It Gets Even Better

by Isabela Oliveira

  “How long would that take?” Jinx bent over the wing and helped Prilla pry out the thruster.

  “Bring her down here tomorrow and I’ll have the fix ready for the finals.” Prilla hefted the thruster over one shoulder. The bright afternoon sun struck her bandana, making its pink cloth glow golden like a crown. Jinx never wanted to stop looking at her.

  They headed back to the garage in comfortable silence. Prilla’s tears had dried, and Jinx was busy daydreaming about lapping her competitors and streaking across the finish line. She had fought so hard for so long for this victory, and she was so close she could almost feel the engine thrumming in her ears. If only Prilla could be there, waiting just past the checkered flag…

  Back in the garage, Prilla tucked the thruster under her workbench and picked up the socket wrench once more.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, tucking a curl behind her ear.

  “Tomorrow,” Jinx echoed, her eyes fixed on the curl.

  That night, Jinx tossed and turned, her thoughts a whirlwind of stress. Sure, Prilla wanted to see her more, but what if she didn’t like what she saw? Jinx wasn’t as carefree and suave as she wanted to be, but none of the models she danced with ever cared to look past her mystique. They only saw the charming hovercar racer at the top of her game. Prilla knew the young child and the scruffy teen. Soon she would also know the worried wreck.

  Jinx awoke the next day at the crack of dreary dawn, ready to supervise the transfer of her hovercar to the Castle. Her anxieties had faded with sleep, and she was optimistic about the upgrades Prilla had planned. Standing there in her apartment, facing the Earth from high above, she felt victorious already.

  She of all people should have known better than to jinx herself.

  The transport itself was flawless. There wasn’t a single scratch on the glossy hull of Jinx’s hovercar. The Castle’s garage was open and ready. But Prilla wasn’t there.

  “Tom?” Jinx peered into the front room. “Where’s the princess?”

  “Should be in the back. She’s on the clock.” The man at the counter didn’t look up from his holo display.

  Puzzled, Jinx returned to the garage. With the movers gone, she could now hear the faint sound of crying coming from the connected bathroom.

  “Prilla?” Jinx knocked on the door. “What’s wrong?”

  “Jinx?” Prilla yanked the door open. She had a crumpled tissue in one fist, but she looked more angry than sad.

  “What happened?” Jinx demanded, trying to make herself seem bigger, taller, more protective. Prilla didn’t respond. “Who do I have to fight?”

  Prilla sighed and her shoulders slumped. The anger went out of her eyes, which worried Jinx even more. Jinx held out her arms and, when Prilla nodded, swept her into a tight hug.

  “I’m sorry,” Prilla whispered into Jinx’s ear. Jinx squeezed tighter, trying to stop herself from crying too.

  “Don’t be sorry, princess. Whatever happened, it won’t happen again.”

  “It was the tabloids.”

  The pit dropped out of Jinx’s stomach like a hovercar with a failing mag drive. She stepped back, clinging to Prilla’s hands.

  “What did they say?” she asked, as softly as she could.

  “It was pictures of us.” Prilla’s tears flowed freely as she spoke. “In the junkyard. All the headlines were — well, they wanted to know what a star like you was doing with someone like me. They said I was a distraction from racing, and then they started changing your odds. I’m sorry, Jinx, I didn’t mean to cause any problems.”

  “Prilla, you didn’t deserve that.” Jinx gritted her teeth and pushed aside her fears about taking a sponsorship hit so close to the finals. “I’ll fix this, somehow.”

  “Oh, Jinx.” Prilla laughed, but her tears didn’t stop. “Always the champion. But why bother? They’re right.”

  “They’re wrong.” Jinx propped her hands on her hips. “You’re helping me. You’re fixing my hovercar, aren’t you? Besides, even if you didn’t lift a finger, you’d still be worth more than any lies the paparazzi could spin up, Prilla. Always have been, always will be.”

  “That’s nice of you.” Prilla tried to smile.

  “I mean it.” Jinx stepped up to Prilla, then grabbed a nearby screwdriver and held it out to her. “I’ll prove it. Come to the finals with me.”

  “Really?”

  “I know it’s been a while since we’ve really hung out, but it would mean a lot to me if you cheered me on.”

  Prilla took the screwdriver.

  “I’d love to,” she said, and this time her smile reached her eyes.

  “I’ll win for you,” Jinx promised. “Then in the victory interview, I’ll tell the whole world how wonderful you are.”

  “Sure you will.” Prilla rolled her eyes. Then she set her jaw, grabbed her bandana, and marched over to the thruster. “It looks like we’re on a deadline, then.”

  “You think you can fix her up in time?”

  “Are you doubting my skills?” Prilla dragged the thruster over to the hovercar. “I’ll have her done early.”

  “Early enough to go shopping with me?” Jinx asked. She was pushing her luck, but then again, she did that for a living.

  “You’re buying.”

  “Of course.”

  “Then it’s a date.” Prilla tied up her hair and slid her mechanic’s platform under the hovercar before Jinx could respond.

  As soon as the airlock sealed on Jinx’s ship, she yelled and punched the air. Prilla was coming to see her race, at long last. No more hiding from the paparazzi and sneaking away to the Castle in secret. Jinx was going to take the moon by storm, with her beautiful princess by her side. The tabloids wouldn’t know what hit them.

  The day before the final race in the Luna Circuit, Prilla called Jinx. Her cornflower-blue eyes were wide and bright on the vid-wall of Jinx’s apartment. Jinx checked her reflection in the preview screen — a few swipes at her hair made her handsomely disheveled, not a total mess — before accepting the call.

  “Your hovercar is ready,” Prilla declared. “The thruster needed some tweaking for cross-compatibility, but everything works.”

  “That’s great.” Jinx yawned and pulled her blanket close. “It’s early, Prilla.”

  “Well, yeah. Aren’t we going to go shopping?”

  “How long could that take?”

  A long time, it turned out. Prilla bounced in and out of stores, holding up dresses in the mirror and running her hands along racks of blouses, trying to find that one perfect outfit for the finals. Jinx knew she should be out practicing with her new thruster, but somehow it didn’t feel as important as it did the day before. She knew how to race. What she hadn’t known was how much the smile on Prilla’s face could make her heart sing.

  At a plus-size boutique on the far side of the moon, Prilla stopped and stared at a lace gown.

  “Synthetic spider silk,” she murmured. “Tensile strength off the charts.”

  “Is this a dress or equipment?” Jinx asked.

  “What’s the difference?” Prilla selected a few sizes from the rack and held them against her chest. “I’m going to try it on.”

  When Prilla emerged from the dressing room, she was radiant. The dress skimmed her curves and dipped low at the neck, then fell into soft ruffles at the bottom. It looked like spun silver, shiny and chrome, soft and strong. Prilla fiddled with the hem.

  “Do you like it?”

  “I love it,” Jinx blurted. “Princess, it’s perfect. That’s the one.”

  “I thought so too,” Prilla said, beaming. “I’m so glad they have it in my size. Thanks for waiting for me for so long, Jinx.”

  Jinx wanted to thank Prilla for waiting for her, for sticking around through all those years of distance and missed connections. If she was going to be close with Prilla again, though, maybe she should stop keeping secrets. She cleared her throat.

  Prilla’s smile crumpled as she stared over Jinx’s sho
ulder. Jinx turned to see a cameraman lurking at the entrance of the store, snapping photos of them. Her newfound confidence died in her chest.

  “Jinx,” he called out as he swapped the lenses on his camera. “Over here, Jinx! Can I get a closeup?”

  “I’m a little busy right now, sorry.” Jinx faked a smile. She couldn’t have any bad press the day before the finals. “Come see me at the track tomorrow and I’ll see what I can do.”

  Prilla backed away, heading for the dressing room. Splotches of red stained her cheeks and her hands, now in fists, were shaking.

  “Who’s the girl?” the cameraman asked Jinx. When she didn’t answer immediately, his casual smile became a shark-like grin, and he stepped forward. “Come on, I saw her in the papers. She’s gotta be something to you. She’s the chick from those junkyard photos, right? Did you buy her that dress? Must be a new thing. You didn’t seem distracted in the semis.”

  “We’re just friends.” Jinx gritted her teeth, fighting her urge to chuck the nearest high heel at the paparazzo’s head.

  “Does she know that? It looks like she’s angling to get her fifteen minutes of fame out of you.” The cameraman cast a disdainful look at Prilla.

  At that final indignity, Jinx leapt to her feet. She was shorter than the cameraman, but fiercer too, and he retreated as she approached. She grabbed the strap of his camera and yanked him forward, all politeness abandoned. Protecting her reputation was important, sure, but she needed to stop letting her ego hurt Prilla. What kind of champion would she be if she didn’t protect what was really important?

  “I don’t know why you make it your business to insult beautiful women,” she said, “but it stops now. If you ever want to show your face at one of my races again, you’d better leave us alone.”

  “Are you threatening me?” The cameraman squirmed in Jinx’s grasp, trying in vain to slip away.

  “Apologize to the lady,” Jinx demanded, tightening her grip. The cameraman swallowed hard.

  “Sorry, miss,” he said. Prilla didn’t smile, but she did unclench her fists.

  “Good enough. Now go.” Jinx snapped the lens cap onto his camera and pushed him away, just hard enough to make him stumble. With a nervous glance behind him, the cameraman scurried away.

  Jinx slumped against the wall and put her head in her hands. She was not going to look good in the tabloids tomorrow. Hopefully her fans would see that she was just trying to be chivalrous, but Jinx knew the cameraman would find some awful way to spin the situation.

  “You didn’t have to do that.” Prilla’s soft voice broke through Jinx’s clouded mind like a ray of sunshine. No matter what headline showed up tomorrow, it would be worth it.

  “Of course I did.” Jinx smiled up at Prilla. “I told you, I’m trying to be a better friend. How was that?”

  “That was a good start.” Prilla smiled, and Jinx’s heart swelled with affection. “Are you sure, though? Right before the finals?”

  “I’m sure,” said Jinx, and meant it. After all, she was a racer first and foremost. All that really mattered was winning.

  The next morning, Jinx woke early, as she did before every race. Her coach met her at the track and her crew went over the final checks of her hovercar, noting the fine workmanship on the new thruster. Her competitors shook her hand and her fans took her picture, clearly not put off by whatever the mall paparazzo had written about her. The whole time, though, all Jinx could think of was how Prilla had looked in that silver gown. She searched the stands, more anxious for her princess to arrive than she was for the race to start.

  She was still staring at the stands when Prilla tapped her on the shoulder.

  “I wanted to see you before you raced. Here,” she whispered, handing Jinx a handkerchief. It bore Prilla’s embroidered signature of petals and blossoms. “A token of my honor for my champion.”

  “Prilla —”

  “Don’t say anything,” Prilla scolded her. “You’ve got to get going. Just get out there and make me proud.”

  “Of course.” Jinx tucked the handkerchief inside her racing jacket, nestling it just above her heart. She didn’t dare let herself think about what it might mean. “I’ll see you at the finish line.”

  As Prilla snuck back out of the pit, Jinx climbed into her hovercar. She activated the mag drive and lifted off. Her car hovered steadily above the track. All system lights were green. With a few deft movements, Jinx glided to the starting line.

  The announcer was speaking, but Jinx couldn’t hear him over the rush of blood in her ears. Even her first race hadn’t felt like this. This time, she wasn’t just racing for herself. This race was for more than gold. If she won, she would finally feel worthy enough to confess to Prilla.

  At the sound of the starting gun, everything melted away. Jinx peeled off the starting line and headed for the front of the pack. There was no cheering crowd, no waiting princess. There was only the track in front of her.

  Something felt off already. Jinx hadn’t had time to practice with the new thruster, and it didn’t handle the same as her old one. Her hovercar was faster, yes, but wilder too. Jinx gritted her teeth and clung to the wheel. She just needed to stay on course and she could win this.

  The racers on either side of Jinx nosed their way forward, jockeying for position. Jinx was picking up speed now. Her hovercar sped down the track as if it had been shot from a cannon. Jinx glanced to either side, set her jaw, and increased the thruster’s power.

