Turned me down flat. Said I didn’t drive professional enough and I was too much of a wild card.
GS: That didn’t bother you?
DF: It’s true. But here’s the thing. I don’t have to drive like the pros out there to be talented. That’s what the world of racing is missing right now. There’s this great divide among drivers. People think you have to be pro, you have to have a big contract and fancy sponsors with names on your car, to be considered a real driver. But that’s not true. There’s this whole other side to racing no one sees. The underground.
GS: Sounds dangerous.
DF: Everything is dangerous.
GS: So let’s hear about the world, as you put it, of underground racing.
DF: There’s a whole network of drivers out there, not just in this state, but across the country, who drive and drive fast. They meet at speedways and empty back roads. Sometimes they even meet on roads that aren’t so empty.
GS: Do you do that?
DF: I’ll never tell.
DF: These are the drivers that don’t have a ton of money. They don’t have an expensive track or sponsorship deals. A lot of them couldn’t get deals and were told they weren’t good enough. They drive anyway. They’re the guys in the pit crew. The guys behind the scenes on the tracks. They work on their cars and know their way around an engine. These guys aren’t just drivers. They’re total car junkies.
GS: Are you saying you think these indie drivers are better than pros?
DF: I’m saying we haven’t had the luxury of money and sponsorships and publicity to get us behind the wheel.
GS: And it’s these drivers Ron Gamble is creating a new division of racing for?
DF: Yes. And the racing is real. The rivalries aren’t scripted. We’re a bunch of driver’s who aren’t professionally trained. We don’t have rules and standards like they do. All we have is honor and a high desire to win.
GS: Some people might say Gamble is giving street racers an official platform to break the law.
DF: Some people call the last meal of the day supper, but I call it dinner.
GS: You don’t want to comment directly on the legal vs illegal driving?
DF: It isn’t considered illegal if it’s a new sport. So basically, there’s nothing to comment about.
GS: Is it really a new sport or a variation of an established one?
DF: Again, supper vs dinner.
GS: You mentioned rivalry. I witnessed firsthand the one you have with a driver by the last name of Lorhaven.
DF: He thinks he’s a better driver than me. I don’t agree.
GS: So how deep does this rivalry go between you?
DF: Deep enough that if you watch the races, you’ll be able to see it.
GS: So you think Lorhaven will make it past the preliminaries?
DF: If he doesn’t, he wouldn’t be a very worthy rival, would he?
GS: Tell me something personal about Drew Forrester.
DF: I like to sleep naked.
GS: I feel I should make it a point to mention, you know, in case any of our female readers want to know, that you are very good-looking and I’m sure even more so naked.
DF: I haven’t heard any complaints.
GS: Are you single?
DF: At the moment? Yes.
GS: Looking for love?
DF: I don’t think people should look for love. I think people should let love find them.
GS: Ah, a romantic.
DF: I have my moments.
GS: So what kind of qualities do you look for in a girlfriend?
DF: I like it when people just be themselves.
GS: Okay, why should people watch this new revolution in racing?
DF: Because indie drivers deserve the recognition.
As you can see, Drew Forrester talks a lot like he races. He doesn’t hold back. Or does he? Something tells me this interview only scratched the surface of what’s going on under his hood.
Even though he doesn’t seem to think he’s now the face of this “revolution” in racing, I would beg to differ. Only time will tell if he’ll make it to the championship race at Gamble Speedway. But one thing is for certain.
Drew Forrester is a driver everyone needs to watch.
Drew
A week passed.
Emily sent over the draft of the feature she wrote about me and the new division. Pulling it up in the email made me apprehensive, because in truth, I had no idea what she was going to write.
The conversation (or was it a confrontation?) we had at the end, which she claimed was “off the record,” could have been a lie. Or perhaps the shit I said had been too enticing not to write down.
I took it as a good sign she was sending it to me so early, because if there was anything in there I didn’t like, I had time to do whatever I needed to get the shit pulled out.
There was no need, though. It was a good article, even if she did imply at the end she knew more about me than she let on. Most people wouldn’t think anything of it because they weren’t there behind the scenes.
Overall, it would definitely set the world of racing upside down. I forwarded it to Gamble, and he was thrilled. He seemed more confident than ever this whole endeavor was going to be a huge success.
Joey went home because she had her own training and shit to do, but I hadn’t seen the last of her. We had plans to meet up again next week when I drove back down to Gamble Speedway for meetings and more driving.
Lots of decisions needed to be made, lots of promotion and interviews to do.
I was excited.
My life was suddenly on the brink of total epic, and it was going there in the fast lane. Not only was my career white hot, but my family was healthy and happy.
Trent was mine.
I wasn’t sure what was a bigger rush—driving at two hundred miles per hour or knowing T would be sneaking into my room at night. And no, it wasn’t just the orgasms. It wasn’t the blowjobs or even the magical shit he did with his hands.
It was him—plain and simple. It was having my best friend become my lover, my heart, and the center of my world.
