Chapter 15
Racer X could do nothing as he watched the Mach Five barreling towards him. "What is trying to do, kill the both of us?" He braced himself for impact, knowing there was no escape.
Speed didn't even seem to notice, or care, that he faced certain doom once the cars collided. But, suddenly, something inside him awoke. His eyes widened as he saw himself heading directly for the Shooting Star. "Oh my, God!" he cried as he pushed the A button on the steering column. The car neatly jumped over the Shooting Star, coming to a smooth landing yards ahead of Racer X. Speed kept going, not even aware of what he had just done.
The Go Team, the other drivers and the crowd in the stands were aghast at Speed's bizarre actions.
"I'm gonna kill him when I get my hands on him!" Pops roared.
Speed looked behind him. "Wow! That was intense!" he exclaimed as he inexplicably started laughing. "Look at 'em all back there. Eat my dust, wussies!" he called out. There was nobody ahead of him now. "Hot damn, I'm in first!" he cried out as he swerved left then right.
The Masked Racer watched his little brother with a fear rising in him. "What in the world was he trying to do back there? It's like he has a death wish or something."
The other drivers were also baffled. Speed had never been so foolhardy before. He certainly never used the special features of his car for his own gain. The only time they had ever seen him use the jacks during a race, besides in his pit, was to avoid causing a crash or to vault over one that had already occurred. This time he'd purposefully tried to hit the Shooting Star or perhaps taunts its driver.
Speed's surprise maneuver caused total chaos on the track. A few drivers spun out, afraid that of what he'd do if they caught up with him. Ace Ducey slid and brushed the wall which caused more drivers to go into spins.
A red caution flag went out. The cars pulled into their respective pits. Except for Speed. Oblivious to the goings on around him, he continued his lonely path around the track.
"Speed, what are you doing?" his enraged father screamed into the headset. "Get the hell in the pit...NOW!"
"Whu...?" Speed glanced around. "Where'd everybody go?" he asked himself. "Oh! I betcha the race is over. Guess I won. Whee-haaa!"
"Now what's he yelling about?" Pops asked Sparky.
Before the mechanic could answer Speed pulled into the pit. "Hey, hey! Another win for the team!" he declared giddily.
"You nitwit!" Pops growled, hitting Speed on the top of his helmet. "Because of your shenanigans they threw a caution flag up. You better pray damn hard that they don't disqualify you."
"Why? What'd I do wrong?" he inquired innocently.
"You even need to ask such a ridiculous question?"
Speed stared at him, genuinely befuddled. "I won the race. Why're ya mad?"
"You mean you blew the race, you dumb ass!" Pops exploded.
"Dear please calm down," Mom Racer implored him, "remember your blood pressure."
"If I have high blood pressure it's because of these miserable kids," Pops groused. "Can't go a day without one of them screwing something up..."
With his father's attention on his mother for the moment, Speed decided now would be the perfect opportunity to escape his wrath. He opened the car door and slowly stepped out. "That was the fastest race I've ever been in," he said to no one in particular. "Gotta use the bathroom."
"Where are you going?" Pops demanded as Speed stumbled away from the car.
"Bathroom," he replied.
"That can wait. I'm not done with you yet!" Pops bellowed.
"Sorry, Pops, but it can't wait." Speed proceeded to walk into the garage.
"Get back here!" Pops screamed. Speed ignored him.
---
Speed wiped his face as he left the bathroom. The fog was lifting from his mind. "What's going on? The race..." He turned towards the television that Spritle and Chim-Chim were watching. A replay of earlier events was being shown. He lowered himself onto the couch. 'Oh God..." he moaned as he watched himself driving like a mad man. "What was I thinking?"
"Speedy, why'd ya do that stuff? You almost hit Racer X!" Spritle exclaimed.
"Leave me alone," he muttered, eyes glued to the screen.
Spritle stared at him for a few moments before turning to his simian friend. "Look at his eyes, Chim-Chim they look so weird!" he whispered.
After watching the replay for the third time, Speed rose. "I gotta get outta here," he said. "But first, I gotta get something."
He went over to his gear bag and took the motel key out of his pants pocket. "Gonna need this if things get to funky outside," he said. He didn't' realize that as he stuck it in his pocket, the plastic tag with the motel name and unit number on it fell to the floor.
As he went outside, a throng of reporters accosted him. "No comment!" he shouted, pushing them aside before they could even ask him a question.
"That guy's digging himself a hole so deep, he'll never get out of it," the ESPN man remarked.
"Hey, at least we know what the lead story tonight is gonna be!" the reporter from the Racing Channel exclaimed.
