Just for funsies quote: "We get wet, wild and do dirty, dirty things" - Mage 1 (AC7)
"When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane" -Steven Wright
Garth: Blitz, don't you get tired of coming up with fake street names and landmarks here?
Blazin' Blitz: No.Garth: How many more are you gonna pull out of your ass?
Blazin' Blitz: Yes.
Humphrey: Okay... I guess. It all starting to sound very "Strangereal"... see what I did there? Ace Combat fans will get it.
Blazin' Blitz: I get it but it's just a bad joke.
Garth: You played AC?
Blazin' Blitz: For the first time, not very long ago, yeah.
Garth: Uncultured swine. You're too late to play the game now. Play Project Wingman instead.
Blazin' Blitz: (cocks M1911) No.
Duel Of The Fangs
Jasper High
6 September
Friday 8:05am
Humphrey's P.O.V.
I got to school earlier than usual again because I woke up at around five in the morning and fueled myself with just caffeine and some energy bars on the way. I didn't understand why I was in the mood to get to school this early but whatever, I guess. I was here now with Shakey who apparently went through the same process of fueling with just coffee for the morning.
"So, ready to kick ass tonight?" He asks me. I tilt my head to the side as I come up with a response. "Well... I'm not feeling that confident right now, to be honest." I say to him as I scratch the back of my head. He narrows his eyes at me then widens them as soon as he looks over my shoulder. "What?" I ask him.
Before I knew it, I was grabbed by my tail and dragged away from Shakey. He mouths 'good luck' as he watches me get pulled away. I try turning around to see who was manhandling my tail but it hurt to just try it. "Uh, I'd like to know who's dragging me away then hopefully they'd buy me dinner before doing something sus in a random back alley, y'know." I say while walking backwards and trying not to trip.
"Gross... you have one twisted mind, you know that?" I recognize the familiar, soft and shy voice. "Lilly?! What're you doing back at school? And how are you here before me?" I ask, suprised and shocked at hearing her voice. "Wrong question. What are YOU DOING in a friggin' night race?" She asks as she continues dragging me off.
"Did you come to school early today just to chew me out? Wow, I'm flattered in more ways than one." I joke. "I'm serious Humphrey. I don't want to see you get expelled for something so stupid and neither would Kate." Lilly tells me without an inch of comedy or humor on her face or words. She really meant it. "Does Kate know about this?" I ask her. "No... only me and two other wolves in the school."
"Hold on, how did you find out?" I ask. "Garth was my boyfriend at some point..." Lilly confesses, shyly looking down at the concrete at her feet. My eyebrows were raised higher than the stars above and the earth below after hearing what she just said. "Hold the fucking phone... he was your WHAT? The same guy who's an asshole to all omega's in his sight actually dated one himself?"
"Yeah, he was... 'different' back then." Lilly says. "But that's irrelevant, what matters now is you backing off from this stupid challenge. This isn't the type of shit I'd expect you to pull out of nowhere." Lilly tells me. "I... can't." I drop my head as I respond. "It's a lot easier to say no to things than you think. If something bad happens to you tonight, Kate's gonna-" Lilly says but is stopped by Garth. "There you are Coyote and..." He says then pauses after seeing Lilly. "Lilly? What're doing here? If you need more time to mourn-" Garth says but is cut off halfway through his second sentence.
"I've mourned enough, Garth. I came here today because I don't want to mourn over a dead friend next." Lilly says without batting an eye away from me to respond to Garth. "Don't worry, I know my way around these streets-"
"I wasn't talking about you." Lilly cuts Garth off again. I have to admit, this side of her was scary. Garth looks at me then at Lilly then back at me. "Ah, okay. My suspicions were true. Haha, of course you two are dating." Garth chuckles. "I'm not gonna waste my breath trying to tell you that you're wrong." Lilly states as she rolls her eyes at the alpha. "Then as for you..." She hits my arm with her soft fists as she says this. "Christ, why are you so aggressive?" I ask her while rubbing my arm.
"If I can't stop you, the best I can do is wish you luck. Tsk, dummy." She whispers the last part as she over for a hug. "Okay so yeah, you're not doing a great job at convincing me you two aren't dating but anyway... Hutch says you can pick up your wheels right after school if you want. Get a feel for the car before the main event." Garth tells me. Lilly gawked at me after hearing this. "I won't be driving stolen cars. Well atleast that's what I've been told." I say while looking at the trashcan avoiding Lilly's glare.