I didn’t like sneaking around, and neither did he. But it was a decision we made together, and I knew it wouldn’t last forever. I loved him too much to hide it. I knew we’d face a lot of opposition. We’d face hate, and people we thought were friends might turn their backs.
I had to tell my father. That was probably the hardest thing to wrap my brain around.
Not only did I turn my back on the career he wanted for me, but now I was turning my back on the family he always thought I would have.
The thing was I didn’t want the perfect family he’d invented in his head. I wanted the one that lived in my heart. I couldn’t have that without Trent.
I didn’t know anything else yet. We were basically figuring it out as we went along, together. This was our time to do that, and not telling people about our relationship gave us the ability to do so without being under a microscope. It gave us a chance to be all about just each other before it would become each other and everyone else.
And yes. Maybe we were scared.
I didn’t want to tell my father and the rest of my family about us. He didn’t either. Being judged is something no person wants no matter who they love.
So for now, we enjoyed our stolen moments, holding hands in the car, and laughing silently in bed at night after we’d given each other pleasure unlike any I’d ever known.
Sometimes when we were in a room full of people, I could look up and meet his eyes for a split second, and that was all it took. I knew even though we weren’t right beside each other, he was thinking about me, and he knew I was thinking about him.
What we had wasn’t easy, bu
t it was real and we were making it work.
On Saturday, I dragged myself out of bed early, which wasn’t even that hard because of where I was going, and went straight to Omega, where I picked up Trent. We grabbed some coffee and food and drove to a large car part shop about an hour away. We wanted to get some parts for the Fastback to experiment with the next time I went to Gamble Speedway.
When we got home, we spent the rest of the day with the family, and I helped Ivy with some computer stuff to make her YouTube channel even more popular. She showed me a pile of clothes she ordered for her race-inspired fashion piece.
I wasn’t into clothes (as we previously learned), but the stuff she picked out was pretty cool. My sister had a good eye. If anyone could help me form the right image—in the fashion sense—for my racing career, it was her.
I drove Trent back to Omega, feeling a little surly I had to bring him back at all. He was just going to drive back to the house later and sneak in anyway. He always left right before the sun came up. Something else that made me grouchy.
Just because we were making it work didn’t mean sometimes I wasn’t frustrated.
I pulled into the lot beside the house where a lot of the brothers parked but left the engine running. Trent’s Mustang was parked closest to the house in the spot designated for the president.
“If we told the family about us, we wouldn’t have to do this, me bringing you here so you can just turn around and drive back,” I said.
“You ready for that?” Trent stared at me from his seat.
I nodded. “Yeah, I think Ivy already suspects anyway,” I said. “It’s just the four of them. Maybe telling them will make it easier to think about telling other people.”
Like my father.
Trent nodded. “Sounds good. Maybe we can tell them tomorrow? Pancake Sunday?”
His quick acceptance was a little surprising. I smiled. “You agreed to that fast.”
“I’m tired of sneaking out at five a.m. I miss sleeping in,” he cracked.
“You know I’d do it if you didn’t live in a house full of jock straps,” I said, feeling shitty he was the one making all the sacrifices.
“I know.” He gave my hand a squeeze. “It’s not that bad. You’re worth it.”
“What do you think they’re gonna say?” I asked, nervous.
Trent’s white teeth flashed in the dark interior of the car. “Braeden will probably make a bunch of inappropriate jokes. Your sister will yell at him, and Rimmel will hug us.”
The corner of my mouth lifted. That sounded pretty accurate.
“What about Romeo?” I asked. For some reason, he was the one I was most nervous about. Probably because he really was like the head of the family. He was the one everyone looked to first when shit went down.
Romeo just had a way about him. He was definitely an alpha. Even though we didn’t need his support, we both wanted it, especially Trent.
He blew out a breath and leaned his head back. “I don’t know. He’s been riding me kinda hard about family lately.”
“I noticed,” I murmured.
“Nova won’t give a shit, though,” T quipped.
I laughed.
“Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it,” Trent told me.
I nodded and gripped his hand a little tighter. “I’ll see you in a bit?”
“I’ll be there. Make sure you’re naked.”
“Perv.” I joked.
“You like it.”
Oh, I did. Trent moved to get out of the car, but I tugged him back.
“Hey, frat boy. You’re happy, right?”
It seemed important to know in that moment, as we got closer to tomorrow, to telling our family about us. It made being nervous worth it.
“Truth?” Trent leaned into the center of the car.
I nodded.
“I’ve never been happier in my life.”
“Me either.”
His smile was fast. “That’s what I like to hear.”
“It’s dark out. Dark in here,” I said.
“I noticed,” he murmured and leaned farther toward me.
I met him, and our lips brushed together. Once, then twice.
“I’ll see ya soon, Forrester.” He stood in the center of the parking lot and watched me drive away.
I watched him in my rearview until I turned out of sight. I turned up the music, but it was Trent that dominated my mind.
