Chapter 17
seventeen
AUSTIN, TX
Avery and her mom joined her dad, Ben, and Adam standing up against the plexiglass railing at the edge of the balcony. Below them the pit lane, where the drivers would pull in for new tires during the race, was empty.
The contest between Teddy and Tiago was especially poignant, as he was the other candidate Michael had considered before hiring Teddy.
She looked over at her dad, who was looking nervously down the track through his binoculars and gave him a confident thumbs up.
Michael had more at stake than anyone. He’d taken a calculated risk making Teddy the second driver on the team over Tiago, a former world champion at the end of his career.
She recalled their conversations about it nearly a year ago.
The old champ would have been the safe choice, but Michael wanted to build for the future.
Teddy had shown promise during his rookie season on Alpha Fuerte, but they had one of the slowest cars on the track, so no one had seen what Teddy was truly capable of.
Avery had encouraged her dad to go with the seasoned veteran driver at the time, but now she couldn’t imagine what this year would have been like if her dad had listened to her.
The crowd stood in excitement as the race started.
Zack had an unbelievable reaction time at the start and pulled out ahead of the Ferrari.
Avery’s family erupted into cheers, her dad pumping his fist in the air.
But Avery couldn't take her eyes off Teddy’s car.
She couldn’t quite make out the tartan on his helmet, but she was glued to the bright blue Silver in the second row.
He didn’t overtake the Golden Phoenix in the run up the steep hill or on the first turn, but he managed to hold off the cars behind him and maintain his fourth-place position.
She breathed a short-lived sigh of relief, her headache momentarily releasing its grip on her skull.
Solid start. Now they would have to settle in and let things unfold.
It would be a long race ahead. Anything could happen over the course of fifty-six laps.
Ben leaned over and gave her a high five. “Your boy is doing good,” he said, his eyes twinkling.
Avery smiled, but her ribs clenched. She felt like a part of her own body was squeezed into the tiny driver’s cockpit with Teddy as his car spun around the track at a nauseating two-hundred miles per hour. There was no way she could relax until the chequered flag waved.
The next ten laps or so went by without incident, her heart and head pounding all the while. A few cars in the middle of the pack battled wheel-to-wheel to break into the top ten, which would earn them points toward the end-of-year championship, but both Silvers maintained their positions.
Eventually, Avery settled into the rhythm of the race.
Every sixty seconds or so the crowd would stand up and look right as the cars rounded the corner and came into view, and then ping pong left as they whizzed by, leaving smoke and sparks in their wake.
Avery held her breath every single time until Teddy was out of view again, leaving her momentarily dizzy.
She had just enough time to recover before the cycle repeated itself over and over again.
Without the excitement of a crash or a ton of passing, the attention of the less committed fans started to waiver.
Sharon abandoned her post at the front of the balcony and went back inside for refreshments.
But Avery stayed put next to her dad and brother, not daring to move an inch, watching intently for Teddy’s bright blue Silver to come into view with each lap.
On lap twenty-two, she saw Teddy’s car slow down and pull into the pit lane.
Her head whipped over to her dad–had this been the original strategy?
Or is something going on in the garage I don’t know about?
Coming in early for a fresh set of tires to try and gain on the third-place car in front of him was a gamble.
She wondered who had made the call—hopefully, Teddy thought the undercut was the right one.
If only she had been able to hear the radio conversation between Teddy and his race engineer.
Less than three seconds later, the pit crew had completed their task.
“Was that early pit stop Plan A?” she whispered anxiously to her dad.
“I think so. Don’t fret. The strategy team knows what they are doing,” Michael answered confidently, even though a small frown tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Avery didn’t feel nearly as certain as her dad pretended he was. She wished she could send Teddy some sort of signal to let him know she was right there with him, breathing the same air. She sent some good vibes his way through the atmosphere.
With each lap, Teddy got a bit closer to Tiago, who was now only ten seconds in front of him, slowly but surely closing the gap.
Would Teddy be able to catch him on fresher tires?
Avery could barely contain the butterflies in her stomach, which seemed to be growing restless, ready to take flight and follow the cars out onto the circuit.
The Golden Phoenix team must also have been getting nervous about Teddy gaining as they called their car into the pit for a fresh set of tires in order to keep up with Teddy’s fast pace.
Would their pit stop be fast enough for the car to exit the pit lane in front of Teddy?
Or would Teddy be able to move ahead of him?
Avery was on her feet again, her body positively buzzing.
“Come on Teddy!” her dad hollered, pumping his fists.
Avery grabbed onto her dad’s arm and squeezed it hard as she saw the Golden Phoenix pit crew struggle for a split second with one of the old tires before it came loose. Every tenth of a second mattered. Her heart palpitated. The tiny delay might just be enough to put Teddy in front.
“Go, go, go,” she yelled, her heart racing now, digging her nails harder into her dad’s arm as the Golden Phoenix raced to the pit lane exit in a last attempt to make up for the lost second.
But it was too little, too late. Teddy had gone all out, pushing his car to the maximum speed. He tore by, the Golden Phoenix car pulling back out on the track behind him.
“Woooo! Yes!” He did it. The gamble had paid off, Teddy had executed the strategy perfectly! Adrenaline rushed through her body. She jumped up and down, screaming with abandon.
“Let’s go!” Ben leaned over and gave her another high-five.
