A/N – I hit 100 reviews with the last chapter! Thank you guys so so so so so much!
Arya takes a deep breath. Get it together, she thinks. Don't let Gendry distract you just because he looks nice without a shirt on. Arya brushes a few strands of hair out of her face. Okay, really nice. Like unbelievably gorgeous. Her hotel room is a mess. Nymeria is sleeping on a pile of dirty clothing. There's leftover Chinese food sitting on the nightstand. Her bags are still only half unpacked.
For a moment, Arya can almost hear her mother's nagging voice. "Arya Stark, this place is a complete disaster. Is that spoiled food on the counter? You're going to get bugs! And if you get bugs, who do you think is going to pay for the fumigation?" Arya tries to ignore the imaginary voice. Mom's not here, she thinks, I'm on my own, and that's what I wanted. Right?
Right. Arya starts pulling apart her room, throwing clothes over her shoulder and tossing the sheets from her bed, until she finds her cell phone. It reads 1 voicemail. Arya presses listen and puts the phone to her ear:
It's Jon. Meet me at the South end of Cajon Cross at noon. We need to talk.
Jon's voice is terse, harsh even. Arya bites her lip. Growing up, Jon was always her hero, her idol. She hates the thought that he's mad at her. But it was inevitable. Arya glances at the time on her phone- it's already eleven. That means she has to take Gendry to his car and then meet Jon right after.
Nymeria is wide-awake now. She's sitting in the corner looking expectantly at Arya. "Sorry I've been so busy," Arya says guiltily. "You want to come with me to meet Jon?" And be my bodyguard if he decides to tie me up and take away my car keys so that I'll never race again?
Nymeria barks and stands up, wagging her bushy tail. "Okay, come on then."
"I can't believe you brought your dog," Gendry says, his voice muffled by Nymeria's thick fur.
Arya grins and glances to the side where Nymeria has decided to plant herself right in Gendry's lap. "You should be happy. She likes you now."
"If liking me means she's going to suffocate me, I'd rather not have it." Arya notices that despite complaining, Gendry still scratches Nymeria behind her ear. Nymeria nuzzles into the scratch, cocking her head to the side.
"I've been leaving her alone too often. I thought I'd let her come along for the ride."
"She's a dog, not a child. It's okay to leave her alone."
"How about I leave you alone on the side of the street?" Arya asks as she takes a sharp right turn.
"Fine. I'll try my best to get used to her. Right, Nymeria?"
Nymeria rotates in Gendry's lap so that she can give him a big, wet kiss on his face. Arya laughs. "Good girl."
"Very funny," Gendry says as he wipes the slobber off with his arm.
Arya bites her lip to stop her laughter. "Nymeria, back here." Arya whistles and pats the back seat. Nymeria jumps off of Gendry and settles down in the back. "Better?" Arya asks.
"Much. Thank you."
"So," Arya says as she pulls up to a red light. "Do you know where Cajon Cross is?"
"The street?"
"No. The theme park." Arya rolls her eyes. "Yes, of course the street."
"It's about seven miles south on Cajon Boulevard at the intersection. Why?"
"No reason." Arya bites the edge of her thumbnail.
"No reason at all? Because Cajon Cross is a pretty popular road to practice on."
"Huh. Is it?" Arya can't look at Gendry. He probably already knows that she's lying, and looking at him would make it even more obvious. "I just heard there was a good dry cleaners over there."
"There's nothing over there. Empty road." Gendry turns and looks Arya up and down with skeptical eyes. "Besides, what would you need to get dry cleaned? Your cotton tank top?"
Arya blushes as Gendry's gaze sweeps over her, even though it's only to inspect her clothing. "Never mind," she mutters.
"But really, Arya, what are you planning on doing over there? If you're going to practice, I want to come with you."
Arya turns to Gendry and narrows her eyes. "Why would you want to do that?"
"You could get hurt. There's no cell reception that far out. Who's going to save you this time?"
