30. Sienna
Chapter 30
Sienna
T here’s a saying I heard once:
"Pressure doesn’t make diamonds, unless the pressure is put on the right stuff.”
With only four days left until we leave Breaker’s Isle to go to Houston, TX for the competition… we’re about to find out if SKC is made of the right stuff.
By the time I pull up to the garage, it’s already buzzing.
The first thing I hear when I roll into the SKC lot is Apt by Rose and Bruno Mars blasting through the open garage bay.
Finally, one of Kick’s songs I can actually sing along to.
The second thing I see is absolute chaos —Gramps and Kick are arguing over a set of pipes, Ghost is bopping his head while tinkering with an engine, and Joey is spinning around with a paint sprayer like he’s auditioning for a music video.
I cut the engine on my bike and kick the stand down, a smile tugging at my mouth.
The energy is electric today.
Hopeful. Bright. And God, exactly what we need going into this thing.
I pull off my helmet, running a hand through my hair as I take it all in.
Even Levi’s different this morning. There’s a fire in his eyes I haven’t seen since he was on Grunge Garage. Today, he looks alive .
He tosses a hand up in greeting from a distance and my heart lurches for him. But I know we can’t be what we truly are in front of the world.
Gramps spots me next.
"Look who decided to grace us with her presence!" he hollers over the music.
I shoot him a wink. "Someone’s gotta keep you kids in line."
I set my helmet down and grab the marker from the whiteboard where the schedule’s still taped up.
"Alright, listen up!" I shout, clapping my hands.
Kick lowers the music. Doesn’t turn it off just keeps it low enough that they can hear.
"We’ve got four days left. We’re making good headwind right now, but that doesn’t mean we can coast. This build-off isn’t just about showing those assholes across the pass what we’re made of–it’s national. Livestreamed. Which means every asshole who ever said SKC was dead is gonna be watching."
Murmurs ripple through the crew.
I meet every one of their gazes.
"This is our shot to remind the world who we are. And we’re not gonna half-ass it. We’re gonna show up, show out, and we’re gonna fucking dominate. "
That earns me a few whoops and hollers.
Levi’s watching me like I personally just put us back on the map. His mouth curves into a slow, private smile, the kind he saves just for me. And I feel it everywhere.
Gramps tips an imaginary hat at me. "You heard the lady. Let’s get to work."
The morning flies by in a blur of sanding, welding, measuring, cussing, and laughing.
Uptown Funk blares, and this time Gramps full-on moonwalks across the bay floor while balancing a torque wrench in one hand.
Kick doubles over laughing. Joey tries to copy him, trips, and gets a smack upside the head from Ghost for being an idiot near his workstation.
I catch Levi’s chuckle from across the garage and my heart does a stupid little somersault.
We’ve barely spoken. Too busy making sure we have everything ready. But we don’t need to. I feel what he feels.
This is what home feels like.
But good moods don't hold under pressure forever.
By early afternoon, Joey’s back at the paint booth... and things start slipping.
The base coat's uneven. The stencil's blurred. The second clear coat bubbles under the heat.
I watch from the corner of the bay as Joey rips his gloves off and slams the his mask onto the worktable.
"FUCK!" he barks out, kicking a stool halfway across the garage.
The whole shop stills.
I set down the plans I was reviewing and head toward him.
"Hey," I say quietly, crouching next to where he’s slumped against the wall.
"I’m screwing it all up," he mutters, fists clenched in his hair. "This whole build’s riding on the paint and I’m gonna tank it."
"No, you’re not," I say reassuring him. "You’re good, Joey. You’re just nervous. We all are."
He doesn’t lift his head.
I glance across the shop—the crew’s pretending not to watch, but I can feel their eyes.
Levi’s gaze pins me from where he’s helping Gramps mount and engine.
Think, Sienna.
And then it hits me. I pull out my phone and text the only person I know who can help.
Me
Hey. Need an artist. Emergency. Are you free?
Theo texts back almost immediately.
Theo
For you? Always. Where and when?
I bite my lip, heart stuttering.
Oh boy… Levi was right.
I have to be careful around his son.
Theo shows up twenty minutes later, a worn sketchbook tucked under his arm and a mischievous grin on his face.
"You rang?"
I meet him halfway across the floor, smiling, but keeping a little more space between us than I usually would.
His smile falters, just a little. Like he notices a shift between us.
I catch Levi watching from across the shop too, his mouth tight and unreadable.
I wave Theo toward Joey and the jacked-up tank.
"You think you can save us?" I ask lightly.
Theo flips open his sketchbook, showing us a quick, rough design he must’ve drawn before making the drive over.
It’s perfect.
Sleek. Aggressive. Beautiful. Exactly what we need. And probably way easier for Joey to execute while keeping the integrity of the build.
Joey lets out a breath.
"Dude," he says, clapping Theo on the back. "You’re a lifesaver. But–” Joey gasps. “You should come with us. You should come with us to Houston!”
Theo shrugs, but his cheeks pinken slightly under the praise. He glances at me again, and this time, I see it.
I see what Levi meant.
There’s something raw in Theo’s eyes. Something that looks a hell of a lot like hope. I should know it. I recognize it in his father’s eyes when he looks at me like that.
it guts me.
Because I already know… that hope’s going to die. Not today. And probably not tomorrow. But eventually.
Because my heart’s already spoken for. And it’s not his to hold.
“If you can make it work,” I say to Theo.
“I already told you,” he says, nudging my shoulder. “For you. Always.”
Well, shit.
“How about for SKC?” I say, trying bring the focus back on what this is all for.
For what it’s worth, Theo agrees to help. Throwing himself into the paintwork alongside Joey with an easy energy that lifts the whole shop.
And as I step back, watching the crew rally around each other, I take in a deep breath knowing I’m going to have to let the man whose currently sitting in his office know his son will now be joining us.
I’m sure he’ll be thrilled.