[important update] 4/10/17: There was an article a while ago that presented some of the new characters in Cars 3 and one of them was a female racer that raced with Doc Hudson and won Piston Cups herself. For this reason, the future chapters will not refer to Jane as the first female Piston Cup racer, but will continue the way the story originally began: Lightning McQueen hoping his child will someday race for the Piston Cup. I have edited one piece of dialogue in chapter 23, "The Rookies", when Miss Relay tells Jane that there has never been a female racer to win a Piston Cup. I changed it to Miss Relay mentioning that there aren't many female racers out there.
Hopefully that eliminates some of the similarities between Cars 3 and this story!
(Although it's a bit spooky how eerily similar the stories are if you replace Jane with Cruz Ramirez.)
Author's Note: I have a few things I need to mention! For those following the Spotify soundtrack for this fanfic, you probably noticed I added two new songs. Those songs appear in this chapter for a brief moment, if you want to listen to them in your own time. c:
Next, if anyone saw that sketch of Gianna and Murphy that I posted on DA and my Art Instagram on April 1st (April Fool's Day), I hope you saw the next one I posted that same evening. That's all I'll say on the matter. :P
And lastly, this chapter is a little late because I needed to prepare for a presentation while I was writing this. That being said, my Spring Break starts later this week and I will be traveling. I need to take a very short break from writing because the presentation and this chapter made me exhausted and it completely burned me out for the past two weeks. I believe this is actually the longest chapter I've ever written for this story so far.
Please check my DeviantArt page or my Art Instagram for updates in the meantime so you're always in the HTRARC loop!
As always, write a review if you enjoyed it! I love hearing what you think! You don't have to though! And of course I'm always here if you want to just PM me about anything at all!
Thanks for reading and happy spring break!
Chapter 31 - "The Waiting Unknown"
"We're live with Carburetor County High School's winner of the Racing Sports Network Program," said a spunky voiced female RSN reporter, "My name is Shannon Spokes and I'm speaking to the heir of retired Piston Cup racer Murphy "Chick" Hicks. How are you doing, Murphy Junior?"
"Cool, I guess," said the young racer, "And you can just call me Murphy."
"It must feel incredible to win! I'm sure your father is elated. What you say, Murphy? Let's go to Natalie Certain for your official racing statistics!"
Another female voice took over the airwaves, "Natalie here! Taking a good look into rookie Murphy Junior. His body is made of a brand new premium lightweight alloy bringing him to achieve a top speed of 208 miles per hour."
"Whoa, really?!" asked an excited Murphy, "I mean-.. yeah I can do that!"
"And a-"
The radio was stopped abruptly by the smack of a tire hitting the off button.
An old black and white clock with a blanket of dust sprinkled on top of it ticked away in the silence of the white Mercedes' medical office. He was parked behind his desk, resting in silence with his patient.
"I believe I was right when I said you were wrong," said the white Mercedes. He adjusted the nameplate on his desk with his tire, "You didn't like the sound of that. I understand why."
He was speaking to one of his previous patients. She was a young purple Porsche sunken on her axles in front of him. The weight of her reality, much too heavy for her wheels to hold. A once bubbly teenager, with a future brighter than the stars, fixated her gaze on the wood grain naturally curved into the oak of his desk. The whites of her eyes hid under a rosy veil of irritation. They burned under the moisture of past tears. In her right tire, she held a small object close to herself.
"I told you," Doctor Freudliner sighed, "That if you didn't slow down, your life - your dreams - were going to crash."
Jane's eyelids slid down her windshield. A tear pressed out from the edge and split into three. It slid down the sides of her body and rolled onto her hood. Part of its trail stopped at the corner of her lips, to which she let her tongue catch its salty taste.
"And instead of missing months of sessions with me, now you haven't been to school in almost an entire week."
Jane held the small object closer.
"I know it's not in my place to scold you about that, so I'm not going to," Doctor Freudliner gestured to a calendar on the wall, "But as you know, I work with children and our available time together is fleeting with every passing sunrise. You're finishing up your junior semester of high school, correct? While you didn't necessarily need a treatment plan when we first started, I did advise you to stay away from racing. Instead, you went against it."
He pulled a drawer open and took out his notepad, "I can't blame you entirely, since you are a minor, but I know you know better. You and your father," he pressed his pen against the paper, "Believe it or not, I can understand why you were feeling rebellious. You wouldn't be the first child to go against my word, but you are a special car. Therefore, you have a special case."
Jane opened her eyes again, but she didn't move them from the wooden desk. They stayed in the same direction as before.
"With that being said," Doctor Freudliner took down some notes and cleared his throat, "You drove here for a reason. I know that reason wasn't to idle in front of me in tears."
"I-I," she croaked. She let her tongue moisten her cracking lips, "I didn't l-listen."
"I'm going to assume you remember our last conversation," he noticed her physical appearance, making a note of that on his pad, "It wasn't that you were never fast enough to live your dreams. It was about the dangers racing would have transferred into your life. As you can see, danger doesn't only come in a physical form - such as that Mustang who is still out there to this day - but also an emotional form."
Jane nodded, sniffling her stuffed grille, "Y-Yes…"
"I want to help you, Jane Taylor, as much as I can before I need to refer you to an adult psychologist one day."
"M-More psychologists?" she blinked, making her tears roll down her hood faster.
Freudliner nodded, "I will need you to seriously consider what I tell you from this point on. It seems as if the only thing you haven't tried yet is the advice I've given you."
A small noise cooed from Jane's throat.
"And with the advice, I want you to-...Jane Taylor?"
Her bottom lip quivered above the words she wished she could say, then her eyes melted into a sea of more tears. They streamed down from her windshield like rain onto his office floor.
"Jane Taylor…," he moved his tire to a box of tissues on his desk and pushed them forward, "Take one of these."
In order to do so, Jane needed to drive forward just enough to reach the box. Her tire began rolling, but not even an entire revolution later, her wheels wobbled. She could barely drive two inches without an issue. She collapsed onto the carpet.
Doctor Freudliner's eyes fell softer into a gaze of concern, "Let me help you."
"N-No, I can do it. I can-," she lifted her trembling axle and her vibrating tire pulled at the tissue erected from the box. As her tire pulled up, she dropped the small object onto his desk.
Doctor Freudliner raised one of his eyelids, "You've dropped something."
Jane was too keen on pulling the tissue to react as immediately as she should have. She brought the tissue over her mouth and shut her eyes.
Freudliner squinted to sharpen his focus on the object. It was a miniscule porcelain figure in the shape of a Piston Cup resting horizontally. He curiously picked up the Piston Cup replica and took a closer look. Jane's name was engraved on its base.
"Miss McQueen, I have questions for you that I would like you to answer honestly."
Jane nodded and blew her grille into the tissue.
"This is always a hard one to ask, but...you've been depressed for some time now, which I've been told through interviewing your school's staff, your parents, and some of your town's residents is extremely out of character for you. Would you say that's accurate?"
She nodded again, keeping the tissue over her grille.
"Then here are my questions for you, starting with...have you had any thoughts of suicide?"
