Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Xavier
The scent of gasoline and dirt fills the air, mingling with the roar of engines as cars line up for the next heat. The track lights blaze against the night sky, illuminating the dust that swirls with every rev.
I should be focused. I should be dialing in, getting my head right for the race. Instead, my eyes keep scanning the crowd, searching for one person. Izzy.
She’s been different lately, pulling away, shutting me out.
At first, I thought it was just the stress of the season, but it’s more than that.
I can feel it in the way she barely looks at me, the way she brushes off my texts, and how she doesn’t stay after the races anymore.
Something’s wrong, and I don’t know how to fix it when she won’t even tell me what’s broken.
The roar of engines fills the air, a familiar sound that gets my blood pumping.
Tonight feels different, though. It’s race night, and I’m gearing up for another race, but my mind keeps drifting to Izzy.
We’ve been dancing around each other all week, and tonight I’ve got a feeling things might finally crack open between us.
Even with the adrenaline coursing through my veins, I can’t shake the feeling that something’s off.
I climb into my car, tightening my gloves as I roll my shoulders. Focus, man. You can deal with Izzy later. Right now, I have a race to win.
Engines rumble around me as cars pack tightly in the lineup. The moment the green flag drops, everything else fades. The track becomes my world. The engine vibrates through the seat, dirt kicks up behind my tires, and adrenaline surges through my veins as I push harder into each turn.
Lap after lap, I battle for position, sliding up, cutting down, fighting for every inch. The roar of the crowd barely registers. It’s just me, the car, and the checkered flag ahead.
I cross the finish line in second place, which isn't what I want, but it's good enough to keep my points up. As I pull off the track and roll into the pits, the buzz of victory is already wearing off. As soon as I climb out of the car, I see her.
Izzy stands near the trailers, arms crossed, her expression distant.
She’s not alone. A group of girls stands nearby, whispering and casting looks her way.
They’re wannabe racers, and they remind me of Regina George from Mean Girls.
A couple of them are regulars at the track, while others are here for the scene.
I don’t like the way they’re watching her.
I don’t like the way she looks away, her jaw tightening as if bracing for impact.
Something twists in my gut.
I start toward her, but before I can get close, Nolan steps in front of me. “Wait,” he whispers, keeping his voice low.
“What?” I snap, eyes still locked on Izzy.
He shifts, uneasy. “You don’t see what’s been happening, do you?”
I drag my gaze away from her and look at him. “What are you talking about?”
Nolan exhales sharply, glancing at the group of girls, then lowers his voice. “They’ve been messing with her. Bad. Talking shit, spreading rumors, making sure she feels like she doesn’t belong here.” His jaw clenches. “It’s been going on for a while. I thought you knew.”
My stomach drops. I didn’t know. I knew something was wrong, but I never thought, never realized, that this is why she’s pulling away.
“They’ve been running her off, Xavier,” Nolan continues, his voice hard. “Izzy used to be one of the best out here, but now? She’s not even racing half the time. She acts like she doesn’t care, but I see it. They’re getting to her.”
I glance back at her. She’s staring at the ground now, her fingers digging into her arms. The girls laugh at something I’m pretty damn sure is about her.
A slow, burning anger builds in my chest. I don’t know exactly what they’ve been saying or every detail of what they’ve done. But I know enough, and I’m done standing by while she fights this alone. Izzy has been my best friend since we were kids, and these bitches messed with the wrong woman.
I move before I even think, heading straight for Izzy. Her head snaps up when she sees me coming, but she doesn’t move or run. She watches, her eyes guarded, bracing for whatever I’m about to say.
I stop in front of her, close enough that she can’t pretend not to hear me. “You don’t have to do this alone,” I say, my voice firm. “Whatever’s going on, whatever they’ve been saying, I see it now. I’m not letting them push you out of this.”
Izzy’s lips part slightly, surprise flickering across her face. She opens her mouth as if to argue, to tell me I’m wrong, but no words come out.
For the first time in weeks, she doesn’t shut me out, and that’s all the opening I need. She exhales sharply, looking away, and I can see how she’s holding herself together, as if letting even one crack show would make the whole damn wall break.
“I don’t need your help, X,” she breathes, but her voice lacks fight.
I take a step closer, lowering my voice. “Yeah? Then why aren’t you racing?”
Izzy’s jaw tightens.
I press on. “You love this, Izzy. You were born for it. But you’re letting them get to you.” I glance at the girls, my fists clenching at their smug looks. “And they want that. They want you to back down.”
She flinches at that, just a tiny bit, but enough for me to know I hit the truth dead center. “I didn’t back down,” she mutters, but it’s more for herself than me.
“No?” I raise an eyebrow. “Then why the hell are you letting them win?”
Izzy looks up at me then, and for the first time tonight, fire burns in her eyes. “You think this is that simple?” she snaps, her voice sharp, cutting through the hum of engines and the conversation around us. “That I’m just… letting them win?”
I cross my arms. “That’s exactly what I think.”
She huffs out a bitter laugh. “You have no idea what it’s been like.”
“Then tell me.”
Her eyes dart around, making sure no one else is close enough to hear.
When she finally speaks again, her voice is quieter, strained.
“They’re not talking shit, Xavier. They’ve messed with my car, slashed my tires, and started rumors that I…
” She hesitates, swallowing hard. “That I sleep my way into races. That I don’t deserve to be here.
They make sure I get boxed out on the track, and if I fight back, it gets worse. ”
My blood runs hot. “Who?”
She lets out a tired breath. “It doesn’t matter.”
