Hello everyone welcome to my new story! Seems kind of fitting now that Zac is playing a race-car driver in a film, but I've always loved racing and wrote this long before he signed up for that so I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I know very little about racing and this is a fictional story therefore not all details will be correct!

Thanks to Sarah for being my Beta!

CHAPTER 1

"Okay, pull her up, Jody," Gabi Montez slapped her flat palm to the hood of the Pontiac as Jody headed it home to the garage.

"How did she sound at 80?" Gabi frowned; setting the bonnet up on the rest the second Jody popped it

"Husky," he admitted, climbing out

"Any cut out?"

Jody turned his lips down "Putted at fifty then drove like a dream…"

"We can't risk a fade-out at twenty laps…" Gabi bit into her fleshy lower lip

"Hey, relax," Jodie put his large caring hands on her shoulders as he shadowed behind her.

"I just want Dex to win this race," she looked up, her arched cheeks smudged with oil and dirt and in those moments she forgot all about being a girl in a male dominated environment and just felt the gratifying burn of being part of a winning team.

"We're the best damn race team on the planet," Jody smiled. "How can he not?"

She quirked her brow and her lips simultaneously. "With an attitude like that," she smarted.

"Oh, okay, okay," Jody held his large hands out as he watched the small girl walk away, her blue boiler suit hiding everything that was feminine about her. "I forgot I'm not allowed to give compliments…"

Gabi smiled to spite herself. "Okay you're right, I'm being feisty again."

"I like feisty," Jody assured affectionately. "Feisty is good."

"Who's feisty?" Another voice interrupted them.

Gabi twisted toward the new entrant to the garage and smiled at the familiar shape of her brother, Dex.

"I am. Apparently." Gabi shared with him with an eye roll.

"You callin' my sister feisty?" A tanned, toothy black haired Dex came up beside Jody and rested his hands on his hips.

"Are you gonna hit me?" Jody asked right back with ease.

"Hmm, I doubt it," Dex decided.

"In that case, yeah, I called her feisty," Jody confirmed.

"Hear that, Gabi? He called you feisty? You gonna hit him or am I?" Dex joked and he and Jodie grinned at each other and swiped high-fives.

"Oh, whatever," Gabi sighed, used to their shows of machismo. "Let's just get the car ready…"

"Hey," Dex frowned, casting his eyes over the smaller female version of himself. Her hair was pure black, her eyes brown and her features perfectly beautiful but covered in dirt and dressed in a shapeless over-all, no-one might know it. And as her brother, he worried that she was way too fixed on the race all the time and missing out on being a girl.

"You okay, sis?" He checked.

Gabi looked up into Dex's matching brown eyes and managed a smile. "Yeah."

"You sure? I know it's not easy for you being one of the guys all the time."

"One of the guys?" A fourth incredulous voice sliced into the conversation- as much was the way in the garage that slept at the edge of the circuit- open to all that passed by.

Dex gritted his teeth as Solo Marlade strolled in; the current RaceCar Champion and all round ass.

"Marlade," he grimaced a smile out, but the tall, blonde all-american boy was focused only on Gabi.

"You are not one of the guys," Solo assured Gabi with a devilish grin.

"You don't say," Gabi tilted her head and rolled her eyes in her usual fashion and then grabbed Jody's hand to drag him into the back office with her.

"She's feisty," Solo told Dex.

"That's my sister you're talking about." Dex lifted his chin. "What do you want, Marlade?"

Solo's blue eyes glittered. "Apart from a go with your sister; I just came to say good luck for tomorrow."

"Right," Dex's eyes glittered back.

"Indiana is in the past, Montez. New city, new track."

"New way to shunt me off…" Dex lifted his brows.

Solo shrugged. "I'm just bein' nice. Tell your sister I said goodbye."

Dex smirked as he turned to go. "Like that's gonna happen…"

/

"Solo asked you out?" Dex questioned Gabi as he joined her and Jody in the break out room.

Gabi looked to Jody, then her brother. "Why are you surprised?"

"Because he's a jack-ass and I don't want him anywhere near my sister…"

"Apparently any guy that gets anywhere near me is a jack-ass in your opinion…"

"You're my little sister." He said in defence as though this justified his protectiveness.

"I'd still like to date, though," she joked.

"Not Marlade." Dex hard-lined.

"As if," she snarled.

"Me?" Jody pointed his thumb at his chest, his Ashton-Kutcher-esque looks making him adorable in her eyes.

"You're like a brother to me, Jody," she smiled softly.

"Damn," he clicked his fingers teasingly in rejection.

"Hey, you're not going anywhere near my sister," Dex told his best friend and track team member.

Gabi rolled her eyes and laughed. "You're like a broken record, Dex."

"Yeah, well. You're my sister."

/

"So how did the test drive go?" Dex asked Jody as they relaxed later back at the apartment all three of them shared; both guys in their shorts on the sun deck soaking up the rays.

"It was good. You ready to race?" Jody asked back, flicking a look over to his friend.

"Yep. I was born ready." Dex assured cockily.

"You know, your sister has it, too," Jody commented, reaching up to sip his Sprite.

"Has what?"

"The Montez racing gene," Jody clarified.

Dex snickered. "You mean she took you on a rally drive to the mall?"

