Hello all, Id like to apologize for not publishing a new chapter after so long. I got super busy with work and life that I also stopped working on this story. But I've been hit by a wave of inspiration so here is a new and long overdo chapter! I hope you all enjoy it, and feel free to leave whatever thoughts you have!

The road was still wet from the rain earlier that day, and I watched light bounce off the mist streaking into the atmosphere from the tires passing by. I read the blue lettering on the white and red stripped sign, and sighed. It was now or never.

There was a bell on the counter, and after standing there for a couple of seconds, I tapped it with the palm of my hand and waited after it gave a sharp ping. I peered over at the cars that sat outside alone, wondering just where the workers were. It was then that the door just adjacent to the counter swung open and a dark haired boy came stumbling out. His DX shirt was slung over his shoulder, his stained white beater clung to his lean stomach.

"Sorry ''bout the wait, was in the back trying to get some things done." He explained, still concentrating on shouldering his shirt on as he reached the counter where I was standing. "What can I do for you?" He lifted his head and his eyes, which were a blue that reminded me of the midnight sky, met my own.

I knew immediately where I recognized him from, and thought I truly couldn't be any unluckier. I wasn't focused on him for long though as another boy followed closely behind him. He had a toothpick dangling from the side of his mouth and wore a scowl that seemed virtually permanent. His dark eyebrows nearly converged into the middle of his forehead when he finally picked up his head and saw me.

He didn't really make it a secret that he was scanning over me from head to toe but I had a hunch he didn't exactly care that I knew either. I squirmed beneath his gaze. "Damn, if I knew that a little fox would be visitin' I would've dropped everything and got to workin'."

"It's fine." I shook my head, lips curling into a smile to hide the nervous twitch in my stance. I could tell he was the meaner of the two by the way he smirked at my skirt and the single button at the top of my blouse that was undone. It was my bravery, or at least I'd like to think it was my bravery that kept me rooted to the tile floor as he leaned in across the counter. His face was so close to mine I could see the pores on his nose, and smell the nicotine on his breath.

"What do ya need, darlin'? You lookin' for a Greaser who can show you some fun?" To my surprise there was no contempt in his gaze, no fire, only glee. It was obvious that all he wanted in the world was to humiliate me. "West side is gettin' mighty borin' huh?"

By the pointed expression on the other boy's face, I figured that he didn't find what his friend was doing very amusing. "Steve, knock it off. For real man." He murmured to him.

Steve snorted and lazily retreated from the countertop. "Oh, come on, Soda," he looked back at his friend with a raised eyebrow, almost as if he was waiting for him to join in. His smirk dropped when the boy didn't even twitch. "Jesus, I swear you're getting soft… Fuckin' Socs."

The only thing I could move were my arms, which I promptly crossed tightly against my chest as I watched Steve disappear through the garage door. I felt my fists unravel and I let out a long exhale of air. I couldn't remember when I had begun to hold it.

The boy must've noticed the apprehension in my expression because he, too, glanced backwards at the garage door where his friend had vanished. "Steve was just tryin' to get a reaction out of you. It's just..." He seemed to hesitate then, almost as if he was carefully choosing his words. "I mean, not many Socs make visits over on this side of town much."

I laughed, mostly in spite of myself. "Well, trust me when I say that coming here wasn't my first choice, either."

"Yea I thought about much." The boy tapped his fingers rhythmically against the counter. "So, why is it that you're here, anyhow?"

I bit the inside of my cheek. I wasn't sure whether or not to tell him the truth, to recount the discovery I had made of Daniel, my own brother, pouring sugar into the gas tank of my car and other things I hadn't witnessed. All to get his revenge against me for our fight. Or if I should lie. I decided on the latter. "It's the engine. I think it overheated."

I gestured to the red car that sat outside the DX, and his eyes followed before widening slightly. "That a Toyota 2000GT?"

"Uh…" I was sure I stuck out like a sore thumb in this part of town, there were no cars like mine around. "Uh, yeah. It is."

The boy's eyes were focused on me again and his eyebrows lowered, I couldn't quite tell what he was thinking and wondered if he would send me away in the end. But then he emerged from the counter and began to walk to the double glass doors, and when I didn't follow, he paused and looked at me over his shoulder. "Well, you comin'?"

"You've got a blown head gasket." He stepped away from the engine, wiping his fingers with the white rag that had been hanging out of his back pocket. I knew that the second I watched him start to look at the car, that he knew I was lying. The damage had been extensive.

"Oh," I nodded slowly, trying to stall for time so I could make sense of what exactly that meant. The boy looked at me imploringly, a mischievous grin on his face that said he knew I didn't have a single clue. I brought my hands up and smacked them back down on my thighs, admitting defeat. "Okay, you're having a gas watchin' me struggle, aren't you?"

"Only a little."

I followed him into the garage and watched curiously as he began to rummage through the red mechanics cart for tools that I wouldn't know the name of even if it meant it could save my life. "How quick of a fix is it?" I asked, wanting to fill in the silence between the two of us.

"Not long," he said as he hovered over the engine once again, yanking and pulling at things I wouldn't dare touch in fear that I might cause the whole thing to explode. He looked backwards at me then and I blinked, suddenly conscious of my staring, but before I could look away, he frowned at me. "You're the girl from the rodeo, right?"

I balked at him, not quite sure what to say. It was a surprise to me that he even remembered me, especially considering the interaction we had in the stables.