She shook her hood 'no'.
Freudliner made an 'x' on the list he made in his pad, "Have you had any thoughts or incidents of self-harm?"
She blinked her eyes back open, "Nmm..," she suddenly noticed that she was no longer holding the comforting object in her tire, "Wh-Where's my Piston Cup?"
"Here, here," Doctor Freudliner held it up, "I have it. It's safe. It's with me."
Jane went to reach for it, but the experienced Doctor Freudliner immediately reached for her wheel. He gripped her tire with his treads and held her axle up, "Let me see your axles," the doctor said, "You haven't answered my question."
"I w-want my little Piston Cup," Jane's voice was drained.
"I'm not taking it from you, Jane Taylor. I retrieved it when you dropped it," he inspected her axle hanging in front of him, "I don't see any markings that would indicate you've hurt yourself. You didn't do that right? You wouldn't have hurt yourself over this, right?"
Jane shook her hood 'no'.
Freudliner loosened his grip on her and gently let her go. He marked another 'x' in his notepad, then went to give the model Piston Cup back to Jane.
"No...no, a-actually," Jane moved back, "You should keep it...k-keep it away from me…"
"But," Freudliner's mirrors lowered a bit, "This is yours. It belongs to you."
"Take it...with this," she reached into her wheel well and pulled out a small black and white photo.
"What do we have here?"
"My first and last photo finish of...of my first race," she said, "You should keep it with that Piston Cup toy."
Freudliner was careful before he spoke again. He thought for a moment, "This isn't a toy, Miss McQueen. It's a wonderful ornament. Especially to you. It's-"
"IT'S A TOY," Jane flicked the photo at Doctor Freudliner and it landed on his desk, "It's fake...like any chance I had to race, it's FAKE."
The doctor flinched back, not expecting her to explode the way she did. He took the picture and brought it in front of him. After a moment of looking at it, his eyes widened. They frantically looked up to Jane, then back down at the photo, then back up to Jane.
He rolled around the desk, taking the porcelain Piston Cup with the photo, "I am giving you a new treatment plan," he lowered in front of her, to match her height, "You need to keep these."
"No."
"Jane Taylor, listen to me."
"I'll never race again. I don't need them. I don't want to look at them. And that photo?" her breathing escalated, "I-I didn't want to look at it when Mister Springwheel gave it to me and I definitely don't want to look at it now. I don't wanna know it exists."
Freudliner's voice reflected his shock, "You mean...you haven't even looked at this picture?"
Jane shook her hood, "No."
"Well…," he put the Piston Cup down in front of her, then the photo, but he respected her wishes by having it face down, "I'll leave these here for you then," he reversed and pulled back behind his desk, "If it would make you feel more comfortable, we can simply talk about what brought you here today. I thought it was about the racing. I thought it would be about what happened at school."
"I-It is," said Jane.
"Then, please…like I said I only want to help you. Tell me what you would like me to help you with and I promise you, you have my word, I will do everything in my horsepower for you."
"I want to forget," Jane begged, "P-Please."
Doctor Freudliner's expression fell while he wrote his notes and kept his eyes on her, "You know that I can't-"
"R-Racing...all of this," she glanced down at the porcelain, "Please...help me forget…"
"Pens and pencils down," Mister Springwheel called out to his class. They all lifted their bumpers from their desks and dropped their writing utensils.
"I don't want to see anyone finishing up any last minute notes. Your final exam for the semester has finished," he moved some books on his desk over to the side, "I'm sure you all did well and you're all on the way to becoming seniors once these grades are put in. Please bring your tests up one by one in a single line, and then quietly exit the classroom."
The students all reversed with their test papers and drove toward Mister Springwheel's desk. Murphy turned on his engine and idled at his desk, watching the rest of the students leaving. He loved to stay behind in the back, where he could watch and observe his surroundings, then adjust his actions accordingly.
"Thank you….thank you….thank you," Mister Springwheel said every couple of students.
The young stock car looked over at the empty spot next to him, where Jane parked. He could feel the classroom air brush against his metal. He wouldn't have felt it if Jane's body was idling next to him. It's been so long since anyone has seen her that he forgot he wasn't the only one affected by the absence.
"Murphy," said Springwheel.
Murphy perked up and looked ahead, "Mm?"
"Your test."
The rest of the classroom was empty. He didn't even realize everyone was already gone. He shifted himself into reverse and took the test with him. He turned his wheels and drove around his desk up to the front of the classroom.
"Be gentle," he said, placing the test upside down on the rest of the tests in the pile, then turning to leave.
"Mister Hicks," said Mister Springwheel, "Don't leave."
Murphy cringed, "Yeaaah?"
"C'mere," he paused, "Actually, shut that door, and then come here."
Murphy rolled forward and nudged the classroom door shut with his nose. He turned around again and drove back to Mister Springwheel.
"You didn't even look at my test," said Murphy, "I gave it to you upside down, so I don't know what this is about."
"Not the test," said Mister Springwheel, shaking his hood. He showed respect to the younger car by turning to face him as he spoke to him, "I wanted to ask you if you've seen Jane around. She's been absent a lot."
Murphy shook his hood too, "Haven't seen her."
"Do you have another class with her?"
"Yeah," Murphy nodded, "Like I said. I haven't seen her."
"Alright, then that phone call was real," Mister Springwheel sighed.
Murphy rolled in closer, "...what phone call?"
"I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but I received a phone call from a doctor that claimed he was seeing her for treatment."
Murphy's voice rose a bit, "What kind of doctor? Is she alright?"
"As far as we know," said Mister Springwheel, "She's just been having a difficult time dealing with the RSN program's outcome."
Murphy pulled back, "You're...not holding me back from leaving because you think I have something to do with it."
"No, I'm not, but I do know that along with those two other cars she hangs out with, you're close to her too. I don't get to see those other students, so I thought it'd be best to ask you what you know."
"I don't know anything."
"Have you seen her outside of school?"
"I haven't even gotten any texts from her, let alone seen her. Last time I saw her she was speeding away from us and then you went after her."
"That was the last time I saw her too. You didn't get to see that photo finish, but I tried to show it to her, and she just wouldn't look at it."
Murphy raised an eyelid, "That's weird. Why not?"
"I don't think I've ever seen a teenager with the look she had in her eyes...like she was driving out of a war."
Murphy's eyes widened, "It's not my fault they chose me."
"I'm not saying it is," Mister Springwheel replied, "Calm down."
"If anything she has next year, right?"
"If the program is a success this year, she does have next year...but I don't want to wait that long."
"So...what are you saying?"
"Answer me this. Are you her friend?"
Murphy hesitated, then nodded unsurely, "I mean-"
"If you two were going to compete against each other, would it affect your friendship?"
"I have no idea," Murphy gestured to the air with his tire, "This was her reaction to losing the program."
Mister Springwheel shook his hood, "No, that was…different. I don't know about you, but I've never seen Jane react that way towards anything."
"Me neither…"
"I need your help, kid."
Murphy blinked, "My help?"