The reporters laughed, knowing that the public thirsted for this kind of trash. Yes, the current tabloid mentality was good for ratings and newspaper sales.
Sparky ran up to him as he stormed away from the group. "Speed, Pops is talkin' to some men from the Racing Commission!"
Speed glanced at his father who stood with three men wearing suits, stern expressions on their faces. "What do they want?"
"Uh...they're talking about disqualifying you from the race and..." his voice dropped, "laying some hefty fines on the team."
Speed felt the nausea return. "Oh no..."
"Oh yes," Sparky said with a note of sarcasm in his voice. Irate, he turned on him. "Dammit Speed, you screwed up big time! It's bad enough you're probably gonna get kicked outta the race, but the team's gonna suffer, too! Where's Pops gonna get money for a fine from? Sure he's gonna get money from Mr. Maverick, but that's gotta go towards building those cars."
"Sparky, I'm sorry...I don't know why I did what I did. Heck, I don't ever remember much of it..."
Sparky peered into his eyes, the pupils were dilated. "What's up with you, Speed? You don't look right. Are you on drugs or something?"
"No!" Speed jumped back, mortified. "I would never do anything like that!"
"Sorry. But you've been acting so freaky lately. I kinda figured that maybe..." He shrugged.
"You figured wrong!" Speed shouted angrily. "You know? I'm sick of this. Sick of my father always common' down on me, sick of having a girlfriend who doesn't trust me and I'm sick of YOU," he pointed his finger in Sparky's face, "and your damned accusations!"
Sparky was taken aback. "Speed, calm down, buddy."
"Leave me alone!" Speed charged away from him. His mother , Trixie and Janine had watched the argument from a few yards away. He glared at them. "What are you lookin' at?"
"Dear lord..." his mother said as she watched him vault into the Mach Five and drive off in a rage. From the corner of her eye, she saw Pops and the men staring after Speed. One of the men said something to him and an expression of defeat crossed his face.
"I can't believe that Speed would ever drive the way he did today," Janine commented.
"I can," Trixie said. "Since that witch Dallas and her racing team came along, he hasn't been himself."
"Tell me about it, even Sparky's become enamored with those bimbos," Janine said in disgust.
"Oh look, there she is," Trixie said, nodding towards Dallas who stood watching them, phony smile plastered on her face. "I think that is my cue to get lost."
"Don't go Trixie, that's what she wants," Janine said.
"I don't care anymore," she declared as she walked away from them and into the garage. "I can't stomach that girl. How anybody could like her is beyond my..." her thought went unfinished as she looked down on the floor and saw a piece of green plastic on the floor. She bent down and picked it up. "The Pines Motor Lodge...Unit 5..." A lump formed in her throat as she spied Speed's gear bag next to the spot where she found the tag. "Oh God no...Speed...you wouldn't do this to me, would you?" She fell against the wall. "No wait, this could belong to anybody, maybe one of the extra crew guys Pops hired...I mean, why would Speed stay at a sleazy motel when he only lives few miles away?" Though she knew in her heart the reason why Speed, or any man, would be going to a motel like the Pines.
"Damn him," she said as she stuffed the tag in her pocket, and morosely left the garage.
"Hey, Trix," Spritle said, jumping up and down in front of her. He'd finally been allowed to leave the garage and his excitement was apparent. "Didja hear that they postponed the race until next week?"
"Really? How come?"
"Sparky said that after they got all the cars offa the track, the found a bunch a more cracks in it. Ha! It's really lucky that Speedy did all those crazy things. Cause, if he hadn't I betcha a lot of drivers woulda smacked up their cars. They should give him a medal instead of being mad at him."
"I suppose," she said. She wanted to tell Spritle what a lying, cheating snake in the grass his big brother was, but she couldn't do that. The boy idolized him too much, she didn't want to break his heart. Besides, he probably wouldn't believe her.
---
Pops Racer heaved a heavy sigh as the men from the Racing Commission left his pit.
"I gather it didn't go well, huh Pops?" Sparky asked as he and the rest of the crew joined him.
"Nope. The Commission wants the whole team to report to them at 3:30 sharp tomorrow afternoon. Speed better get his head straightened out by then. Not that it will do him any good as far as the race goes. They already said that he will be disqualified, no ifs, ands or buts. Team'll probably be fined, too. They blame us for letting him drive in the condition he was in. They also mentioned something about testing him for drugs. Hell, from the looks of him today I can't blame them."
"Pops, I was thinking the same thing," Sparky remarked. "He's been acting all weird and secretive lately. And the way his eyes looked earlier...there was something not right about them. When I confronted Speed about my suspicions, he flipped out and took off."
