Chapter Four
Speed stood in the pouring rain; his eyes still fixed on the now dark window of Dallas Maverick's bedroom. The sudden bolt of lightning flashing across the night sky, followed by the boom of thunder, brought him back to his senses. "Getting soaked. I'd better get in the house."
He sprinted towards the front door, shivering from the cold. He couldn't get the key in the lock fast enough. "I gotta get out of these wet clothes," he said as he entered the house. He removed his jacket and hung it on the hook next to the door. The water dripping from it left a large puddle on the hard wood floor.
He went upstairs into the bathroom that connected his room to his little brother's. There was a scowl on his faced as he took in the decor. Not much had changed since he'd been a child. "Stupid cowboy shower curtains. I hope Dallas' never has to see this travesty," he grumbled. Dallas... just saying her name caused butterfly tingles to course through his body.
He again shivered and realized he was still wearing his wet clothes. Dallas was giving him a bad case of brain drain. Grimacing, he began to peel off his soggy clothing. "Ugh, what a mess. Good thing Mom's asleep, she'd make a big scene telling me to change outta this stuff before I caught a cold." He hung the clothes over the shower rod so they would dry.
Just as he was pulling up his pajama bottoms he heard a knock on the door. Spritle. "Speed. Speedy, let me in, I gotta use the bathroom."
"Wait a minute, I'm getting dressed."
"Don't got a minute," Spritle said as he opened the unlocked door that led to his bedroom. "Don't look!"
"Like I'd even want to." Speed stepped out the other door into his own bedroom. He buttoned his top now feeling very tired. His bed looked real good to him right now. He sighed as lay down on it.
"Speed!" Spritle called to him in a voice loud enough to be heard over the flush of the toilet.
"What?" Speed desperately hoped that Spritle wasn't going to go into his "Beaver Cleaver" mode and start asking insipid questions.
The boy came into his room followed by Chim-Chim who seemed to appear from out of nowhere. "Why are your clothes all wet?"
"'Cause it's raining out," Speed answered, feeling very much like Wally at the moment.
"Duh! I know that. What I mean is how did they get so wet? Was you standin' out in the rain or something?"
"I dropped my car keys in the bushes and got all wet trying to find them," he lied.
"Oh, okay. An' here I thought you got wet when you was lookin' in Dallas' window," Spritle said. "Isn't that against the law, peeping in people's windows?"
"What? Do you live your entire live just to freaking spy on me?" Speed said angrily trying to keep his voice down so as not to wake his parents. "You know, I'm so DAMN sick of you always following me around, hiding in my trunk, listening to my phone calls."
Spritle cut him off, "You cussed. Pops would ground you if he heard what you said."
"Ground me," Speed scoffed. "I'm not a kid, he can't ground me. But, he could punish you for being a tattle-tale."
Spritle didn't answer him because he knew his big brother was right. There wasn't much worse in his father's mind than a tattler. He also knew that his father probably wouldn't make that big a deal about Speed's use of a questionable, at best, cuss word. Heck, he'd heard his father use worse language in every day conversation.
Regaining his composure, Speed spoke softly, "It's getting late, I'm gonna turn in. You'd better get back to bed before the folks hear you."
"Okay. Uh, I'm sorry about watching you before. I didn't mean to, but, I couldn't help seeing you when I looked out my window."
"Forget about it," Speed said sleepily. "I'm too tired to deal with it right now, gotta get some sleep."
"Okay. 'Night Speed," he said knowing that by tomorrow his brother would have pretty much forgotten about the whole incident.
"See ya in the morning."
Spritle stopped short. "Speed, you don't have to worry about me telling Pops about the ticket you got. I'm not a stool pigeon." He quietly left the room, Chim-Chim a few steps behind.
"Ticket..." Speed mumbled. The word penetrated his groggy mind. His eyes popped open, he sat straight up. "The ticket! Cripes, I forgot all about that. I hope Pops is in a good mood when he finds out. Not that it'll matter 'cause he'll be in a bad one afterwards."
---
Speed left the commissary, a super-sized cup of coffee in his hand. He wore dark sunglasses and his racing jacket. The day was cool, the storms of the previous evening having broken the heat wave. He wasn't in the best of moods being he hadn't slept much last night.
He took a long sip of the brew. "I hope this black coffee wakes me up." He quickly swallowed as a tickling sensation started in his nose. He sneezed, "Ah-CHOOO!"
"Gunzundheidt!"
"Huh?" Speed looked around, Sparky sidled up to him. "Oh, thanks." He took the napkin that was in his hand, brought it up to his nose and blew into it.
"You getting a cold?" Sparky asked.
"I guess," Speed said with a shrug.
"Well, I just hope you're well enough for Sunday's race."
"Don't worry," he replied, "I'll be there even if I'm dead!"
