by Paige Steele
With the last race fast approaching, I finally feel like I am picking up speed and strength on the track. The last couple of weeks I’ve really focused on riding my bicycle to get my legs in better shape. My trainer and I go out for eight-mile rides every morning then I put an hour in at the gym, as well working on my core and upper body. In two weeks I’ll be able to see if this all pays off. I am looking forward to it.
Ansley
THE RACES HAVE BEEN going well, but it seems odd not having the guys here. The girls and I have kept busy working the East Coast series. My mom was able to come to a couple of the races with her new boyfriend. She seems happier than ever, which in turn makes me happier. It’s nice knowing that there’s no need to worry any longer. Cara also made it to a race; it was truly incredible to see her and the girls loved her, as I knew they would.
I’ve talked to my mom about Cooper and now she worries about me. I’ve told her how much I care about him, and she doesn’t want me to get hurt. She is also the only person that knows that I’m still saving myself for that one someone special. She tells me all the time that she’s convinced that he’ll figure it all out on his own. I now can only hope that’s the case.
I went to Daytona last week for the race. That was interesting as it was Bike Week there, as well. All three of us and two of the other girls were flown out on Monday of that week for different promotional events that we needed to attend. It was a huge week for Hyped Energy as we sponsored several different races and parties. We received different outfits for each; we weren’t supposed to be seen in the same one twice. The number of pictures I took with people amazed me, as well as how many times I signed my name on things, including body parts. One guy took off his shorts then revealed his ass, so I could sign it. I laughed out loud at that one, it was funny, usually I get, “Can you sign my chest, arm . . .” even their six-pack but never an ass. My hot pink Sharpie was getting a workout that day.
We are assigned a security team to travel with at all times, which eases my mind. I know there will be a ton of drinking going on at these events, which equals a ton of drunken men. Being driven around by them and escorted into places shows us that Hyped isn’t taking any chances. They’ve been great to work for, ensuring our safety was clearly important.
Lately, Kenna seems to be staying around after all the races to work for the Honda team, doing other promotions. Her Sundays are spent traveling with them, while Maddie and I fly home. She usually comes home on Monday but sometimes it’s Tuesday before we see her. Kenna is a pretty private person and doesn’t go into much detail as to what she is doing for them. She’s been disappearing at night sometimes too, stating she has to do things for Honda. Which is fine, Maddie and I know it and figure when she is ready to share, she will.
IT’S BEEN A FEW WEEKS since I’ve slept in my bed for longer than a couple nights; we’ve been on the go, I feel like, all the time lately. I just got in late last night from Houston and now the East Coast racers have a weekend off before their last race in New Jersey on April twenty-fifth. We head to the last race for the West Coast here, in California. It’s going to be good staying at home for almost a full two weeks before I need to take a flight to the other side of the country. So, while I can, I’m going to finally get some cleaning and stuff done around the apartment.
Ryan—Hey there, Peanut, you home now?
Me—I am finally. What are you doing?
Ryan—Nothing, wondering if you and the girls want to come over for a cookout sometime?
Me—I’m sure, but I’ll double check with them.
Ryan—Cool, let me know.
Me—I will. We are all going to lunch right now, so I’ll text ya shortly.
Ryan—Have you spoken or texted Cooper lately?
Me—No and he hasn’t tried to contact me either. I don’t know what he has to be pissed off about. I’m not the one that went on national TV letting the world know I am available, while I stood there flirting with the reporter.
Ryan—He told me a while ago he wanted to talk to you about the interview and why he said what he did.
Me—I know you said that before, but he hasn’t. So, clearly, he has other things going on or other women.
Ryan—I don’t think so, Ans, he’s pissed at me too for some reason. I honestly don’t know what he’s flipping out over.
Me—I don’t have any clue. Well, I’ll text you when I talk to the girls.
Ryan—Good, miss ya, girl!
Me—Aww, I miss you too, Ry.
We are all eating at a small café around the corner from our apartment when I finally get a chance to discuss things with both Maddie and Kenna.
“So, girls we’ve been invited to go Ryan’s place for a cookout this week, what do ya say?”
“I say, hell yeah.” I knew Maddie would be in. She’s always up for a good time.
“I’ll go, I guess.”
“Kenna, you don’t have to. He just invited all of us, and I thought it’d be fun.”
“No, I’ll go. When?”
“He didn’t say. I figured I’d see when we wanted to do it and get in touch with him.”
“What about tomorrow?” Maddie picks the day, so I send the text to Ryan, asking him. He thinks it sounds good, so plans are made and we are bringing salads and some drinks.
After a full afternoon of grocery shopping and making food to take to the party, we decide some much needed girl time is necessary. We put on our bikinis, make a drink, and make our way up to our rooftop, to lay out by the pool. Finally, we don’t have to wear a black and yellow Hyped Energy one. I put on my hot pink one, Maddie walks out wearing a tiny lime green one and Kenna rocks her red and white one.
“Is it going to be weird being there?” Kenna asks.
“Where? Ryan’s?”
“Yes, you know, without Cooper. You three are so close, but it seems like Cooper gets a bit jealous when you’re with just Ryan.”