Arya snorts. "I'm not going to get hurt. Not that I'm actually racing," she hurriedly says. "But if I was going to race, I wouldn't get hurt. I practice on my own all the time. I'm not stupid."
"But these are unfamiliar roads, and you don't-"
"Gendry. Drop it, or I'll call Nymeria back to the front seat. And not all of her kisses are so sweet."
Gendry crosses his arms and stares Arya down. "I don't like it when you go all incognito on me."
"I don't really care what you like." That's a flat out lie, Arya says to herself. She thinks way too much about Gendry. The thought that he wants to protect her is infuriating and yet flattering at the same time. But he can't know what she's really up to. He has no idea that Jon is her brother, and if she tells him why she's going to Cajon Crossing, it will just lead to more questions and more answers she doesn't want to give.
Arya turns another corner, and the parking lot of the circuit appears. "Look we're here. Get in your car and just forget about what I said. I'm sure I'll see you later, all right?"
Gendry is staring at her as she pulls into the lot. "You're going to get yourself into trouble again, aren't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Jon is sitting on the hood of his car when Arya pulls into the empty intersection of Cajon Cross. He's wearing dark wash jeans and a tight black t-shirt. The scruff on his face looks even thicker than before. His eyes are dark and calculated as he watches Arya get out of her car.
"Come on," Arya whistles, and Nymeria jumps out of the car and starts padding softly across the asphalt.
"You're late," Jon says as Arya approaches.
"I had to run an errand first." Arya scans Jon's face, searching for any hint of emotion. Is he angry? Forgiving? Furious? "And I'm only a minute late."
Jon jumps off the hood of his car and strides forward so that he's towering above Arya. He's not the giant of Arya's youth, but he still stands half a foot taller than her. Arya has to look up to meet his dark eyes. "You didn't listen to me," Jon says. "You raced even though I specifically told you not to."
"What did you expect, Jon? Did you think I would run home with my tail between my legs?" Arya kicks at a pebble on the ground. She's definitely in trouble. "You know why I came to San Diego."
"To get yourself killed obviously."
Arya rolls her eyes. Jon sounds exactly like Gendry. Overprotective and stubborn. When are they going to realize that she's not a little girl? "I've managed to keep breathing so far, so I guess I'm doing something right."
"You're doing nothing right. How could you possibly think that crashing a race would be a good idea? You saw Joffrey! He looked just about ready to bite your little head off, and you better be fucking grateful that the Hound wasn't in the mood to play games, or he really would have bitten you a new one. And what if Joffrey finds out who you really are? Sure, maybe he let Cat of El Cajon get away with the stunt you pulled, but he sure as hell wouldn't let Arya Stark get away with it!"
Arya crosses her arms. "Are you done yelling yet? And hey, why doesn't Joffrey recognize you when you race?"
"It's been six years since that little shit has seen me with our family. I've grown a foot, grown my hair, and grown a beard. There's nothing to recognize." Jon laughs bitterly. "I haven't been in the family Christmas card since 2005."
"I guess that's true." Every time Arya thinks of Jon leaving home, her stomach churns with bile. She's never truly forgiven her mother for what she did to Jon. It wasn't his fault that Bran got hurt. Arya looks up at Jon, and she knows that he's thinking of Bran and mom too. "I won't get hurt like he did," Arya says softly. "I can take care of myself. And if something does happen, it won't be your fault. You have to know that."
"I introduced you to racing. Of course it will be my fault."
"That's bullshit. Robb races too, and dad used to race for fun before he hurt his back."
"Yeah. Hurt his back." Jon grins bitterly and shakes his head.
"What?"
"Nothing." Jon sighs. "Never mind. Look, I didn't ask you here so we could spend the day arguing."
"Than why are we arguing and why am I here?"
"If you're going to insist on racing, which seems to be the case, than I'm going to make sure you know what the hell you're doing out there."