"You're the one whose father retired. You were partially chosen for your skill and the legacy law."
"And-"
"And that means that they didn't technically choose a student for being a great athlete. They chose a student for having a retired family member in the Piston Cup racing series and being a great athlete."
"It's one student per school."
Springwheel put up a tire, "Not if one student is going to end up being a Piston Cup racer by default."
"I-...I guess, but I can't do anything about it."
"You can come up to my office and we can make a few phone calls. I even have another copy of that photo finish we could show to Bob and Darrell."
"What did it show anyway? You keep mentioning it."
Mister Springwheel smirked, "You might not want to hear that."
"But you keep mentioning it."
"She beat you, kid."
Murphy's eyelids furrowed.
"By two whole centimeters," he chuckled, "You two were on fire out there, but...she beat you, Murphy."
"Bob and Darrell wouldn't have chosen me if I didn't win."
Springwheel raised an eyelid, "Like I said. Skill and the legacy law," he reached into his wheel well. He took out the copy of the photo and presented it to Murphy, "I think we have a pretty good argument here. You're not a student. You're a legacy racer. And if you can somehow talk to Jane and get her to come back to school, I'm sure you'd be her hero."
Murphy looked down at the photo, "Holy mother of manifolds…," and looked back up to Mister Springwheel, "She did."
That evening Murphy didn't sleep. He knew Springwheel wanted him to talk to Jane, but there was no use if she wouldn't answer his calls. His eyes moved to the digital clock by his bed.
1 : 3 4 A M
"Time to take a little drive," he muttered.
Murphy felt inside of his wheel wells for his cell phone. When he realized he had it, he took a deep breath and held it. As he held his breath, he turned on his engine, muffling the sound by not allowing himself to breathe.
Once his engine was up and running, Murphy turned his wheels and drove off of his bed. He drove out of his bedroom and quietly rolled past Chick's room. He reached the front door and flicked the lock with his tire. He paused, making sure he didn't wake his father, then pulled the front door open in between the sounds of his snoring. He carefully drove out of his house and shut the door behind him.
Once on the road, he narrowed his eyes into a squint. He couldn't see a thing without his headlights, but he still refused to take the thick tape off of them. He followed the road all the way out of Couperville. He made a right and turned onto the main road, route 66, and followed it down Ornament Valley toward Radiator Springs.
As he drove, the sound of crickets surrounded him. The weather was getting warmer and warmer, which meant the evening was beginning to sound a lot like Summer. While Jane enjoyed the bright Summer days, Murphy enjoyed the musical Summer nights. He glanced up at the starry night sky and sighed. There was one great thing about not using headlights. Besides being a race car - a Piston Cup race car - he could see the stars a lot better without two light sources glaring in front of him.
His mirrors flicked, hearing the sound of tires rolling in front of him. He slammed on his brakes. He didn't see any headlights, nor did Murphy have any way of knowing where the car was, since the main road didn't have streetlights. There was no sense in allowing electricity to flow where cars passing through were few and far between at night.
Suddenly, as his pupils adjusted, he could see the dark figure of that car driving right toward him.
Then the sound of its tires silenced. The figure stopped right in front of him.
"...'scuse me," said Murphy. He turned his tires to drive around the car. Quickly, the car shot to the left - blocking him.
"The fu-," Murphy furrowed his eyelids, "Move it, dude."
"You," said the feminine voiced vehicle, "You smell like cigarettes."
"Oh," Murphy blinked, hearing her voice, "You're a lady. Sorry for callin' ya dude. Anyway, I'm gonna drive around you. Your headlights probably aren't working either, so if you'll just stay there and let me-"
"I said," she continued, "You smell like cigarettes."
Murphy shrugged, even though the woman wouldn't have been able to see it in the darkness of the desert, "What of it?"
"Give me one," she demanded.
"Yeah," Murphy shuffled around his wheel wells, "Sure, whatever."
The woman drove closer to him.
Murphy paused, looked up at the figure, then pulled out his carton. He flipped the top open, then presented it to her, "Here. I'm holding them out in front of you in case you can't see them. Take one."
The car reached out and snatched the entire box from him.
"HEY," Murphy said loudly, "I said take ONE."
"Shut up," the car flashed on her high beams. The bright light seared into Murphy's pupils and they constricted so small they were barely there.
"Agh!" he blinked quickly, "What the h-hell!?"
"Mmm..you're a young one, aren't you," she rolled closer.
As Murphy's eyes adjusted to the light of her headlights, he could see the emblem of a Mustang catching the shine by her grille.
"HEY LADY," Murphy yelled.
"Stop yelling," said the Mustang. She went to roll even closer.
"What are you doing?" Murphy backed away.
The woman kept driving up to him without a word.
Murphy revved up his engine, "GET OUT OF MY WAY, FREAK," he slammed on his gas pedal and his tires squealed.
The Mustang tried to grab him, but before she could even get close to touching him, Murphy bolted down the street.
When he was far enough away, he continued driving, passing the Radiator Springs welcome billboard lit in a golden glow. The adrenaline rush in his system began to calm and his breathing eased into the silent night again. He pulled into the town, looking at each passing building. They weren't lit up like the night he danced the Charleston. They were all closed, dark, and still. He stopped at the blinking amber light above him. With every blink it hummed, and just like Jane said, every third hum was longer.
Every third blink was slower.
It blinked and Murphy looked to the left.
It blinked and Murphy looked to the right.
It spooked the heck out of the boy, but not as much as looking ahead of him at the colossal rock monument with a cheeky "RS" painted on it in white, that he had to hike for Jane. He pulled his lips in and continued driving to the end of the town.
As he was turning his wheels to the right in the direction of tailfin pass, the statue of Stanley stared him down. Besides the billboard at the town's entrance, it was the only other well-lit object. By Stanley's tire was a fountain, though it was switched off because of the winter. The town hasn't turned it back on since spring started.
But Murphy stopped to take a look at him anyway. He remembered what Lizzie told him about all of the dancing he did with her. It was great to finally be able to put a face to the name.
"...uh…," he looked the old bronze car right in the eyes, "Hey, Stanley."
The statue, of course, did not answer him.
"You're...probably wondering what I'm doing here...so am I, but-...," he scuffed a wheel, then froze. He blinked and his expression turned stern, "Chrysler, I'm talking to a statue."
Murphy rolled his eyes and just as his irises touched the top of his windshield, the sound of rushing water came from underneath him. It immediately vanished, then all of a sudden the fountain by Stanley's tire started to dribble.
Murphy jumped back with a loud gasp, "A-Alright! Alright! I'm just going to see Jane! Nothing else!"
He turned his tires again and scurried down the road like a mouse running away from a predator.
He made a left for the road leading to Tailfin Pass. The smooth road gradually turned into rougher earth. Pebbles kicked up from behind Murphy's wheels. They clinked and clanked against his metal while he drove. He kept his speed down to make sure he didn't drive off the cliffs, but that became much harder to do when the moon was getting covered by the woodland trees above him.