I was almost back to the house when my cell rang. I probably wouldn’t have heard, but the screen lit up in the dark. I picked it up and grinned. Trent’s name flashed across the screen.
“Miss me already, frat boy?” I answered.
It wasn’t Trent that replied.
I slammed on the brakes. The scent of burned rubber floated up into the air along with a white cloud of smoke. Cars laid on their horns and swerved out of the way when I made a sudden U-turn and laid on the gas.
Thank God my car was fast.
I didn’t know what the hell was going on, but I was damn sure gonna find out.
Trent
They materialized out of the dark.
Four men I knew well. My Omega brothers. One of them had even pledged with me.
One of them was Conner.
“Guys,” I said, feeling a note of warning creep up the back of my neck. What the hell were they doing out here in the dark, essentially lurking around the house?
“Told you,” Conner intoned. “He’s queer.”
My back teeth came together. “What the fuck is your problem, Con?” I snapped. “I’ve been listening to you sling hate at me for weeks. I thought you were better than that.”
“He didn’t deny it,” one of the other guys said. He was a close friend of Con’s.
“I bet they were making out in the car just now,” the guy I rushed with said.
I looked at him, incredulous. Was this for real? Were these guys really standing here harassing me because they thought I was gay? I knew they didn’t see me actually kiss Drew. It was too dark. “Were you sitting out here waiting for me to get home?”
“You’ve been sneaking in and out a lot lately,” Conner observed.
“I don’t sneak,” I snapped. “And I’ve been handling everything Omega. This house is still on point.”
“We don’t want a fag for a president,” Con said.
“The entire campus will think our house is full of them.” Another agreed.
“I gotta admit it looks bad, Trent,” my old “buddy” said. “You’re loyalty isn’t what it used to be.”
“Take it up with the dean,” I said hard and started to walk away. Goddamn, I couldn’t wait to be rid of this place. To think, up until a couple weeks ago, I’d been kinda bummed about moving on. Now I just wanted to wash my hands of it all.
Fucking unbelievable.
A hand grabbed my arm and jerked me around hard. The punch came immediately after, and I had no time to react. The blow landed on the side of my jaw and snapped my head back.
Adrenaline and disbelief assaulted me. I stumbled and righted myself, knocking away the hand that grabbed me.
Fuck this. I was gonna kick their asses.
I swung, nailing the guy beside Con. I rotated and rammed into the guy I thought was my friend. He fell back, and I kicked him in the side.
“Grab him!” Con yelled, and I sneered.
My hand caught his throat and squeezed. I was beyond thinking about how much damage I was going to inflict. All I saw was red. All I heard were the hateful words he’d spewed at me for weeks and then again tonight.
“Dick licker,” Con rasped, a twisted look in his eyes.
I pulled my arm back to nail him, but something caught it and held. I let go of Conner, and he fell in a gasping heap. Arms like vices pinned my arms behind me, and I started to kick.
More ugly words were yelled, and I got another hit to the side of my face.
Before I knew what was happening, it was four on one. The one was being pinned down and beaten.
I was a strong guy. Even in a less-than-fair fight, I could have kicked some ass. But this wasn’t a fight. It was an ambush driven by hate and jealousy.
The odds were not in my favor.
“Enough,” a voice above me yelled. “You’ve made your point, Con. Let’s go.”
Pain radiated in my side, and my eye was already swelling shut. I felt a hand patting down my leg, and I threw my arm out, blindly trying to hit someone.
The hand reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone.
“I need to make a call first,” Con said. I hated the smugness in his tone.
I tried to get up, to push off the asphalt, but I was disoriented, and blood blurred my vision.
“You might want to come back,” Con said, and I was confused. “You left something when you drove away.”
My phone was dropped beside my head.
“What the fu-uck did you do?” I gasped.
“Let’s go,” the guy who called off the “fight” said.
They left me there alone. I rolled onto my back and blinked up at the sky.
Get up, Trent. Get the fuck up!
With a hiss, I forced myself into a sitting position, using my hand as a prop. I swiped the blood out of my eyes and blinked at my Mustang nearby.
Pain radiated in my body, and the world around me tilted as I stumbled to my feet.
It hurt to breathe. It hurt to think.
These guys were supposed to be my brothers. We’d been living under the same roof for years.
I was betrayed. Beaten. Pissed off.
And all because of what?
Because they thought I was gay. If this was what happened when someone suspected I was gay, what would happen when they found out I actually was?
What will happen to Drew?
I fell into the back of my car and used it to guide myself down to the ground. I leaned against the back fender as various parts of my body throbbed.
In the distance, the familiar rumbling of the Fastback cut through the night. My eyes roamed the lot until it fell on my phone lying a few feet away.
That son of a bitch called Drew. He couldn’t see me like this.
My legs buckled when I first pushed off the ground, and I fell back. Headlights bounced close, and I held up an arm to shield my eyes and forced myself to stand.
#Junkie (GearShark #1) Page 26