Suddenly a weight seems to lift from Arya's chest. Jon is going to help her. He's not only going to talk to her, but he's also going to help her race. Without warning, Arya leaps forward and wraps her arms tightly around Jon, tucking her head into his chest. Nymeria whines and follows Arya's actions by leaping on Jon and giving him a wet kiss. Jon laughs, deep and rumbling as he hugs the two back.
"Thank you, thank you," Arya says when she steps back. She knew Jon was always her favorite for a reason. Beneath all the surly attitude, he's the best brother anyone could ask for.
"Just don't make me regret this, all right? You have to promise to listen to everything I say. I don't want any attitude from you."
"I promise," Arya says hurriedly. "Come on. Let's get started."
"I'm serious Arya. You have to listen to everything I say. I want to teach you a new move that I've been working on, but it's really difficult, and if you mess up even a little bit-"
"I'll end up paralyzed in a pit a of smoke and debris. Yeah. I know." Arya grins, and after a second's hesitation, Jon smiles back at her. "Come on then hotshot, show me what you've got."
"All right. Wait here, and I'll show you the move first. Then we can start practicing."
Arya whistles for Nymeria and they walk to the edge of the road, sitting down on the hot pavement. Jon walks back towards his car and starts the engine. After backing up, he zooms down the road and out of sight.
Arya waits impatiently. She scratches Nymeria behind the ear but keeps her eyes trained on the road. "Come on, come on," she whispers. When she was younger, Jon always wanted to show her some new trick he learned. And they were always impressive. She can't wait to see this new one.
Finally his car appears on the horizon. Arya stands up and watches as he speeds down the road. Eventually, he starts hugging the right side of the street, driving dangerously close to its edge. And then, all of a sudden, he pops his car up. Not the front two tires in a standard wheelie, but he balances his car on the front and back left wheels so that he's almost driving vertically, half his car lifted off of the ground.
Arya stands and watches, her mouth wide open. "How the fuck..." she mumbles. Eventually Jon settles his car back to the ground and whips around, driving towards Arya. He stops the car short and smoke billows behind him.
When he rolls down the window, he's smiling like an idiot. "Nice trick, huh?" He asks.
"Can my car even do that?"
"All the right gears and bolts are already installed. I did it years ago, but I never mastered the trick until a month ago."
"Jesus," Arya says, brushing the hair out of her face. "That's going to be really useful on this circuit. With them racing five cars at a time, you could just slide right by."
Jon grins. "I know. Maybe I shouldn't teach you how to do it. I'd like to keep the advantage to myself." He sighs. "But I figure I'll beat your either way."
Arya raises her eyebrows. "I seem to remember beating you last night."
"Because you cheated."
"I didn't cheat."
"That's very debatable."
"So," Arya says, smiling. "My turn?"
"You're not pulling enough," Jon says for the thirtieth time.
"Yes, I am," Arya says through gritted teeth. She's been practicing for two hours now, which means Jon has been yelling at her from the passenger's seat for two hours.
"No you're not," Jon repeats. "If you were doing it right, you'd be in the air. We've been on the ground for hours now."
Arya leans over and punches Jon in the arm. "Just shut up, all right? You've had years to practice this. I'm trying to learn it in a day."
Jon laughs as he rubs his arm. "I see your temper hasn't changed much. How about we call it a break for today? I can meet with you tomorrow, and we can practice some more."
"Fine," Arya says.
"I don't want you practicing this on your own."
"Fine."
"I mean it. If you get hurt, no one will be here."
"Fine."
"I'm serious, Arya."
"Okay."
Arya parks the car and Jon and her both get out. Nymeria is sitting on the side of the road, panting in the hot sun. "I should get her home anyways," Arya says. "It's too hot in San Diego."
"Better than the cold," Jon says. "I hate the cold." Jon starts walking back towards his car, but before he gets there, he turns around and smiles at Arya. "I'll see you tomorrow, little sister."
"See you."