“No, he doesn’t. He could care less. Ryan is my best friend, so hanging with him is liking hanging with family. Cooper is, my best friend as well, but I just happened to fall in love with the jerk too.” I close my eyes, putting my face to the sun.
“So, you really don’t have a thing for him, too?” Kenna acts like she wants to tell me she likes him, but doesn’t know how to say it.
“Who, Ryan? Are you freaking kidding?”
“Oh, really, I’d say screw them both and see if they both live up to the hype I’ve heard about them,” Maddie says, right to the point and I laugh at her.
“Ok, what have you heard about them?” I ask, kinda laughing at her still.
“I just heard Ryan’s an incredible lay. Likes to please his women first, never leaves them unsatisfied and always has them wanting more. Though, I’ve heard it about Cooper, too. So I guess you, girl, got some hot friends. How you’ve never screwed them, I will never know.”
“Oh my God, Maddie, you crack me up.”
“Well, haven’t you ever heard that about them?” Kenna seems intrigued.
“I tried not to pay attention to all the girls talking about them in high school, and now, well . . . I guess, I don’t want to hear about someone else being with them, either.”
“Oh . . . you are jealous, girl.”
“Maddie, shut up. Jealous is not the word I would use for Ryan. Even though I don’t have those type of feelings for him, I’m still his best friend and I don’t want to hear about how good he is in bed.” I smile at her when I say it, but truly, it’s something I don’t want to know about.
“But wait what about Cooper, don’t you want to know if he’d rock your world or not?”
“Jesus Maddie, you have such a tactful way of asking things,” Kenna says.
“Haha, I’m sure he would.” I end that conversation, so they can’t ask any more questions. He would more than they know, being that he’d be my one and only . . . I have nothing to compare it to.
She laughs and so does Kenna. We stay up there for another hour, telling sto
ries about all the guys we’ve met going to these events. Kenna shares with us a few of hers from before both Maddie and I started.
Heading back down to the apartment, we decide to order in and watch a movie tonight. “I’m picking the movie,” Maddie shouts.
We knew what she’d say, so at the same time Kenna and I answered, “Magic Mike.”
“What, it’s always a good one. Maybe you didn’t notice all the smokin’ hot guys in it?” she says with a little Southern twang in her voice.
We start dishing out our Chinese food as soon as it arrives. It’s a great time just hanging out with the two of them, and we totally enjoy ourselves. There is nothing like lounging on the couch in our PJs, watching movies and eating junk. We don’t get to do it often enough.
The next day we load everything in my car around eleven and head in the direction of Ryan’s place. We stop on our way to pick up a couple different juices for the Malibu that we plan on drinking. I like mine with cranraspberry and Maddie likes hers with pineapple/orange. Kenna, on the other hand, doesn’t mind her mixed drinks, but she’s good with a just a beer too, so we grab a twelve pack of Corona and a lime for her.
As we arrive, we notice a few other cars, so Ryan must have invited a bunch of other people, too. Entering the house, I notice that his parents are in the kitchen, as well as the rest of the Honda team; both the West coast lites riders as well as the 450 riders, are all together and a couple of their girlfriends.
I put the things we brought on the counter and give both Mr. and Mrs. Evans a huge hug. It’s like having a piece of home with me when they are around.
“I love it when you guys are here.”
“Well, we love coming here,” Mrs. Evans says as she hugs me back.
“How long are you here for?”
“We are going to the race this weekend and then we will fly to Vegas with Ryan, and then we will fly out for home that Sunday, when he does.”
“That’s awesome. Oh, the girls and I will take you shopping one day before you leave. We know all the good spots for bargains, we’ve gotten some great clothes but at reasonable prices.”
“Oh, that sounds perfect.”
“Thanks, Ansley, you are costing me more money.”
“Sorry, Mr. Evans,” I say, as both Ryan’s mom and I start laughing.
“Hey, Ans, you and the girls made it,” Ryan says as he walks in from the back yard.
“We did.” Ryan leans in to give me a hug as I answer.
Walking over, he gives both girls a hug, as well. We start getting some of the food going as the afternoon starts. Ryan and Mr. Evans start the grill up and throw on the chicken and ribs that Ryan picked up. In the back yard some people are in the pool, some playing corn hole, which makes me laugh to myself. I thought it was just a game played in the South, not everywhere, and then there are others just sitting around shooting the shit.
Kenna and Maddie are hanging out with the rest of Ryan’s team; they are in their glory with all the boys vying for their attention, just about as much as those boys are loving all the flirting the girls do with each of them. Those two have them eating out of the palms of their hands. Though as I look. Ryan seems a bit pissed; huh, maybe it’s because Kenna is getting noticed by a couple of his teammates. It makes me chuckle a little.
“Your roommates are something else,” Ryan says as he looks down at the grill.
“And your teammates are dying to get with them.”
“That they are, and your roommates know it, too,” he says, a bit irritated, but trying not to sound that way so he chuckles too.
“Oh, your teammates aren’t starving for attention either. They know they could have anyone they wanted.”