Sparky chuckled. "Knowing you I wouldn't be surprised."
The two men talked about the upcoming race on their way to the Go Team's pit. They were almost there when they noticed something going on at an adjacent pit.
A group of young women, all wearing red coveralls, were bustling about. Two of them rolled tires into a corner, others carried in various tools.
"I wonder who they are?" Sparky asked.
Speed scratched his head. "Looks like the pit crew for a race team."
"They sure do," Sparky agreed. "But, whoever heard of an all female pit crew?"
They watched curiously as three cars, all in the same shade of red as the girl's coveralls, pulled into the pit. Women emerged from the cars, all equally stunning in appearance.
"Wow! What's going on here?" Sparky wondered.
Speed smiled, forgetting all about his burgeoning cold. "Sparky, does the phrase "Died and gone to heaven" mean anything to you?"
Soon a small crowd, all male, had gathered around the women. "Man, look at that redhead," Skull Duggery of the Alpha Team said with a leer, "What I wouldn't give to be the engine she's working on."
"Yeah, right, like a chick of her class would have anything to do with a bum like you," Zoomer Slick snickered, "when there's a stud like me around."
"You guys can have her," the head mechanic for the Alphas commented. "I'll take that little honey of a driver over there, the brunette with the big..."
Speed had just about heard enough. He didn't let the mechanic finish his sentence. "Is that all you guys can do, stand around making lewd comments about those young ladies?"
"Aw, wattsa matter, sonny?" Duggery teased, "Got your little pink panties in a knot because you know you can't compete with real men? Maybe you should go back to the sandbox and play with kids your own age." The whole group, except for Sparky, laughed raucously.
Out of the corner of his eye, Speed saw Dallas' car pull into the pit. He smiled. Duggery wasn't going to get his goat, not this time. "Oh really? Well, what would you and your merry band of circus clowns say if you found out that I had dinner last night with the lead driver of that team of women?" He pointed his head in Dallas' direction.
Slick drank in the beautiful blonde as she stepped from her car. "In your dreams, Racer. Dammit, kid, you gotta get out of that fantasy world of yours and join this one. Do you honestly think a sexy babe like that would even give you the time of day?"
Speed slowly nodded, the grin on his face widening as Dallas made her way towards the ensemble.
She stopped a couple of yards in front of them. "Mah oh Mah, what a handsome group of men y'all are."
Duggery nudged Slick, "Hehe, she called us handsome!"
"Shut up, Beavis," he hissed.
She strode up and stood directly in front of Speed. "An' here is the handsomest man of all." She leaned in towards him, her lips scant inches from his. "How are you, darlin'?"
Speed swallowed before speaking. "Fine."
She placed her hand on Speed's shoulder. "Ah never did get to thank you for last night. I had a scrumptious time."
The men standing with Speed exchanged shocked looks. Speed and the incredible blonde? Impossible!
She looked behind her; one of the mechanics was motioning to her. "Well, sugar, Ah have to get back to mah crew. Ah do hope we'll see each other later." With a wink of her eye, she turned and walked back to her pit. The men stared after her, watching as her rear end wiggled sexily.
Speed turned to face the other men. "Well, now do you believe me?"
"Whoa, Speed, really impressive. I take back all, well most, of what I said." Duggery was clearly in awe of the younger man.
"Yeah, man, sorry I doubted you." Slick apologized. "I just can't believe you scored with her. Way to go, dude! And to think all this time I thought you were a pure and holy virgin."
Speed blushed slightly. "Hey you never know, huh?"
The men slowly walked away. Every few moments one of them would glance back at him.
Sparky turned to him. "Uh, Speed, you know that they thought that you and Dallas, uh... You know..."
Speed threw his head back. "Good, let them think it. I'm tired of always being the butt of their jokes. Having to constantly be reminded that I'm younger and less experienced than they are. Besides..." he said slyly, "You never know what could happen in the future."
Sparky's eyes widened, was he serious? "Speed, you're kidding, right?" His friend shrugged. "What about Trixie? I thought you guys had something special going on. I don't think she'd approve of you even talking to that girl. Remember how she acted yesterday when she met her?"
Speed gritted his teeth. Trixie. He'd completely forgotten about her. He wondered if she was still angry with him. "Sparky, I was just joking. I would never do anything to jeopardize my relationship with Trixie."
The mechanic was relieved. "I'm glad to hear that. I know I've been jealous of Trixie in the past, but I've gotten over it. She's good for you, Speed, keeps you grounded. She'd be devastated if she found out anything was going on between you and Dallas."
"I already told you I was kidding!" Speed said a little too curtly. Annoyed, he briskly walked away from Sparky towards their pit.
"Were you?" Sparky asked to the empty spot where Speed had been standing moments earlier.
