HOLY TOLEDO! I found a picture of an actual Hudson Hornet! No, not Doc, silly. A real live Hudson Hornet! AH! I was originally going to use it for a character, then I looked closer, and it was the same car as Doc! Ha. I'm so weird. So anyway, as I spaz on about the Hudson Hornet, you can read the story!

"Turn that disrespectful junk off!"

"Respect the classics, man! It's Hendrix!"

Lightning let out a slight sigh. This conversation between Sarge and Fillmore had happened every single morning that Lightning woke up. The radio was turned on to satellite radio. Sally always had in on the station that had all the known songs on, now that the town was known. From boredom, Lightning listened to the radio. It was the one that Rascal Flat Tires sung. (A/N: Get it? I'm so funny)

What hurts the most

Is being so close

Lightning was close. He was close to that lesson with Tessa. It was only a few minutes before she would come in. He sighed again. Tessa didn't need to be taught to drive. Or so he thought. Because when she came in, she was sliding all over the place, not able to stop. She ended running into a wall, sliding back over into a glass case that held all of Lightning's trophies, and then by the desk, where she finally stopped.

"So," said Tessa, who was out of breath. "What are we doin' today?"

Lightning looked at the glass case. Sally was not going to be happy. "Well…" Lightning started. What were they doing that day? "We're, um, teaching you how to drive?"

Tessa laughed a bit. "You have no idea what we're doin', do you?"

"Not a clue," said an upset Lightning. He thought that because Sally hadn't talked to him since she laughed hysterically. Except for a few words. His memory was playing that moment in his head over and over again.

----------

Lightning and Sally were driving back from their "date." Heck, it wasn't even a fake date. Lightning was worried what Sally really thought. She hadn't talked at all since she laughed at him. There was something going on, and he was going to find out.

"Sally?" said Lightning. "I'm, I'm sorry about what happened. I mean, Mater and I never expected something as weird as that to happen. Sure, something weird, but not that weird."

Sally kept looking away from Lightning. She stayed silent, and Lightning had no clue why. "Sally?" She didn't talk. "Sally, I, can you please talk?" No noise was filling up the room. "Please?"

"I should not have laughed." She drove away, turning off the lights.

Lightning looked confused. Why was she so upset? Did she care? Did she actually think that he, he, he didn't even want to think of what possibilities were going on in her gears. She was ignoring him. He could see that. But why?

----------

"Lightnin'? Earth to Lightnin' McQueen!" said Tessa.

"Wha…" Lightning was lost. What was he doing? He had thought about that "conversation" between him and Sally so much, he didn't know quite what was happening. He looked at Tessa and then realized that he had actually been talking to her. "Oh, right, uh, the, uh, the driving lesson. Yeah, no clue what to do."

"Silly, you're caught in that one Porsche's business," said Tessa.

Lightning was a little shocked that Tessa had said that. Wasn't she supposed to cause trouble? "You can tell Sally and I are going out?"

"Duh. Don't you remember when you were all 'I'm not teachin' her how to drive! I have a fiancée, you know!' You think I couldn't hear that?"

Oh, right. "…yeah. So anyway, instead of making you do a lesson of my choice, because I honestly have no idea what to do with you, why don't you decide what we do?"

"You're gonna trust me with that?"

"Why not?"

"Alright. Um… I can't think of anything either."

"Then let's just a drive."

"A drive? You mean like a… a date?"

Lightning's eyes went wide. "NO!" What am I doing? I pretty much just asked her to go on a date with me! I'm engaged! I don't like her! Well, I, I like her, but not that way! "No, I, did I make it sound like a date?"

Tessa's frown was now showing all her teeth. "Maybe a little."

"Oh, great. Now my fiancée is gonna think I'm cheating on her. Great!"

"No, no, no! I mean, I don't like you that way."

"I know."

There was dead silence. Not a single thing was heard.

"So, should we actually take that drive?" asked Tessa.

Lightning looked at Tessa and smiled a little. "Sure, why not?" They drove out of the Cozy Cone, and took a road that lead into Ornament Valley.

As Sally was coming back from the Wheel Well to her Cozy Cone Motel to see her beloved Lightning McQueen, she drove until she saw the red racecar next to the light-green Corvette. Were they talking? Laughing? Having a good time? Did Lightning… like her? Was she nothing?

She drove into the Cozy Cone and started crying. I made a bad impression yesterday. I should've talked to him.

"Salleh?"

Sally looked up and saw that it was Mater. "Hey."

"I was up on my way tuh Flo's, but then I heards ya cryin'."

"I'm fine, Mater."

"It's alright, Salleh. You know, I think I kinda like that Tessa girl."

Sally laughed, choking back tears at the same time. "Well, you have a good chance."

"Good day, Miss Salleh!"

As Mater drove out, Sally felt like maybe she was being too much of a worry wart. "Hey. Mater?"

Mater turned around. "Yes?"

"Thanks. Thanks for helping me."

Mater smiled. He left, wondering why Sally was crying in the first place. But why did he care? He had fuel to drink.

----------

Sally was far done crying, but she wasn't exactly done being upset. Lightning and Tessa hadn't been back for two hours. How much were they doing together? What were they doing together?

"The number one requested song. Now," said the radio in its dramatic voice.

Breathe in

Breathe out

Sally recognized the song a bit.

Isn't this that new song by Kelly Carson?

Wait.

Isn't Tessa's last name Carson?

Sally could hear a little bit of a revved-up engine when Lightning came back from his time with Tessa. They both looked at each other, unable to start a conversation. The silence wouldn't stop.

"Sal, I, I'm still sorry about last night."

"That wasn't your fault."

"Then why weren't you talking?"

"It made me seem like an idiot. If I accidentally ran into Lexie like that, would you laugh at me?"

"… probably… not."

"See?"

"Sally, it's okay, alright?"

"Yeah. But…"

Lightning squinted his eyes a little. "But?"

"… but Tessa, you, you drove off with her today. You weren't really teaching her anything." As Lightning's eyes went a little wider than usual, Sally continued. "It almost looked like you two were… happy."

"Sally, do you think I would… cheat on you?"

Sally turned around and looked at her fiancée. He looked worried. Sad. "I mean, I don't know. Like we said, she's gonna turn the town upside-down. I guess we were right, is all."

"Sally, just because a girl comes into town and she eyes that tell you 'come and get it' doesn't mean that I'm gonna follow. She…" Lightning was at a loss of words at that point. There was something he wanted to say, but he didn't know how without making it sound like it came out of a soap opera. It was either he said it cheesily, or he didn't say it at all. And he wasn't not going to say it. "She can't make me not feel the way I do about you. And I love you. You know that." With every word, Lightning got closer and closer to Sally. They got to the point where they're lips were nearly touching.

Sally backed up and out of the position she was in, and teasingly said, "Which soap opera did you get that from?"

Lightning, laughing, followed, happy that, for now, everything was alright.

Alright, so now things start to get a little different. The next chapter will have Doc and his mystery person. People will tell Lightning amazing stories. Ha ha.

Do I smell… reviews?