"So since you're here today, I'm assuming you came to pick up work for Kate." Garth says changing the topic for both our sakes. "Yeah, I won't be here long too. Kate did tell me to greet you both." Lilly replied with an emphasis on 'both'. Garth raises an eyebrow at me for some reason. "I better get going, good luck for tonight."
"Thanks!" Garth responds in my place. Lilly flips him off as she walks away. "Welp, I've got stuff to do in the council's office before I head to the first period. See ya around, Coyote." Garth says then walks off. I chose not to respond to the nickname this time because I've now gotten used to it. Fuck...
Timeskip: 7 hours later
Hutch's Auto Shop
Friday 3:50pm
Humphrey's P.O.V.
I wasted no time getting to Hutch's shop to collect the Z06 after school. The garage still looked deserted from the outside and sounded busy inside just like before.
I leave my bicycle outside and knock on the roll up garage door a few times. This time there was a response much quicker than before. The doors roll up and I'm greeted with a pissed off facial expression. "Pro tip: there's a front door, use it." Hutch tells me. "My bad..." I reply for the second time in a row.
"Your 'Vette is all set and ready to go. Take a drive around Crest to get a feel for the car." The mechanic tells me. I walk into the garage and immediately spot the blue Z06 near the back. Hutch throws me the keys and I barely catch them before they fall and scratch the car's paint. "I'll try and bring it back in one piece."
"Keep it, it's not like I have a use for a 2006 Chevrolet Corvette right now." Hutch tells me. Now I was worried about the space I had in the garage. 'I guess I might have to give this car to someone after the race.' I get in the Z06 and turn on the engine. I rev the car a bit and notice an electric, higher pitched than usual
whine coming from the engine. "That isn't the factory supercharger, is it?" I ask the mechanic. "Of course not. You thought you could stand a chance against Garth's Camaro with only the cornering advantage?" Hutch asks rhetorically. I shrug my shoulders in response. "Get the fuck outta my shop, your stupidity might be contagious." Hutch says in a dead serious tone.
I start driving out of the the garage carefully since I'm rusty at driving stick. I could feel Hutch watching me drive with worry. I'd have the same worry if I could see myself doing this. I exit the garage and start flooring the car once I hit the street. I reach 120 way quicker than I thought I would. There was a turn up ahead so I figured this was the best time to test the car's cornering ability. I tap on the brakes to slightly lower my speed then turn left a bit too aggressively. The sway was so smooth but I almost hit a curb during that turn.
"Okay, I could get used to this. Maybe I should try it slower around the block." I say to myself as I slow the car down. As I drove around the block, getting used to the set up, I thought on my choice of doing this. Did I really accept a challenge to a race just so I CAN'T be in student governed council? Then again, Garth was just as stupid as I was for coming up with such a challenge that could get him kicked out if the school finds out.
Timeskip: 4 hours Later (I know I've over done it this chapter but I had to shorten it by a thick margin)
Haven's Park
Friday 7:59pm
Humphrey's P.O.V.
I pull up to Garth's meet an hour early. The place was a legit car meet, pretty small though and luckily there was no one from school that I recognized here. I park the furthest from other cars and keep my head down as I wait. Someone knocks on the window. 'Ah shit...' I curse. It wasn't Garth but I did remember the face. It's Kevin Jacob from school. If he's here, Princess probably isn't too far behind.
Meet Kevin Jacob AKA: King. Not much I can say about this guy other than that he's somewhat of a bigshot in school. Don't know why or how, I never really paid attention. It would've came in really handy for his intro though. He also has a girlfriend named Princess. Not sure if that's her real name or just a nickname like "King".
I roll down the window and wave awkwardly in the car. "You're 'Humphrey', right?" He asks me. "Yeah... and you're 'Kevin', right?" I reply and ask awkwardly in the same fashion he asked my name. "Yeah..." He answers slowly as he narrows his eyes suspiciously at me. "What are you doing away from everyone else? The only four wolves from Jasper High are Garth, you, Princess and myself. Get out of your Chevy and meet some wolves or something." He says then walks off. I came here only for the race, not to meet new faces but since I was a whole hour early, I figured I should take King's advice because I'd be bored out of my mind sitting in this car for an hour. I get out of the Z06 and start wandering around the park.