He looked up and watched the bright light fade into the evergreens. The mountainous setting became even darker. He exhaled, trying not to panic. He's done this before. It was just like the time he ran away to California.
He kept listening for any tires following him. He wasn't necessarily worried about any other car mugging him for cigarettes, but he did have that Mustang's emblem settling in the back of his mind.
It reminded him of something he should have remembered, but he couldn't bring himself to remember what it was.
Murphy continued up the mountain, until he reached the clearing in front of the Wheel Well.
"Hm…," he peeked over the wide open view in front of Jane's home. The moon, no longer hidden by the trees, lit the entire valley below. He took a moment to gaze and cherish it all in. He never noticed the way the moon reflected on the roofs of cars passing by the on the interstate east of the town, or the way it created large shadows with the rocks.
He looked up at the sky again and noticed the same stars from the beginning of his drive. He just couldn't tear his eyes away from them. They made him feel so small, but he didn't mind. They were beautiful.
But no, he had a task.
And if driving to her room late at night worked before, it could work again.
He turned back to the wheel well and pulled up to the same window he did just before he told Jane he was off to the golden coast.
He leaned up on his axles and pressed his grille to Jane's bedroom window. Her string lights were usually on, as he knew she was afraid of the dark, but this time he couldn't see a thing. All of the lights were off. He looked over to her bed and narrowed his eyes to focus better. What seemed like the lump of a car sleeping was actually just a ruffled up blanket at the edge of her mattress.
Murphy furrowed his eyelids in confusion. Maybe she was awake and drove to the bathroom. Maybe if he called her, her cell phone would light up and show itself in the darkness of her bedroom. If so, then he could just wait there until she came back.
He slid his phone out of his wheel well and spoke to the voice assistant.
"Call Jane."
Calling Jane.
It didn't even ring. It went straight to voicemail like it always did that entire week. She wouldn't answer any calls or texts because her phone has been turned off since the race.
"Hi! It's Jane! I'll call ya back! Leave a message after my beeps!"
She honked her horn twice.
Although he couldn't get a hold of her and it bothered him, Murphy smirked and shook his hood.
She was so lame.
After her honks, the real voicemail beep played.
Murphy thought of something to say, "Uh...Jane. It's Murphy again. We're all kind of worried about ya. No one knows where you are. Austin and Alyssa said they haven't been able to talk to you either...and now the teachers are worried. So, if you could let us know you weren't abducted by aliens that'd be, you know...cool...but yeah, it's important...so call us...or...call me…bye."
He hung up his phone and slid his phone away. He waited by the window for another few minutes, but Jane never drove through her bedroom door. Murphy reversed away from the window and thought for a moment.
"You have to be here somewhere," he whispered.
She couldn't have been with Alyssa or Austin. They would have at least told someone at school. She had to be home.
"Unless…," Murphy's mouth opened wide, "Wait…," he jerked away from the entire Wheel Well, "N-No…"
That Mustang.
His rpms rose, pupils constricting even in the darkness of the night. His breathing became quick and shallow. He pulled out his phone again and dialed.
9-1-...
Then he hung up.
He couldn't report a Mustang he didn't see well. He didn't know if she was red. He only saw her emblem.
His axles trembled and his phone dropped to the ground. He quickly picked it up and checked the screen to make sure it wasn't cracked. He exhaled a small sigh of relief that was quickly replaced by his panic again.
He glanced back up at the stars. Maybe there was a reason he couldn't keep his eyes away. Maybe they were trying to tell him something.
"No," Murphy's voice cracked, "Jane, n-no."
His eyes locked onto one star in particular. Polaris - also known as the North Star.
It twinkled softly. He rolled forward, "Jane...?"
His windshield glistened under a curtain of moisture. Tears rapidly filled his eyes.
"D-Dammit that's not you," his voice grew gravelly, "Y-You're not dead...she didn't get you...did she?"
He pulled right into the middle of the road, "You're not a little star now...a-are you?"
The star kept twinkling, but as the thoughts swirled in Murphy's mind and the delusions mixed with his reality, every third twinkle became slower.
"JANE," he stomped his tire on the ground, kicking up some of the pebbles. His tears were halted by his hood bump, then rolled off the edges of his body.
"N-No...no," he repeated. He shook his hood, "No, no, no..," he frantically looked for his phone again. Instead of calling for an emergency, he redialed Jane's number.
"Hi! It's Jane! I'll call ya back! Leave a message after my beeps!"
Her horn honked twice again and he frowned. His eyelids furrowed every time he tried to hold back his sobbing. What he once thought was ridiculous made his gas tank flip over itself and turn. Whoever took her probably shut off her phone and never planned to turn it back on again.
He looked up at the little star in the sky as he left another voicemail.
His lips were open, but for a moment no words escaped.
"J-..."
His free tire pressed into the dirt outside of her home.
"Jane, I'm sorry. I-...I should have never ignored you...it wasn't me it was Gianna. It was-...," his voice shook, "No...no, I'm not gonna lie to you. I-It was me…because I could have lied to her. E-Effortlessly...could have told her I wasn't talking to you but still texted you all the time...like we used to...but I didn't...and it's because I was selfish...I-I didn't want to talk to you because if I spoke to you I...wouldn't stop thinking about you. I didn't want to think about you. Especially before that race with everything on the line…," his voice lowered, "I didn't want to think about you...and I still thought about you anyway."
Murphy threw himself around and rushed to another window. Maybe Lightning and Sally were home. They must know she was missing. Maybe he could tell them what he saw. Still, he spoke to Jane's voicemail.
"Because, Jane, I realized despite everything with Gianna," he pulled up to another window and leaned up on his axles, "Despite every bit of love I really do feel for her in my bolts," he took a look in the window and saw Lightning and Sally sleeping, "The truth is I-," and right between them was a sleeping purple Porsche, "...o-oh."
Jane must have been so upset from the loss that she couldn't sleep alone. One of her wheels was tucked under one of Sally's while she leaned her body against Lightning.
Murphy hung up his phone and put it away. He sniffled until his tears disappeared and exhaled, "H-Hallelujah.."
He brought a tire to the window and knocked on it softly.
Jane didn't budge, so Murphy knocked a little louder.
Suddenly, Lightning's eyes shot open and he looked at the window. Murphy's eyes widened and he reversed hard.
"What in the-...," Lightning saw the car at the window. He knew he did. He blinked a few times to clear his sight, then kept his eyes on the window.
Jane heard her father and fidgeted in her sleep. Soon after, she opened her eyes to small slits.
"Daddy…," she whispered.
Lightning snapped out of it and looked down at Jane, "Shh…," he picked up her tire and gave it a small kiss, "You go back to sleep…"
The very next evening, Murphy waited by the front door of his house. All spiffied up and ready for the homecoming dance, he polished himself up that same morning and dipped the rubber of his tires in some shine.
"You look great, Champ," said Chick as he passed him. He smiled, "Chrysler, I'm so proud of you. You have no idea."
Murphy nodded, "Yeah...thanks, dad."
Chick could feel the distance, "You alright? You look worried."
Murphy shook his hood, "I'm good."
