Pitbabe S2, Chapter 28 pg 1

 Pitbabe S2, Chapter 28 pg 1

   CHARLIE:

   It might sound stupid to say I didn’t expect to see him here, but I can’t deny it’s true. I was foolish to forget about him just because I had Babe back in my arms. The closer Babe was, the less threatening Willy’s presence seemed, until I forgot how much he used to throw me off balance. But now, with him standing right in front of me, flashing a smug smile at my (ex) boyfriend, I’m starting to remember he’s not an enemy I can easily dismiss.

   “You came with him?” Babe didn’t seem too surprised. He wasn’t thrilled to see Willy, but he didn’t ignore him either. I wasn’t sure if Babe genuinely felt nothing about his old (or maybe current) rival showing up, or if he was just acting normal to keep me from worrying about whatever’s between him and Willy. “Thought it was past your bedtime.”

   Either way, it didn’t make me feel much better.

   “Felt like staying up late tonight,” Willy said, smirking at Babe. The two of them seemed closer than the last time we all met, which was a while ago. It wouldn’t be strange if Babe and Willy had grown tighter, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy about this kind of progress. “But what’s weirder is you showing up, isn’t it? Haven’t seen you outside the arena in ages.”

   “What, you want me here all the time?” Babe shrugged. “I was coming here before you even learned to ride a bike.”

   “I knew you were old, but not that old.”

   “You little brat…”

   I gently pulled Babe’s arm when I saw him raising a hand to smack Willy’s head. I probably looked good to the crowd gathering around—Charlie, back in the arena after months, with his former lover. That alone was gossip fuel for half the night, and now I was stepping in to stop the “king” from doing something inappropriate. You could say I was worried about Willy, or about Babe, but let’s be real: I was only worried about myself.

   I didn’t care if Willy got punched or slapped. Honestly, I’d enjoy it. But I stopped it because I hated the familiarity they shared.

   You could tell Babe didn’t actually dislike Willy. The verbal sparring and the half-hearted threatening gestures? Not a hint of seriousness. Instead, there was a faint undercurrent of fondness swirling between them. It was like how Babe felt about the younger guys in X-Hunter—or, if you looked deeper, like how he felt about me.

   Okay, I know it’s not that deep. The bond between me and Babe isn’t something that can be compared or replaced. It’s just that this situation reminds me of my past self more than anything. Willy right now is in a position similar to where I was almost three years ago. I think that’s probably why his presence bothers me so much.

   “Willy shows up almost every time and wins a lot too,” Ricky chimed in, clearly impressed. It’s obvious Willy’s been helping Ricky rake in a decent amount of cash each night. He’s become the new favorite ever since Team X stopped getting heavily involved in these off-field competitions, especially after the captain started saying he didn’t support this kind of racing.

   “Because my team’s not here,” Babe said confidently, echoing the exact thought in my head.

   “Could be, could be,” Ricky nodded slowly. “But don’t forget, there are tons of hotshot newbies out there. Even big-name teams can get trampled by the young guns if they don’t show up.”

   “If it’s that easy to trample us, let them try.”

   Babe’s confidence, as always, sparked the competitive spirit in the air. The scattered crowd around us started closing in, sensing an exciting bet brewing. Naturally, Ricky grinned at the thought of the money that’d be lining his pockets tonight. Willy was smiling too, but I’d rather not look or care.

   “You racing me, bro?” Willy stood with his hands in his pockets, leaning down toward Babe with a challenging smirk. No trace of nerves or fear—completely unlike me years ago, when just the thought of facing Babe made my heart shrink and surrender easily. But Willy seemed to be having fun, like he genuinely believed he could beat the King.

   “I’m so pumped. I love racing you.”

   Willy has the same kind of confidence as Babe.

   “Love racing but not winning, huh?” Babe laughed, deliberately mocking him. But it didn’t seem to faze Willy one bit. “Every time I see you, you lose.”

   “Come on… you’ve been the champ since I was still learning to ride a bike. How am I supposed to win?”

   “So you race without hoping to win?”

   “Of course I hope to,” Willy said, grinning so wide his eyes closed. If I had to describe it, his smile was as bright as a giant sun. But to me, it felt more like a catastrophic fire smoldering in my chest right now. “This time, I’m gonna beat you.”

   “Yeah, dream big, kid. You’re young—plenty of time to dream.”

   “It already feels like a dream,” the foreigner replied. “But if I do win, what’ll you give me?”

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