Okay, so maybe she lied. Just a little bit. As soon as Arya dropped Nymeria off at the motel, she scarfed down some food and headed straight back to Cajon Cross. By the time she gets back, she still has a few hours of sunlight to learn the trick, and she's determined to have it mastered by then.
She reaches over to her middle compartment, opens it, and pulls out her racing gloves. The supple leather makes her feel confident, in control. "Okay," she says, gripping the wheel. "Let's do this."
Hours pass by as she practices. Each time she is closer than the last, but she still can't seem to keep both wheels off of the ground for longer than a couple of seconds. And that's just not enough time to pass someone on the road.
The sun started to set half an hour ago, and the sky has turned a dusky purple. Arya flips on her headlights. She should probably head home soon. Her leg is cramping from hours of driving, and her hands feel rigid from continuously pulling the gears.
One more try, she tells herself, last time. I know I'll get it. Just one more time. Arya sets her jaw and pulls her car into drive. The engine hums beneath her. She massages the kinks out of her thigh and takes a deep, steadying breath. I can do this, she thinks, more determined then ever.
She slowly starts to accelerate down the road, building more and more speed as the seconds pass. Once she's clocking 90 mph, she yanks her gear, pulls the switch, and spins her wheel. And there it goes. The car starts lifting, first the front wheel and then the back one. Arya grins as the entire right side of her car hovers above the ground.
She spins the wheel further so that the angle is even harsher, letting her car take up half its usual space on the road. "Five seconds," she says. "Hold it for five seconds." Her car zooms down the road as she whispers. "Five, four, three, two...FUCK!"
Suddenly her leg spasms and she loses control of the wheel. The car rotates out, bangs to the ground, and heads straight for a ditch. Arya tries to regain control, but there's not enough time. Her car speeds forward, quickly approaching a tree. "Too fast, too fast," Arya mutters, her pulse racing. But as hard as she tries, she can't slow the car down, and the tree is approaching, and her car is topping 100 mph, and the tree is right there, and...
When Arya wakes up, her head is pounding. She lifts a hand to her forehead, and it comes away sticky and wet. Slowly she pries open her eyes only to see blood and broken glass. Arya grimaces. Her entire body feels stiff. She must have been knocked out for a while, and of course, no one has seen her on this deserted road.
Groaning, Arya manages to open her car door and roll outside. The night sky is black and dotted with thousands of stars. For a moment, Arya just lies there on the dirt ground, letting the tepid breeze wash over her. Her eyes start to close again, but she forces them open. "No more sleeping," she mutters, wondering if she has a concussion.
After testing her movements, Arya slowly stands up. Nothing seems to be broken. Except for her car. The entire front side is completely caved in. A hysterical panic rises up in Arya. Not my car, she thinks, oh god, not my car. She can't race without her car. She can't make money without her car. She can't do anything. She'll be useless. A failure.
Gendry.
Yes. Of course, Gendry. He'll fix it. He has to, Arya thinks. Ignoring the pains in her body, she gets back inside of her car and tries to start the engine. It stalls three times before it hums to life. Hopefully it'll make it to his shop.
As Arya pulls the car into reverse, she glances in her rearview mirror and sees red. "Fuck," she says. There's a giant gash on her forehead that's still bleeding. It doesn't hurt though. Maybe it's the adrenaline. Or the stress of her broken car. Arya bites her lip for a second before yanking off her tank top and tying it tightly around the cut on her head. It'll have to do for now.
A/N – There was going to be another Arya / Gendry scene in here, but the chapter started to get too long. Sorry guys, you'll have to wait until next chapter to see how Gendry reacts to Arya's accident.
But I promise it will be worth the wait.
Thank you for all the reviews / alerts/ favorites! You guys are the best : )
Guest Review:
Question: Arya tells Gendry that Sansa or Jon would have saved her if he hadn't stepped in...so does Gendry know that Jon and Arya are related?
Answer: Nope! That was totally a mistake. I went back to the last chapter and fixed it. Thanks for catching it!