"Hm," he drove around Murphy, "Well...then, I'll be back. I promised I'd go somewhere for the night and leave you alone with Gianna. Don't stay out too late and if you two are going to hang out late, then at least come home and hang out with her here," Chick eyed him, "You understand what I mean right?
"Yeah- oh!" Murphy's eyes widened and the spot of his hood near his windshield turned a light pink, "Heh..yeah, no problem..see you tomorrow..thanks."
Chick chuckled, "Bye, Champ," and drove out the door. He made a left on the street and cruised away. Meanwhile, Murphy leaned his body up against the doorframe. He pulled out a clear plastic container. Inside, it held a bright yellow flower corsage that he intended to give to Gianna for the homecoming dance. They're usually given out for prom, but he wouldn't have the chance to do that, being that he wasn't graduating.
Every few moments, he looked left and right to see if Gianna was driving over. Not a car in sight. His wheels began to tremble from his nerves. This would be, in a sense, his prom.
Their prom.
So what was taking Gianna so long to get there?
He slipped his phone out from his wheel well and gave her a call.
It rang and rang, but there was no answer. Murphy shut the front door and shook his hood. He turned around and drove to his bedroom. He pulled up onto his bed and put on his headphones. He went into his phone, opened up his Green Day playlist, and hit shuffle.
Starry nights...city lights coming down over me...
Skyscrapers...stargazers in my head...
Murphy's nervous rpms lowered to a calm as he shut his eyes and brought the end of a cigarette to his lips. He listened to the lyrics of the song as he lifted his lighter to the end of the cigarette.
Then his doorbell rang, but Murphy couldn't hear it.
Are we? We are...
Are we? We are the waiting unknown…
Murphy inhaled, feeling the smoke tingle and burn inside of his filters.
This dirty town was burning down in my dreams...
Lost and found...
City bound in my dreams...
Gianna glared at Murphy's front door, violently ringing his doorbell over and over again. She banged her tire against the middle of the front door.
Murphy glanced down at the song as it came to an end. Right before the next song could start, he could hear the banging. He ripped his headphones off of his roof and hopped off his mattress. He quickly drove to the front door and pulled it open.
"Gigi," he said, "Thought you weren't coming for a second."
Gianna wasn't freshly polished or waxed like she usually made herself before going out with Murphy.
Especially before the homecoming dance.
She was expecting Murphy to be angry, but when he answered the door so calmly, she wiped her expression away into that of a flirtatious one. She bat her eyelids, "And why would you ever think I'd miss out on-"
"With the way you avoided me all week. We still haven't talked," he studied her bizarre appearance for the dance, "Never heard of a girlfriend ignoring her boyfriend for so long."
Gianna blinked, "Has it been a week?" she scuffed her wheel, "I could have sworn we were talking just the other day."
"Yeah. That other day was a week ago," Murphy raised an eyelid.
"Whatever," Gianna shrugged, "Who cares? What do you want to talk about?"
Murphy stepped his tires aside, making room for her to drive, "Come in."
"'Kay," Gianna drove inside with a blank expression and Murphy closed the door behind her.
"So what?" she asked, driving toward his room. Murphy followed her.
"So," he said, driving into his room. He shut the door, "I want to know why you've been acting so weird lately."
"I have no clue what you're talking about," she insisted, "I thought you wanted to drive with me to the dance."
"We'll go...as soon as you tell me what's going on."
"Nothing is going on."
Gianna's phone buzzed multiple times. She had her phone on silent, so every ring was a soft vibration against her metal that Murphy could hear.
Murphy glanced at her fender, where the sound was coming from, "Who's calling you?"
"Probably some spam number."
He rolled closer, "Show me."
"What? No," Gianna snarled, "Give me a break."
"Let me see your phone," he demanded.
Gianna slid it out of her wheel well when the vibrations stopped. She presented the dark screen to him, "Here!"
Murphy glanced from the phone up to her eyes, "Unlock it."
"Sheesh," she put her tire over the screen and it unlocked from the treads of her tire print. She held the phone up again, "See? There."
Murphy jerked forward to grab the phone from her. Gianna gasped and the phone dropped to the floor. It slid on the wood only to come to a stop when it hit the wall.
"My phone!" she squealed, "MURPHY!"
She turned her wheels to go get it and Murphy saw this. He quickly nudged her out of the way. Gianna lifted her tire and pushed his quarter panel, causing his body to fishtail. She moved ahead of him and reached for her phone. As soon as it was in her tire again, Murphy pushed Gianna's axle and the phone fell to floor once more.
"MURPHY, STOP!"
Murphy didn't answer her. He just grabbed her axle and held it back. He used his other tire to work her phone while it was on the floor.
He could hear Gianna's engine working a little harder with every app he pressed.
"What do you sound so nervous for?" he asked, "Your engine is going crazy."
Gianna struggled to pull her axle back in his grasp, "GIVE ME MY PHONE."
Murphy went into her text messages and stopped on a thread with heart emojis, "Well, here's all my texts that you weren't answer-," he looked a little closer, "Wait…"
His tire loosened its grasp on her axle.
Gianna moved her tire away and reversed. Her eyes fell soft and she frowned.
Murphy turned around with her phone and glared at her, "This ain't me."
"Wh-Wh-"
"See you after school?" Murphy read, "Thanks, baby? I look forward to seeing that trunk?"
"Okay, you're overreacting," Gianna's hood turned pink, "That's...you know that's not what it looks like."
Murphy continued to read.
"Okay, Zach!" Murphy glanced up at Gianna, "Zach, huh? Who's Zach?" he looked back down at the phone, "Make room for me 'cause I plan on staying for a couple of nights in case my boyfriend decides to drive to my place!"
"Mu-Murphy…"
His voice choked up, despite his anger, and he continued to read, "Good can't wait to feel your-," he scrolled and saw two photos she sent to the other boy of her quarter panels and a kissy face. He grit his teeth and locked his eyes on her, "GIANNA."
She flinched, bumping into his bedroom door.
"WHAT IS THIS?" Murphy screamed.
"Give me my ph-phone," Gianna stuttered.
"Who is Zach, huh?" he drove closer, "Where is he?"
"JUST GIVE IT TO ME."
He drove up to her grille, "WHAT? IS HE TOUGHER THAN ME? I'LL BASH HIS TEETH OUT."
"D-Don't hurt him!" Gianna turned her front wheels inward.
"Don't HURT him!? What? YOU CARE ABOUT THIS GUY?"
"I-I.."
"YOU ATTACKED JANE FOR DOING NOTHING AND YOU TURN AROUND AND DO THIS TO ME?"
She waved her tire in front of him, "Murphy! Listen!"
"How could you do this to me?" he pressed his grille against hers, "I LOVED YOU. I WANTED TO BE WITH YOU WHEN WE GRADUATED."
"Y-You..you can't go to prom because you're not a senior...I just wanted a date for the prom…," she replied, trying to justify it, "I didn't want to be a-alone."
Since Murphy was pulled up so close to her, Gianna pursed her lips to try to kiss him.
