Chapter Three - The Things We Risk

A few nights later, I found myself back in the driver’s seat with the windows down and music playing through the speakers. Some things never really change…

My phone lit up in the cup holder.

Crew (Mia): Where are you?

Me: Driving, obviously.

Crew (River): That’s not an answer

Me: It’s the only one you’re getting

Crew (Tiffany): Can you two behave for five minutes? We’re trying to figure out where we’re going.

Crew (River): I vote food

Crew (Mia): You always vote food

I laughed to myself, shaking my head reading their messages at the red light.

Me: Since when do we ever know where we’re going?

Crew (River): We know where we’re not going.

Crew (Tiffany): Which is apparently anywhere with a plan.

Crew (Mia): Plans are just spoilers for the night.

I pulled into the gas station a few minutes later, spotting their cars before I even made it into the parking lot. Mia’s RX-7 really was hard to miss, the purple underglow casting a glow across the pavement beneath it complimenting its purple paint. River’s sun-damaged Honda sat beside her, looking like it had survived one too many questionable decisions. Tiffany’s 350Z was parked a little farther down, its carbon-fiber hood catching the light from the overhead fixtures reflecting the gold flecks in her crimson paint.

I pulled into the space beside them and stepped out.

“Look who finally decided to join us,” Mia called.

“Some of us have responsibilities.”

River looked up from whatever they were doing under the Honda’s hood. “Since when?”

“Since always. You should try it sometime.”

River wiped his hands on a rag and gave me a solemn look with his sky blue eyes. “I tried responsibility once. Terrible handling. No power.”

Tiffany pointed at the two under the hood. “That’s the first intelligent thing you’ve said all night.”

“It’s not even midnight,” River laughed.

“Exactly, you’ve got room to improve.” Tiffany leaned against her car, watching us with an amused expression. “Can we please go somewhere before these two start arguing about something else?”

“Too late,” I said, grabbing my drink from the cup holder.

River grinned. “We’re getting food.”

I looked between the three of them. “You dragged me out of here just to get food?”

“Yes,” Mia said.

River nodded. “We considered lying, but Tiff said that would be manipulative.”

“I said it would be inefficient,” Tiffany corrected.

“See?” Mia said. “She cares.”

“Couldn't you have told me that before I left my house?”

River closed the hood of his car. “Where’s the fun in that?”

“Somewhere with better gas mileage.”

I sighed, taking a sip of my Monster. I should’ve known better. Within the next ten minutes, we’d somehow turned a simple food run into a debate about which place has the best late-night food, whether River’s Honda was actually running properly, and why Mia thought her car needed another modification.

“But it needs it, hear me out!” Mia insisted.

“You said that about the last mod,” I chuckled.

“And I was right then, too. Now my baby is loud!” She motioned to her new exhaust.

River leaned against the Honda. “Your car has more upgrades than working cup holders.”

“That’s called prioritizing.”

“That’s called eating dinner out of your lap.”

Tiffany folded her arms. “For the record, I’m siding with Mia. If she says she needs an angle kit – let the girl get her angle kit.”

Mia’s face lit up. “Thank you.”

“I’m not saying you should drop hundreds just yet though…”

Mia’s smile disappeared. “So you hate me and you want me to die.” She threw her arms up dramatically, letting out a forced huff. “You’re all dead to me.”

“You’ll survive.”

It was familiar. Comfortable. The kind of friendship where nobody needed an invitation, nobody cared if you showed up in pajamas, and silence never felt awkward. They could argue over cars, food, and absolutely nothing without any of it becoming serious. Every insult came with an invisible safety net. Eventually, we piled back into our respective cars and headed out.

There wasn’t really a destination. There rarely was.

Just a few cars, a couple of full gas tanks, and nowhere particularly important to be.

I followed Mian out of the parking lot, watching the purple glow of her undercarriage disappear around the corner before falling into line behind her.

River’s grey Honda pulled in behind me, its engine making a nose that sounded deeply offended to be awake.

Crew (River): If my car dies, nobody panic.

Crew (Mia): I’m already panicking.

Crew (Tiffany): You’re not even in the same car.

Crew (Mia): Panic travels.

I smiled at the screen before tossing my phone into the cup holder. The city stretched out ahead of us, streetlights passing overhead as the night carried on. For once, I wasn’t counting down the hours until my next shift or worrying about what I’d come home to. I was exactly where I wanted – where I needed – to be.

We eventually ended up at a little overlook just outside the city, one of those spots people went when they wanted to get away from the noise without actually leaving town.

The cars were parked in a loose row, headlights illuminating the pavement while the city lights stretched out below us. Mia had climbed onto the hood of her RX-7, scrolling through her phone. River was sitting on the ground beside the Honda, messing with who knew what under the car while Tiffany leaned against her Nissan with her arms folded.

I settled onto the trunk of my Dodge, stretching my legs out in front of me.

“Okay, serious question,” Mia announced.

I looked over, my eyebrows began to furrow. “That’s never a good start.”

She locked eyes with me, her face wearing an expression of concern. “How are you still alive?”

I blinked. “W-what? What do you mean?” I stuttered.

“You’re working doubles practically every day. You don’t talk to any of us unless we kidnap you. When do you even sleep?”

“Between shifts… Sometimes on my break in the car if the kitchen is slow.”

River snorted. “Pretty sure that’s not how employment works.”

“Neither is whatever you do to that Honda, but here we are.”

“Don’t disrespect the build!” He crossed his arms, cocking his head to the side as he kicked a rock.

