7

Adelaide

Caleb parks with a frantic face. It felt like a ton of minutes. Why is Caleb overreacting like this in front of us? Did he do something wrong? What did Caleb do? This racer, Leah Tran seems like she already had enough of us or something.

I couldn't get anything. Was there even a fight between Leah and Caleb? This doesn't make sense! Help! It's so sad how racers have to fight against each other in the pre season. In racing, competitors have to get along with each other. That's what my father says. Well, the only exceptions are Jackson Storm and Chick Hicks. They don't like Dad and refuse to change.

Dad told Caleb and I about those competitors. How awful of them! Caleb, Zachary, and I never met Chick Hicks. However, his TV show comes up on TV, and the screen turns off. The three of us met Jackson Storm, and he meets punishment whenever he wins. Cruz is better than you, Storm! In your face!

Storm is probably not racing anymore. However, what's with Leah Tran? Is she really cruel? Is Caleb just saying this? I can't conclude this about her! Leah could be…anything! Not all competitors could be evil except for Storm and Hicks, right?

"I can't believe you tried to be so inconsiderate at my debut!" Leah says.

"Well, you were being disrespectful to me and Cruz!" Caleb says.

"Whatever, but you disrespected a rookie! You and that racer are nothing!"

"Leah! Caleb! Just stop it! Let's not fight!" I say.

"If that child and that old veteran racer weren't disrespecting me, then things would be fine, but they're not!"

"Caleb, did you do something?" I say.

Caleb stares at me with a fake smile. Really? I guess Caleb's right about Leah. Caleb's too innocent to be mean to others unless…No…Caleb can't be like this. No way! I know my younger brother, and he wouldn't be a meanie.

Caleb helps and trusts everyone. Competitors…they're fine except for…Jackson Storm. Storm can just…get his just desserts. Storm is evil! Putting Cruz and my father down is…unacceptable!

"We were just minding our business until she started yelling at us!" Caleb points at Leah with his tire.

"Whatever beef you have with each other isn't gonna solve anything!" I say.

"You started it!" Both say at the same time.

"Well what about working together?"

"No!"

"Also, Miss McBrat, you shouldn't make me and that child friends!"

Call me a brat one more time….I don't utter anything else. What should I do? Whatever I do is going to make it worse. It's their problem, not mine! It's best not to do anything about it. Leah and Caleb continue on non-stop.

A fight is a fight, but this…is outrageous. Competitors can fight each other in the actual race. Well, more like comebacks and put downs. However, two rookies against each other is just…unacceptable…except for Dad's enemies.

"Why did you have to start the fight?!" Caleb says.

"I didn't start it! You started it!" Leah says.

I try stopping Caleb, but Leah tries spitting out names. Who are they? Who are Sara and Henry? They're probably her friends. She calls their names. Sara and Henry might be just as mean as Leah or worse.

The way Leah acts might be from someone else. Friends? Most likely. Caleb, and Zachary, and I were very childish back at home together, but we had our own passions. I grew up. Leah might've learned this…too.

"Sara, Henry! These McBrats are fighting me again!" Leah says.

Two other racers approach us, and they stare with faces of unhappiness. One of her friends yells at us non-stop. Her gaze puts us down. She's got to be Sara. Her yelling drives everyone crazy. She probably sounds like me but more demanding.

One of her friend's eyes looks like a green flame. Her eyes want to burn us. She sponsors Mood Springs and sports the number forty. She looks like me with the blue paint, but she doesn't. Her paint has a dark and luxurious looking tone compared to mine, and she looks like a Lexus LC.

"How dare you pick on my friend!" Leah's friend says.

"It's not my fault!" I say.

"Now you listen here, Desert Peasant! Don't you dare disrespect us, or else you're fired!"

"How can we get fired?" I ask, "It's up to Mademoiselle Renault to fire us!"

How can a racer fire the sponsor's owner? It's always up to the owner of the sponsor to do such things, not the racer. The racer must entertain the public at all times, and they race along the track many times as they compete against everyone.

"Do you think your family has power?!" Leah's friend says.

"Power?" I say.

