Mara was playing a computer game when her phone buzzed. She took it and smiled, seeing that Luke had texted her.
Hello there. Want to meet somewhere for lunch? That little diner has some great food.
Mara quickly texted back,
Only if you're paying. We're not all made of money you know.
She threw on a pair of jeans, a tank top and a sweatshirt before tying her gold-red hair back into a ponytail. She grabbed her purse and her keys and headed out quickly. The diner was only a short walk away. On the way, her phone buzzed with Luke's reply,
LOL! Funny. Yes, I'll pay. I'd never invite you to lunch and then make you pay for yourself. That would just be rude.
Mara chuckled as she turned the corner and saw Luke talking to a group of guys, including his room mate Wedge Antilles. When he noticed her, Luke said, "Hey I'll see you boys later. Don't forget to bring the necessaries."
Wedge mock saluted, "You got it boss. Don't do anything I wouldn't."
They moved off but one of them, the youngest, called back to him, "Hey Luke, aren't you going to introduce us to your new girlfriend?"
Luke blushed and said, "Get outta of here, Dak."
Mara chuckled again and surprised Luke by giving him a hug. Despite his surprise, he hugged her back and said, "How's your Saturday going, Mara?"
She shrugged, "I'm board and hungry. Let's go eat. We can talk about what we're doing tomorrow."
Luke nodded eagerly and they went inside. It was an old school diner, like one that you'd see in the movie Grease or something and it smelled good. They found a seat and made small talk before ordering. Mara laughed at the meal Luke ordered. "Geez, Farmboy! There are small towns in third world countries who could be fed on what you eat."
Luke blushed and smiled. "I'm a growing boy, Mara."
She laughed again. After a moment of companionable silence, Mara nonchalantly asked, "So what are you and the boys doing in the city tonight?"
Luke became noticeably uncomfortable. He didn't want to lie to her but at the same time, he didn't want to tell her, that much was obvious. He was stuck. With a sigh, he leaned forward and motioned her to do the same. With a whisper, he asked, "Can you keep a secret?"
Mara nodded but even so Luke was nervous. "Down in the city, at least once every month, me and the boys put some money together and I race my car on the streets. Sometimes Wedge races with me and sometimes he doesn't but it gives us all a decent income while we're here. The problem is it's highly illegal AND the other participants are usually hardened criminals of one kind or another."
Mara listened without saying a word. When Luke was done, a silence followed. Finally, she said, "Well I certainly didn't expect that. I'd say you were lying if I thought you were capable of it."
Luke was silent. He had expected a more animated reaction from her, most likely anger that he would do something that many would think pretty stupid - breaking the law and getting involved with criminal activity that could, and had, often lead to criminal violence. Luke loved it and the money wasn't bad either. Finally, Mara smiled prettily, just as their food was place and she said, "Well have fun tonight then. You can regale me with all the details tomorrow afternoon. That reminds me, what are we doing tomorrow afternoon?"
Luke was relieved. "It's supposed to be nice outside. How about a picnic?"
Mara liked that idea. "Sure. I'll ware a sun dress."
That made Luke smile even larger. "Sounds good."
They continued to talk into the afternoon until Luke had to go meet his friends. Mara hugged him again and said, "Be careful, Farmboy. I'm starting to like you so I'll be pretty mad if you get yourself hurt, arrested or killed."
Luke chuckled and said, "I've never gotten hurt, arrested or killed yet."
When Mara got back to her dorm, she was pleased to see her roommate Mirax Terrick was home reading a magazine. "Hey Mirax, got a question for you. Do you know anyone who goes and watches the Rogues when they go for their races?"
Mirax looked surprised and Mara waved her hand dismissively, "Luke Skywalker told me. Anyhow, do you?"
Mirax began to look through her phone and said, "Well I know Iella Wessiri always goes. Do you want her number?"
Mara nodded. When she had obtained the number, she called it. "Hey Iella, it's Mara Jade - we have stats together. - I'm doing well, how are you? - That's great. Anyhow I heard that some of the boys go down to the city and do a little clandestine racing and that you usually go watch. I'd like to go, too. Would that be okay? - Awesome! I - wait, what now? - Sure I'll be there in a couple minutes. - Thanks Iella. - Yup, bye."
Mirax grinned and said, "She's going to dress you up like one of those racer fan girls, isn't she?"
Mara blushed and murmured, "I guess so."
"Lucky, lucky Luke. You'll have to tell me how it goes later."
Mara nodded and left. Two hours later, she was getting into Iella's car. They were both dressed in tight pants, rather revealing shirts and heels. Mara felt a little uncomfortable in the clothes and Iella said, "You'll get used to it. Just one final warning though: you will be ogled. It's part of the sport. Are you sure you want to come along?"
Mara nodded and smiled. "Let's go. I want to see what this is all about."
When they reached the city, the sun had gone down and it was dark. Iella pulled a pair of pepper spray cans and taser to shove into her purse. Mara looked shocked. "You're kidding, right?"
