24
From the moment they took off, everything was chaos. The crowd's cheers had only intensified, a few people even threw empty cans out into the track. I shrunk back slightly, tensing at the reactions from the crowd.
Even though we were far away from where most of the crowd was, the track was small enough that you could watch the entire ring as the cars quickly circled. I was grateful that Clarissa and Titus knew a spot like this - one that was still this good of a view.
I took a couple steps away from the rope in a panic as two cars sped by us uncomfortably close.
Clarissa cheered, jumping up and down a couple times as pure joy overtook her expression. I couldn't imagine her ever thinking this was boring if this is how she felt watching.
I, on the other hand, felt surprisingly mesmerized. Once the initial panic subsided, I started watching more intensely. The sheer intensity of the race combined with the real skill it would take to do something like this took me by surprise - I was invested now to say the least.
Searching for Knox's car again, I found him in third place - neck and neck with someone else.
I gripped the rope again, my eyes wide in wonder as the car passing by made the wind whip my hair all around me.
"How many laps do they have to do?" I nearly shouted at Clarissa, barely able to hear myself above the now constant noise.
"I think they're doing 12 tonight. It's not a long race." She shouted back, never looking away from the track.
Titus came to stand on my other side, clearly now more invested than moments before.
I jumped in my skin a second later, a loud bang drawing my attention away from Knox.
A car had spun out on the opposite end of the track, smoke coming from both the tires and the engine.
I sucked in a sharp breath, grateful it wasn't Knox while simultaneously praying that it wouldn't end up being him either.
I quickly found him again as he whipped by, now in second and trying to pass whoever was in the first position.
I was quickly once again absorbed in wonder as I watched his patient posture, waiting for the right time to make his move. The car in first was doing a good job in preemptively preventing anywhere for Knox to squeeze in effectively.
The crowd was getting impossibly louder as a wave of people moved around. There seemed to be a circle forming in the middle, people frantically moving out the way of whatever was happening.
"A fight." Titus uttered, seeing what I was distracted by.
"A fight?" I frowned. I guess I was foolish to think that an event like this wouldn't have people willing to fight over it.
Titus let out a dry laugh, "Could be anything, everyone who comes to these are bit fucked up in someway."
I chewed on my lip again, how anyone could let themselves get carried away like that over a simple race was beyond me. Returning my focus, gripping the rope tighter as I looked back out at the track.
Just as I found Knox again, he sped up, cutting on the inside of the other car as they both rounded the corner.
"Last lap!" Clarissa shouted to me, clasping her hands together as she bounced on the balls of her feet.
My breathing picked up as Knox was now neck and neck with the other car. It was the last straight before the finish line and both cars were fast approaching.
Just as Knox was about to pull ahead, a loud shot rang out from the crowd.
Clarissa screamed in my ear, terror shooting down my spine.
Knox's front tire had been burst, making him swerve back and forth uncontrollably.
The other car quickly took ahead, crossing first as Knox spun over the finish line seconds behind him.
"Oh my g-" Clarissa breathed out with her hand now covering her mouth.
I gulped, my throat suddenly gone dry. My heart was trying to pound out of my chest and my hands were shaking. My eyes were wide and tears clouded my vision as we watched Knox fly into the middle of the track, eventually spinning to a stop.
I hadn't even realized I was trying to go to him until Clarissa gripped my arm.
"Annie, cars are still on the track, you can't." She shouted.
I nodded my head absentmindedly, unable to move my eyes away from the wrecked state his car was now in.
"He's okay, Annie." Clarissa reassured, still not letting go of my arm.
I couldn't respond, I could barely hear her over the ringing in my ears.
A couple people ran out to his car, opening the door but it was too far away for me to make anything out. I needed to get there. I needed to know he was okay. I don't know what I would do if he wasn't - he has to be.
Once the last car passed, I wrangled my arm away from Clarissa and shot out in the direction of Knox's car.
I sprinted across the track, tears running down my face. My mind spun with all the possible things that could have happened to him - all the worst case scenarios.
The second I saw him standing up, talking to one of the guys who had gone to check on him, I let out a small sob I had been trying to hold back.
Knox whipped around at the sound, furrowing his brows at the sight of me. I ran straight into him, burying my head in his chest as he wrapped his arms around me.
"We - we tried to stop her but she moves surprisingly fast." Clarissa's voice panted behind me a moment later.
Knox didn't say a word back, instead turning with me still latched onto him to continue talking to the guys who he had been speaking with before. His hand gently rubbed up and down my back, soothing me as best he could in this situation.
"No way to tell who took the shot. Came from somewhere in the middle and obviously nobody is fessing up nor do we have any eye witnesses that are willing to admit they actually saw anything." I heard one of the guys saying - picking up the conversation wherever they had left off.
"As expected." Knox grunted back, his arms tensing around me before loosening again.
I sniffled, gripping his shirt tighter. The sound of his voice and feel of his body was all I needed to make sure he was okay. I could feel my body slowly melting into him, the panic easing from my shoulders.
"Here's your cut for second, can't do much else." The other man said, his voice stern and seemingly irritated at the inconvenience.
Knox moved one of his arms from me, taking what I assumed to be money before grunting out a gruff 'goodbye' to the two men.
"Fucking bullshit." Knox ground out, stuffing the envelope into his pocket.
"You good, man?" Titus asked.
"Yeah - nothing new, just fucking stupid. I fucking had that shit." Knox spat. "Where's Sean and Liam?" He asked a beat later.
"Liam got third." Clarissa responded. "Sean was a second behind him, I think they're coming right now."
I peaked out from Knox's chest to see the two of them walking across the track, Liam counting out his own envelope.
"Annie and I need a ride." Knox said once Liam and Sean were within earshot.
"Yeah, I gochu." Liam nodded, his face more serious than I had ever seen before.
Sean looked like he was seething, his face taunt and eyes flaming.
"Fucking ridiculous." Sean spat out.
Knox tensed slightly before nodding sharply.
"Just leave your car for the night. Let's get out of here." Liam said to Knox, nodding in the direction of his car.