Instead of socializing, I focus more on the cars that are in the park. There aren't any supercars here but I did spot a couple of three or four tuners. Most of the cars here were newer muscle cars. It sure felt weird knowing that I was the only one with a 2000's ride here.
I spot a C8 Stingray from the corner of my eye. I turn around then bump into someone. "Oh fuck I'm sorry." An ash black wolf apologizes. "No, it's my..." I pause when I see her face. "...fault." I finish my sentence. Could she be that wolf? "Okay, this is gonna sound totally random but do you happen to own a black Chevy C7 and also maybe gave an amber furred wolf a lift a couple of days ago?" I ask her. I mentally facepalm at myself and hoped the ground beneath me would swallow me whole after hearing these words fly out of my mouth. "That was... oddly specific and 'kinda creepy' but yeah." The wolf answers. "Oh, so you must be Irene."
"Iris." She rolls here eyes as corrects me. "I take it you're Kate Quinn's friend?" The wolf says. "Mm-hm. What brings you here?" I ask her, trying to get a conversation rolling. "Isn't that a question you should be asking yourself? I have a good memory of all faces that show up here. Sadly, you're mug isn't one of them." The dark wolf says. "All faces?" I ask my new acquaintance. "Oh, wanna try me?" She asks.
I then point to King and Princess making out next to a tree. "You want to do what they're doing?" Iris asks, knowing that's not what I meant. I look at her with a doubtful expression. "Okay fine, that's Kevin and Princess. Those two only drop by on Friday's when the meet's get races." Iris tells me. Well, now I know that her true name actually is Princess.
"Alright, what about that guy?" I point at a ginger wolf getting out of an orange Chevy Camaro ZL1. "Hm. That's Garth Richards. Goes to Jasper High and he's here on most days. I heard he's racing someone tonight. Someone that I haven't seen before... " Iris pauses after noticing my smirk. "Oh okay, okay... so that's why you're here. You could've told me sooner or more directly instead of playing this identity game." She tells me.
"Yeah but it wouldn't be as fun. It's probably gonna be my first and last time showing up here anyway so I atleast wanted try messing around and having a bit of fun." I tell her. "Wow, really? It's a shame I won't get to know you more. You genuinely seem like such a fun guy." Iris tells me. "It almost sounds like you genuinely want to know more about me." I state. "And? What if I do?" The ash black wolf asks in a flirtatious manner. "Well if we're going down that road, let's start with you first. There's nothing interesting about me. I'm just an ordinary wolf living an ordinary life in high school. It'd be way more fun to start with the girl who owns a C7 Grand Sport."
"Ah, I see what you're doing..." Iris grins as she crosses her arms over her chest. "I saw what you were doing first." I say with a small smirk. Iris shakes her head at me but she didn't hide the smile on her face. "If I told you about my life, I'd probably have to kill you." She tells me (God, if only I took her words seriously later on). "Hmph, still sounds more interesting than my life." I say to her. "Well, well, well. If it isn't little Miss Fischer and the Coyote. The least likely pair of the evening."
"Fuck off Richards." Iris says to Garth. He raises an eyebrow at her then looks at me. "You have an annoying way of turning girls against me, Humphrey." Garth says with an oddly pissed off expression on his face. "Yo, was that a compliment?" I ask, unintentionally adding fuel to fire. "What the hell does it matter? What matters is who ends in first tonight."
"It really doesn't, man." I counter with a small smirk. Garth doesn't respond but instead stomps off into the crowd. "Does he always have a short fuse? I figured he was a calm but douchie jerk, not a short tempered and shitty asshole." I ask Iris who also seemed suprised at the alpha's reaction. "No, you just did something to really piss him off this time." She says. "And that's an achievement." Iris adds on.
"He's really going all out to get me to join a body governed by us senior students. Kate's the head of this small council and she asked Garth to get me on board. The school still needs prefects so the SBC is all it has. I really don't want to get involved with all the rules and formalities so I said no... about a hundred times." I explain to Iris. "Hmph, best part about being homeschooled is that you don't have to deal with stuff like this regular schools." She responds. "Wait, you're homeschooled?" I ask the dark wolf. "I didn't mention that? Oh well, now you know." She says then laughs nervously.
