Somewhere in Miami.
"I swear when I get my hands on that boy," said Tej threateningly.
He was currently riding on the passenger seat of Rome's Plymouth 'Cuda on their way to Brickell. Following a short distance behind them was Suki in her pink Honda S2000. Tej's sentiments towards jimmy were understandable. After all that he's told him about him not being ready he still went ahead without so much as leaving a note.
It started when Jimmy said that he would go out since Suki asked him to go an errand with her. Tej believed him at that point. About an hour later while hanging out with Rome, Tej discovered that he couldn't reach Jimmy's cell phone. At first he assumed low battery. So he called Suki instead to check up on that errand they were on. Imagine his surprise when Suki answered that she never asked Jimmy to go with her on any errand.
It didn't take too long for Tej to piece the puzzle together. Suki started contacting Alex and told him about the situation. He told them about the most likely place Jimmy would be and they all seemed to agree with him. Alex, who was already on the road at the time, went on a head first while keeping the rest updated through text messages. Now Tej, Rome and Suki were following suit.
Alex's last message indicated that he made contact with Jimmy but he hasn't said anything after that. If there was a race or anything like that, Alex didn't say. Tej was naturally worried as much as he was angry.
"Why doesn't that boy ever listen to what I say?" complained Tej.
"Chill, man, I'm sure Alex has got this," said Rome, trying to reassure his friend.
"But he hasn't said anything for almost half-an-hour already, man. I keep getting this vibe that something already happened."
"I'm sure they're fine. I trust that dude Alex."
"I'm just hoping Jimmy hasn't gone into a race yet."
"Why're you so worried, man. I think Jimmy should get back into racin'. He's been working out his driving with Alex and Suki for the past week. And it's already been a while since that crash of his."
"What I don't want is for that kid to be challenging the wrong people. He's too cocky, that Jimmy. He'll try to challenge somebody he has no chance of winning against."
"But you have to admit, man. He needs a race. He needs to learn some lessons. Only a real race is gonna show him what's wrong and what's right with him. Both Alex and I see it that way. Win or lose he has to learn somthin' out of this. This might really be a good thing for him.
"Man, I just don't know."
Meanwhile in the S2000, Suki was worrying by herself. Like Alex and Rome she also believed that an authentic race would be good for Jimmy at his stage of development as a driver. Only unlike the two guys who were very eager about the idea, she was a little hesitant. Rome described her worry as one a big sister would have over a little brother. Suki and Jimmy did after all share a sibling-like relationship.
She was basically waiting on a text message from Alex who had already notified them that he found him and was able to talk to him. She just didn't know what was talked about or if Alex actually stopped the race.
Just then as if on cue her cell phone beeped to indicate a massage was received. Suki noticed and quickly grabbed her phone and displayed the message. A quick look at the sender's name to see it was from Alex. It was a very short message but she read it over and over. After reading it a seventh time, she smiled in satisfaction.
Suki then switched lanes and accelerated a bit until she was side by side with Rome's side of the 'Cuda.
"Hey guys!" she called out over the sound of the wind.
Rome and Tej noticed her. She indicated with a motion of her hand to bring down the windows. Rome rolled down his window. Suki showed them her cell phone and quickly tossed it across her car and towards Rome's open window. Rome caught the device with his shifting hand He took a look at the message displayed on the phone. He smirked.
"Well how about that…" he said.
"What?" asked Tej.
Rome handed the phone to Tej so that he could read for himself. Tej grabbed the phone while giving both Roem and Suki a curious look. He then looked at the message. The Sender's name at the top read "Alex" and the short two word message simply read "He won."
Slowly Tej curved his lips to a satisfied smile. He eventually looked to the side and saw Rome's smiling face that was bordering on giggling at him as if to say "I told you so". Tej quickly wiped the smile off his face and tried to look as serious as he could and tossed Suki back her cell phone.
"I'm still gonna kick his ass when I get him," said Tej with an authoritative tone.
Rome started laughing at his expense.
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Back at the parking garage.
Vic has just arrived on his GTO only to find that Jimmy was already celebrating. The crowd was cheering and he was just eating it up. Vic was naturally furious but at the same time he was very anxious. Of the corner of his eye he saw Bull and the rest of the posse. They didn't look pleased at all.
Vic pleaded with his eyes but Bull only responded with a cold glance suggesting that he never wanted to see him again. That was their deal. Vic had failed and now Bull had no more use for him. Vic was finished. He turned back to Jimmy and the look of elation on the kid's face drove Vic off the deep end.
He slowly started stepping towards Jimmy at an increasing pace, his teeth gritted. Jimmy only noticed him at the corner of his eye as Vic approached. Vic started to raise his fist Jimmy was caught-off guard by the gesture and backed away from Vic who simply drew closer and closer. Vic was about to take a swing when suddenly another fist came from the side and knocked him right in the chin.
