Chapter 11 #2
He played on social media on his phone through the last chance qualifier race for the 250 league, then went to the bathroom, stopping for another beer on his way back.
He needed to drink them faster if he wanted to get even a slight buzz.
He wanted to grab two and suck one of them down super-fast, but he refrained.
Finally, the 450 last chance race was ready to start. Johnny sent Gavin a text.
Luck to Clay in the M.E.
He stared at his phone, waiting. Clay would be leaving his pit and heading toward the starting queue. The 250 race was next.
Finally, his phone pinged. You’re here?
Johnny didn’t know what to make of that text. Duh! He typed back.
The house lights went out, and the opening show began.
Pyrotechnics exploded in the air. The announcer said his spiel to get everyone excited, and even Johnny had a hard time not responding to the hype.
The audience went wild as they introduced the 450 riders.
When Tate came out, it was incredible—the crowd was insane!
They cheered so loud, Johnny could have cried. His friend deserved the spotlight.
Tate raced out, down the middle of the straightaway, doing a wheelie across half the track.
He took the turn opposite of the direction they’d be racing in and jumped over a hill with a flat surface that the guys all called a tabletop from the backward direction.
Then he spun around and eased up to the top of the same tabletop and waved to the crowd.
He rode back the way he’d come and did something similar on the other side.
Johnny watched his antics on the big screen.
Then Tate pulled off his shirt and tossed it into the stands.
He wore his regular jersey underneath it.
Johnny understood why he was a fan favorite.
Cole Lindt did something similar and also tossed out a pair of goggles to the stands.
Rico didn’t get introduced. He wasn’t up in the points, since he’d only been racing in the league this season, and they only showed off the top ten racers.
Gavin didn’t have anyone on that roster either.
At least not yet, but Johnny could see that man’s determination.
It wouldn’t be long until he found the right racer to make it happen.
Johnny’s phone buzzed again with another text from Gavin. Hope you’re enjoying the show. I WILL see you after!!
Aggressive fucker! Johnny didn’t know what to text him back. He waited.
Gavin texted again. Say yes, J!
With a big sigh, Johnny texted him. Fine.
He put his phone away. Then pulled it back out. He texted his hotel information to Gavin. He would have to come to Johnny this time.
More pyrotechnics made Johnny jump. The crowd loved it, but Johnny could have done without it.
The announcer talked up the show while the racers left the track. The 250s lined up in the starting gate and waited.
More fireworks went off.
The gates dropped.
Bryce took the holeshot. Bolster didn’t get a good start.
She’d been swamped to the back of the pack.
Johnny couldn’t see Clay. He scanned the racers, looking for the baby blue-and-white jersey with 78 on it.
There! Clay rode in fourth, but he was coming on fast. He got around the third-place guy and pushed to challenge the second.
They ran close together for a few laps before Clay got the inside move on a turn and passed.
Johnny didn’t know the racers Clay outmaneuvered, but the only one left in front of him was Bryce.
After a few more laps, Sarah pulled into the top three.
Johnny had been so focused on Clay chasing Bryce that he’d missed her making her way to the front.
The announcers latched on to her moves quickly and got the crowds riled up for it.
The timer clicked down as the race continued.
Bryce, Clay, and Sarah...1-2-3. The excitement built in his chest. He put his hand over his pounding heart.
He couldn’t cheer for them. They couldn’t all take first. He slid to the edge of his seat and leaned forward. Both the East and West riding together was rare, but Johnny hoped he’d see it again. He’d have to check and find out if there would be another showdown like that later in the season.
The time clicked over, and the board changed to read One to go.
The final lap. Sarah pushed hard, getting into the back of Clay.
He didn’t give her any slack, nudging up against her.
She almost fell, and the crowd took a collective gasp.
She righted and went right back after him. Clay cut her off in the next turn.
She rode aggressively. Johnny figured she had more to prove than any of the other riders, even Bryce. Clay couldn’t let her take second that easy, though. In fact, he pulled ahead of her, closing his distance to Bryce.
Bryce jumped low through the rhythm section and jumped a triple at the end.
That put him up another half a second over Clay.