"Nah man, at Midnight Madness. She warmed up for Ghecko…" Jody trailed off as it became apparent Dex didn't know this fact.

"She did huh?" Dex ground his teeth together.

"Look dude, she just did two laps there was no rally in it…" Jody back pedalled quickly.

"I told her not to go on a track…any track," Dex hard-lined.

"But she's got it," Jody argued. "Just like you, she's good."

"Yeah, well. I made a promise to my dying father that I'd never let her race…"

"You race…" Jody pointed out.

"I'm a guy," Dex explained. "Did you see her beautiful face? I'd never forgive myself if she got hurt."

"She wouldn't get hurt with your training and support," Jody suggested.

"Has she said something to you? Is she thinking about racing?"

"No, man. She hasn't said a word. But when I saw her out there…" Jody shook his head. "That's a waste of talent doing warm up laps."

"I'd rather a waste of talent than waste of a life," Dex decided finally.

"Look, don't tell her I mentioned it, okay? I don't want her to be mad at us…"

"More like you don't want her to be mad at you…" Dex grinned knowingly.

"What?" Jody held his hands up, his messy mop of dark brown hair flopping over his brown eyes.

"You so like her."

Jody stopped posturing and paused. "Yeah. I do." He admitted.

Dex sat up and sighed. "You'll be lucky, you know what she's like with guys."

"Are you cool with that?" Jody frowned.

"What you trying it on with my sister? Hell no!" Dex affirmed. "But if she likes you, then, you know, I have to roll with it I guess."

"Hey, thanks man," Jody shook his hand.

"No problem. Now stop talking and start relaxing, we got a busy weekend ahead."

/

"Have you got the tool belt?" Gabi asked Jody as she lifted the kettle to pour coffee the next morning and Jody paused on his way into the kitchen, looking around him to make sure she was speaking to him; or maybe she had started a conversation with someone else before he had come in.

"Jody?" She added, twisting to look at him.

"You look amazing, do you know that?" Jody smiled slowly at her pyjama'd form.

She rolled her eyes. "You say that every morning."

"Well, you look amazing every morning, what can I say?" He smarted, taking the coffee she handed him.

Gabi pressed her lips together and then twisted them, her heart beat picking up as she thought about broaching the subject lying between them. "Uh, Jody…"

"It's okay," he smiled. "Don't say it."

"How do you even know what I was going to say?" She tilted her head as he stood before her, tall and broad and all brown eyes and for a moment she wondered why she didn't fancy him.

"I can tell by that serious look you have. And the worry in your eyes. And I know you don't 'see me that way'," he made speech marks as he spoke.

"Look, I'm sorry if I led you on or something…"

He pursed his lips. "You didn't."

"Then why…?"

"Look, you're beautiful, okay, Gabi? I know you find that hard to believe but…well, it's true. And I can't help that I like you as more than a friend the same way you can't help that you don't." He smiled lop sidedly.

"Are we okay, though?" She worried. "I mean, can we still work together and stuff?"

Jody frowned bemusedly. "Have I ever done anything to make you feel uncomfortable?"

"No…"

"Well, I'm not about to start," he added and she nodded, sheepishly.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be. This is awkward," he admitted. "But I promise, it won't be. Just pretend we never even talked about it."

She nodded again, unsurely. "Okay."

"Hey what'cha talking about?" Dex strolled by them both and snaffled a crumpet from the toaster, buttering it and taking a bite all in a three-second period.

"The race," Jody offered, his eyes locked with Gabi's for a few seconds until he looked to his friend.

"Again?" Dex made a face. "God you two need a life…"

Gabi rolled her eyes again and smirked. "Right, I need to find my tool belt for later, see you at the track." And with that she left the room.

"Something I said?" Dex wondered.

/

"Dex?" Gabi asked her reflection in the mirror of the toilet at the garage behind the track. "Can I warm up for you tonight?" She winced and closed her eyes, taking a breath. "No that's not it," she cursed herself.

"How would you feel about me taking the car down to the line?" She tried again, her face creasing with worry as she tried to control her frantic heart beat.

"I'd feel like I was breaking our father's dying wish," Dex's real voice came from behind her, making her jump.

She turned and faced him. "I'd only be driving it to the line…"

"On the track." Dex added importantly. "You remember my promise as much as I do."

Gabi nodded and bit into her lower lip, shaking off her thoughts.

"Are you ready for the race?"

"I was born ready," he smiled, but he didn't look happy and she swallowed her words down to distract him.

"Ready for Marlade?"

"I might just reach outta my driver's window and strangle him while I whoop his ass," Dex picked up her jibe with predictable ease.

"I'll bring the camera," she joked back with a smile.

"Did you find your belt?" Dex checked.

"Uh huh," she nodded, showing him the tool belt she had lost earlier. "All ready."

"I'm gonna need fuel at second stop. And be quick on those tyres…"

"When have I ever let you down?" She asked, pride showing in her eyes. She was the fastest tyre-changer and they both knew it.

"You never did, little sis." Dex affirmed.

"Go bond up with Jody," she lifted her chin knowingly. "I'll be right here when you come in for first stop."

"I love you, sis," he told her, as he did before every race.

"Race like the wind, bro," she told him back with her small smile.