Vic sprawled onto the pavement much to the surprise of the crowd. Jimmy watched as Vic fell then looked up to see that the fist that nailed Vic in the chin belonged to Alex.
"Man, I hate sore losers," he commented. He then stepped over Vic and went to Jimmy. "You okay there kid?"
"Dude, I'm better than okay," he replied.
"How's that victory tastes?"
"Sweet. Better than anything!"
"Told you you got it. I was watching you. Good thing you figured out that he was braking too hard and went for the outside line. Though I expected you to get that part a little earlier."
Jimmy nodded. Yeah, yeah. I guess I was just too frustrated. Couldn't focus enough."
"But that's changed now. You're that much closer to becoming a real race car driver. Just you wait and we'll turn you to an expert driver yet."
In the meantime. Vic was just recovering from that punch to his face. He looked up from the floor and found Bull looking back down on him with an expression of disgust. Vic was instantly afraid for his life at that point. Vic leaned down a little bit closer to Vic's face.
"Don't ever show your face around here again," said Bull.
Bull then completely ignored Vic and walked over him to approach Alex and Jimmy. Alex saw Bull coming from the corner of his eye. Alex pretended to not know that Bull was there until the man was less than three feet to his side. That's when he turned and acted rather surprised that the New Yorker was there to begin with.
"Well, well, well," said Alex. "Enjoying the night air are we?"
"You got some guts showing your face around here, pizza boy."
"Oh, you remember me then?"
"A cocky-ass driver like you, how could I forget?"
"Well, I do tend to leave an impression on people. So do you actually. Heard you've been getting around, beating down racers left and right. In a new ride too. You're moving up in the world, aren't you?"
Bull's solid expression didn't falter. "You must be proud of your boy here."
"Oh, have no doubt about that."
"He seems pretty pleased about it himself. He seems to think he's pretty good."
Alex looked through the corner of his eye and watched for Jimmy's reaction. Jimmy's elated expression was gone and he now tried to look as serious as he could. But Alex could tell that the comment affected him on a certain level.
Alex was looking more serious now. "He is pretty good."
"Well pretty good isn't good enough. You tell your boy there that he just doesn't walk up to guys like me binging only that weak shit. There's no way he could ever match up to me and he shouldn't even bother trying."
"How would you know?"
"I've seen him drive. He's no good."
"All you saw was what could happen when you get a flat."
Bull was silent but for only a minute. His voice was escalating from those last few sentences and he noticed that a crowd has started to grow around him and Alex. Alex pretended not to notice the crowd coming in and forced down a smile. Bull was once again heading into what would be an uncomfortable position.
"Instead of complaining about how "weak" your opponents are why don't you go find someone who think is your level."
Bull grinned with a steely look in his eyes. "Why? You think you're up for the job."
"I said on your level, not above it."
A series of "ooooh's" emanated from the crowd. Alex didn't like coming off as arrogant but in some situation he simply couldn't help it. Bull was one of those cases where Alex had to show just how much of his cockiness can he actually prove. Alex may be arrogant from time to time but he never bites off more than he can chew.
"You know I hear you've been talking smack about me too," continued Alex. "Now I'm not one to blame a guy for hating somebody he lost to. Trust me, been there done that. But are you just gonna talk smack or are you actually gonna put it down. Make up your mind 'cause frankly I'm getting pissed off."
More "ooooh's" from the crowd. Bull was starting to show on his face that he was getting uncomfortable. Now Alex was once again dominating the conversation. He was wondering whether he should make the challenge instead and call Bull out to a race. No sooner did he think about that did Alex reject the idea. He was never one to put forward a challenge anyway. He was usually the one accepting challenges but at the same time he wasn't above conning someone he wasn't particularly fond of into a race. Which was what he was doing to Bull.
"You think I'm gonna back off?" said Bull. "You think I'm just gonna walk away?"
"That would be the smart thing for you to do right now."
"Well screw that! You want a challenge? You got one! I'm calling you out to one last race!"
The crowd started cheering now. Alex hadn't expected this so early but it seems that Bull really wanted that rematch. Fine, he'll give it to him.
"Where and when?" asked Alex.
Bull stared down Alex with a steely look. "Night after tomorrow. There's a little something a few guys organized going on at the Beach. I-195. Starting line is at the corner of Alton and Arthur. You know the place?"
Alex remained cool in his expression, refusing to show intimidation. "Just in front of the Oasis restaurant right? You wanna settle this at the bridge, huh?"
"Yeah. We'll race down to Biscayne and back. With you that makes six drivers. Buy-in is 45 large, winner takes all. You up for it?"
"I'll take you on. Whatever you can bring, pal."
"I'll tell them you're coming then. When this is over you're gonna regret ever messing with me, pizza boy."
"We'll see won't we?"
Alex flashed Bull a confident grin. Bull kept his steely expression as he walked away. Bull eventually disappeared into the crowd and Alex was sure that was the last he'll see of him tonight. A challenge has finally been laid down and it looked like it wasn't gonna be a walk in the park. Well, Alex was nothing if he wasn't confident. He liked having stacked odds. Without them, life would just get boring.
Jimmy walked up to him with a concerned look. "You sure you can take this guy?"
"He's got some skill and from what I've heard a decent ride. He will be tough but I know I can beat him."
"I-195. That's the longest bridge connecting the beach to the mainland."
"Yeah, I know. You know the road, huh?"
"I've seen a few races held there. Dude that's over six-an-a-half miles of almost nothing but straight road. The Bull guy is packing a V8!"
"Yeah, it would seem like he's got the advantage there. Based on the last race I had with him he's best at high speed driving. This kind of race is something that would really suit him."
"If it's so perfect for him, why'd you still take that challenge?"
Alex gave Jimmy a wry smile. "Don't look down on my Silvia, Jimmy. You have no idea what she's capable of."
Jimmy looked at Alex curiously.
"Besides," continued Alex. "Right now you shouldn't be so worried about me."
"Then who should I be worried about?"
Alex pointed behind him. "Them."
Jimmy looked behind him and saw Tej and company standing a few feet away and Tej did not look particularly pleased at the situation. Jimmy swallowed nervously. Alex sighed exasperatingly.
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The next day.
It was in the middle of the afternoon, during those lazy hours just between lunch time and sundown. Alex returned to his day job of pizza delivery and that was keeping him pretty busy. And in the meantime when Alex traded his four wheels for two, the Silvia S15 was sitting at a spot inside Tej's garage, under Jimmy's care.
In his absence, Alex asked the guys a favor of doing the usual tune-up and check-up. He had already told everyone about the race he was gonna have tomorrow evening. As such, he wanted to prepare his car as best he could prior to the race. At the moment Jimmy did the usual stuff: oil change, diagnosis, etc. Alex also purchased some new oils and engine cleaners that Jimmy had also put in as part of the maintenance. And in doing so he learned a lot about the S15.
He knew already that the engine was a swapped VQ35HR that was tuned but to see it up close like this was something else. The engine was a work of art, he thought. Everything worked harmoniously as if it was built out of a single piece of metal. Any real tuner would've been able to tell that this car was not built, it was crafted.
Many amateur tuners think that tuning a car simply involves slapping on a new part or replacing an old part with a bigger version. That kind of mentality often lead to their downfall. Too often would an inexperienced tuner would put something in his engine that while does increase power will often do more harm than good. Sometimes people will be putting in a turbo in just one day to add a little power but they soon cause the engine to seize due to excess heat.
Jimmy even personally knew someone who accidentally blew his engine after carelessly installing a nitrous kit. One push of that magic red button and that guy's racing days was over. Jimmy has heard countless stories of custom jobs gone bad, some of which he thought were just too dumb to be true, like that one story where a guy tried to make his car more aerodynamic with a new front bumper but because it was incompatible it ended up blocking the intercooler which, again, caused overheating and blew the engine.
A real tuner wouldn't make such mistakes. They know exactly what they want out of their engine and each individual part. A real tuner would make sure that any modification is not just some bolt-on extra but an extension of the engine's body and capabilities. They would often mix and match certain parts to compensate for the other like adding a bigger intercooler along with a new turbo. Tuners would also often spend days running their cars through rigorous trial runs in order to fine tune even the simplest of parts. This assures that the car will actually last.
Jimmy stood there over the open hood of the S15 admiring the engine for a long while. He had already finished all the maintenance work Alex had requested on his short list and only had one last thing to complete. As a final part of the maintenance procedures Jimmy had to take the S15 on a test drive. This as mainly to get those engine-cleaning oils to do their jobs.
Jimmy was excited, yet nervous. After looking at that engine and hearing stories about Alex's victories over the last couple of weeks, he was gitty about trying out the car for himself but he was also apprehensive about it. Should he wait for Alex to get off work? It would be hours before he gets back to the garage.
"Problem?" said a familiar voice from behind.
Jimmy looked behind him and saw Suki coming. He was so focused on the engine that he completely failed to notice pull-up the front drive way.
"Uh, no, nothing," replied Jimmy. "It's just that…"
"What?"
"Well, here" Jimmy reached into his pocket and pulled out the to-do list Alex had given him. Suki gave the list a once over and snickered once she read that last item.
"So why don't you go do it?" she asked.
"I just got a close look at this thing and…it's nothing like I've ever seen before. It really is something else. I can't really describe it. I don't know if I should really drive this thing or if I could."
"What do you mean by that? You think this car will be too much for you to handle."
"Suki, last night I finally learned just how much of an amateur I am compared to you guys. A car like this is way out of my league. I know that now."
