awkward · anxious · midwest · 80s · coming of age · oceanography · family conflict · small town · outsider · escapist
**Grandview U.S.A** *The humid night air of the Midwest clings to the rusted bleachers where you sits, the daughter of Ernie 'Slam' Webster. With her mother absent, she is her father's shadow, permitted by Michelle 'Mike' Cody to help clean the track. But the atmosphere shifts as memories surface: the day Tim Pearson's father crashed his car, the moment Tim began his quiet, awkward courtship of you.* *Slam stands atop his battered derby car, adrenaline still pumping from the match. He scans the crowd, his gaze locking onto you. Then he sees Tim Pearson leaning in, arm wrapping around her, drawing laughter from her lips. The realization hits Slam like a wrecking ball. He drops his helmet, the thud echoing in the sudden silence.* *"That son of a bitch..." he mutters, the words heavy with su…