Iella gave her a look that showed exactly how serious she was. Mara sighed and pulled a very small pistol out of her purse and checked the load. "I guess old Sheev knew what he was talking about."
Iella's eyes went wide, "Woah! That's a gun. Do NOT pull that out unless you absolutely have to, PLEASE, Mara. Starting a gun fight here could get some of us killed."
Mara gave her a patient look. "I've gone through all pertinent classes and have a fake CCW just in case. When your guardian is as rich as Sheev Palpatine, you can get pretty much whatever you want."
Iella looked skeptical but nodded. They stepped out of the car and were immediately bombarded by loud music with the bass turned up way, WAY too high. Iella looked over and pointed out certain people such as drivers, staunch supporters, key gamblers and the man who took the money for the bets. Mara murmured, "Do you ever place a bet?"
Iella nodded eagerly. "All the time. Come with me."
They sashayed over to the bookie and placed sizable bets on Luke since Wedge wasn't driving that night. Mara was surprised to see Lando Calrissian and several of the Iota Sigma Beta boys and Han Solo as well, all placing bets. Han had the trunk of a van open and he was selling the shine out of the back of it. It was going fast too. He noticed Mara and his eyes widened. Immediately, the senior grabbed his phone and made a call. Mara bet he was calling Luke.
Luke was doing a last few checks on his car. It was the same every time they raced - drive in, find out the evening's event, make a plan and start doing checks on his vehicle, fending off the local female spectators as he did. He always tried to be polite and always smiled and was always courteous though firm. As he finished one last check and wiped fluids and grime on a rag, Luke's phone rang. Frowning, he answered, "Hello?"
"Luke - it's Han, buddy. Hey, did you know Mara was coming with Iella tonight?"
Luke's mouth fell open. "Uh... no. Is she really here?"
"Uh... yeah. On a high note, she's dressed to kill. Damn, Luke! She's hot! Anyhow, I'll keep an eye on her and I'll talk to a couple of the guys too. I'll make their only purpose tonight keeping the ISB boys away from her."
Luke sighed with relief. "Thank's, Han. Should I let Wedge race tonight and stick around Mara?"
"NO! No, no. I'll make sure she's safe, alright? Even if I have to take care of her myself, I'll make sure she's safe."
Luke smiled at his friend. "Thanks, Han. Alright, time to get ready to line up. Wish me luck."
Luke and three others rolled their cars up to the starting line. It was a simple race around a predetermined route. First one back wins. The other drivers were all newcomers who hadn't raced before. Luke had remained silent as they goaded one another until the bookie calmed them down, outlined the track and made sure everything was clear. Once the cars started, there were really no rules accept be the first one back. Luke looked to his right and left. The other cars looked like they were pretty decked out but Luke was confident in his own skills and in the money he had put into his car. A tall, leggy, scantily clad blond strutted out and lifted her hands and dropped them. They were off.
Mara watched as the cars shot off. Iella was grinning and said, "Here, go to this website on your phone and you can watch it live from different cameras set up throughout the city."
Mara followed the instructions, her green eyes wide. "A lot of prep goes into these underground races."
"You have no idea;" murmured Iella.
It was exciting to see, even just on the cameras. Luke's car was a dull gray with red stripes and he had a car painted on his rear bumper for every race he won and there were a lot of cars on that bumper. Mara felt herself getting excited as the cars tore around corners and blazed down streets. The bookie was announcing over a loud sound systems. "This is one of our best races yet, folks. It's gonna get better in a second. Just wait for the flashing lights."
As if on cue, red and blue lights began to flash in several of the camera views and six police cruisers blazed after the racers. "This should add something interesting to the race. First racer back without a cop car following them gets the cash. If anyone comes back with the cops following them, I pity them."
Mara's green eyes were huge and glued to her phone. Suddenly, a huge screen showed the race where the cars were. In surprise, Luke's car split off and spead down an alley. Two cruisers followed. She covered her mouth, worried on her friend's behalf. Luke whipped into a twenty-four hour parking garage, the cameras losing sight of him. For several long minutes, he didn't reemerge. When he did, he tore out and headed back towards the finish line. The cruisers weren't following him anymore. Suddenly, another car tore out of an alley in front of him. The maneuvering was tight and it looked as though Luke had lost already when he suddenly juked and pulled in beside the other car. Mara wanted to cheer but the race wasn't over yet. With a roar of engines, both cars sped up, reaching daunting speeds until the other suddenly swerved towards Luke, who slammed his breaks. His opponent smashed into a parked car and Luke blazed on past and, moments later, across the finish line. Cheers, curses, laughing and angry yells permeated the air. "Come on! Let's go!" cried Iella excited and ran towards the car. Mara was right behind her, eagerly pushing through the massed groups of eager spectators.
When Luke stepped out of the car, a huge grin on his face, he put his hands up immediately to ward off several women who were trying to wrap their arms around his neck and kiss him. One of them, a red-haired beauty with green eyes, ignored them completely, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek happily. The Bookie ran up, still yelling into the mic. "Woah, folks! Woah! I need to give everyone their winnings! Come on, now! Make a hole!"