Finally, they had one whoops section to go.
Bryce powered through it, his bike practically bouncing across the top of the small, close bumps, but so did Clay and Sarah.
All three of them were close, but not close enough.
They finished in that order, but even though Sarah took third, it still gave her a podium. Davey would be happy about that.
Bryce’s young face splashed across the big screen, all smiles.
He was panting, holding up an energy drink and tugging at a hat with his main sponsor’s logo that someone had popped onto his head.
He thanked Davey and the Apex team, Kawasaki, and rushed through a few more brand names.
Then he took a shallow breath and thanked Tate and Pilot specifically.
He blew a kiss out to the audience and tucked his purple bangs back under his hat.
How could the crowd not love the kid? He was cute as hell.
Clay said a few words too, but they cut him short to get to Sarah. If she kept having great finishes, she’d be the darling of Supercross in no time. The interviewer asked her how she felt being the first female to take a podium at Supercross. That was going to be the story of the week, indeed.
Sarah showed poise and grace. She stared directly in the camera and said, “This is so important for all women and girls in motocross who need a role model, but...I can’t help feel like any other racer winning their first podium.
You bet I plan on winning more.” The crowd cheered for her, and Johnny’s heart expanded a little.
Since Bryce and Clay were both in the West, that made Sarah the first from the East 250 racers.
Sarah Bolster, Supercross maverick! So she might have been third overall, but for East, she took first. She thanked Apex and a few other sponsors.
She named Davey, Angel, Stewart. They’d given her a chance, and she’d completely proved herself.
Johnny sat back in his seat to wait for the final race.
It wouldn’t top the 250 in his mind, because Johnny knew the top three but only one of the 450 racers—Tate.
He needed to cheer for his friend. He hoped Tate was his friend despite his unreasonable jealousy.
If Pilot had Tate and Bryce in his life, they needed to be friends.
Needed to be more than getting along. Johnny had committed to trying harder and hoped they realized he was trying.
Although Johnny sat there sulking alone in the stands instead of seeking any of them out, he imagined the celebration in the pits.
It would be party central. He should go see Bryce.
He should go see Gavin.
Johnny didn’t move from his seat. He wanted to pout.
They didn’t need him to celebrate. They didn’t even miss him.
He was an outsider in their world, lingering on the periphery.
Not important. That’s why he could never live up to that hyped-up trip Gavin had taken him on.
It wasn’t real. Romantic, yes. Exotic, yes.
Amazing, of course. Real? No way. None of his dates with Gavin had been real.
He needed to shut the fantasy down, but it would be hard to actually do that.
The last race started. Tate took the holeshot. He battled with other racers, including Cole Lindt. Johnny only half watched, disinterested. He was tired and ready to go back to the hotel.
In the final seconds, Cole Lindt made a bold move and stole the race. That was exciting but sad for his friend. Tate finished second, and he wasn’t going to be happy about that.
Johnny didn’t bother going back to the pits. He didn’t want to see happy faces or even not-so-happy faces. He didn’t want to see anyone.
He called for an Uber to take him back to the hotel. Pilot and his guys were staying in the same hotel, but their room was on the other side. Fine with him. He didn’t want to hear them when they came in.
He made sure he locked the door then opened his suitcase on his bed.
While filtering through what little clothing he’d brought, he thought about Pilot and his men.
In quiet moments like these, he could admit that Pilot choosing them over him had broken his fucking heart, but the worst thing about it was Johnny had never been a choice for Pilot.
He not once ever considered Johnny. It hadn’t crossed his mind to think of him like that. To Pilot, they were brothers.
He was a lover to Gavin. He liked that but didn’t see it going anywhere. How could it? Until recently, they had lived in very different worlds. Johnny rushed into the bathroom and washed his hands with very hot water and the creamy hotel soap. He dried them and went back to sorting clothes.
Thinking about Gavin.
Thinking about Pilot.
He stopped and jiggled the lock on the door, ensuring his security. Then he examined his hands. How many hands had touched that door? He washed them again.
Ridiculous ideas raced through his head. He barely examined one before the next overcame him.