"

"All right. This is it", he echoed, sounding more nervous than I'd ever heard him sound.

"Today's your day, Mr. McQueen!" Cruz tried to sound confident. "I can feel it!"

"Thanks…"

Sally and I each came forward to hug and kiss him some more while everyone else milled around to wish him luck.

"Wish me luck!" Lightning called finally as he started to go. His voice was shaky and not nearly as confident as he'd normally be saying that.

"Good luck!" we all shouted after him.

"Give 'em hell, McQueen!" Sammy added.

"Oh, my God!" I whispered. "I'm so nervous for him!"

"Hey." Sammy put her arm around me. "If anyone can do this, it's McQueen."

Well, that was true. "I know. Thanks, Sammy."

Lightning McQueen could do just about anything. He was the one who'd fixed our road ahead of schedule, despite getting it wrong the first time. He was the one who could've been the first rookie to win the Piston Cup, had he not chosen to help The King (don't get me wrong; I think it's admirable that he did that; I just mean his abilities weren't the issue). He was the one who brought hope back to our small town. He was the one who managed to convince Doc to get back into the racing world when he was adamant that he would never return. He was the one who returned to racing after it gave him PTSD, of all things. Lightning never ever backed down from a challenge, no matter how tough it was. Although I was still nervous and doubtful, I was a little more confident that Lightning could win the Florida 500.

However, nothing- nothing at all- could have prepared me for what happened in that race.

Some more Herman comedy, inspired by a YouTube page called Pet Goose George! XD

By the way, I don't know where Flo is during the Florida 500. She's not at the track or watching the TV in Radiator Springs. That's strange. (I know it's not really relevant, but that was just something I'd noticed.)

I'm not sure when I'll have the next chapter out. It's written, but I want to continue publishing Tales from Radiator Springs and Blast From the Past, the latter of which I finally finished today! Yay!

In the meantime, please review!