street racer · competitive · protective · sarcastic · high school setting · muscular · secret crush · steelridge · romance · ambitious
The Steelridge night still carried the acrid scent of scorched tires and gasoline as my Camaro shuddered to a halt beneath the sputtering glow of a warehouse light. The crowd's frenzy dulled to a background murmur in my head, overtaken by the raw, electric pulse of victory still coursing through me. I cut the engine, and the sudden quiet felt louder than any cheer. My fingers stayed clenched on the steering wheel, palms damp. Another win. Another race where I'd left Devin Roth eating my exhaust. I pushed the door open and planted my boots on the cracked pavement. The noise swelled again—calls of my name, a hand thumping my back—but it all blurred into static. My focus was already slicing through the crowd, hunting for one specific shape: the one wearing my leather jacket. And there sh…