"Hey Coyote! Get your wheels, we're settling this now!" Garth yells from his ZL1 across from Iris and I. "Isn't it about 45 minutes too early?" I ask Iris. "He wants to race so go get him. It doesn't really matter what time you start." Iris answers then pats me on the back. I gulp and walk over to my Corvette. Iris follows me to the car to see what kind of competitive I'd be for Garth. "That blue Z06 is yours?" Iris asks. "Kinda, yeah. I'm sure this isn't what you're expecting."
"Not at all. But it's still sexy nonetheless." Iris flirts with me again. I hated activating my virgin card but she didn't really give me a choice here. I had to pull a line that would be a some kind of turn off for her. "Did you know a plateau is the highest form of flattery?" I say as I get in the car. "And did you know that to make it to the top, you gotta kiss the bottom once or twice?" Iris says back with her own witty DYK joke. I wasn't expecting that so it caught me off guard and really cracked me up inside. "Hahaha! Okay, okay."
"You're not the only one with a witty and kind of broken sense of humor." Iris tells me with a giggle. That giggle was just as cute as Kate's, if not better. I start the car and wait for Garth to lead me to the starting line. Garth cruises down to the exit/entrance of the park in his ZL1. I follow loosely behind his car, still nervous about high speed driving. I smack myself out of it and tell myself that I have to survive it for just tonight. "... one night, then you can go home Williams. Just don't fuck up." I say to myself.
(Let's Ride - Ground Up)
A wolf walks between Garth's car and mine. Her scarf blows freely in the autumn wind. As she turns around to start the countdown, wolves whistle and cheer for her more than Garth and I.
I said it, I meant it
All that money, I spent it
"You beautiful Chevy's ready?" The wolf asks. Garth starts revving his ZL1's 6.2 litre V8 engine with a loud and whiney electric supercharger. Good thing I did my homework on Garth's ride. White vapor erupts from the Camaro hood's vents. I didn't know what it was so I assumed it was just for show (it really wasn't).
All those drinks at the bar...
All that revvin' my engine...
Garth smirks then looks at me across the passenger's window. I rev the Z06's 7.0 litre engine, letting Garth know we both have more or less the same whiney induction system.
I guess I'm a menace, don't you ever forget it
The life of the party, I might've been sorry
But now I can say that I'll never regret it...
"3... 2... 1..." The brown wolf says before waving her scarf up then down to start the race. "Don't wrap your car around a pole on the first turn, Coyote." Garth says just as the scarf reaches the floor.
Let's ride, ma'fucka let's ride!
Do it off, till the day I die
Let's ride, ma'fucka let's ride!
Tried it all 'cause I can't decide
Garth and I slam on the gas and speed downhill. I slowly start passing Garth right off the start. I guess that was mostly because Garth had to fight against the wheelspin at pull off now that I've seen the smoke in the rear view mirror. I shift to second gear too early, accidentally handing Garth a free ticket to pass me.
Let's ride, ma'fucka let's ride!
Do it off till the day I die
Let's ride, ma'fucka let's ride!
Tried it all 'cause I can't decide (let's ride)
I slowly start falling behind the ZL1 and bite my bottom lip. This was off to a terrible start but it was a start. I still had about three and a half miles to catch him.
Came through, word to the crew
One to the head, always turned to the two
Tryn'a make a name off the words I use
Now I'm up in the game with a bird's eye view
I reach the bottom of the park's villa, following closely behind Garth. There were multiple routes we could take around Crestwalk but cameras were set up at specific checkpoints to make sure we wouldn't cheat and miss a whole block. Garth and I had to take the first left at the crossing because of that very reason. Garth takes the turn too wide, giving me plenty of space to cut in between the curb and his car.
Cool, all the money might just go
Fuck it, it's the only type of life I know
I shift down to third and whip the wheel to the left. Smoothly passing Garth down the inside, I slam down on the gas pedal.
Let's ride... (yeah!)
In a Grand Marquis ma'fucka!
Let's ride...
Still stayin' lowkey, ma'fucka!
I mean what I say, and I say what I mean
What's never been done, I might do it tonight...
