Chapter 21 Dark Horse From Virelia

Outside the rally training camp, three years later in Ravencia, a few racers of foreign descent lounged in the rest area, chatting as they watched the track."Did you hear? There's a dark horse from Virelia this season. Only been racing for three years, but he's already swept every championship back home. It's his first time competing abroad. A lot of people are betting on him, but honestly, I don't see what the fuss is about.""A Virelian racer? I wouldn't underestimate him," another tall driver said, clicking his tongue. "You forget that Virelian coach? In just three years, she trained five female F1 champions. The rest of us men have barely recovered from that humiliation."Jessica, who was sitting nearby, couldn't help but smile. She shook her head and turned back toward her own team's lounge.She pressed a cold bottle of water—fresh from the ice chest—against the face of her coach, who was resting with her eyes closed."Ms. Dotson, those losers are talking about you again. To

Chapter 22 The One Who Never Let Go

Theo had always believed Jeanne saw him differently from everyone else.To the rest of the class, she was the calm, self-disciplined class president. But around him, she lost her composure. She'd blush, snap, and argue. He'd taken that spark as proof that she cared.So, when the SATs were finally over, he gathered every ounce of courage he had and confessed to her.But Jeanne just looked at him with confusion."Why?" he asked, his voice trembling. "Don't you like me?"Seventeen-year-old Jeanne frowned, as if she were staring at a strange creature. "No. I don't. I don't like you, or these flowers, or your troublemaking friends."It was Theo's first time being rejected, and the sting was sharper than he'd imagined. "Why not? Is it because I turned in your model cars? Or because you think I'm ugly?"Jeanne turned to leave, but when she caught the shimmer in his eyes, she stopped.She met his gaze, her words steady and deliberate. "It's neither. I like gentle people. But you always

Chapter 23 To Hope

Unbeknownst to Darren, he was already the centerpiece of everyone's discussion before he even showed up at the training zone.His mind was occupied by one thing and only one thing: to inherit Jeanne's will and finish every race for her. He would take every single top spot for her. Maybe then, when he met her in the hereafter, guilt would weigh on him less.He'd heard stories before he came. Stories about the rise of a legendary coach overseas. The racers she trained won the Ivy Championship. A clean sweep.Though the coach only took female trainees, he wanted to give it a shot. Right after he went into the locker room, he stopped one of the staff members. "Hi, do you know where Team Zero's coach is?""Coach Today?" The staff member pointed at a nearby space. "She was just there a while ago. Her trainees are there. You can ask them.""Thanks," said Darren as he hurried over to Jessica. "Hi, where's your coach? I need to talk to her. It's urgent."Jessica sized Darren up. She answe

Chapter 24 Pestilent

Darren was shouting until his throat threatened to give out, but the car did not stop. Instead, it picked up speed. Mere moments later, it was only a speck in the distance.Theo did not slow down until the man in the rear-view mirror was no more.Jeanne looked at him curiously. "That was fast. Are you going somewhere?"Theo did not answer that. Instead, he asked, "Hypothetical question. If Darren comes crawling to you, sobbing and begging you to date him again, would you say yes?"A frown creased Jeanne's forehead. That question alone was sullying her ears. Still, she answered earnestly, "Over my dead body."The memories of Darren's actions alone always sent a chill down her spine. It haunted her nightmares, and she would wake up in a jolt more times than she cared to count. Sometimes she hoped the fire had taken her once and for all. But no. Now she was stuck with these nightmares, and they were elite tormentors.Theo noticed the determination in her eyes, and he smiled.That s

Chapter 25 Retort

Darren looked in the direction of the voice. When he saw the man behind that voice, his jaw dropped. "What are you doing here, Theo?"Theo put an arm around Jeanne's shoulder. She did not try to fight him, and he pulled her closer. "You sound surprised. I am her fiance. Of course I can be here."Darren looked like a bolt of lightning had struck him out of nowhere. His mind exploded, and the sound deafened him to anything else. "You're her… But that's impossible! He can't be… he can't be your fiance, Jeanne!"He teared up again, and his lips were trembling.Jeanne pulled Theo's hand off her shoulder and held it in hers. Their fingers started to intertwine, and she held them up. She wanted to show it off to Darren."You sound shocked. Of course he's my fiance. I was single before I met him, remember?"Darren was muttering under his breath. "No, this can't be… It's impossible…"Every word coming out of Jeanne's mouth was stabbing his heart, again and again. Then he gulped. "No, I w

Chapter 26 Gone With the Wind

To Jessica's surprise, Darren did stand in the snow through the night.Snowfall started turning heavy as the night went on. Jessica would not stop looking out the window. At one point, Jeanne took a glance as well.A familiar figure was standing out there. The cold seeped into his face, chapping his lips. Even so, Darren still smiled."Are you sure he's going to be okay, Ms. Dotson?"Jeanne pulled her blanket up and closed her eyes, as if the fate of the man outside was not her business. "He will. Even if he won't be, it's not our business. Go to bed already."Jessica had nothing but respect for Jeanne's calm attitude, even when a guy might die out there. But then she remembered that same guy nearly killed her. Fury filled her, and she drew the curtains shut with enough strength to pull them off.As he stood in the snowy night, Darren's mind kept replaying the past he shared with Jeanne. What they had was beautiful. They renovated the house together. They were building a future t