"Well it's not like Alex wants you to keep the thing. He wants you to learn something."
"What's that?"
"Just get in the car and I'll show you."
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Less than half-an-hour later.
Jimmy and Suki, riding in Alex's Silvia S15, were back at that place with the old and disused warehouses that Jimmy as using as a makeshift slalom course not too long ago. Jimmy parked the car carefully at is usual starting/finishing point.
Suki pulled out a stopwatch that was sitting on the dashboard. "Okay, just do what you do here and I'll time you like the usual."
"Are you sure about this? I mean, Alex told that a simple spin around town was enough." asked Jimmy. Up until now he was driving the car like a normal commuter vehicle and it acted like nothing special. Now Suki was telling him to take the car all the way.
"I'm sure you'll learn something from this. Don't worry about it. Go on my mark."
Jimmy took a deep, apprehensive breath and revved the engine a few times. It roared like some beast impatient to be unleashed. Jimmy shifted into first gear as Suki started to count down.
"Okay, ready in 3…2…1…Start!"
Jimmy floored the gas. The wheel spin was enormous but the tires still provided plenty of grip for the car to shoot of the starting line fast enough to catch Jimmy by surprise. He felt like he was actually pushed back into his seat as the car continued to accelerate. He reached the first corner of the course much faster than he was used to. He put all his training to the test here.
He turned in and the grip alone caught him again by surprise. The car had so much of it. This was far from the usual understeer he would experience with his Golf R32 when turning at high speeds. The S15 had so much of it that Jimmy had to worry more about turning in too far and spinning out. He quickly corrected it and seemed to do a better job at the next corner. The steering, he felt was extremely precise and he found himself trying hard not to over-turn the wheel.
He shifted up a gear and sprinted down the first straight and somewhere down a third of the way Jimmy felt the twin turbos kick in with maximum boost. The sudden bust of power was unexpected and again something he had to adapt to very quickly. Jimmy managed to adjust himself to the power just in time for te next corner where he realized he had to hit the brakes to make that turn.
He shifted down a gear and hit the brakes. Again, Jimmy was caught off guard since as he hit the brakes hard he felt like he had hit a wall. Only his harness prevented him from knocking himself out at the steering wheel. Jimmy recovered from that hard braking but nearly oversteered the car again going into the next turn.
And so it went that Jimmy struggled to control the car all the way from start to finish. By the time he reached the end of his course Suki revealed that his time was no better than what it was with his Golf which struck him as odd considering the obviously superior performance of the car.
"I don't get it," he said. "I was sure I would get a faster time in this."
Suki pocketed the stopwatch away. "That just goes to show you what it means to drive a car you built with your own hands. Alex built this Silvia from scratch and he knows it better than anyone else. He's the only person that can bring out the full potential of this machine and no one else."
"This car…The way it handled, the power from the motor…"
"I was pretty surprised myself during that first race with Bull. This is car really is beyond your average tuner."
"I don't think I can do that run again."
"I don't think it's recommendable. Let's just drive back to the garage."
"Sure."
Jimmy did as was suggested. He eased out of the lot and minutes later was back on the freeway headed back to Tej's garage at a reasonable commuter's pace. For the first few minutes they drove without speaking. Suk had turned on the radio and that kept her entertained for the duration of the trip. Jimmy could care less about the music as he had dozens of thoughts running through his mind.
His mind kept replaying that earlier run through the warehouses. He recalled every sensation including how his muscles burned at the end of the run. The ordeal was physically draining to him and that has never happened before. He wondered if Alex, having had to drive this car regularly, felt the same way. Did he struggle the way he did on that run? Or was he really just that good a driver? Was Alex really the genius driver Jimmy thought he was.
"Hey Suki," called Jimmy.
"Yeah?"
"How long do you think Alex has been a street racer?"
Suki looked thought full for a few seconds. "Well, you don't get that kind of skill and tuning know-how overnight. I'd say he's been doing this for quite a while now. Almost professionally even. In some of the talks I had with him, he's kinda hinted that he's been racing for more than five years."
"You think he's always been that good?"
Suki chuckled. "No way. I mean like he said before. He likes to train you because he said you remind him of what he used to be like when he was younger."
Jimmy gave Suki a curious glance. "You think he meant that."
"Jimmy, as much as racing movies and comic books will have you believe, no one is born with a natural talent to drive. No, Alex did it the old-fashioned way. He learned everything he knows. Just like you Jimmy, he made his own mistakes and found his own weaknesses. He learned from those and developed himself into what he is now."
"You think…You think I'll ever be like him? Will I ever be as good as that?"
Suki gave him a bit of a big sister smile. "Alex thinks so. And so do I."
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Author's note: …Not much to say. Anyway, Alex's big race will come up soon. Keep an eye out till then. As usual please R&R.