I speed past Garth and shift right for once, widening the gap between my car and Garth's. Now the hardest part about street racing was straight ahead of me: traffic. It's a long, straight road of traffic. My palms instantly soak in sweat as I grip tighter on the wheel. I recklessly swerve in and out of lanes, sometimes crossing into oncoming lanes. I nearly smash right into the rear of a minivan after steering away from oncoming traffic. What the fuck did I get myself into? I can barely drive a car on manual and here I am living Need For Speed...
I said it, I meant it
All that money, I spent it
I had to pull the handbrake and turn right, down a different street. The traffic on the main road was fucking abysmal. I glance at my rearview mirror and see the ZL1 speed right through the traffic in an orange blurr. 'Fucking hell..."
All those drinks at the bar...
All that revvin' my engine...
I shift up a gear and race down McKinnons Avenue. The next checkpoint is down Ventura street so I guess I might be passing my house. The main road that Garth took is quicker so I might have to cut through alleys to catch up.
I guess I'm a menace, don't you ever forget it
The life of the party, I might've been sorry
But now I can say that I'll never regret it
I turn left down a street next to the main road, so I don't lose too much time taking detours. I turn left again to rejoin the chaotic main road and hopefully catch up to Garth. I could barely see the ZL1's tail lights in the distance. I curse my dumb decision to bail from this road.
Let's ride, ma'fucka let's ride!
Do it off till the day I die
Let's ride, ma'fucka let's ride!
Tried it all 'cause I can't decide
I yank on the handbrake again and turn down a narrow alley, hitting a bunch of cardboard boxes and trash cans along the way. I really hated getting this blue Z06 covered in trash and all kinds of shit.
Let's ride, ma'fucka let's ride!
Do it off till the day I die
Let's ride, ma'fucka let's ride!
Tried it all 'cause I can't decide
I exit the the alley and now I'm a whole street closer to Garth. I look through the passenger's window and catch glimpses of Garth's ZL1 falling behind in between buildings and translucent stores. He doesn't know where I am so he seems pretty relaxed where he is. I wait for a wide enough alley to drive down so I can catch him on Ventura. I pull on the handbrake once again like I just finished my driver's ed. I speed down a slightly wider alley at uncomfortable speeds again. I yank on that E-brake one more time and accidentally double clutch on the exit and initiate a drift right in front of an orange Camaro. Luckily, Garth swerves around instead of ploughing into my Corvette. I sigh in relief then get back in the race. We're about halfway around Crest and my house is just ahead. If only I knew I'd be passing here beforehand, I'd probably have set up a camera nearby to record this.
I slowly close the gap between me and Garth. I start feeling confident in myself about racing then, "somehow" the ZL1 ahead gains a massive boost in acceleration and leaves me in the dust. It's fucking N.O.S... of course he had to use nitrous. I think back to the start of the race when white vapor spewed out of the ZL1. I should've known that purge from the engine wasn't some simple flex.
We pass Ventura's checkpoint camera and my house all in one long sprint. Now there's just one checkpoint to go then a sprint back to Haven's Park. However, I didn't like my chances now that I found out mid-race that Garth has nitrous installed in his ZL1. I wanted to give up but I couldn't. I still had a reason to win, even though it wasn't really a reason to race for. I shift down and split from Garth's route again. Only this time, I knew what I was doing (almost).
Alley-cutting seems to have been working well for me up until this point. Garth probably didn't use a full tank of nitrous so it's safe to assume he's still got some boost left in him. Either way, I'd stay in second if I don't pull a move.
Last check marker is on Ridgeway Avenue. There's plenty of ways to reach this place and you can bet alley's are included. "Time to get wet, wild and do dirty, dirty things." I say to myself and stare at a dead end street ahead while flooring the accelerator. It's a tight squeeze between a pet store and an apartment building but fuck it, YOLO.
I realize the gap is way tighter than I initially thought as soon as I drive into it. I lose a mirror on the passenger's side whilst stretching the right side of the car numerous times. "Fucking donkey..." I curse myself after flying out of the exit with one side mirror missing from the car. I'll look like a clown when I get back to the meet in the Z06 the way it is now. Well, it was too late to stop now. Best I can do is finish the race in first place. I dry my palms before gripping tighter on the steering wheel. Apparently this makes me feel like a badass even though I'm a shit driver.