"Exactly! You don't! McQueens are desert peasants! I have lots of power!"

Power? My family doesn't have any power! We just happen to be famous, but we don't have power. Sure my family helps lead a town, but that's nothing! My father is a great racer, but he doesn't lead others. My mother on the other hand is just…my mother.

My mother is…the first lady of racing, a consort. She has some power, but she and Dad have equal power. We're famous, but leading…maybe towards everyone at home. However, it's not like that in the racing world.

"What?" I say.

"I'm richer than you! I live in a fancy mansion! The servants in my house get to kiss my trunk!" Leah's friend says.

"Ewww, that's nasty! Aren't you murdering your servants?! Second, why do you have servants? That's slavery!"

"It's just a saying, Peasant, and I can do whatever I want!" Sara says, "Leah, Henry!"

"Sara, shouldn't you give those two a break?" Leah asks Sara, "It's their first race."

"Now, you listen here! These peasants don't belong here! Their values are useless and uncivilized! Are you a traitor or not?!" Sara says to Leah.

One…two…three…run away! However, we can't keep up, and the yelling grows louder and louder. What happened? Caleb must've done something offensive. They must've been lost. We're out of breath.

Oh dear, someone help! This is hopeless. This hopelessness is nothing. Zachary stands in one of the racer's place. What has Zachary become? I guess Caleb and I might not stand a chance against any competitor.

"Listen here, you little brats! Don't you dare disrespect us!" Leah yells.

"Yeah, don't you dare disrespect us!" Henry yells.

Leah and Henry continue preaching disrespect, and Caleb and I run away until they're lost. We become exhausted. I can't take it anymore. Leah and Henry are so awful. I guess the other friend was Sara after all. I'm right. Sara seems like the leader. She keeps on telling Leah and Henry what to do.

Henry almost looks like Jackson Storm. Well, he's painted black like him, and he sponsors IGNTR like him. However, he sports one point zero instead of two point zero. I don't recall Jackson Storm looking like a BMW 5 series. However, Henry looks like it.

This wasn't…pleasant. It didn't make sense. Caleb disrespected a rookie? They're probably going to get caught. Did they? Nothing seems right! Dad always knows the system, and they're true! They should be true! He's the greatest racer ever!

"What was this situation about?" I say.

"She disrespected me and Cruz!" Caleb says.

"Did you fight back?"

"Yeah, she's crazy!"

"Why would you have to fight back?"

"She started the fight and said something bad about Cruz!"

Caleb and I continue staying away, and I'm probably going to have nightmares from her every now and then. Nah! This shouldn't ruin my first race. These memories will live forever. Everything is about order. No one will get hurt. Everything will fall out of line. Things could happen. It's about exploring and staying true to your stances.

My father has warned us about these competitors. They can be our friends, or they can be enemies. He told stories about Jackson Storm and Chick Hicks. Eww, them. Good thing we mocked Jackson Storm. However, sometimes he can talk about Cal Weathers and his family. He also talked about Bobby Swift.

Caleb, Zachary, and I have met them, but they don't attend racing seasons often. My father has known Cal Weathers from the Weathers family. He was the King's nephew and raced for Dinoco.

Dinoco has had a long history with such racers. However, Cruz is a part of that sponsor. Tex, the former owner, also owned Rusteze. Rusteze and Dinoco have been two sponsors in one.

Rusteze was my father's sponsor. I don't remember any other racer racing for it, so the only known racer is Dad. My father never told me when Tex bought Dinoco. I never asked.

Storm deserved it. Hey, we can't resist it. Should we mess with Leah like that? I don't know. Caleb knows, but for me…no. At least, Dad knows Storm is mean. He deserves a punishment, us.

Leah, Sara, and Henry might have something against us. I could see why. Leah and her friends are awful. I can't believe they would do such things like this. It's just devastating. Competitors are so mean.

Is this how the racing world is these days? I thought the competition wasn't as bad. A fight in the pre-season? What is all this madness? Everyone won't like us except for Chick Hicks and Jackson Storm. I guess Leah, Sara, and Henry prove me wrong.