Chapter 3:
"high school woes"
The following weeks we're very plain for alex, he got settled into his new life in Bayview. Nikki, showed him around town, including the many race courses. She prompted him thru a tunnel and came out on the tarmac of one and said
"Tuesday nites and saturday mornings are open to us to test our cars and dyno them as well." she motioned over to the pits "Pull in, I want you to meet someone" she got out of the car and called into a small machine shop "HECTOR!" A voice called back in spanish to which Nikki responded
"Come out here and see a friend of mine" a short man with greasy black hair and grease covered hands comes out
"What is it Nikki, can't you see I'm busy" Nikki smacked him on the back
"Losing at cards again" as she motioned to the three other mexican men sitting around a card table in the back. "This is Alex, he is gonna be staying with me for a while." Hector whiped his hand on his overhauls and extended it to alex
"Pleasure to meet you senior, that car?is it yours?"
Alex smiled a bit "It is"
Hector walked around it. "hmmm, 240sx, not bad car, looks stock" Nikki responded
"It is" hector looked at her strangly
"A friend of yours with a STOCK car... What's the matter with you Nikki, lets get this beast up to par!" Alex nooded
"I think I would like that" Nikki shook her head
"You got to learn some basic skills" She stood by Alex's car "If you want to do some mods, you have to beat my time first" She gestered for the keys Alex tossed them to her "Get in, I want you to watch and learn on what I do"
The 240sx rocket down the starting straight of the test course, the right left right corner that makes this track so notourious comes into view. Shifting from 4th to 3rd with some heel and tow shifting, she easied the car thru the first corner then lighty taping the breaks she turns the wheel over to the sharper left. The rear end slightly sliding out with a bit of counter steer she powered out thru the corner delibrightly taking a wide line.
"Step one" the words of ben kincade echoed in her mind "Get him on an open test track and set a time, do the run at half speed, and tell him in order to start tuning his car he needs to master that track, and beat your time"
Nikki went thru course like she had so many times before, not using the full power of the little 240sx showcasing basic line taking, and some heal and toe shifting. After it was all said and done she pulled back into the pit
"My check point times are saved on a computer. And those signs around the course" she pointed to specific billboards "Will show your split time and my time" she walked over to Hector "All you have to do is ask Hector to load up my time every time you pratice, once you beat my time Yours will recorded over my time. And when that happens I will let you use some of the money in your trust fund in order to tune your car" Alex nodded
"Can I try now?" Alex asked with some excitment "Please?" Nikki looked at her watch
"You got two runs! Get going kiddo" Alex jumped in his car and peeled out.
Hector walked up "So that's Kinkade's kid huh?" Nikki nooded "How long till he beats your time?" Nikki shook her head
"He's got some talent, but he needs some motivated. I am sure a reason will pop up."
The first 2 weeks of highschool for Alex were uneventful. He went to classes, praticed about 4 hours a week at the track. Nikki put a lap time of about 1'45 on the track. Alex would run about 2'15 at first he had managed to shave down to 1'59 or so. But he couldnt figure it out how to run faster yet.
All the while he was looking thru magazines wondering what kind of rims he would get and how much he would get to spend on parts. Chrismas was looming close and he hoped to beat the time well before then.
It was about half way thru his third week in highschool, sitting down at lunch, he had a copy of 'Super Street' thinking of maybe getting some konig rims for his 240sx when a guy sat beside him.
"Hey dude, what are you doing!" Alex kinda looked at him funny
"What's your deal man, I can eat anywhere I want" the guy whispered
"Look dude, guys dont look at racing mags here. Its just asking for trouble from the Eurogirls" Alex shook his head
"Say what?" the guy replied
"Your new, I can see that." he leaned over as if to hide a huge secret "the Eurogirls are an all girl team. The dispize men racers and look to make fools out of them in races" Alex nodded
"Well thats nice, but my car is stock, I just wanna get some nicer rims for it. There is not gonna be any intimidation." and Alex went back to his magazine. In the back of the cafiteria a pair of twins noticed from afar what alex was reading. They spoke in hushed whispers to each other as a group of other girls crowded around them.
Tuesday rolled, week 4 of his new school, and the last week of classes before the xmas break. There were no more 'strange' conversations. Alex had taken to carrying around a copy of a turbo magazine, siteing "My property, no one can say what I can and cant read" at the end of his classes he was putting his school stuff in his car when a screech of tires pulled up behind his car boxing him in.
"Nice car" a tall blond stepped out of the driver seat her cruves we're accented by the loose fitting clothing and she had the look of a true 'valley' girl. The car she was getting out of was a black audi tt. Obviously heavily modifed for street racing. "but this school is eurogirl, territory. You best not be trying to tune your car for the street." another girl stepped out of the passenger seat, she looked exactly like the driver of the audi tt
"Like, oh, my, god, that car is like, so totally stock. Why would you be caught dead in a car that so passe" her tone was a complete vally girl. And her words only sought to enrage alex
"Look girls, its a free world, and I can read any magaize I want. And I can do whatever I want TO my car" Alex responded as he glared at both women "So if you would just move your car, and allow me to go home." the girl who was in the passenger seat replied.
"Come on Mercedes, like this looser is too slow for us to race him anyways" mercedes went back into her car and got some coffie that was in the cup holder, walking over to the back of alex's pristine 240sx she dumped it on the back of alex's car "next time I see you reading something like that in my presence, I am gonna break something, you best remeber that" mercedes threw the cup at alex's chest as a final sign of disrespect climbing into the driver seat laughing with her other sister they peeled out letting the blow off valve of the audi sing into the afternoon air
The guy who talked to alex ealier last week "yo dude, you stood up to them..." alex looked at the coffie on his car "so thats the eurogirls huh?" he picked up the coffie cup which mercedes thew at him moments ealier "yeah" respnoded the other guy alex looked at the strange boy from earlier in the week "whats your name" the boy studdered due to the look of intensity on alex's young hansom face "mm..micheal" alex looked at mike "well mikey," he said as he crunched the coffie cup in his hand "why dont you come with me for a ride, I got some pratice to do"
mike got into the car with a leery feeling. Alex got in the drivers seat slaming the door shut he peeled out of center high's parking lot.