After several more trash-cuts on my route to the final camera on Ridgeway, I had now finally caught up with the orange ZL1. Now it was only a sprint back to the park. Fortunately, or unfortunately, we weren't too far. The quickest route back was literally straight down the current road. Garth has an advantage of fucking nitrous and top speed so... pfft, that's pretty much a wrap for me. I tail behind the Camaro for 2 whole minutes on the straight but I just couldn't pass him. I wish I didn't accept the challenge only to make a fucking fool out of myself.
Little did I know that my luck was about to make a turn for the better for once tonight...
I said it, I meant it (I said it, I meant it)
All that money, I spent it (all that money, I spent it)
My Z06 closes in on the ZL1 somehow. Acceleration speed hasn't changed in any way so I assumed Garth was intentionally slowing down.
I switch lanes to pass the slowing car. I look through the window on my side to witness Garth comically slamming on the gas pedal trying to go faster. Something must've gone wrong. I can't say I was glad this happened but I did need this passing opportunity.
All those drinks at the bar... (at the bar...)
All that revvin' my engine (revvin' my engine...)
I take the opening to pass him and keep my foot down, without looking at the Camaro behind me. I pant in the pressure of finally being first then see headlights gaining on me in my side mirror, just as I thought I was gonna get away with it too.
I guess I'm a menace (I guess I'm a menace...)
Don't you ever forget it (don't you ever forget it...)
The life of the party, I might've been sorry
But now I can say that I'll never regret it... (yeah!)
The ZL1 appears in my view. I watch as the Camaro passes me with a smoking engine. "Fuck..." I slowly curse outloud. Garth was probably using nitrous because he ran out of fuel just now or something. I dunno what else could explain why he lost speed just now then passed me out of nowhere.
Let's ride (let's ride), ma'fucka let's ride! (let's ride)
Do it off till the day I die
Let's ride (say what?), ma'fucka let's ride! (say what?)
Tried it all 'coz I can't decide
We get to the junction at the bottom of the park just as Garth loses speed again. I needed to pass him here or he'd use the rest of the tank uphill and probably pass he just before the finish. I think back to to when I "intentionally" drifted out of an alley. I just needed to do what I did then, now. But planned this time. Of course it's not as simple as that.
Let's ride (let's ride), ma'fucka let's ride! (let's ride)
Do it off till the day I die
Let's ride (say what?), ma'fucka let's ride! (say what?)
Tried it all 'coz I can't decide
I position myself between Garth and the curb then pull on the E-brake once. My brain fucking melted after that. I shift down a gear, release the E-brake, shift up to third and slam on the gas. The car slides a bit then quickly regains it's traction. I somehow got past Garth with my abysmal excuse of a drift. I quickly shift up and pray that the acceleration advantage will get me to the top of the hill before Garth's nitrous does.
Let's ride...
Let's ride...
The ZL1 slowly catches up and keeps pulling until we're neck and neck for the finish. I was sweating bullets and I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest. The stress was on when I switch up up the 6th gear. Garth must've shifted at the same time as I did coz' something happened to his car not long after I geared up.
Let's ride...
Let's ride...
I hear a loud pop from the car next to me. I see smoke puffing from the ZL1'S engine. Fuck... if I just pass him right at the finish like this, I'll feel and look like a massive asshole. That would mean I'd lose the race and join the SBC. This blows but I have to do it. I slow down and let Garth pass me in his Chevy that looked like it was just about to blow.
Garth enters the car park first and I follow behind him in disappointment. Almost all the wolves here run up to my car and cheer for me for some reason. I was so overwhelmed by the crowd that I almost panicked and ran them over. "Christ, what did I do?" I ask myself, while taking in the chaos. I park 'round about the same place as earlier then get out of the car.
"That was a great race to watch man, you took those alley's like one helluva motherfucker." One of the wolves in the crowd tells me. "I don't understand, I lost though..."
"It doesn't matter, it was a thrill to watch you take your chances as a fresh driver and racing smart from start to finish." Iris tells me. "Besides you threw the race at the end, showing us you're all about fairplay. It was stupid, but honorable." She continued.
"Damn sis, never seen you compliment a guy like that- at all actually. Didn't peg you for the kissing up to type of girl." The first wolf says to Iris. So this guy must've been one of Iris's brothers. "Hey he looks good and seems like a really great wolf. What else can I say?" Iris responds. She didn't even hide it, what the hell?
