23

Caleb

Adelaide passes Sara on the final turn. Sara's screams at Adelaide. Adelaide passes Sara, but Adelaide slows down for a few miles. Sara passes Adelaide and crosses the finish line.

Adelaide returns to our pit stop. Aww, Poor Adelaide. We smile, but everyone freezes like statues. The racing world should give us another chance, and our family shouldn't be banned. Let my family shine one more time. Just one last time, world. Please give us this chance. Adelaide will be okay.

"Good race, Addy. Hopefully, you can…," I say, "Wait, we're banned! What are we going to do?!"

"I don't know what will happen, but we have this family. That's all that matters," Adelaide says.

"Great loss, Miss Addy," Mater says, "Wait a minute, weren't we gonna be banned or somethin'?"

"We'll see, but thanks anyways."

"I'm sorry for what I said before New York, but can you please..forgive me?" Zachary says.

"I could, but I can't. What you said hurts me."

Leah approaches us, and she grins. However, she glances at us and approaches us without ruckus. Zachary and Adelaide glance at opposite sides. It shouldn't last long.

Zachary shouldn't have acted like this towards Adelaide, and he shouldn't be mad at her. Zachary and Adelaide don't understand each other, and it's been six years. Well, maybe a little longer than that. Zachary had acted like this when Adelaide dedicated her life to the legacy.

Adelaide had always chosen this path for us, but she gets carried away and gets too prideful of it. Should we be proud? Yes. However, home and family are more important. Well, Adelaide has learned the hard way.

"Do you three want to take care of Sara?" Leah announces.

"Yes," Adelaide and I say at the same time.

"Let's talk some sense into Sara!" Adelaide approaches Leah, "I don't want to be banned!"

"Why do you want to mess with a racer's reputation?" Zachary asks Leah.

Zachary, did you see what Sara's been up to? Maybe not. We have to mess with Sara! She deserves this, and she can never get away with messing with us anymore. Sara will get what she gets for her cruelty.

"Well, Sara made me crash Caleb, and she manipulated me to do things I didn't like," Leah says to Zachary.

"If you didn't?" Zachary says to Leah.

"Then she would remind me of who the great racers were, 'peasants.'"

"I'm in! Where is she?"

Leah, Adelaide, Zachary, and I head to victory lane. Everyone cheers while Sara parks on stage. The crowd doesn't notice us as we reach the front. Sara sheers and makes the same look Leah made on TV. I guess smug fits Sara after all. Sara shows off her trophy.

Wouldn't Leah have made me sick? Well, I was wrong. Sara's just…She's the sickening piece of trash! Not Leah! Sara! Sara has got to go, and she has got to shut up. If Sara gets something bad, I would feel bad, but I would hate her for what she did. Good for her!

"Can I talk to you?" Adelaide asks Sara.

Billions of windshields stare at us. Did we do something? Sara stops celebrating as her eyelids narrow down, and her eyes glare at the windshields. Adelaide, Zachary, Leah, and I back away a few inches further. Sara's such a monster.

"Which one of you did it?!" Sara announces, "Whoever did it can go on stage and admire me here!"

Adelaide climbs the ramps of victory lane, and Sara gasps. She chuckles for a few minutes until she stops, but she smirks. You're the real monster, Sara! Leah was just innocent, but you blamed her for my crash! Such cruelty and selfishness.

"Congratulations on your win, Sara," Adelaide says to Sara.

"What are you doing here?! You're banned! You lost the race! You and your family should get out of here! This is for winners only!" Sara says to Adelaide.

"Actually, I'd like a word…in private."

"Why in private?! Shouldn't people hear your words of admiration towards me?!"

I can't believe Adelaide would confront in private. Private? This will be intense. Maybe, this is Adelaide's intricate plan. Well, Zachary, Adelaide, and I can't make an intricate plan. We're prone to getting caught.

"Or are these words admiring?" Adelaide says to Sara.

"What do you mean?" Sara says to Adelaide.

"You cheated and lied to the press."

"Let's not make assumptions, kid! I clearly didn't do anything wrong. You and your family are crazy! Don't you think that you're not supposed to be here?! You, your family, and that traitor, Leah, don't belong in the racing world! I made Leah look bad in Charleston, so I don't get in trouble! That brat can be blamed for being a brute because they know she hates Caleb!"

