Episode 5: Rumors, Rankings & Absolutely Not

By the third day of Midnight Rush—

the rumors had started.

Not about the races.

Not about the rankings.

About them.

Unfortunately.

Ava discovered this when she arrived at the paddock and immediately heard:

"Hey, aren't you Ryder's rival?"

She stopped walking.

"...Excuse me?"

The spectator pointed confidently.

"The girl from the Skyline."

"The one always racing Calloway."

"Oh."

That was slightly better.

Slightly.

Meanwhile—

across the garage—

Mason was laughing so hard he nearly dropped his coffee.

Again.

"Do you know what this means?"

Ava narrowed her eyes.

"Nothing good."

"You've become relevant enough for racing gossip."

"I hate that sentence."

"I love that sentence."

Tara looked suspiciously excited.

"People love rivalries."

"They love drama."

"They love enemies-to-lovers."

Ava froze.

"...What?"

"What?"

"No, say that again."

"I said people love drama."

"The thing before that."

Tara looked away.

"...Nothing."

Mason looked at her.

Then at Ava.

Then back at Tara.

"Oh no."

"Oh yes."

---

The rankings screen lit up above the paddock.

1. Ryder Calloway

2. Ava Carter

3. Luca Moretti

4. Jack Turner

The gap between first and second?

Three points.

Three.

The crowd noticed immediately.

Whispers spread everywhere.

"Someone might actually beat Ryder this year."

"He won't lose."

"Maybe not."

"But he's finally being pushed."

Across the paddock—

Ryder looked at the screen.

Three points.

Not much.

Not enough to matter.

Probably.

---

"Good morning, Ghost."

He looked over.

Ava.

Holding coffee.

Smiling.

Definitely dangerous.

"Morning."

She blinked.

"Oh."

"You know greetings."

"I know several."

"Incredible."

He ignored that.

Mostly because she was laughing.

And somehow—

that made ignoring her significantly harder.

---

"Question."

Ryder sighed internally.

"Go ahead."

"Do you ever get tired of winning?"

"...No."

"Really?"

"Would you?"

"...Fair point."

She held up her coffee cup.

"Still boring though."

He looked at it.

"Caffeine before racing?"

"Caffeine before everything."

"That explains a lot."

She gasped.

"Are you judging my coffee choices?"

"Absolutely."

"The audacity."

---

Unfortunately—

that was exactly when Luca arrived.

Perfect timing.

Terrible timing.

"Good morning, Carter."

"Luca."

He looked between them.

Then smiled.

Oh no.

That smile meant trouble.

"You two seem friendly."

"We're not."

"We aren't."

They spoke simultaneously.

Luca's grin widened.

"Oh that's adorable."

Ryder frowned.

"It isn't."

"Sure."

Ava pointed at Luca.

"I liked you more yesterday."

"Most people do."

---

Nearby—

Tara grabbed Mason's arm.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"They answered at the same time."

"...That isn't evidence."

"It's absolutely evidence."

"Evidence of what?"

"Destiny."

Mason stared.

"You're spending too much time on romance novels."

"There's no such thing."

---

Sienna walked over holding her tablet.

Without looking up she said:

"Statistically, synchronized responses indicate familiarity and compatibility."

Silence.

Mason blinked.

"You are not helping."

"I rarely do."

---

The loudspeaker crackled overhead.

"Attention drivers."

The crowd quieted instantly.

"Today's challenge is the Harbor Pursuit."

Excitement erupted.

The announcer continued.

"Drivers will race in teams of two."

A pause.

Then:

"Partners selected randomly."

Everyone exchanged looks.

Randomly?

That sounded dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Names began appearing on the giant screen.

Jack Turner + Daniel Cruz.

Luca Moretti + Mia Reynolds.

Cheers.

More names.

More teams.

Then—

the screen changed again.

AVA CARTER

+

RYDER CALLOWAY

Silence.

Complete silence.

Mason dropped his coffee.

"NO WAY."

Tara screamed.

"I WIN."

"You weren't competing!"

"I DON'T CARE."

Across the paddock—

Luca laughed.

Actually laughed.

"Oh this is going to be incredible."

Sienna looked at the screen.

Then at Ryder.

Then Ava.

Then calmly announced:

"Heart rate increase detected."

Ryder looked horrified.

"Whose?"

"Yes."

---

Ava stared at the screen.

Then at Ryder.

Then back at the screen.

"Well."

Ryder nodded once.

"Well."

Another pause.

Then Ava smiled.

"This is either going to go really well..."

"...or really badly."

"For you or me?"

"Exactly."

For the first time—

Ryder almost smiled again.

Almost.

Ava pointed immediately.

"There!"

"There what?"

"That thing you do."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"The almost smile."

"It doesn't exist."

"Oh, it absolutely exists."

Luca walked past them.

Still laughing.

"I give this partnership three hours before someone commits a crime."

"Against who?" Ava asked.

Luca considered it.

"Unclear."

"Fair."

---

The crowd buzzed with excitement.

The Ghost.

The Drift Queen.

On the same team.

Harbor City had wanted a rivalry.

Instead—

it had just been given something much more dangerous.

A partnership.

And somehow—

that felt like the beginning of something much bigger than either of them realized.

To Be Continued...

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