The Race To Be Myself

Everyone wants a piece of Lucien Vale, his money, his fame, his name. Ariana Cross wants nothing to do with him. She’s too busy fighting to survive: engineering classes by day, dead-end jobs by night, and a little sister whose next hospital bill could break them for good. Pride is the only thing her father didn’t steal when he walked out. But when a career-ending scandal rocks Lucien’s world, the ice-cold racing champion needs a miracle: a fake girlfriend who can fix his cars and his reputation. He offers Ariana everything: money, security, her sister’s future if she’ll play the part. She says no. Until one brutal night leaves her with no choice. What starts as a cold business deal explodes into a dangerous obsession. The closer Ariana gets to Lucien, the more she sees the broken man behind the legend: sleepless nights, buried rage, and a mother’s death that was never just an accident. Their lives were tangled long before they met. Now trapped in a web of lies, scorching chemistry, and secrets dark enough to destroy them both, Ariana discovers the deadliest truth of all….. Some collisions were never accidents.

The day before the race, I burned my car and announced my withdrawal. Overnight, my fanbase collapsed. Supporters unfollowed in droves, and casual fans turned on me just as viciously. Jasper, the man who had always treated me as his only real rival, put on a show of false concern. “Without him, the race feels too lonely. No matter what, I still hope he’ll return to the track and face me properly.” I sneered. In my previous life, the racecar I had painstakingly modified ended up identical to his. No matter how many videos I released of full recordings of every step I personally took, all Jasper had to do was tearfully tell his fans, “Then let Finn use it. He needs it more than I do. I’ll win on my own strength.” And just like that, I became the shameless thief in everyone’s eyes. Later, the moment I started my car, the components inside exploded, and I was left in a vegetative state. His fans called it karma. Even on the day my fiancée pulled out my oxygen tube and watched me die, I still couldn’t understand. Why had everything that belonged to me—my career, my girlfriend—all become Jasper’s? When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day the race schedule was first announced.

Three days after the college acceptances came out, my parents rented the biggest banquet hall in town to throw my sister, Makayla, a party. The hotel manager asked whose names should go on the invitation header. Mom didn't even hesitate before filling in Makayla's. "Just write Makayla's. She's had it tough since she was little, and she worked so hard to get into nursing school. At least now she has a bright future ahead of her." Dad was sitting right beside her, carefully picking out the seat right in the middle of the head table for Makayla. "Makayla will sit here. That way, guests will see her as soon as they walk in. It'll let everyone know the Martins haven't mistreated her." Seeing me remain silent, my brother Jason dropped his usual harsh tone, softening his voice for once. "Emma, don't overthink it. We're just leaving your name off this time. "Everyone knows you've always gotten good grades. Putting your name on it will only upstage Makayla. If guests start asking questions, imagine how embarrassing that'd be for her." It wasn't until it came time to pay the deposit that Mom finally glanced at me with a frown. "Come early on the day of the banquet and stand by the entrance to welcome everyone. Your sister is timid and doesn't know how to entertain people." "Another thing, if anyone asks how you did on your exam, just say you did fine. Don't say anything that'll make people feel uncomfortable." I kept my head down, staring at the text message on my phone that no one in this room cared about. [Emma Martin, you have passed the final selection for the Green Ear Project.] It turned out that in their eyes, the bright future I fought tooth and nail for didn't even compare to Makayla's nursing program. Since my name wasn't on their invitation, I guessed they didn't belong in my future.

I was two hours late the day we went to see the wedding apartment. By the time I rushed over, Serena Dupree had already signed the purchase agreement and was leaning her head against Ryan Hale's, deep in discussion about the renovation. They'd gone from debating a gaming room to a nursery, and now they were arguing over whether the master bathroom needed a bathtub. Nearby, a middle-aged couple watched with amused smiles and teased Ryan. "You two are clearly decorating a newlywed home, young man. In a marriage, the husband listens to the wife." Ryan coughed, awkward, and glanced at Serena, whose face had gone faintly pink. "Fine, fine, whatever she wants." I stood a little way off, watching Serena and Ryan go back and forth, settling every detail of my own future home between the two of them. The three of us had grown up together. When we were kids, they were the ones who decided which school I'd attend, then let me know afterward. When we grew older and Serena and I started dating, they were the ones who picked the restaurant for every date, the destination for every trip, and told me where we were going. This time, even the wedding apartment, apparently, all I had to do was wait for them to tell me. Over the years, I'd turned into the shadow of the two of them. A shadow doesn't get a voice. It just keeps its head down and follows along. But even a shadow gets tired. Even a shadow can stop dead on some overcast day and refuse to take one more step forward.

Introducing a view on how different each life we live, there will be drama, heartaches and etc. If you value friendship and family values this is your story.

Sloane is bright, fiercely athletic, almost 20 yo Sophomore student. On the track, she's a promising runner with Olympic-sized dreams. Off the track, she's perfectly happy being one of the guys, "the funny one"-a sharp contrast to the typical well dress college girl. But last semester, her tomboy façade cracked. A disastrous, unreciprocated confession to her lifelong best friend left a permanent, painful dent in their friendship. She was ready to power through the awkwardness, keep her head down, and focus on her sophomore season, when, her world was shaken. A celebrated international star athlete and new exchange student, steps onto campus and into Sloane's life. He's popular, he's gorgeous, and he sees the vibrant woman under the baggy sweatshirts. He doesn't just challenge Sloane on the field; he forces her to confront her greatest flaw: her deep-seated belief that she's not beautiful. But as he teaches her what "beauty" truly means, a complicated new set of rules emerges, with her scholarship at risk and loosing her mind over calculus. Can Sloane chase her running dreams, navigate a new and intense romance, and survive the rumors, bad grades, and campus chaos that follow? Or will the pressure of becoming someone new lead to the biggest stumble of her life? ♡ This romantic comedy explores the complications of academic and athletic pressure at the high level demanded by universities as well as the modern beauty standards, while also capturing how fun and dramatic campus life can be for young people. ┖┈┈┈┈୨♡୧┈┈┈┈୨♡୧┈┈┈┈୨♡୧┈┈┈┈┚ This book is entirely a work of fiction. The characters are all fictional, and all rights to this work are reserved by the author.