Chapter 5
The next morning, Jake woke up to find Diane's head resting on his shoulder as she slept and he blushed from the closeness before carefully cradling her head as he got up and carefully placing the girl's head down on a pillow. She stirred a little, but then settled down, to which he sighed in relief.
He then began to ponder about what Balan said about having rooms ready for both Jake and Diane soon. The maestro admitted that it usually did not take very long for rooms to be ready, but things had been so busy lately that it was taking a bit longer, to which Jake didn't mind, knowing Balan was a busy man.
At first wondering what to do, Jake decided to take a stroll around the theater, but as he was doing so, he decided to head outside, his feet taking him to the very alley that had the garage where he had hidden his Corvette Z06. He saw the garage was actually in the alleyway right next to the alleyway that led to the theater.
He opened the door to reveal his car still hidden under the tarp along with two shelves. One shelf had all the trophies and medals he had won and the other shelf had newspapers of his racing days and photos of him and his parents. He sighed as he looked at them before walking out, feeling the sting of what the racing committee had said about his racing days being over.
He closed the garage door and turned to see Leo walking up the alleyway. "Oh, good morning, Leo," he said.
"Morning, Jake," the boy said before looking curious, but just as he opened his mouth to ask what the young man was doing near the old garage, they heard the familiar voice of Balan calling to them and turned to see he was at the mouth of the alleyway.
"Ah, there you two are," the top-hatted man said with a smile. "Breakfast is ready."
"We'll be right there, Balan," Jake said.
The maestro vanished and the two headed to the theater, Leo leading the way and Jake sighed in relief as he didn't want anyone besides Diane knowing that he was a racing driver because he didn't want to talk about it, not after the crash that had cost him his racing career.
As they were eating, Emma asked Jake what he wanted to do that day. "Well, I'm meeting up with Attilio at Christmas Rose Park," the young man said.
"Oh, you're going to love Attilio's carnival!" The girl said, her face lighting up. "It's one of the best in the world."
Jake smiled at her. "It is?" He asked.
She nodded. "Leo and I have been there a few times and it really is incredible."
Balan chuckled. "Attilio has done well with the park since he acquired it," he said. "Even Lance and myself had gone over there, though Lance finds it hilarious to scare people in the haunted house."
"You can't blame me for enjoying that haunted house," Lance defended. "Attilio has done a good job of keeping it known as one of the best parts of the park."
Leo chuckled. "Plus Lance did scare away those punks that were tagging Attilio's park," he said. "I think Merry Ghost was laughing so hard she almost fell over."
Lance chuckled, ruffling the boy's hair, making Diane smile. "Tall, dark, and protective," she said.
"You better believe it, young lady," the tendriled man said with a nod, but the smile on his face proved that he was amused.
Balan chuckled. "Lance may not always admit it, but he is very protective of the children as I am," he said. "Even Eis' young son isn't afraid of Lance."
"Only because you made me look silly that one time by putting that rainbow wig on my head without me realizing it," Lance retorted lightly. "But on the plus side, it did make the boy laugh."
After breakfast, Jake headed out while Lance headed to Wonderworld to check on things and Diane joined Emma, Leo, and Balan in the living room, telling them what she and Jake had discussed the night prior.
"So he's a real racecar driver?" Emma asked in awe.
"Yes, or at least, he was until the accident," Diane said.
"I can't believe those people gave up on him. Jake's really cool," Leo said.
"Sounds like their decision and the fans that moved on to another racer hurt Jake more than the accident," Balan said thoughtfully.
Diane nodded. "I think he feels he can't race again," she said. "But...when I was talking to him last night, I noticed he had that yearning to get behind the wheel and race again. He seems to be wanting to bottle it up, but it's in his blood."
"I wonder if that's why he was in the alleyway this morning," Leo said. "I didn't get to ask him, but he was by an old garage. He looked kind of sad though before I saw him."
"It could be that his car is there," Balan said thoughtfully before coming up with an idea. "Diane, the moment Jake comes back from visiting Attilio, can you let me know?"
"Sure thing, Balan," the pink-haired girl said.
Jake had had a wonderful time with Attilio and decided he was definitely going to bring Diane to the park, talking to the clown man and asking him for pointers on how to ask a girl out on a date, which Attilio was more than happy to give him as he knew what it was like to be in love since he himself was in love with a princess.
Grateful to his friend, Jake returned to the Isle of Tims, sitting down on a rock as he began to think about what he and Diane had talked about the night before. While he had been hesitant for anyone to know, he hadn't wanted to lie to her.
He now sighed, unsure about what to do to get his confidence back to race.
Diane, who had seen him, quickly went to tell Balan where Jake was and the tall being smiled. "I'll go see him," he said.
