It's been FOREVER since I've updated this, but here I finally have chapter eleven. Thank you to ALL of my wonderful, wonderful readers and reviewers! I appreciate all of your time in reading this and all of your reviews. Hopefully, you shall enjoy this chapter! :)

Georgia pushed around the canister of oil absentmindedly, thinking about her earlier encounter with Chick. She hid from the bright lights of the cafe, not really wanting to bring attention to herself when she was so hung up like this. Speaking of, why was she so hung up on him like this? He'd never bothered her before, at least not until Strip's last race, and after that she'd resented him as much as everyone else had, if not more.

But now it all seemed stupid, for her to resent him like that. It seemed like some blind sort of thing, that she had only felt that way because she was obligated to and that she jumped to conclusions like everybody else. That got under her metal sheeting something fierce, and it stirred around in her mind as she turned everything she thought she knew about Chick over.

Georgia thought about Strip's approach to all of this. He didn't resent Chick - hadn't at all, not even right after. All he wanted was to speak with the stock car, to work this through. It wasn't even his responsibility to do that, but he wanted to. And it continuously made her feel like she had been blind all this time to who Chick really was. She had to admit to herself, although reluctantly, that she wasn't angry anymore.

She felt some kind of relief, not to be holding onto that anymore, but her mind was still preoccupied.

"Hey. Weathers, right?" A voice broke her trance.

"Hm? I mean, yeah, that's me." She turned to find a big rig parked next to her, with the familiar hTB logo painted on his side. "You're Chick's driver?"

"Yes ma'am. Although I do have a name," he replied.

Georgia shook her hood. "Sorry man. I'm Georgia, by the way. You are?"

"Sam. It's nice to meet you, Georgia," he commented as Mia drove over. He placed his order before he continued to speak. "I wanted to talk to you about Chick, if you don't mind. I'm not sure if he's a touchy subject because of the wreck..."

"No, no, it's fine. That was a long time ago, and my reservations towards him are gone. What is it about him that you want to talk about...?"

"Well, he's been having a rough time lately. I mean, he's always been hard on himself, and I think now that everyone else is hard on him, too, it's gotten to him. Something's come down in him, and I don't think I can help him anymore," Sam said, sounding worried. His words rang in her mind - something's come down in him. Her father said the same thing.

"What do you think it is?" Georgia asked.

Sam paused a moment. "You know, I'm not really sure. But I know that something has."

"So...?"

"Well, I know you've had a few run-ins with him in the past week or two, and every time he comes back he's out of sorts and doesn't really seem so angry. He tries to be angry, believe me, he does, but I've seen it in his expression. And I get the impression that you're not as awful to him as some other cars can be," Sam explained. "It really throws him off."

Georgia looked up at Sam with an eyelid raised. "Does it now?" Can't say it doesn't throw me for a loop, either. "I dunno, Sam. I saw him earlier today, and I told him not to hole himself up out in Ornament Valley, but I don't know if he took my words to heart or not."

"He came back into town a little while ago - which is why I decided to talk to you - and I haven't seen him since. He's probably around here, somewhere," Sam replied.

"You think I should find him?"

"I wasn't going to suggest that exactly, but if you'd like to, it'd be fine by me."

"What were you gonna suggest?"

Sam shrugged his tires. "I was going to suggest that you be the car that doesn't put him out right away. As silly as it sounds, he just needs somebody to prove him wrong."

"And I can do that?"

"I'd like it if you'd try. I worry about him. He's my friend, Georgia. We've been partners for years now and to see him go downhill like this really rubs me the wrong way. I've tried to do what I can but I can't keep doing this on my own."

"... All right, I guess I see what you're saying. I don't know what I can do for him, but you're probably right, that it's worth a try. He was really good at racing, and he seemed like he wasn't such a bad guy. Of course we were both kids, if I think about it," Georgia remarked with a sigh. She looked up at Sam. "I'll try to be a friend to him, at least."

Sam smiled. "Thank you, Georgia. It means a lot to me that you would help out like that."

"It's all right. I think he deserves better than this crap, anyway. I know how he feels."

Georgia spent her evening at the Wheel Well. The tables overlooking the valley provided a nice view, and the lights were perfect - not too harsh, but not too dark, which made her comfortable and gave her time to think. All of this business with Chick and just the rush that came with visiting her parents had distracted her from the real reason why she was here in Radiator Springs.

To see if she would move here.

She closed her eyes and thought of home, with the faded outer walls and the warm, buttery sunshine pouring through the window in the morning. The thought of this warmth made her smile, and for a moment she missed that little piece of forever. It and her parents were the only steady things in her life. She thought of the smell of the road in front of the house during the summer months, and thought of the old, deserted track.

The track. She opened her eyes, breaking from her reverie to look out over the valley. The track was the reality check for her. This view of the valley was the reality check for her. Where was she going with her life? Suddenly, the thought of going home to a house that was empty didn't seem so appealing anymore. The feeling in her tank grew cold.

She turned her eyes away from the valley to observe the cars, to forget about what she just remembered. Some sense of denial overcame her as she watched the other cars mull around, some leaving, and some entering. Waiters took cars to their tables, waitresses fetched drinks and food. It helped dull her senses a little, and she sipped on her drink nonchalantly.