"NO," he punched the table at the side of his bed and his alarm clock fell off. It swung by its wire back and forth, "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?"
"I love you t-too!"
"YOU DON'T LOVE ME," he snarled, "YOU JUST WANTED TO BE SEEN WITH SOMEONE SO YOU CHEAT?"
He grabbed the plastic container with her flower in it.
She noticed it and her eyes widened, "Was that for m-me?"
"OF COURSE IT WAS," he ripped the container open and threw the flower at her. It hit her in the fender and she flinched away.
"J-Just-..."
"Just WHAT?"
Gianna shut her eyes and screamed, "JUST GIVE ME MY PHONE."
"HERE YOU WANT YOUR PHONE?" Murphy turned around with it.
"What are you DOING?" Gianna asked. She followed him around his room.
Murphy threw his window open.
Gianna stomped her tire, "MURPHY."
He chucked her cell phone right out of the frame. It flew in the air and once it landed, it bounced against the road and cracked in half. The screen shattered all over the asphalt.
Gianna let out a high pitched scream at the top of her voice.
"Go get it! Quick!" Murphy turned back to Gianna, "I THINK ZACH REPLIED WITH A PICTURE OF HIS-"
"You broke my PHONE!? she zipped around, "Then I'm breaking something of YOURS."
"But, Gigi! YOU ALREADY BROKE MY HEART," Murphy yelled back, "BITCH."
She snarled her teeth and drove right up to Murphy's desk, where he kept the Hudson Hornet's Piston Cup.
"GIANNA," Murphy climbed over his bed and jumped onto her trunk. He caught her bumper with his tire and yanked her back. She yelped.
"GET AWAY FROM THAT."
"LET GO OF ME."
She couldn't reach the trophy, so she kicked the desk with her tire. The trophy wobbled left to right. Both Gianna and Murphy's eyes followed it as it shook until it stood right back up in its center of gravity.
"That's IT," Murphy pulled around her and grabbed her by her tire. He pulled his bedroom door open and the doorknob smashed a hole into his wall.
He forced her out of his room, her tires squeaking against the struggle of his horsepower. He made it down the hallway and pulled the front door back open. He drove outside with her and practically tossed her body around him.
She landed with her wheels sprawled out on the dirt.
"I can't BELIEVE you," Murphy screamed.
"Oh, yeah!? What a coincidence, Murphy, because you were always the LIAR," Gianna stood up on her axles again.
"DRIVE AWAY AND DON'T COME BACK."
"FINE."
"GOOD."
"GREAT."
"LEAVE."
"I hope you don't win ANYTHING when you race. I hope ALL your tires get flat on the way to California. I don't EVER want to see you again."
"Don't worry. When you graduate you'll be too busy with your entire college's football team, SLUT."
"SLUT?!"
Murphy slammed the door on her face and locked it. His cheeks puffed out and heat rose up from his bumper to his cheeks. He zipped to his bedroom again and slammed the door. The rush of the wind underneath the door kicked the flower he was going to give her into the air and then onto Murphy's hood. He looked down at it, cross-eyed, and tears swelled up from his windshield, "I h-hate you."
The long awaited evening finally arrived and for the first time since the holiday concert , school was open after the sun went down. Homecoming dance was being held in the indoor gymnasium. Through the swinging doors where a checklist for the Racing Sports Network once hung with Jane's name on it were black and gold party streamers and balloons. The party streamers held the doors open for students to drive in and out with ease.
Music blared from the dimly lit gym through giant speakers moved in from the auditorium. Some of the lights even flashed with the music. With every kick of a drum, the floor trembled up the students' shock absorbers while catchy lyrics of top country hits lifted everyone's spirits together.
Couples danced with each other, spinning away, or whispering against the walls with soft giggles. Other cars, who were just friends, were driving fruit punch and food over to each other, dancing, or taking pictures.
Not only were the students there, but so were a handful of teaching faculty. They watched over the students to make sure they were being responsible, but some songs even they couldn't resist, and they joined into the dances.
Miss Relay drove around the students holding a ruler. She smiled widely through the sea of headlights, periodically putting the ruler in her tire between two young cars who may have been getting too close, "Sorry, kids! Keep a minimum of five inches away from each other!"
Miss Fritter watched the paranoid teacher from the side and shook her hood. She snickered and leaned down to Mister Springwheel, who stood on his axles next to the school bus.
"Hey, Adam, can you believe she's driving around with that darn ruler again?"
Mister Springwheel chuckled, "I know, but she's sweet."
"Oh yeah. She is," Miss Fritter agreed, "And she's pretty too."
"Well, I-"
Just as Mister Springwheel went to answer, Miss Fritter was already driving after Miss Relay. He noticed on the school bus' right rear window was an LGBT supportive lightning bolt colored in a rainbow pattern.
He smiled, "Oh…"
"Hey Miss Relay!" Miss Fritter called out.
Miss Relay turned around with her ruler, "Yes?"
"Let me see that ruler for a second."
The song faded into another - much more upbeat - song. Fiddles were suddenly screeching against the gym walls.
"Is that Cotton Eye Joe!?" Austin jumped up on his axles.
Alyssa cringed, "I know you're not about to-"
The officer in training's back tire beat against the waxed flooring to the rhythm, "You doubt your man's ability to dance?"
The Prius hesitated, "N-No...I doubt my ability to-"
Austin reversed and moved his front axle in a circle like he was winding up a lasso.
"-watch."
"Where did ya come from?" Austin spun, "Where did ya go?" he jumped four hops to the right, "Where did ya come from cotton eye joeee!"
Alyssa covered her mouth with her wheel and giggled, but noticing that he was making her laugh, Austin made his moves more aggressive. He started to wind up his imaginary lasso again, while pointing to Alyssa with his other wheel.
"No, Austin!" she said through her laughs.
He nodded to the beat, giving her a wink. He swung the imaginary lasso onto her and then pretended to pull her in.
"I'm not doing this!"
Austin shook his hood, then nodded, and kept tugging on his lasso.
Alyssa leaned over to a random female car next to her, "I give you permission to tell everyone you don't know who I am."
The car blinked, "But...I don't know who you are.."
With a sigh, Alyssa rolled forward and let Austin 'pull' her in.
"There ya go!" Austin moved to her side and locked axles with her, "Now skip!"
"Ooo! Whoa!" Alyssa's body yanked around the circle Austin drove in. Suddenly Austin switched sides and grabbed her other axle. Before she knew it, they were circling in the opposite direction.
"Just go with it!" Austin insisted.
"I don't have much of a choice!" Alyssa squeaked.
As they danced through the song, her fear of being seen faded away.
Austin reversed just enough to face her. He smiled, bobbing to the music, "You okay?"
Alyssa blinked, gazing at his eyes, "Yeah, I am...I'm just…"
Her eyes seemed to make the music disappear, "You're just…?"
Alyssa's gaze fell onto Austin's lips and she rolled forward to put one of her tires on his cheek.