“The hell it doesn’t,” I growl, my hands curling into fists. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She shrugs, looking away. “Because I knew you’d react like this.”
“Damn right,” I bite out. “Izzy, this isn’t some rivalry. It’s straight-up sabotage. And you’ve been dealing with it alone?”
She shifts her weight, like she wants to argue, but we both know she can’t.
I step forward, lowering my voice. “You said I don’t know what it’s been like. You’re right. I don’t. But I do know that if you let them scare you out of this, they win.”
Her throat bobs as she swallows, the tension in her shoulders still locked tight. “It’s not that easy.”
I soften a little. “I know, but you’re not alone in this anymore. You’ve got me, and I’m not letting them push you off this track.”
Something flickers in her eyes, hesitation, maybe even hope, but she shakes her head. “It’s not your fight, Xavier.”
“The hell it isn’t,” I say, stepping even closer. “They’re messing with my competition. They’re messing with my…” I cut myself off, gritting my teeth.
She lifts an eyebrow. “Your what?”
I shake my head, exhaling sharply. “My best friend. My biggest rival. The only person who makes me want to be better out there.” I pound my fist against my chest. “And in here. You think I’m going to stand back and watch you let them run you off the track?”
Her lips part slightly, and for a second, I see the wall she’s built begin to waver. She blinks hard, looking away, trying to regain control, but I’m not letting this go.
“Race,” I say firmly. “Get in your car, show them why you’re here, and remind them exactly who the hell they’re dealing with.”
She stays quiet for a long moment, the hum of engines and distant cheers filling the space between us. Then, finally, she lifts her chin a fraction.
“Fine,” she says. “But if I do this, I don’t need you fighting my battles.”
I smirk. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
She rolls her eyes, but there’s the tiniest tug at the corner of her mouth. For the first time in weeks, I see a glimpse of her again.
Izzy. The racer. The fighter. The woman I will do anything for, and the one I haven’t been able to get out of my damn head.
I leave Izzy to check my car over before the next race. After making sure everything is in place, I set out to find her, but I find Nolan and Mia standing near our spot on turn two instead.
Engines rumble like a heartbeat beneath my feet as I make my way through the pits, the scent of gasoline and dirt heavy in the air. The energy is electric, the kind that gets into your veins and doesn’t let go. It should feel like home, like every other race night.
Mia motions toward the cars, and I see Izzy standing there with her arms crossed and her head down. Again, something’s off. After our pep talk earlier, I thought I'd gotten through to my beautiful, sweet B, but apparently, there's more to it than she told me.
I’ve been watching Izzy all evening, tracking how she moves, how she’s keeping herself small, out of sight.
That’s not the Izzy I know. The girl I’ve battled on the track for years wouldn’t hesitate to square up to anyone.
Especially not some washed-up nobodies trying to rattle her.
Yet here she is, standing by her car, arms crossed, her body stiff as if bracing for a hit. I finally see the other part of why.
A group of girls lingers a few feet away, their laughter a little too loud, their whispers sharp enough to cut.
They don’t bother hiding it when Izzy glances their way.
One of them, a blonde in a cropped race tee, smirks and says something that makes the others snicker.
Izzy flinches. I’ve seen her take a hit on the track at full speed and barely blink.
But this? This gets to her. I step closer, straining to hear over the roar of engines, and catch the tail end of a hushed conversation.
“She really thinks she belongs here?” one of the girls scoffs. “It’s pathetic.”
Another one laughs. “Like she ever had a shot with Xavier. You think he’d actually go for her?”
My jaw clenches so hard my teeth ache. And that’s when it clicks. They’re not just messing with her on the track. They’re going after her everywhere.
I look at Izzy and, for the first time, see how much she’s been carrying, how every sharp word and cruel rumor has chipped away at her.
She turns away from them, head down, fingers gripping the edge of the door to her car like it’s the only thing keeping her standing.
I see red.
“Xavier.” Nolan steps up beside me, his voice low. “You see it now, don’t you?”
I drag a hand across my face, forcing myself to take a breath. “How long has this been going on?”
“Too long,” Nolan mutters. “They’ve been relentless. They started with track drama, but when that didn’t shake her, they made it personal. The rumors, the sabotage… everything. They want her gone.”
I exhale slowly, trying to keep my fury in check. “She wouldn’t tell me.” My voice is tight and controlled. “Not any of this.”
Nolan shrugs. “Would you, if it meant admitting they were getting to you?”
I don’t answer because I already know the truth. Izzy would rather have the world think she’s unaffected than admit she’s breaking. But she is breaking, and I should have seen it sooner.
I turn on my heel and head straight for her. She’s still staring at her car like she’s trying to convince herself to get in. Like she’s trying to remember why she belongs here.
I don’t give her a chance to bolt. “Race with me.”
She startles, looking up, her eyes wary. “Xavier.”
“Race.” I step in close, my voice firm. “Get in that car and remind them who the hell you are.”
Her throat works as she swallows, and her fingers tighten around the strap of her fire suit. “You don’t have to do this.”
“You think this is about me?” I shake my head. “This is about you, Izzy. About the girl who has more talent in her pinky than half of these people have combined. The one who made me fight for every damn win I’ve ever earned.” I pause, my voice softening. “Don’t let them take that from you.”
She hesitates, then finally lifts her chin. There she is. My Izzy. The fighter, the racer. The girl who doesn’t back down.
She exhales hard. “You'd better be ready to eat my dust, Sweeney.”
I grin. “That’s more like it.”
As she climbs into her car, the fire in her eyes burning bright, I know one thing for damn sure. They messed with the wrong girl.