"What do you have in mind, Balan?" She asked.
"Something to help him hopefully get back into racing, or at least consider it," the tall being said.
Jake was still deep in thought when he felt something nuzzle against his leg and he looked down to see a yellow Tim and it chirped up at him. Smiling, the young man picked up the little fluffball, petting him and hugging him. The small creature chirped again, nuzzling into the hug. "You guys really know how to brighten up someone's day," he said to the small creature.
Just then, Balan appeared before Jake. "Ah, Jake, there you are," he said with a smile.
"Oh, hey, Balan," the young man said. "What's up?"
"Well, Diane told myself, Leo, and Emma about you being a racer last night," the tall man said. "And I feel that you were treated unfairly after you returned from your recovery. So I want to help you regain your confidence to race again."
The maestro didn't miss the way Jake's eyes lit up at the thought of racing again. "Really?" He asked, feeling happy that Balan was offering help, but then he looked saddened as he remembered the horrible crash. "Balan, as much as I appreciate the offer, I'm not really sure I want to go back into racing." He bit his lip as he felt his arms tense up in fear. The Tim in his arms chirped and that seemed to bring the young man back to reality and he took a deep breath. "I'm afraid I'll have another accident like that crash," he admitted.
Balan felt his heart go out to the young man and gently placed a hand on the young man's face, gently turning the young man's face to look at him. "Jake, look at me," he said gently, to which the young man did.
To Jake surprise, Balan then gently pulled him into a hug, holding him like a father would when comforting his own children. "Don't give that awful memory any more thought, my boy. Cause I too believe you can still be a great racer."
The tall being's words struck a chord with the young man as he had almost forgotten what it was like to have someone believe in him. He gave a smile to the best of his ability before hugging Balan back. The tall being gently rubbed the young man's back, rocking him back and forth gently, a gesture much appreciated by the young man.
"You...You really believe that?" Jake asked him. "But...you've never seen me race, have you?"
Balan chuckled. "No, but I can see the passion you have for it. Even Diane saw it last night when you told her," he said. "You haven't lost your passion for racing, my boy. You still have it, buried deep in you."
The young man bit his lip. "How can I get behind the wheel again after the accident?" He asked.
"Open the door and get in the driver's seat," Balan replied gently. "You feel the pull of wanting to race, don't you? It's why Leo found you outside the old garage."
Jake realized the tall being was right and nodded. "What...What if I can't get behind the wheel again?"
"You won't know unless you try," the maestro said, his voice still gentle.
The young man was considering the tall being's words as he later on when out to the garage and pulled the tarp off his car, taking a deep breath before opening the driver's side door and getting in, closing the door and sitting in the seat and gripping the steering wheel, feeling the adrenaline rush hit him and he turned the key.
The engine roared to life and he nodded, feeling a yearning to go race at the old desert track where he used to practice. A gentle knock on the window surprised him and he saw Balan there, grinning at him and he opened the window. "How do you feel, Jake?" He asked.
"Like this is where I'm supposed to be," the young man said. "In the driver's seat."
Balan smiled. "See? You've haven't lost your passion for it," he said.
Jake nodded before looking at Balan. "Balan, can you bring Diane, Leo, and Emma to this place?" He asked, showing the tall being a map. "It's an old desert track, but it's great for practice."
The tall being nodded. "We'll be there," he said. "And Jake. You can do it. I know you can."
They were all soon at the track and Jake sat in his Chevorlet Corvette Z06, looking up at the siding to see Balan, Diane, Leo, and Emma there and he smiled at them, to which they smiled back, showing they believed he could still be a great racer.
Jake took a deep breath and mentally counted in his head before pressing on the accelerator. The engine revved as he picked up speed and he raced along the dirt track, his hands knowing instinctively what to do, as did his mind.
"Go, Jake!" Emma cheered.
"You got this!" Leo cheered.
"Come on, honey! Show 'em how it's done!" Diane said excitedly.
Balan nodded. "Come on, my boy," he whispered encouragingly.
Jake completed the turns perfectly and soon came to a stop after completing the lap. He smiled as he felt like he did when he had raced before. As he stepped out of the car, he turned in time to catch Diane as she glomped him. "I knew you could do it!" She cheered before giving him a kiss on the mouth, surprising him, but he kissed her back, smiling at her.
"You did it, Jake!" Leo said as he and Emma ran up and hugged him.
"You were amazing, Jake!" Emma said.
Chuckling, he hugged them both before looking at Balan, who was grinning and the tall being pulled the young man into a hug. "I'm so proud of you, my boy," he said, fatherly pride in his voice.
Jake hugged Balan back, his confidence regained, thanks to his friends who believed in him.
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