"H-Heh…," Austin's eyes widened, "Ally-"
She shut her eyes and gently brought her lips against his. Austin felt his engine sink and his pupils widened. After a moment, he shut his eyes and let his lips rest against hers.
Alyssa held her lips on Austin's until the next song started, then slowly pulled them away and opened up her eyes.
Austin blinked his eyes open after her, trying to regain focus.
Alyssa's pink hood turned an even deeper rosy color with her blushing.
Austin exhaled in astonishment, "Ally-"
She covered her mouth again and spoke quickly, "Sorry, I just kinda...I don't know…"
"Can you-," he guided her tire away from her mouth, "...just-kinda-I-don't-know...do it again?"
She smiled and rolled forward with a nod.
Murphy was parked at the table with Caleb getting some punch.
"This music. I swear to the manufacturer this school…this whole county is full of hillbillies. Can you pass me one of those?" he asked, pointing to a stack of red plastic cups.
Caleb nodded, "Uh-huh…"
The Kia reached over and lifted a cup right from the top. He handed it over to Murphy.
"Thanks," Murphy said, taking it and scooping some of the fruit punch into it.
Caleb gave him a quick nod, then looked away at the crowd.
"I don't mean to be awkward, but you've been so damn quiet lately," Murphy noted.
Caleb studied each face, as if Vermella was lurking.
An impossibility.
"Caleb?"
His eyes couldn't help but stop a little longer on the students painted red.
"DUDE."
"Wha-...what?" Caleb looked over with big eyes.
"You're acting so weird."
"Oh yeah I- graduation...and yeah."
Murphy glared at him, "Anyway…," he brought the cup to his lips and took a sip, "As I was saying before, she was hooking up with some jerk off named Zach," he growled, "She was smart not to come to the dance after all."
"Zach. Gianna."
Murphy raised a lid, "Yes...them...and you're Caleb. Can you say Caleb?
"I...I gotta run to the bathroom," the Kia shivered, "You should dance or something. I'll be right back," he quickly drove around Murphy and bolted out of the gym.
Murphy just idled there with his drink and narrowed his eyes while he watched him drive away, "I don't dance."
Just when he wanted to have another sip of his drink, Mister Springwheel drove over.
"Hey, kid," he said, "How's the punch?"
Murphy shrugged, "It's good. I guess."
"Lucky," he chuckled, "When I was your age, the punch my school used to serve was-"
"If you're here to ask me if I spoke to Jane at all yesterday," he glanced over, "the answer is no."
Springwheel frowned, "I'm concerned is all."
Murphy swirled his punch around, "I'm working on it."
"If you hear anything-"
"Let you know. I know."
The history teacher bit his cheek and drove away.
Murphy eyed the crowd of students with boredom. He almost wished he busted Gianna after homecoming so he'd at least have someone to be with that wasn't Caleb. It was then that he could sort of understand why his ex-girlfriend would have wanted someone to go to prom with.
He noticed Austin and Alyssa dancing so close together and kissing every few steps. He rolled his eyes and turned away toward the door so he could see when Caleb returned. He kept his eyes on the entrance as he leaned his body back and drank the last drops left in his cup.
Like a breeze rolling in from an empty field, a new set of tires drove into the gym. Murphy's eyes widened and as he put his cup down, a stream of punch dribbled past the corner of his lips.
Idling between the open doors was a sports coupe with her wheels shyly folded inward. Her bottom lip rested just behind her upper lip while her eyes of mismatched color curiously studied the gym. Her metal was enrobed in orchid colored paint which would turn a much gentler pink when one of the sweeping party lights shined at her in passing.
She rolled in just past her front tires and the Porsche emblem on her hood sparkled. She wore a thick layer of tire shine on her rubber and must have been smoothed down by a buffer because her finish was flawless. Her body was so polished that she looked wet. Including her glossed up lips. Her eyeliner was perfectly winged, but modest. Instead of a heavier eyeliner, she opted for a smokey black eyeshadow on her eyelids in gradient. It perfectly complimented her paint and matched the black lightning bolt decals on her quarter panels.
Murphy moved his axle and wiped the fruit punch from his mouth with his tire. He blinked slowly.
The Porsche lowered on her axles. She couldn't see Austin and Alyssa, nor did she notice Murphy. It physically made her look uncomfortable, even though she was beautiful, and should have seemed more confident.
The song changed again to a much calmer, slower country song while Jane drove into the gym.
The gray clouds have departed…
She weaved in and out of the students, as if she were looking for someone.
The stars light up the night…
Murphy followed her with his eyes, then turned his wheels.
Now I can see through darkness…
Instead of waiting for Caleb, Murphy drove after her.
The river shines with life.
Some of the students who knew who she was, but didn't know her personally, moved to the side as she passed them. They watched the once missing car with wide opened mouths.
Murphy drove around some cars he thought he saw her drive past. Once he drove around them, he smiled, "Jane!"
But she wasn't there. One of the cars turned around to look at him confused.
"Sorry, I thought you were someone else," he said.
Jane continued to drive through the crowd only to stop when she saw two silly sedans goofing around while they danced.
She turned her tires in and managed to smile at her best friends.
Austin and Alyssa were slowly circling with each other. Their eyelids were low. As soon as they were at an angle, Jane caught the corner of Alyssa's windshield.
She gasped hard and squealed, "Oh my gosh! It's Jane!"
"What!?" Austin blinked and turned toward the sight for sore headlights, "Holy moly it is!"
Murphy glanced around at any purplish pink thing with four wheels. He drove up to everyone of them, "Jane?"
But there was no such luck.
"Where have you been!?" Alyssa exclaimed. She drove up to Jane and grinned, "I thought you said you weren't coming! You look beautiful!"
"We were so worried !" said Austin.
"I know I got your messages this afternoon...my parents talked me into turning my phone back on and some of the ladies in town talked me into coming tonight."
"I'm so glad they did!" Alyssa grabbed her tire and held it close, "I'm just glad you're okay."
Austin giggled, "I'm just glad they keep playing line dances every few songs! Like the Cupid Shuffle and the Electric Slide!"
Alyssa gave him a playful stare, "Or the cotton eye Joe."
And with that, the song changed again. But this time, the song was much older, but nonetheless a classic which involved a popular dance a lot of cars would know too.
Unfortunately , almost none of the younger cars.
"Oh!" Miss Relay exclaimed, looking up at one of the speakers, "I've loved this tune since I was a young girl!"
"Suuure," said Miss Fritter, "But do you remember the dance?"
Miss Relay turned to see Miss Fritter already tapping a front tire to the music, "Come on," she pulled around the teacher and reversed into the middle of the gym.
Students pulled away from the center every time a dancing song came on, knowing the good dancers would drive to the middle.
"Don't mind if I do!" said Miss Relay. She followed the school bus.
Alyssa's mirrors perked up when she heard the song. She pushed Austin away, "Sorry, baby! I gotta let go of you for a minute!"
Austin's eyes widened, "What? Why? What happened?"
"This is a dance for Jane and I!"
"Oh! No…," Jane shook her hood fast, "You should enjoy your night with Austin...I don't want to ruin it."