Luke held out his hands and a huge stack of bills was handed to him. "Thanks, Mazzick."
"Hey you, Skywalker;" came an angry voice. The crowed parted and a man with a bloody forehead came through. "I want my money!"
Mazzick lifted his hands. "Woah there, now. He won. I know you're new to the area but here we have integrity. If we bet money and lose, we don't try and steal it back."
The stranger glared him into silence before pulling his shirt up slightly to reveal a holstered handgun of some kind. Luke looked him in the eye and said, "Funny thing about a gun - it's a useless piece of metal and fiberglass if it isn't in the perfect circumstances. For instance, it needs to be loaded with a round in the pipe, on fire and pointed at the target. Tell me something, do you think you can get that out of your pants and pointed at me before I can knock your dumb ass out?"
The stranger went for it and Luke grabbed his hand before punching him right in the face and putting his arm in a lock and slamming him face first on the hood of his car. Luke growled. "You thought wrong."
A couple of the other guys grabbed the stranger and began to drag him away. Mara whispered to Luke, "What's gonna happen to him?"
Luke sighed. "They'll kick the hell out of him and leave him in the dirt. Now what are you doing here, Mara?"
She smiled and said, "I was curious. I wanted to see what this was all about. I'm glad I came. That was awesome!"
Luke smiled, a little bit of smug pride in his victory. "Well let's go. It's going to get a little ugly when the others get back. They hate it when the cops are involved in the races."
"Can I ride with you?" asked Mara excitedly. Luke nodded. "Sure."
"Hey now, Baby, don't forget your winnings;" said Mazzick to Mara. She smiled and accepted the rather large stack of cash, handing it to Luke. "I don't have pockets;" she explained, "could you carry that for me please?"
Luke nodded and they headed back to his car.
Mara kept an eye on the Luke as he drove her back to campus. He was humming to himself and, when he reached into the center console and pulled out a sweet, popping it into his mouth after unwrapping it, she laughed. Luke smiled, "Help yourself."
Mara took one and ate it, smirking at him. "You know I will, Farmboy."
Luke chuckled again. He swallowed a couple times before finally getting up the courage to say, "I like your outfit."
Mara looked down at herself. She was wearing a very tight pair of pants, a shirt that didn't have the decency to cover her toned, flat stomach and high heels that made her legs look way, WAY too good. She grinned at him and said, "My, my, Farmboy. Your success tonight it making you brave, isn't it?"
Luke shrugged, blushing furiously. "Maybe a little bit."
Mara smiled and leaned against the car window, facing him slightly. "Well I'm glad you like it."
After a comfortable silence, Mara looked at him and asked, "Why do you do it?"
Luke stole a glance at her. "Do what?"
"Race, of course; why do you race? You never struck me as the type to participate in illegal sports, Farmboy. You always seemed to earnest and straight laced."
Luke thought about it and said, "I've been racing cars since I was fifteen. I won my first night race when I was sixteen and used the winnings to buy my own car and rent a storage unit. My uncle and aunt don't know about it to this day. There's just something about the thrill of a race, driving a really fast car down a dark road with little to no light, knowing that with one wrong move, one wrong twitch of the steering wheel, you could very well wind up dead in a burning pile of scrap and metal. The thrill, the concentration it requires, the adrenaline rush is indescribable."
Mara licked dry lips. It sure sounded like a lot of fun, and to hear Luke talk about it like that made it sound all the better. Something about this whole situation was affecting her and she had a strong urge to kiss the boy in the driver's seat. Holy hell, Jade! Since when did you have a thing for bad boys?
But that was just it. Luke wasn't a 'bad boy'. Sure he participated in illegal street racing but he was so kind, gentle, chivalrous, considerate and respectful. Hell, he had to get courage up to simply tell her he liked her outfit. Even so, she wanted to touch him. Nonchalantly, she reached over to grab another sweet as he did, grazing his hand with her own.
Luke's froze for a moment and Mara gave it a tiny little caress. Luke looked to be concentrating on the road as he took her hand and held it, using his thumb to caress the back of her knuckles. Having his callused thumbs rubbing against the back of her hand felt nice. It was comforting. They didn't speak the rest of the ride back to the university but when he pulled up to the storage unit where he kept his car and his tools, Mara was asleep, her head rested on Luke's shoulder. She had her arms around his right arm, hugging it and one of her hands held his. Luke carefully pulled the car into the unit and, regretting the necessity, woke Mara. "Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. I'll walk you back to your dorm."
She yawned and stretched. "My feet hurt. Can you carry me?" she muttered sleepily.
Luke chuckled. First, Mara kicked her heels off and picked them up while they were still in the storage unit. Luke turned around and said, "Okay, hop on."
He carried her back to her dorm piggy-back style and, when he got her to her door, gently let her down. "Sleep tight, Mara."
He was about to walk away when Mara grabbed him and gave him another kiss on the cheek. "You too, Farmboy;" she murmured before she went to bed. Luke smiled and began to walk back to the dorm. It had been a great day.
Updated 10/15/2018