He let out a nervous chuckle at my silence. "Damn, must've got my wires crossed—"

I shook my head. "No, I'm her…" I rubbed my arm, feeling more embarrassed and awkward by the second. "I'm…"

"I saw your race," he told me with a toothy grin on his face. "It was something. You and that horse really were something. It looked like that stallion was hugging the dirt during those turns, I was surprised you didn't fall off."

I had ridden my heart out that night. I could practically hear Tox's steady breathing as he rounded the barrels, felt the air blowing through my hair and threatening to knock the hat from on top of my head. It had meant the world to me to even place, and after all was said and done, I had made first.

"He loves to race."

Was that really all I could say to him? I opened my mouth to try again, but he just chuckled at me and shook his head. "I know I'm a Greaser, but I'm not going to bite you, you know."

"I know!" I blurted. "I know you're not…"

"Don't sound too sure."

I tried to answer him, however, before I knew it the boy shut the hood of the car and turned to face me. "See, easy fix."

I straightened and tried hard to shake the tension from my shoulders. "It's an easy fix cause you make it look easy." I dug into my purse and pulled out a couple of bucks before handing it over to him.

He blinked, taken aback. "That's too much. It's only—"

"Take it." I insisted, stretching my arm even further towards him. "I mean, it's the least I can do for causing so much trouble."

"No, really—"

"Please."

He looked stuck between grinning and full out laughing at me when the other boy shouted from the opposite side of the garage.

"Are you ever going to get your ass in here? Seriously, quit flirtin'!"

The boy rolled his eyes. "Quit your whinin', I'm comin'."

I watched his back turn to me, and I did the same, clutching my keys in my left hand. I figured that this would be the last friendly interaction we would ever have. "Hey!" He called out. I turned to face him, startled. "What was your name again?"

I laughed nervously, not looking in his eyes except in a quick flash, to try to read the barometer of his intentions. I wasn't sure if I could give him the benefit of the doubt, because if that was his friend, he couldn't be much better. "Camille." I said despite any reservations running through my head.

"I'm Soda." He said. "Anyway, I'll see you around, Camille."

Anthony Turner was tall and athletic, which served him well considering he was the quarterback and Captain of the football team. He was a repository for all that went on in Will Rogers High School, and his knowledge stretched well into all aspects of the strenuous beehive that was Tulsa. He was proud but not arrogant, dauntless but far from reckless, and he was polite. Some people—and by some people I mean Ruthie, liked to say that he was the boy of every girl's dream. So to say that she nearly keeled over from shock the day that he approached us from where we stood at our lockers, was an acute understatement.

Ruthie was telling me all about how Beverly had gone red in the face after being asked about the race. She seemed satisfied to have been a part of her humiliation. "Oh, Camille, it was just so good. You should've seen the way she was blubbering. I mean, she even tried to blame her horse!"

I shook my head in amusement. "Ruthie, you don't have to make the race a big deal anymore. It was just a one time thing, so cut her some slack. I'm sure she'll be back on top in no time." I shoveled the books for the rest of the day into my arms from my locker, my brown hair falling in front of my shoulders.

I looked up when Ruthie had gone silent to find her looking absolutely appalled by what I had said. "What do you mean it was a one time thing?" She asked me sharply.

I shrugged. "It's just like how it sounds. That was my last race."

"You said that three months ago!" Ruthie lowered her voice when we started to get a few stares. "What about Tox? You don't have a farm. You can't—"

"Then, I can sell him. Mr. Miller has a farm, and he has a bunch of horses, I'm sure Tox would love it there."

Her eyes were shooting daggers at me now. I could tell she was angry. "I don't believe you. You love racing, Camille. You can't just give up on it."

I didn't know what to tell her. After the fight with Daniel, I had a lot of time to think about what was important to me, and came to the conclusion that racing shouldn't be. I was chasing and trying to hold onto something that made me feel close to mom, and I needed to let her go.

It was as Ruthie was about to say something again that another voice piped up. "Hey, Camille."

I turned to see who's face would match the voice, and realized that the black-haired and blue-eyed boy standing right across from me was none other than Anthony Turner. "Y-yes?" I said, feeling myself go shy as he locked eyes with me. I felt Ruthie grip onto the back of my elbow.

"I saw your race the other day and just wanted to tell you congratulations on the win." He stuffed one of his hands into the pockets of his black dress pants, while the other scratched the back of his neck. He looked almost as shy as I felt. "You were great out there."

"Oh…" I rubbed my arm. "Thank you."

He nodded, and turned away, like the conversation was over when suddenly he turned back towards me. "That's not it. I wanted to ask if you were busy this weekend?"

I was shocked to say the least at his question. I had known Anthony Turner my whole life, he was my neighbor, and I had even been friends with him as a toddler up until we hit high school. Then suddenly it was as if I hadn't known him at all.

"I...Uh, no. I'm not." I said.

"Well, there's a race this Friday, and I was wonderin' if you'd like to go?" He continued when he saw me lift an eyebrow. "It's a car race. I'll be racing."

I looked at Ruthie who's eyes were twice their normal size, and knew that she would be no help. "Uh, sure. Could I bring Ruthie with me?"

He nodded at once. "Oh yeah. Sure you can." He teetered on his feet, slowly beginning to walk away. "Well, I'll see you Friday then?"

"Yeah."

He nodded again, and started to walk away.

"Tony?"

He nearly tripped as he heard me call out to him again. "Y-yeah?"

"I don't know the address."

He scratched his forehead. "Right. Your house number hasn't changed, right?

"Right."

"I'll call you then."

I didn't say anything back as I watched him disappear into the crowd of students.