Her dad nodded and clapped along, the frown from earlier replaced by a cautiously optimistic smile while he rubbed the red mark she’d left on his arm from squeezing him.
The second half of the race felt like both the shortest and longest forty minutes of Avery’s life, her pulse racing as she anxiously continued to watch to see if Teddy could maintain his now third place position.
She made some small talk and accepted compliments on the maneuver on Teddy’s behalf, but it was all a blur as she knew the podium position could be snatched away any second.
What felt like both a lifetime and only seconds later, her mom was elbowing her. “Avery, Teddy is about to get his first podium. Don’t you want to be down with the team so you can congratulate him right away?”
Of course, I should have thought of that.
For once, her mom’s pushiness was coming in handy.
The press and the fans would definitely expect that his girlfriend would be trackside to congratulate him.
But the authenticity of their relationship felt irrelevant at the moment.
She had to be there to see him cross the finish line, appearances were completely unrelated to her wild, jumping heart.
“Yes. Mom, you’re right!” she squealed. She couldn’t wait to see Teddy when he got out of the car. His first podium finish! Incredible.
Avery flew down the stairs to line up beside the track with the team. The atmosphere was positively electric.
She’d been so wrapped up in Teddy’s race that she’d nearly forgotten that Zack was about to win the whole damn thing.
She clapped her hands high above her head as Zack crossed the finish line and jumped victoriously onto the hood of his car, waving to the crowd.
The crowd and the team roared back, the jubilant sounds deafening.
But Zack was merely a sideshow, a momentary distraction, from the true object of her focus.
She only had eyes for the driver who pulled up seconds later in the third-place spot.
Teddy’s helmet and fireproof balaclava made it impossible for Avery to read his expression, but he pumped his fists and slapped the front wing of his car as he hopped out.
Teddy went to his teammate first and clapped Zack on the back. Zack turned around to embrace him. Avery felt tears well in the corner of her eyes. Many teams in the sport dealt with rivalries between their drivers, but Teddy and Zack had not only avoided conflict so far, they were becoming friends.
Teddy then quickly turned his attention to the line of staff and guests who were still clapping.
He made his way down the row, embracing his coworkers and giving high fives, Avery’s heart beating wildly as she waited for him to get to her.
As soon as he did, he reached over the barrier and embraced her, literally sweeping her off her feet as he lifted her a few inches off the ground.
Avery felt weightless in his arms, like she was floating above the ground.
“You did it! Your first podium finish!” Avery beamed at him.
Teddy looked like he was positively glowing, that real, eye-crinkling smile making its appearance on his face. Her heart swelled knowing she was probably one of only a few people who knew the difference between his two smiles.
“Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back,” he said quickly as her feet touched the ground again.
She watched adoringly as Teddy and Stacey had their moment and Teddy gave a few more hugs to his crew.
Avery loved seeing him triumphant like this, basking in the glory of his success.
Finally, he got to the end of the row of handshakes and hugs and as soon as he could, he ripped off his helmet and pulled down his mask covering, revealing his gorgeous face underneath, his hair and eyes shining with sweat and tears.
As soon as he made the rounds, he trotted back to Avery. They made joyful, deep eye contact as he approached, her whole body was shaking with anticipation. She was giddy for him. Him, Teddy, the real Teddy who had earned this moment through blood, sweat, and tears.
She gazed up at his face towering over hers and reached her arms up behind his neck.
She ran her fingers through the flippy ends of his hair, briefly massaging the back of his neck beneath.
His hands came to her waist and he pulled her flush against his chest. She was hyper-aware of every inch where their body touched.
The gold in his eyes danced at her and then his lips were on hers, hot and forceful.
She could taste the salt from his skin, feel the heat of his flushed cheeks.
Finally. The tension she’d felt all day, for weeks, really, melted from her body as she kissed him back.
She pressed into his mouth, trying to infuse her lips with all she wanted to say out loud.
I like you for real. Let’s not pretend anymore.
The world around them fell away for a moment.
Avery barely registered the clicks and flashes, not caring how many cameras had captured their moment or how she looked.
Breathless, she came up for air and Teddy touched his forehead to hers.
The energy of the moment and the kiss buzzed back and forth between them, and Avery could feel their connection vibrating through her body.
“I’m so proud of you!” she murmured.
“Thank you,” he whispered back.
She brought her finger to his supple bottom lip, tracing the white scar there. She felt him exhale deeply into her hand.
“Ahem, Teddy, mate, sorry to interrupt, but you’ve got to actually go collect your trophy.” James poked Teddy awkwardly on the shoulder.
Teddy shook his head, “Right.”
He reached out and cupped her face and pressed his lips to hers one more time, quickly. It took every morsel of self-control in her body not to grab him around the waist and pull him toward her, give in to the way her body was screaming for more, more, more.
“Go,” she breathed in his ear. “I’ll be here watching.”
Avery’s heart drummed loudly in her chest as she watched her dad, Zack, and Teddy up on stage.
She would never, ever forget this moment: the roar of the crowd as Matthew McConaughey handed trophies to Teddy, then Andre, and finally Zack; the mix of sunscreen, sweat, and rubber filling her nose.
She swore she could hear the splash as the drivers doused each other in champagne.
She watched Teddy tip his face up toward the sky as Zack drenched him, droplets cascading off his baseball cap and race suit.
She followed his gaze, noticing for the first time how bright and blue the sky was today, like a cornflower blue Crayola crayon. Not a cloud in the sky.