"Hey, Coyote." Garth appears from the crowd with a strange expression on his face. He won the race but he seemed... disappointed. "Why did you throw the race?" He asks. The crowd distances themselves away from me and the ginger alpha. "Your car was busted, it wouldn't be fair if I just passed you like that on the final straight to the finish."
"Ha! That's why I like this guy!" I hear Hutch say from somewhere in the crowd. I didn't know he'd show but I also wasn't suprised that he did. "You do realize you also threw the challenge, right?" Garth asks. I nod my head in response. "Oh, you're not afraid to lose challenges and wagers intentionally? You're a whole different breed, kid." Iris's brother tells me. Garth smirks then shakes his head. "I'm not gonna lie Humphrey, I really misjudged you." That's the best thing I heard tonight. I fist pump impulsively because of of how pumped I was to finally hear that wolf say it. "What's up with you?" Iris asks. I instantly straighten up before replying. "Nothing."
"Cops! COPS!!!" Some guy yells out from the middle of the park. Everyone in the lot scrambles and/or parkours out of the park as the police sirens near. It took a whole lap around a suburb to get the cops attention? I'm not complaining but damn they're slow.
I didn't realize that I moved further away from the Z06 while moving with the ground. The police arrive to the top of the park, immediately chasing runners. Iris pulls up in front of me with her C7 Corvette. "Don't just stand there, get in!" She exclaims. "Hey! I still need a car!" Garth says to me. I completely forgot his ZL1 is out of commission. I toss him the keys to the car as I enter Iris's C7 since I didn't need to keep the Z06. "Thanks!" Garth says then immediately dashes for the blue Corvette. "Don't-" I start but he practically already teleported to the Z06. "... mention it..."
Iris starts driving before I even close the door. "Fuck, you're quick to get down to business, huh?" I say after managing to close the door as she was driving. "You have no idea." She tells me. "Just a random question, again: are you a racer?"
"Not really. I just show up on some days to my brothers' meets when I'm free. I don't race." She explains. "Wow, you seem experienced though." I say while watching her drive . Iris smiles at my response. "Did you know a plateau is the highest form of flattery?" She asks. "Wow... should I say I gotta kiss your ass 'til I reach that peak?" I joke. "Hehehe, no... not this time..." She says. I felt a really strange vibe between the two of us in the car amidst the police pursuit. It's so odd. I don't really understand it. I still have a crush on Kate but there's some kind of connection between this wolf and I. "Mind hitting the play button?" Iris asks.
I tap play on the infotainment screen then 'Sweet Dreams' by Eurythmics starts playing. Kate wasn't lying when she told me Iris liked 80's songs. "Interesting tastes..."
"Uh-huh, definitely the kind to listen to in cop chases, right?" She asks rhetorically. I hold a snicker as she drives. Who would'a thought a Friday night could be this crazy and strangely fun.
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15 minutes later
Iris parks in front of my house to drop me off. She had a good memory of where I lived since she only needed to be told of my address once by Kate. She took me straight home without me giving a single direction or hint (which was fucking scary).
"Thanks for the lift." I thank Iris. "No problem, I'll be seeing you around, hopefully." She replies. We say goodbye and goodnight to eachother. I exit the car and close the door of the C7. I watch Iris rev the car before speeding away. "Something's off about her... not sure in a good or bad way..." I say to myself. It was getting late so I decided not to stress my head overthinking about Iris. I'll just jump to the conclusion: she's hot.
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A/N: I really gotta stop going over my limit like this :(
The Lounge: Maybe...
Humphrey: In conclusion, Iris is hot as fuck.
Kate: Objection-!
Blazin' Blitz: Overruled!
Kate: Fuck you...
Lilly: So Iris is canonically supposed to be Humphrey's girlfriend in this story?
Blazin' Blitz: Ah-uh-uh, can't spoil any ships yet...
Garth: So that's a yes?
Blazin' Blitz: It's a 'maybe'.
Lilly: So that's a yes...
Kate: Wait... if Iris is gonna end up with Humphrey that means Lilly's gonna be friendzoned.
Garth: Oof, that's rough buddy.
Blazin' Blitz: Maybe...
Lilly: We know maybe means yes so stop saying that!
Blazin' Blitz: Mmmmaybe...
Lilly: Oh you motherf- (screeches then pounces on Blitz)
Blazin' Blitz: UUUAAAHH-
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To Be Continued...
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