Tiffany laughed, but Mia was still locked in on me. “Seriously, Sky. You’ve been on the go like crazy lately. What’s going on?”

I shrugged, picking at a loose thread on my jeans. “Not much…just bills.”

“Everybody has bills,” River said.

“Yeah, well, mine seem to multiply when I’m not looking.” I tried to laugh it off, but nobody really joined in.

Mia lowered her phone. “Sky… Can I ask…is everything okay at home?”

I stared out at the city for a moment.

It wasn’t exactly something I enjoyed talking about. Not because I was embarrassed, necessarily. It was just exhausting trying to explain a situation that had become so normal to me that I barely knew where to start. How do you tell your friends with the perfect families that yours is so fucked up?

The only words I could manage to get out was, “Honestly? Not really.”

 The three of them went quiet. I took a breath. “My family is a mess… Between my mom and my brother, there’s always something going on. Addiction isn’t exactly cheap, and apparently being related to people who can’t get their shit together means I’m the one who gets to pick up the pieces.”

Tiffany’s expression softened. “Sky…”

“It’s fine.” I swallowed past the lump in my throat.

“Doesn’t sound fine,” River said quietly.

I shrugged again. “Since my dad got put into prison, my mom isn’t always in a position to take care of things. Curtis has his own problems, and somehow the bills still have to get paid. Rent, utilities, groceries. All the boring adult shit.” I gave a humorless laugh. “So I work…a lot.”

Mia slid off the hood of her car and came to sit beside me. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Because what are you going to do? Pay my bills?”

“That’s not the point.”

“I know…” I looked down at my hands. “I don’t want everyone feeling sorry for me. I’m not asking anyone to fix it. I’m just trying to keep things from falling apart.”

For a moment, nobody said anything. Then River closed the hood of the Honda and leaned against the fender. “Well, I might have a solution.”

Tiffany immediately looked suspicious. “That sentence has never led anywhere good.”

River ignored her, looking at me. “How much are you short?”

I frowned. “What?”

“Money. How much do you need?”

“River, I’m not asking you for money.”

“Did I say you were?” He wiped his hands on a rag. “You ever think about making money with the car?”

I raised a brow. “Pretty sure my car doesn’t have a job.”

“Not like that.”

River glanced between us. “Racing.”

Tiffany straightened immediately. “Absolutely not!”

I looked at River, at Tiffany, then back at River again. “Racing, you say?”

“Street races. I’ve done a few here and there. Some people put money down, and the winner takes the pot. Depending on who’s there, it can be decent money for one night.”

Tiffany let out a disbelieving laugh. “Are you actually suggesting she start street racing because she’s having financial problems?”

“I’m just suggesting…she has a car, knows how to drive and spin it really well, and could make some money doing something she already enjoys.”

“Those are not the same thing.”

River shrugged. “I’m not saying it’s risk-free.”

Mia had gone quiet, her eyes moving between River and me. “That’s an understatement…” She finally spoke up. “How much money are we talking?”

Tiffany turned towards her. “You can’t seriously be thinking of encouraging this?”

“I’m not encouraging anything. I’m asking a question.”

“You’re entertaining it.”

“Because I’m curious!”

I couldn’t help laughing a little. “You guys are unbelievable.”

River grinned. “Think about it. One night could bring in more than a couple of those doubles you’re killing yourself over.”

Tiffany shook her head. “And one bad night could cost her the car, her license, or a whole lot more. Not to mention somebody getting hurt.”

That wiped the smile off River’s face, at least a little. “I’m not saying she should go out there tomorrow and do something stupid. I’m just saying if you know what you’re doing and have the right people around you who know what they’re doing, there are ways to make money in the scene than just your photography, Sky.”

Mia looked at me. “What do you think?”

I leaned against my rear window, staring up at the night sky.

This is a terrible idea…

I knew that.

But the thought of making enough money in one night to take some pressure off at home was difficult to ignore. Maybe I can make enough to move out on my own… I was tired of working myself into the ground just to watch the money disappear into someone else’s problems.

Tiffany seemed to read my expression. “Skylar, I’m serious. Don’t let desperation make decisions for you.”

“I know.”

“Do you, though?”

I looked over at her. She wasn’t judging me. That was the worst part. She was genuinely worried.

Mia nudged my shoulder. “We could at least look into other ways to make money with the cars. Meets, more photography gigs, whatever. I’m sure there’s more than one way to make money in this scene.”

River rolled his eyes. “Photography isn’t exactly paying rent overnight.”

“Neither is getting arrested,” Tiffany shot back.

“Okay, damn.”

I laughed, shaking my head. For a few seconds, we all sat there listening to the distant hum of traffic below us. Then I looked at River. “Fuck it.”

Tiffany closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. “Skylar…”

“What? I’m just saying. What’s the harm in looking into it?”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Mia bit her lip, looking between us. “I mean…I’m not saying I’m completely against it.”

Tiffany stared her down. “Seriously?”

“I’m saying I understand why she’s considering it. That’s different.”

River gave me a satisfied grin. “See? Now we’re talking.”

“Don’t look so pleased with yourself,” I said. “I haven’t agreed to anything,”

“Yet.”

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help smiling.

Maybe it was reckless. Maybe it was stupid.

But for the first time in a while, I was considering doing something that might actually change my situation instead of working another 12+ hour shift and hoping things got better.

I wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing. I just knew… I was tired of feeling stuck. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain…