Labeled

by Jenni Linn

  "And now you've tasted them."

  "Uh Huh!" I say, enthusiastically.

  "I am so happy for you."

  "It seriously just feels so…right. Perfect, actually. He still makes me nervous, but at the same time, he eases me. Isn't that all kinds of contradicting?"

  "Nope," she says with a large smirk.

  We walk around for a little before we decide we've been gone long enough. We start to head back to the group.

  "Ugh. Looks like they've gained some friends." I squint my eyes at my brothers, Wes, Chase, and Brandon. Our group has grown--a few other guys are standing around Wes' Evo--but a handful of girls have joined them, too. I can't help but feel the pang of jealousy at the girl standing a little too close to Chase, but his arms are crossed, and he doesn't seem to be giving her one bit of his attention. Wes and another guy are talking and Chase seems to be engrossed with their conversation. He’s listening intently. I wish I could go wrap my arms around him to make the girl move her way along to someone else, but that definitely can't happen. I settle on leaning against his car and look everywhere but at him. Vance is too busy flirting to notice anyone else around him.

  Vaughn and Brandon have the attention of three girls, and everyone within town limits knows that Wes isn't available, so most girls don't bother with him anymore. Taylor is a feisty chick you don't want to mess with. Regardless, she wraps her arms around Wes and pulls him in for a kiss. He gives her what she wants and continues talking. Their antics are amusing, to say the least. Taylor joins me again and we make fun of my brothers behind their backs; it’s my favorite past-time. A dark-colored car abruptly pulls up behind Chase's and Wes' car. A short, muscular, tattooed man gets out and approaches our group.

  Everyone stops their conversation as this bulky dude walks up to Wes. "Who the hell is that?" I whisper to Tay.

  "You ready to get your ass handed to you?" the deep voice barks out.

  "I don't know, but he looks like a mini hulk," Taylor whispers back, making me laugh. Wes towers over the guy and a sly, cocky smirk emerges on his features, "Not going to happen, but nice try."

  "Prove it."

  Wes just nods and the beef-head walks back to his car, peeling out aggressively.

  "That was unnecessary," I mumble.

  Wes moves towards Tay. "Give me my good luck kiss." Taylor, of course, complies. Their simple kiss quickly goes from G to PG-13. I leave them to it and walk over to Chase. The same girl is still trying to engage him in a conversation, but his eyes are on me and following my movements as I come to stand next to him. His back is now facing her. If that's not a silent dismissal, I don't know what is. I am internally cheering, but the smile on my face is apparent.

  "Why are you smiling like that?" he asks.

  "No reason."

  "Uh-huh."

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see her retreat to her friend group that’s surrounded Vaughn and Brandon. Her arms are crossed over her chest and there’s an ugly scowl on her face.

  "Seems like she wanted your attention," I point out.

  "Did she? I hadn't noticed. There's this cute brunette that I can't keep my eyes off of," he flirts, and the feeling of lust replaces the jealousy. Wes' car starts up just as Taylor joins us.

  "Let's rock," she says. Wes backs up his car and drives off to the line of waiting cars.

  "That's the guy he's racing for money?" Chase asks Taylor.

  "Yeah, I think so. He didn't mention who it was, so I'm not even sure I know who that is."

  Vance and his ‘flavor of the moment’ join us. "That's John. He's from a couple of towns over. I think he heard about Wes through the circuit. If Wes beats him, it'll be a big deal and could get Wes tons of exposure."

  "Is this a good thing?" I question, glancing at Tay. I can see the slight worry register on her face.

  "Hell yeah! Bigger races and more money," Vance says excitedly.

  "Why didn't you bring your car?" the girl asks.

  "I'm going to make some modifications to it," he tells her. She pinches her face, not grasping. "Try to make it go faster," Vance explains further. What the hell is this girl even doing here? I roll my eyes and turn to look at the track. Two cars go zooming down. I hear their exhausts popping as they hit the rev line. I move towards the fence and leave the group. Hands suddenly grasp the fence next to me. It’s Chase.

  "I don't understand. Why come to the track if you're going to try and pick up guys? Isn't that what a bar is for?" I ask annoyed.

  "What if you're not twenty-one?"

  "I don't know, go to parties then? You come here to race or talk cars, meet other car enthusiasts...not pick up guys. Especially guys like my brothers."

  "The guys come here to pick up girls," he points out.

  "It's a vicious cycle."

  "Wes up yet?" Taylor comes to stand on the other side of me.

  I squint towards the line. "Don't see him."

  "I see his car! Two cars back!" She jumps excitedly.

  The rest of the group joins us, including the girls. The same girl that tried to get Chase's attention before squeezes in between us, making me take a step over. Her perfume is heavy and overpowering; it makes me sneeze. I was pretty confident after his complete disregard of her earlier she’d take the hint. Now, I’m annoyed. I'm two seconds away from telling her off, but at the same time, I want to enjoy watching Chase turn her down. Again.

  Another set of cars zoom down the track, leaving Wes and John one set away from their race. I can hear the girl ask Chase something, but her voice is too low for me to hear. Damn. I lean over nonchalantly trying to pick up some conversation, but the surroundings are too loud for me to make out any words. The reeving engines at the starting line drown out anyone trying to have a conversation. Movement in my peripheral vision has me turning my head and Chase is leaning towards the girl’s ear, causing me to hold my breath. His head comes up and his eyes are on me. She looks at the track in front of her. Her glossed lips purse and then she abruptly moves away. I watch her walk away from us completely, also leaving her friends behind. I can't help but smile.

  Seconds later, two more cars are speeding down the pavement. Chase closes the gap when the cars have passed, and I lean in. "What did you say?" I ask, my curiosity getting the best of me.

  "I told her I wasn't interested."

  "WHOOOO!" Taylor yells from my left, starting me.

  "Jeez!" I cry, causing Chase to laugh, "She always does that!"

  She's jumping up and down as Wes' and John's cars meet the starting line. I’m finally able to see what John is driving--a black or maybe dark blue old body Honda Civic Si. You can see he's put a lot of work into it, the large front mount is on display. They're both revving the shit out of their cars, the backfiring from the exhaust popping loudly. The body of their cars are lifting upfront as they take off. It's a close call. They are neck and neck. They zoom by our position at the fence, and I can't help but scream my excitement. The further they move down, the harder it becomes to see who's in the lead.

  I can hear Vance on the other side of Chase yelling. He’s shaking the fence wildly, making me release my grip so my arms don't rip out of their sockets. The times light up on the board at the end of the track. I suck in a breath. Wes has the lead by two seconds. Taylor is jumping up and down next to me, flailing wildly. Vance's hoots and hollers are so loud that everyone is looking our way. He picks up the girl next to him by her waist and seemingly throws her around in celebration.

  "Oh my gosh," I whisper, eyes wide.

  Arms wrap around my neck as Taylor grabs me and she’s pulling me into a wild, messy hug. "He won! He won! He beat him by two seconds!" I join in with her excitement, celebrating Wes' super close win. I can only imagine that John is not going to be happy. Wes' car pulls up to our spot and he jumps out of the car, throwing his hands up in the air. He catches Taylor quickly as she runs to him.

  Chase and I are the calmest of the group. "We're friends with a bunch of monkeys!" I say to him. He
laughs lightly. Everyone's congratulating Wes on his close win with high fives, hugs, and pats on the back.

  "Where's that asshole?" Vance asks as he’s looking around at the crowd. I can only assume he's talking about Wes’ hotheaded opponent. Wes only shrugs. "If he doesn't pay it won't look good on the circuit. I'm not worried. He'll pay. He's just embarrassed." He turns to his car, lifting the hood, and then propping it open.

  "I'll be right back," he tells the group before jogging away. We are all lingering around chatting when Wes returns with a bag of ice to place on top of his intercooler. He wants to get back out on the track faster.

  "Yo, Chase, you wanna run one?" Vaughn yells to Chase, who is standing close to me.

  "Yeah man, any chance to embarrass you," Chase yells and the group laughs. Vaughn looks a little annoyed, especially with the girls around him. I can't help the smirk that’s forming.

  Our group has gathered some more people--including more women--no doubt wanting the attention of the guys. Another girl slides in next to Chase and I eye her hands grabbing at his arm. He looks down and removes her hands almost subconsciously. I like that, but it doesn't go unnoticed. She pouts and turns to her friend standing next to her.

  "More action, less talk," Vaughn says, trying to be tough.

  Chase walks towards Vaughn. "Ladies first," Chase says while waving his arm in front of him. Ohh's and more laughter emerge around us. I watch Vaughn interact with the group he’s assembled. Each of them kiss him on each cheek, then giggle. Chase looks at me before walking to his car. I throw my fist up and yell, "‘Kick his ass, Sea bass’."

  He laughs hard at my ‘Dumb and Dumber’ reference, his head thrown back. "That was a good one!" I watch him climb into his car with a wide smile on his face.

  "Yo, Brandon!" Wes yells to the kid--who's surrounded by girls--seeming to be in his glory.

  Brandon's head whips up at his name, "What's up?"

  "You wanna get one in?"

  "Yeah, sure."

  Wes kisses Taylor before walking back towards his car, removing the now watered-down bag, and closing his hood. Brandon and Wes both drive off leaving me, Taylor, Vance, and a handful of girls. Taylor and I move towards the fence, not really caring to be near Vance.

  "Did you see him totally diss that girl?" Taylor asks, low. "I was mentally cheering."

  "It was great," I tell her with a smile.

  "If that's not a devotion of love, I don't know what is."

  I look at her and scoff. "You're nuts."

  "Maybe a little, but that boy be lovin' you."

  "It is way too soon to be throwin' that L word around, okay?"

  "Okay. He be likin' you," she pauses, "a lot."

  "Who likes you?" Vance chimes in.

  "Where the hell did you come from?" I ask, perplexed. He seems to keep appearing out of nowhere, lately.

  "Your mom," Vance responds. "Are we talking about the guy who asked you out?" he presses.

  "Yep," I agree to just shut him up.

  "I'll kick his ass."

  "You will not! Shut up." I push on his shoulder.

  "Vance, what's with your friend? Is he like...gay?" I glance over Vance, noticing the same girl that Chase turned down. This causes Vance to burst out in laughter. "Who, Chase?"

  She nods her head, "He totally blew me off."

  "No, sweetheart, he's not gay. He's pussy-whipped."

  I scrunch up my face.

  "The only girl I see him with is her,” her finger is pointed my way, “and he's definitely not with her." What? The anger in me flares up, and I want to break her finger off.

  "No, he's definitely not," Vance agrees. "But he's been talking to some girl."

  "Well she's not here, so what she doesn't know won't hurt her."

  I can't help the bitter laugh that bubbles out of my throat. "You've got to be kidding me," I mumble. "What was that?" she sneers at me, peering around Vance.

  I smile at her. "You," I point my finger at her, "are exactly what's wrong with people today. Have a little respect. If someone is taken, don’t be a snake. You don't go after another girl's man. It’s pathetic."

  She crosses her arm, seemingly unaffected by my words. Her smug smile is making her, once pretty, face ugly. She laughs bitterly. "If he bites the bait, he obviously doesn't care." I shake my head, completely baffled. "Exactly! Chase isn't interested in you, so move along."

  “We’ll see,” she says before throwing her long blonde hair over her shoulder and sauntering away. I throw my hands up and glance at Vance, who shrugs his shoulders, but is clearly amused by the whole exchange.

  "Vance, I'm sorry bro, but you need to stop slumming." My words cause the blonde to stop in her tracks, and she whips around.

  "Um, excuse me? Slumming? Take a good look in the mirror, sweetie."

  Two cars zoom by, pausing our intense conversation. I'm about to respond when Vance's loud voice stops me. "Enough!" He barks, eyes on her, "You do realize that's my sister, right?" Her full attention is on Vance now, and her face is becoming pink.

  "And?"

  "And? You want to hang with us? Then you respect the people I hang with, especially my family. If you can't do that, then you can take your ass elsewhere."

  Without another peep, she stalks away. The remaining girls standing on the other side of Vance glare at me, but follow their blonde friend, like obedient pups.

  "Buh-bye." I wave.

  "Knock it off, V," Vance says annoyed. His voice is raised because of the loud exhausts from the cars behind us.

  "What? That girl was a bitch," I point out.

  "Bitch or not, she was hot."

  I groan. "She wasn't even interested in you!"

  "I could have swooped in and healed her wounded ego when Chase turned her down."

  I take notice of the two girls standing not too far away from us and point at them. "Go talk to them."

  He eyes up said girls, "Good idea." And walks over to them. I watch as they openly invite him into their conversation. Another set of cars whirl by.

  "I cannot believe I'm related to him," I say to Taylor. "You were pretty quiet, by the way." I look towards her.

  "You were handling yourself!"

  I rub my nails on my shoulder, then laugh at myself. The times from the last race flash up on the board at the end of the track.

  "You're such a nerd." Taylor bumps my shoulder. I just shrug. There's definitely no denying that. Taking my place back at the fence, I notice the familiar car pulling up to the starting line. "Oh! Chase and Vaughn are up next!" The feeling of pride erupts within me, and I'm jumping on the tip of my toes. I guess this is what Taylor feels like every time she watches Wes run. Seconds later, they're off. Chase getting a good jump off the line. I scream out loud, not able to contain my excitement.

  Taylor slaps at my arm, "You scared me!"

  "Good! That's just for one of the many times you've scared me!"

  Chase gains the lead by almost half a car length. "He's got him!" I yell, "Yes!" Their score flashes on the board.

  "WHOO!" Vance yells beside me. The two girls have followed him over, "That was a great run!"

  "I'm gonna go see Chase," I tell Taylor.

  "Okay, I'm gonna stay here and wait for Wes." I nod, just remembering that Wes is running again. I glance behind at the starting line and spot his Evo, but it's about two cars behind.

  "I'll be right back," I tell her again, and move away from the fence. Vance does the same, but the girls remain at the silver linking. Chase's silver Z pulls up as we're walking towards the pavement. His smile is enormous and contagious. He removes himself from his car, throwing up his hand in a victory salute.

  "Yeah, buddy!" Vance yells.

  Vaughn's gray VW pulls up shortly after, but rather than the smile Chase is sporting, Vaughn looks aggravated--like the sore loser he is. Chase moves to Vaughn with his hand out, and Vaughn takes it. We come to stand before the cars. Vaughn is looking around and when he doesn't find what he was looking for,
his eyes land on Vance, and asks, "What happened to Sabrina?"

  I can only assume he's asking about one of the girls who stalked off not long ago. I just shrug, and no one else seems to pay him much attention. The focus is on Chase’s victory. I hold my hand up for a high five since I can't plant a ‘winning kiss’ on him. "Nice run!"

  He's amused at my lame attempt but precedes to slap my hand with his, “Thanks.”

  "Yeah man, that was great," Vance agrees. He turns his attention back to Chase.

  "Pure luck!" Vaughn cuts in.

  "Whatever makes you feel better, dude." Chase laughs.

  Vaughn crosses his arms, "Seriously, where did the girls go?"

  "Rocky here chased them off." Vance nonchalantly points his thumb at me.

  "For fuck's sake, V!" Vaughn throws his hands up.

  I huff. "What? That girl was grimy!”

  "Don’t worry, I found replacements," Vance cuts in as he turns to look at the girls who are still standing at the fence.

  I shake my head back and forth. "Those poor girls."

  "Wes is up!" Taylor yells from behind us.

  Our group moves to watch Wes and Brandon go at it. Vaughn wastes no time in chatting up the new girls, and I watch their interaction. The brunette seems a bit quiet. It’s a complete contrast to her friend and from the girls who were just here. She honestly doesn’t seem half bad. I guess it's people's intuition. Sometimes you can just feel a vibe and you know they're a bad apple--the gut feeling that somethings not right? But I wasn't getting that from these girls. Good energy.

  The loud exhaust pulls my attention away from the girls and back to the race at the end, just missing them jumping the line. The orange Subaruis leading and I'm shocked.

  "Holy crap!" Taylor says from my left.

  "Yo!" I hear Vance, "What!"

  Wes pulls in, but Brandon is leading by the nose.

  "Damn, B-Rad shoulda put some money down," Vaughn says.

  The lights flash on the board, and we're all completely stunned.

  "Did not see that coming," Chase puts in.

  "It's almost a good thing he didn't put any money down," Taylor says.

  "Yeah, really."

  Seconds later, Wes' black Evo is coming down the parking lot, followed by the Subaru. They pull in next to Vaughn and Chase's car and as soon as Wes gets out, he's over at Brandon. "Dude!" They do that whole ‘slap hands and chest hug’ thing that men always do, "That was great!"