"Jane, you made it better," Austin insisted, "You need to give yourself more credit."
"You have to come dance!" Alyssa grabbed her tire, "Don't you hear the song?"
"Y-Yeah…," Jane replied, "It's the-"
Murphy stopped in his tracks as soon as he heard the song.
"-Charleston…?" he asked himself.
Austin pointed to the middle of the dance floor, "Miss Relay and Miss Fritter are dancing!"
As Miss Relay danced with the school bus, she looked out at the crowd of students, "Come join us if you know it!"
"I don't think these kids have a clue about this song," Miss Fritter chuckled, "Too old for 'em."
Alyssa yanked Jane by her tire over to the center.
"Alyssa we can't!"
"Jane, we're doing this!"
"Do it for Lizzie!"
Austin also followed with a huge smile on his face. He couldn't wait to see them.
"Alyssa, seriously everybody's watching…"
"That's the point, smarty treads," just before making it to the center, Alyssa looked at Jane and smirked, "Lizzie didn't teach us this for no reason."
"Well- oooof!"
With one last hard tug, Alyssa forced Jane into the center and the girls pulled next to Miss Relay and Miss Fritter.
"You girls came to do the Charleston?" Miss Fritter smiled.
"You tell me," said Alyssa, glancing at her best friend.
Jane was caught off guard, "What...did you just say?"
"I said," Alyssa positioned herself in front of Jane, "You tell me."
After that, she started to step back, then Jane stepped forward, beginning their Charleston. A smile grew on Jane's bumper the more she thought about Alyssa's words. They were Doc's words coming out of her mouth, so she couldn't help but feel like he was watching down on her.
"Jane!?" Murphy called, but he still couldn't find her.
He saw the roofs of students in the middle now and raised a lid. He couldn't really see who was brave enough to actually dance to this song in the center, nor did he think anyone else knew it.
He curiously cruised forward, making his way through the students, "Jane? Has anyone seen-," he slammed on his brakes at the perimeter to avoid Miss Fritter's rear from bumping into him as it swung toward him.
When her body swung out of the way, she revealed Alyssa and Jane doing the Charleston together.
His engine dropped. All the horsepower in the world couldn't prepare him for that.
He hesitated.
Although he had some fame now that he was announced the winner of the RSN program, he still wasn't fond of the idea of dancing in front of other cars.
Murphy doesn't dance.
But he'd be looking for Jane all night if he lost her in the crowd again.
He shut his eyes and shook his hood. He shifted back into drive and plowed right into the center of the circle.
Miss Relay noticed instantly. She tapped Miss Fritter's chin to get her attention.
"What's wrong?" asked Miss Fritter.
"Murphy is here to dance," Miss Relay replied, "That's...what's wrong."
"Time to spin!" Alyssa called out, "If you can keep up!"
"Oh I think you're the one who needs to worry about keeping up with me!" Jane giggled.
"Wanna bet!?"
The girls turned their wheels in opposite directions and spun themselves around. Just as Jane made a full turn, Murphy stopped right in front of her. He put up a tire so that she wouldn't bump into him.
"Wh-," Jane furrowed her eyelids in confusion, but they quickly blinked away into that of complete shock, "Murph-"
Murphy pulled Jane into another spin with him. She saw the blur of the students in front of her as she spun into the air of his cologne. Her vision only cleared up when her eyes met Murphy's again.
"Hey, stranger," Murphy paused with her, but only for a moment, "You can't pass up a chance to Charleston, right?"
Jane watched him and she began the stepping part of the dance all over again. She stepped forward and he stepped back. He stepped forward, then she stepped back.
She remained silent though, just keeping her eyes on him with a blank expression.
"I know you can hear me," said Murphy, watching her too, "You look...nice...by the way."
Jane shook herself out of it, "Yeah, yeah I can. I'm sorry, I just- I didn't think that-"
"A hundred percent chance what you're about to say is probably not true," he chuckled, "Just by your stuttering."
"N-No…really..I didn't think Gianna would let you do this," she said. Jane pulled away from Murphy a little. She looked back and forth, as if Gianna would come up from behind her and hit her.
"Gianna who?" Murphy guided Jane and her attention back into the Charleston, "I thought you'd have other things to say after nothing at all...for a week."
Jane continued to dance, "Your...girlfr-"
"Ex-girlfriend," Murphy corrected. He spun her around again.
Jane gasped by the time she came back to face him, "You two broke up?"
Murphy with a nodded, moving back and forth with the Porsche.
But Jane wasn't amused, "Oh, I get it."
"Huh?"
"You've broken up before and the same day you two were back together."
"Yeah, well," Murphy shrugged, "A relit cigarette never tastes the same."
The volume of the music decreased as the Charleston came to an end, but Murphy didn't let Jane out of his sight. He stayed right in front of her.
"So, you wanna grab some punch with me?" he asked, "Mister Springwheel wanted to talk to you about-"
Suddenly all of the music and all of the lights in the gym shut off. It became pitch dark. The sounds of screaming teenagers echoed all the way into the halls as they turned on their headlights and headed out of the gym.
The teaching staff all turned on their headlights and watched the students.
"Everyone stay calm! Please!" called out Miss Relay.
"Anyone check the weather report before scheduling a Homecoming?" asked Miss Fritter.
"There was nothing about a storm that could knock out the power!" replied Miss Relay.
"They're all leaving!" said Mister Springwheel . He called out to the students, "Everyone exit carefully! We don't want any-"
One of the students bumped into the old racer's fender.
"...fender benders," he continued.
The student simply drove around him and toward the exit.
"Well, that was fun!" said Miss Fritter.
"O-Oh...it's dark!" said Jane. She stared into the darkness with fear.
Murphy felt around with his tires, "I can't see! H-Hey! Jane?"
"I-I'm here," she said. She turned on her headlights for him. Her eyes caught the crowd of tail lights heading out of the gym.
She grabbed one of his tires, "C'mon, this way!"
"I bet someone didn't pay the electric bill in this stupid school," said Murphy.
"I-I don't think so," said Jane, turning into the hallway. She was careful not to get trampled by the other students.
As the students all made it to the glowing red emergency exit sign, the first students punched the doors open with their tires.
The doors yanked themselves open, catching the incredibly fast wind, then a bunch of tiny particles in the air whipped into the school and against the teenagers' paint jobs.
"Agh!"
The students toward the front shielded their grilles with their tires.
"Dust storm!" a student screamed.
"How are we gonna get out?" asked Jane.
"Follow me," said Murphy, pulling ahead of Jane, despite not having headlights, "My place in Couperville is closer than Radiator Springs."
"We are not leaving in this!"
"It's like racing, Jane," he said, glancing in his side mirrors.
"It's too dangerous!"
"Just pretend it's the dirt of a car racing in front of you," he assured. He guided Jane to the doors.
The unforgiving desert dirt slapped them both right in the face. Murphy and Jane's eyes narrowed, protecting their windshields.
"Murphy, we can't leave!" she yelled.
But he didn't listen. Murphy shifted into gear and stormed out into the dust with Jane.