Once you've raced, you never forget it.

You never get over it.

Asking For Trouble

With a screeching sound, my car came to a perfect stop by my group just as a group of bystanders cheered as they made their way towards us. I rested my head back against the headrest and closed my eyes momentarily with a heavy sigh before putting my aviator shades on and stepping out of the driver's side.

"The Road Killer has dominated again! Can no one stop her feisty desire for exhilaration and speed!" the judge—some hired college student—exclaimed enthusiastically from the stands with a beer in hand. Amazing how some people can still function with alcohol in their systems.

"That was such a killer move!"

"The little drift you integrated into that turn was awesome! You have to show me sometimes!"

"You're so unstoppable! You're a girl, but you've whooped everyone's asses since day one!"

I just waved my hand in response and walked over to Lissa, who had the stopwatch. "Better than last week? Enough to make it to Nationals?" I pressed with an anxious feeling in my gut as I took off my blood red helmet. "Come on, Liss! Don't just stare at me! Read the time!"

She lost against herself and broke out into a grin. "You just knocked off thirty seconds from your best time so far!" she cheered, jumping up and down while pulling me into a hug. She stopped and held me at arms' length away. "Rose, at this rate, you can make Nationals without breaking a sweat!"

I couldn't help the smile that broke out on my face. "Liss, that's the best news I've heard all day," I sighed in relief and ran a hand through my hair.

"Aw, is Rosie going to go all sentimental on us? Can she do that in front of her fans?" Christian teased with a smirk as he draped an arm around Lissa's shoulders comfortingly. He just grinned when I glared at him. "Calm yourself."

"How about I bash your nuts in front of my fans?" I asked in the same mocking tone with an innocent smile. "I bet they'll think you're the one who's sentimental."

My best friend just rolled her eyes. "Okay, time out! No more fighting, just for five minutes!" she said with a laugh.

"With these two, that's impossible. You, of all people, should know that by now," Sydney said as she lightly punched my arm. "Congrats out there, though. You ran his ass to the ground!"

I winked at her. "You know how I roll," I said, making her smirk.

There was a faint smell of vodka in the air; faint, but very familiar. "Now, ladies. Care to let me in on some girl talk?" Adrian slurred, wrapping his arms around Sydney from behind with a sneaky grin, "I'm all ears."

"And alcohol," Sydney groaned and turned away as he tried to kiss her.

I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. "All right guys! I'm feeling awesome tonight, so who's down for some late-night pizza and root beer!" I cheered.

"Now you're talking," Christian said with a satisfied grin. "We'll go ahead and reserve our usual spot. See you guys in twenty, and see Rose in probably ten." With that, he led Lissa away from the chattering crowd and towards his Mercedes hidden behind our 'workshop.'

Turning to Sydney, I already saw Adrian's keys in her hand. "Smart. I'm going to take one last look at my tires before I catch up with you guys, so don't touch a slice until I get there," I warned half-jokingly. She and Lissa both knew that I could get brutal over a simple issue of food.

When the pair left, I sighed and looked at each tire carefully, making sure that I could still go a couple of hundreds of miles on them; drifting does come in handy at the price of killing nearly half of the tire's life. "Damn," I grumbled, putting my hands on my hips. "I have to buy new ones next month probably."

"With the way you're driving? I'd recommend you'd have to switch every two weeks," a new, low voice laced with a unique accent said from behind me.

I spun around and looked up at the stranger's face, and my first impression was that he wasn't good looking. He was hot.

Lifting my shades, I simply stared at him. "And who am I taking this random advice from?"

He flashed a half-grin. "Belikov," he said. "Dimitri Belikov."

"Stop glaring at me!" Ben said as he pulled up to the makeshift parking lot in a deserted storage area. "Trust me, you'll have a great time. And I've got news about the current Road Killer; they say she's a beast when she's behind the wheel."

I got out of the car and inhaled the familiar scent of exhaust pipes. "This is a mistake," I mumbled, leaning against the passenger door. Suddenly, a black Nissan GT-R whooshed right past us before I could even blink, followed by a custom-built Honda Accord. I didn't have to be an idiot to know who would win.

Draping an arm around my neck, Ben enthusiastically pulled me to the crowd gathering around the GT-R. "Come on! Don't be such a wimp!" he laughed as he released me to blend in with the crowd.

I decided to just stay a bit away from the crowd and observed the driver before she got out of the car. When she took off her helmet, it took all the willpower I had to not gawk at her. Ben had said she was a beast behind the wheel. I thought he forgot to mention that she was also a beast out of the car. A sexy beast on two legs.

"God, every time I see her, she just gets more and more pretty," a guy who was a few feet away from me said dreamily.

Pretty didn't accurately describe her.

When the crowd started to slowly disintegrate, she was alone and checking each of her tires. My guess was that she was checking to see how long it would be before she had to change all four of them. I figured it was my chance to approach her.

"Damn," she grumbled to herself, putting her hands on her perfect curves. "I have to buy new ones next month probably."

I couldn't help myself. "With the way you're driving? I'd recommend you'd have to switch every two weeks."

She turned around when I spoke, and I saw her eyebrows rise slightly. Lifting her sunglasses, I was met with dark chocolate eyes: so rich and beautiful.

"And who am I taking this advice from?"

My lip twitched upward slightly. "Belikov," I answered. "Dimitri Belikov."

She just stared at me like I was a moron.

Suddenly, Ben came up behind me and slapped me on the back with a goofy grin. "Come on, you don't know Dimitri Belikov?" he asked her as if they were close friends. "He was the previous Road Killer up until his car—"

I elbowed his ribs to shut him up.

Her demeanor changed slightly and she grinned mischievously at me. "Well, Belikov. If your skills aren't too rusty yet, we should race sometimes," she said and winked as she got in her car before speeding off.

I released the breath that I didn't know I had been holding.

Ben snickered. "Man, she's clouded your mind, hasn't she?" he teased and put his hands in his pockets. "Good luck asking her out, though. Word has it that she rejects everyone."

I chuckled. "I never said I wanted to ask her out. I was just admiring the view," I said, walking towards his car.

"Sure you were," my friend grinned slyly. "Dude, you're just asking for trouble. Admit it; you haven't changed a bit from our racing days."

Grimacing, I replied, "I have. And that's why I stopped racing six years ago."

Liked it? Loved it? Hated it? R&R!

-Delicate