Just when she thought she had everything settled for a moment, a flash of green appeared and she had to do a double take. Chick had pulled into the vicinity of the restaurant, and he seemed like he was waiting for someone, but all the waiters were off and there was no one else but him idling there. Georgia watched him for a minute, until he turned to leave, to which she called out to him, something that she did without really thinking about it.

"Chick!"

He, and a few other cars, turned to look at her, and she almost shrank back from embarrassment. She cleared her throat and gestured to Chick with a tire, despite the looks she was getting from a few people. Most were surprised, although she caught a few glowers from here and there.

The green stock car stared at her as if she was insane. She's crazy. Doing this kind of thing in public - what is she thinking? He was a little embarrassed himself but for whatever reason, he decided to drive over to her table and park there - which convinced him that he was insane, too.

"How do you ignore this crap?" Chick muttered, a little unnerved by the stares the pair was receiving.

"What crap?"

"Everybody is staring! How does that not piss you off?"

"If I ignore it, they'll stop staring," she replied, looking at him pointedly. "Besides, there shouldn't be any shame in having dinner with...a friend." She had to find the right words, and then get them out, because this was all very odd. Never in her life did she imagine that she would be in the same restaurant, at the same table, as Chick Hicks.

Chick stared at her for a second. What...?

She read his expression. "Okay, this is just stupid. Chick, let's be totally honest here. Can you do that for once?"

"Oh haha, very funny, Weathers. Yes, I can be honest. What do you want?"

"I'm gonna go ahead and put my cards on the table: As much as you might think otherwise, I'm not hung up on the wreck anymore. And neither is Strip. Whatever grudge you think I have against you, or whatever idea you have that I'm exactly like my father, because I know that's what you think of me, is wrong. I've hated you in the past for what you did but that's over now. It is what it is - it's the past." She sounded so sure, as if she wanted him to understand what she was saying. "I've failed in my life. Just like you. And I am not afraid to admit that, because it's true." She stung herself with her own words and had to pause for a moment to regain her train of thought. "You and I are a lot alike. So why are you still my enemy?"

Chick didn't even have to think. "Why should you be any different than anybody else? No one's cut me any slack so why should I do the same for you? You're the one car that I would expect to hate me, and you should just leave it that way. Don't change things now."

"What about Sam?"

"What?"

"What about Sam? He cuts you slack. Hell, he came to me today because he's actually worried about you. So what about him?"

"How did Sam get brought into this? That's how all of the Weathers are, they change the subject and-"

"You pass judgment but don't even really know me. And I can't say I haven't done the same to you, because I have, but I'm willing to change that so that for the rest of your life you're not completely fricking miserable. Did you even stop to think that maybe I'm like Sam? That maybe I don't care about what you did, that I just want to help you?"

"That's exactly why I don't want your help. It's all just pity."

"And Sam's is pity, too, right?"

"No!"

"Then what makes you think that I pity you?" Georgia asked.

"Because you're just like everybody else!"

"But how do you know that?"

"Has anybody ever told you that you are extremely annoying?"

"Has anybody ever told you that you're stubborn?"

"I'm stubborn?"

"Yes." Georgia glared across the table. "I'm trying to work this out with you..."

"There's nothing to work out! I don't even know you!"

"But you don't like me."

"Exactly."

Georgia sighed. "Listen... I'm not going to fight with you. I don't know you, and you don't know me, but I'd be more than willing to say that you and I are exactly alike, once you get right down to it." Chick tried to interrupt but she cut him off. "I know that you don't really want to hear this crap from me - I don't blame you. But everything you say makes me wonder that if my last name wasn't Weathers, maybe you'd give me a chance."

"You're not going to let that go, are you?"

"You're wrong," she said matter-of-factly, avoiding his question. "About me."

Chick snorted. "You're the child of Dinoco. Everybody knows that's what you were born for, is to become the new racer for Dinoco."

"Well then everybody is either wrong or either I'm a failure."

"Exactly, which is why - wait, what?" Chick stopped short. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not taking over Dinoco," she said, shaking her hood with a snort. "Are you kidding me? Have I ever raced in Piston Cup races? In regular seasonal races? No. I haven't. That's what Strip intended for me to do, but it never happened." She sat back on her tires, having said enough to sufficiently quiet herself. Chick didn't say anything at first, either.

"Then why are you here?" he finally asked.

"Because Lynda wants me to move out here."

Chick was silent for another little while. He hated, hated having to admit that he was wrong. But if what the Weathers girl was saying was really true, than he was wrong, and had just made a fool of himself in front of her and a few people who were probably eavesdropping. He glanced up at her, meeting her gaze, and it was enough for him to know that this wasn't a lie.

"Fine... So..." Ugh. "As much as this pains me," he muttered, "why don't you and I... start over."

Georgia was surprised but incredibly relieved at the same time. "I think that would probably be a good idea..."

He huffed out a heavy sigh, feeling rather apprehensive. "Whatever ideas you have about me-"

"Have been thrown out the window. If we're starting over, it's going to be a fresh start. No grudges."

"No misjudgments?"

"No misjudgments," she reassured him. "On my part or yours."

"All right," Chick agreed. "All right, Georgia."

Feel free to leave comments, questions, suggestions, or any kind of review! I read them all.

~Peaches