  Another hovercar swung into Jinx’s field of view. Its engine steamed as its driver barrelled full-throttle down the track. Jinx bit her lip. She needed to conserve her fuel and coolant for later in the race. As much as it stung her ego to be passed, she didn’t need to stay in first place the whole time.

  Lap after lap zipped by in Jinx’s rear camera display. Another hovercar passed her halfway through the race. If this race had been last week, she would have challenged it, but with Prilla watching her, she couldn’t risk a crash.

  The counter of remaining laps dwindled, and Jinx started to relax. The new thruster still had power left to give on the home stretch, and she was getting the hang of steering with it. No one else had passed her, so she only had two hovercars to beat.

  Just before the final lap, Jinx poured full power into the thruster. She zipped forward in the span of a heartbeat, catching the two winning racers by surprise.

  Too much surprise.

  One of the hovercars swerved sharply out of the way. It swung off the magnetized track and its side dropped to the asphalt, sending up sparks as it scraped forward.

  With her regular thruster, Jinx would have been able to avoid it with ease. In her panic, she steered as she always had before. Of course, her hovercar didn’t respond as it would have before.

  Jinx drove for her life as she careened forward, just missing the last racer ahead of her. She could barely stay on the track at this speed. The finish line was so close, but if she made one wrong move, it would all end in flames.

  Prilla’s smiling face and silver silk dress filled Jinx’s mind.

  “I’ll make you proud,” Jinx murmured.

  She eased off the thruster.

  The hovercar she had dodged earlier sped past her to cross the finish line in first place. Jinx edged out a few of the racers that had overtaken the crashing hovercar, finishing in a respectable second place. The noise of the crowd was deafening. Jinx tried not to look at them as she coasted back to her pit.

  She turned off her mag drive and returned to solid ground as the runner-up of the Luna Circuit.

  With shaking hands, Jinx unzipped her jacket and pulled out Prilla’s handkerchief. She traced the embroidered petals and waited for the paparazzi to swarm her.

  Instead, the first person she saw was Prilla herself.

  “You did it,” Prilla exclaimed, throwing her arms around Jinx’s neck. After a startled, frozen moment, Jinx hugged back.

  “I got second,” she mumbled.

  “Better second than
dead. I saw the way your hovercar was handling out there.”

  “Are you proud?” Jinx couldn’t meet Prilla’s eyes.

  “I couldn’t be prouder.”

  “Prilla, can I tell you something? Before the cameras get here?” Jinx folded and unfolded the handkerchief behind Prilla’s back, intensely aware of Prilla’s arms around her neck.

  “Of course.”

  “I’m in love with you.” It came out in a rush, spurred on by the adrenaline shock of the race. “That’s why I slowed down. Staying alive to tell you that was more important than winning.”

  Prilla’s gaze was soft yet serious. Jinx fidgeted, feeling her face burn hot. Before Jinx could try to play her confession off as a joke, though, Prilla tilted her head up and spoke.

  “Jinx Montoya, I’ve been in love with you from the first time you called me princess.”

  “Well.” Jinx was sure she was red enough to match Prilla’s lipstick. “I’m sorry I can’t be your champion.”

  “You’ll always be my champion.”

  The paparazzi finally arrived just as Jinx grasped Prilla’s lace collar and pulled her forward. They closed their eyes to the camera flashes and melted into a long-awaited kiss.

  Lauren Ring (she/her) is a perpetually tired Jewish lesbian who writes about possible futures, for better or for worse. Her short fiction can be found in Pseudopod, Recognize Fascism, and Glitter + Ashes. When she isn’t writing speculative fiction, she is pursuing her career in UX design or attending to the many needs of her cat, Moomin.

  Content notes can be found at the end of the book.

  Half My Heart

  by Rafi Kleiman

  The rattle of the bass through the floor and up into his throat always made Vic feel like a werewolf during the full moon, like he was bursting from his skin, like he was about to become something new. K was pressed warm against his side by the crush of the crowd, screaming, pitched up high to be heard over the noise. The horde was bleeding out ink and endorphins, rolling to the sound of thrash guitar and synth-punk heartbreak. He could feel the vibrations in the soles of his feet, even through his boots, all the way to his skull.