Sara parks there frozen, and booing grows louder. Her mouth opens wide all the way, and her eyes widen all the way as well. Everyone throws items at her, and she screams, cries, and leaves victory lane.

Adelaide leaves victory lane, but a few tires strike her. Adelaide gets hit five times. She continues descending the ramps as she returns back with us at the front of the crowd. Oh goodness, what have you done?! That's impressive.

"Are you still alright?" Leah asks Adelaide.

"I can't believe I stood up to her. Are we still banned?" Adelaide says to Leah.

"You're not banned. They probably still want you to continue, and they're probably going to ban Sara instead. She deserved it anyways. Good riddance."

What Adelaide did to Sara shocks me and Leah. Zachary's tears shed from his windshield when Adelaide met up with us. Zachary's gotta be okay. Is he alright? What happened to him? Is he alright?

"I'm sorry for what I said, and you stood up to Sara. That's very brave of you," Zachary says to Adelaide.

"Thanks, Zach. I had to do what's best for everyone," Adelaide tears up and glances at Zachary.

"Addy, are you alright?" I ask.

"I'm alright," Adelaide says, "and Zachary, I forgive you!"

"It's alright," I give her a kiss next to her headlight.

Adelaide stops when Dad approaches us. Dad gasps, but he stays calm. Is Dad alright? Nothing should go wrong with him, or that wouldn't be good. At least he gasps and nothing else. I guess Adelaide's confrontation is shocking everyone.

"Addy, a word?" Dad asks her.

"Please don't be mad at me," she says to him.

"I'm not mad."

"I'm sorry, Dad, but I had to do it."

Dad smiles and glances at Adelaide. All Adelaide did was drive up to victory lane and expose Sara. That'll serve Sara right, and Leah could agree more. Good thing she led me, Adelaide, and Zachary to victory lane! She hates Sara and will stand up for my family.

"Hey, Caleb, are you alright?" Leah asks.

"I can't believe Adelaide did that," I say.

"Confronted Sara? Yeah, but like I said, Sara deserved it."

Dad and Adelaide approach me and welcome me with embrace. Wow, that confrontation was a lot, but we'll be there for each other. This time, we'll be fine. At least, Adelaide and I can continue racing together and keep our family glory alive.

"Was it true that Sara fired Mademoiselle Renault?" Adelaide says.

"It's true," I say.

"How did you know about this? "How did she fire her?"

"She was asking me how she was doing. Then she told me that she 'retired' and 'had to go.' She even told me that she's 'crazy.'"

"How did she do it?"

"She said she had the 'authority' to get rid of us. She said the racing world shouldn't have 'peasants' on her racetrack."

What about Mademoiselle Renault? Will she get her job back? She just got her job! How dare you take it away, Sara! You shouldn't mess with Tex's friend like that! Good thing Adelaide called you out and banned you!

"Dad, will Mademoiselle Renault get her ownership back?" I ask.

"She'll get it back," Dad says, "Anything Sara did to us is probably going to be revoked."

Adelaide, Dad, and I meet up with Leah and Zachary. Leah gasps, but she mutters. What was she saying? However, Leah will have what she deserves. Leah will have anything she wants, and Sara will not stop her. Leave Leah be, Sara, and she can decide for herself! You're not her boss anymore.

"You're my friend now. You're free," I say.

"Thanks, but can I move to your place? It would be nice," Leah says.

"Okay, okay. You can. I'll let my parents know."

"Wait, aren't you an adult or something? Oh wait, never mind."

Oh, Leah. You called me a child a few times. Why ask? Besides, Adelaide and I are the youngest racers in the league, and Adelaide's eighteen. Adelaide's the adult, not me…or Zachary. Zachary and I are the same age.

"I'm actually seventeen," I chuckle, "Mademoiselle Renault accepted me despite being underaged."

"Where is she?" Leah says.

"Sara fired her, but she might get her job back. She's gone."

Adelaide and Zachary apologize, embrace, and forgive each other. I hope we can get along. Welcome to the family, Leah! You'll love the place. Everyone lives as a community, and we all live as one.

"Can I show you something?" Zachary says to Adelaide.

"What?" Adelaide asks Zachary.

"It'll be a surprise. I just need to talk to Dad about it."