“Well, clearly they want your roommates.”
“It’s kinda funny watching them all . . . Maddie flirts with one, and then another one does something to catch her eye and then she’s on to him.”
“They are ridiculous, aren’t they?”
I nod my head and both of us start laughing out loud. As the afternoon goes into the evening, we sit around talking about what Ryan needs to do to clinch the title, and then who his competition is going to be in Vegas, when everyone comes together. Both Ryan and his dad say that Cooper is a force to be reckoned with, and they can’t count him out at all.
We start picking up things as people start to say their goodbyes, and then we follow behind shortly after the last of the guests leave.
“Bye, Ry. Good luck on Saturday if I don’t get a chance to tell you before then,” I say, giving him an extra-long hug.
“Thanks, Peanut.” He is rubbing my back, as he gives me a squeeze.
“I’ll be rooting for the both of you to do well. I don’t care who wins.”
“Well, I’d love to say I’d be ok if Cooper killed it, but I need him to be off his game for five seconds, so I can get a good start. Otherwise, I have a feeling, it’ll be the two of us duking it out til we cross the finish line.”
“I still love you both, either way.”
“I love you too, Ans. Drive safe going home.”
“I will.”
“Text me when you get there, so I know.”
“Ugh, it’s as bad as it was in high school. I’d get ready to go home and either you or Coop would think you’d have to walk me there.”
“Yeah, so . . .”
“Ryan, I lived in between your houses,” I say and roll my eyes at him, before I walk out the door.
He stands in the doorway and yells, “We just wanted to make sure you made it home safely.”
I wave my hand up in the air at him as I climb in my car, where Maddie and Kenna have been waiting for me.
Cooper
WELL, TONIGHT DETERMINES the championship of the West Coast. I’m going to have to have one hell of start in order to beat Ryan. If he gets the holeshot, he’s going to be gone and then there is no catching him, and I know it.
I offer to drive my truck to the race, so Jesse and I are riding together since it’s only about an hour and a half from the house. We’ll stay at the hotel Saturday night after the race, because it’ll be around midnight when it finishes. Since we need to be there for the press conference that starts at ten, we pull out about seven in the morning. Knowing that we need to be in full gear for the cameras, we go straight to the truck at the track. Pulling in, I notice that Ansley’s tent is further away this time, which is perfect. That way I can concentrate more on the race and not her.
My mechanic and I check over my bike, discussing different changes we should make, based on the way the track looks. Knowing that I want to be out front from the beginning, we put a different tire on. The tread on this one will help me dig deeper out of the gate. It’s going to be a bar to bar fight.
I return from practice and see Ryan’s parents walking over to the truck. I want to get a quick shower in before talking to them. I am a completely filthy, sweaty mess. I shout to my manager who they are and to let them know I’ll be out in a minute.
As soon as I am done with my shower, I quickly throw on a pair of shorts and t-shirt and walk out.
“Hey there, kid. How the hell are you?”
“I’m good.” I lean in to give both of them a hug before sitting down at one of our tables.
“You looked good out there. You came in with the fastest lap time. You going to take this championship away from my son, or what?”
“Ha, ha! I’ve been busting my ass to have a shot against him.”
“Oh, I think you have more than a shot. It’s going to come down to the start and who rides smarter.”
“Agreed. Ryan is cleaner at the starts than I am, though I’d like to believe that I’ve gotten better over the years.”
“I’ve been watching, and I understand how you got your nickname. You’ve been practicing them, haven’t you? It’s all about timing, you know that.”
“It is.”
“Just don’t get distracted by the thirty second board girl and you’ll be fine,” he says, laugh
ing.
“No, that wouldn’t be good, would it?” I am chuckling at his comment.
“Speaking of the thirty second board girl, I heard Ansley is doing it tonight.”
The look of shock tells him what he needs to know. “Umm, I had no idea.”
“What’s the matter with that?”
“Well, I just don’t need any distractions, that’s all, and seeing her down there is the one thing I didn’t want to happen.”
“Oh, you’ll be fine.”
“No, now Ryan will have a leg up on me,” I say, as I get up to get a drink from one of the tall coolers storing them.
“Oh, yeah, how’s that? You both are friends with her, so it’s no different for him.”
“Believe it or not, it is. But that is conversation for another time, I really need to get ready for my heat.” I don’t want to go into details; my head needs to be in this race and only this race.
We quickly say goodbye to each other and then we go our separate ways. I can tell by the look on his face, he has more questions, but he’s tabling them for now and I am grateful, more than he knows.
I am in the first heat and win it. After my TV interviews, I make it back under the tent before I can be stopped by anyone else. Taking a shower and relaxing is my first priority right now. After stepping out of the shower, I walk out of the bathroom to a room full of people. My heat race is up on the screen, as well as Jesse’s on the other TV that hangs on the wall. The team managers, my mechanic, Jesse and his mechanic, either are sitting on the couches or are standing up. Jesse has just taken second, behind Ryan, in his heat, so now it’s time to see where we should line up on the start, figure out where we can capitalize and make passes safely. Soon it’s going to be go time and it means it’s now or never.