Mom jumped to the defense of her son. "What did you expect him to do? I can't believe either of you could even think of such a thing. Speed's always come down against drug use. He's even done a couple of PSAs on the subject."
"Then you tell me why there's been such a sudden change in him. The mood swings, the belligerent attitude," he demanded.
"Dear, you know we already discussed this. He's growing up, becoming a man. It's perfectly normal for him to be acting this way."
"Becoming a man?" he snorted. "I think he already is one."
"What are you talking about?" Mom asked.
He pulled her aside. "I...uh...found something in his wallet," he whispered. "Protection, if you know what I mean." He nodded in Trixie's direction.
It took a few seconds for comprehension of what he said to sink in. "Protection...Oh. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, they have been going out for a long time." Her expression sank. "My son isn't a little boy anymore..."
He put a comforting arm around her. "I know you're not happy about this, but you it was going to happen sooner or later."
"Yes, I know that. I guess I should be happy that he's involved with a nice girl who cares for him deeply." She was thoughtful for a moment. "It also explains all those late nights he's been keeping."
Trixie shifted uncomfortably. Why did they keep staring at her as if she were some kind of freak? "Um, Mrs. Racer, did I do something wrong?"
Mom smiled. "Why no, of course not, dear. I...we...were just wondering if you knew anything about Speed and the way he's been acting lately.
"I really don't know, Mrs. Racer. I've been wondering the same thing myself," she said.
Speed's mother moved closer to her. "Trixie...I know that you and my son having been spending a great deal of time together lately."
"Um, not really. I haven't seen much of him at all the past few days." She lowered her head and spoke in a dispirited voice, "We haven't been getting along lately."
Pops scratched his head. "Huh How can that be? He's been coming in very late every night." He eyed Trixie. "He says that he's been with you."
Trixie shook her head. "No, not me."
"The mystery deepens," Sparky said. "Why would Speed lie about coming home late?" Janine nudged him in the side. "Ow! Why'd ya do that for?"
She nodded towards the Girl Team's pit. "That's why."
Trixie knew what Janine meant. Forlornly, she stuck her hand in her pocket and felt the green plastic tag. Hot tears started in the corners of her eyes. She had to find out if her suspicions were correct. "Sparky," she said to the mechanic. "Would you mind if I borrowed your car? I just remembered an very important errand I have to run."
He looked quizzically at her; she was acting almost as strange as Speed. "Sure, I guess so. I'm going to be here awhile anyway." He handed her the keys.
"Thanks," she said with forced cheerfulness. "I don't think it will take very long."
"Want me to go with you?" Janine asked, concern for her friend showing on her face. She knew Trixie was going to confront Speed.
"No, I've got to do this by myself," she replied. "Though, I might need a shoulder to cry on later."
Janine patted her on the arm. "I'm here for you if you need me, hon."
---
Trixie pulled into the Pines Motor Lodge's parking lot. It was empty save for an old pickup truck. "I don't see his car here," she said, feeling hopeful that maybe the tag didn't belong to him. She noticed that the parking lot extended behind the building. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained," she said, taking a deep breath before driving back there.
"Please don't let his car be there," she prayed. Her heart sank as the first thing she was a white racecar with the number "5" on its side. "Oh God..." she said softly.
She parked next to him and got out. She read the key again, "Unit 5...I guess that's where I'll find him." In her distressed state of mind she neglected to take her purse with her.
"He'd better have a good explanation for why he's here," she said before rapping on the door.
The door slowly opened, she heard his voice before she saw him. "You're early, I though you were gonna have din..." His eyes became huge when he realized that it wasn't Dallas standing in the doorway. "Trixie! W-w-what are you doing here?"
"I should be the one asking you that!" She shoved her way past him. "So, who were you expecting? Certainly not me!"
Speed stared at her, open mouthed, at a complete loss for words.
---
Dallas Maverick arrived at the Pines. She pulled around back and was surprised to see a car parked next to the Mach Five. "That looks like Sparky's car," she said. A smile crossed her face. "Well, as I always say, the more the merrier!"
She left her car, and while walking past Sparky's, she noticed the purse lying on the seat. "Probably belongs to that dopey racing girlfriend of his. Honestly, doesn't anybody on that team appreciate a real woman?" Intrigued, she reached in and removed the purse. She dug inside the purse and found a wallet. "Well, well, well," she said as she read the name on the driver's license, "This is going to prove to be very interesting..."
She sashayed her way to Unit 5. "It's show time!" she said with a smirk as she loosened the belt of the wraparound dress she was wearing and lightly knocked on the door.
