Pitbabe S2, Chapter 7 pg4

 Pitbabe S2, Chapter 7 pg4

   “Wow… love, huh?”

   “Jealous?”

   “A bit,” Kim pouted, reluctant to admit it but unable to deny that seeing others’ relationships often made him envious. “Everyone around here’s got someone. You and Jeff are one pair, and then there’s Babe and Charlie. I never felt bad about being single until I saw those two.”

   “They go overboard sometimes, those two.”

   “Way overboard,” Kim emphasized, his face so stern he looked like a bug-eyed chihuahua. “Sometimes I wonder if there’s anyone out there who’ll love me the way Charlie loves Babe.”

   “You’re being too dramatic. One day, you’ll find someone—if you want to, that is,” I said, patting my love-lorn little brother’s shoulder with sympathy. I was a bit surprised that someone like Kim worried about romance. I thought his true love was racing, not relationships. “And honestly, if a jerk like you can land someone like Charlie, you’re way better than him. Why wouldn’t I find someone?”

   “That’d be great.” The more Charlie talked like that, the more my guilt grew. I’d been ready to throw a full-blown tantrum, but now I was starting to resent myself for only thinking about my own feelings and ignoring Charlie’s. “But it’s okay. I might sulk a bit, but don’t worry too much. It’ll pass.”

   “Don’t say that. I feel bad now.”

   “If you feel bad, quit studying.”

   “Seriously?”

   “Kidding!” I bolted upright, firmly shutting down the idea when Charlie’s tone suggested he might actually consider dropping his studies to appease my nonsense. “Are you nuts?”

   “I’m kidding too,” Charlie laughed, gently nudging my head as if he found it adorable that I’d suddenly become so gullible. “Babe went through all that effort to send me to school. I’ve gotta finish, right?”

   “You’re like my kid or something.”

   “You see me as your kid?”

   “Just in this one thing. How could I see you as my kid? The world would end.”

   “Good thing you think that way.”

   Charlie ruffled my hair again. The longer we’re together, the more I feel like a kid—at least around him. Throughout our relationship, I’ve learned he’s more of a leader than I am. Despite being years younger, he’s calm, smart, and mature. Sometimes I can’t help but think he’s the only one looking after me. He’s taught me how to be a better adult, a much tougher lesson than me teaching him to race. That’s why I want to take care of him in the ways I can, like strong-arming him into letting me pay his tuition, even though I know Charlie can easily afford it himself now.

   Besides money, I guess understanding is the only thing someone like me can offer him. There are so many things Charlie does that I can’t be part of. I used to feel bad for not getting what he was talking about, for not being fully invested in his big dreams. I felt like a lousy partner for not being able to join his world. That is, until Charlie said, “Babe, you’ve always been in my world. You don’t have to try.” That made all those feelings of inadequacy vanish. I owe him for making me realize that just watching from afar is enough. Charlie has his own world, and I don’t need to understand or jump into every part of it.

   “But I can’t cancel my meeting with the professor today—it’s too last-minute,” Charlie said, looking genuinely regretful. “Tomorrow, I’ll take the day off to be with you. Let me go today, okay?”

   “Okay.” It wasn’t what I really wanted, but I gave in. Seeing Charlie torn is just as bad as not seeing him. So if I have to pick the lesser evil, I’d rather choose what makes him comfortable. “Tomorrow then. You promised.”

   “Promise.”

   “What time will you be done with the professor?” I asked. Charlie paused to think, mumbling that it’d probably be around four or five. “Oh, if that’s the case…”

   “But I’ll probably need to head to the lab after,” he added. Just as my heart, like a wilting flower field, started to perk up, his next words sent it right back to its dried-up state. He spoke hesitantly, looking so guilty that I didn’t dare show my disappointment. “If I can wrap everything up today, I’ll get to spend the whole day with you tomorrow. Sound good?”

   “Mm, fine.”

   “What’re you doing?” A lazy voice came from behind me. In the garage, there aren’t many people who’d talk to me so curtly, and one of them is the new garage owner who doesn’t seem to fear (or maybe doesn’t give a damn about) anyone.

   “Polishing the wheel,” I replied, my hands still working steadily. It’s been a long time since I’ve done something like this myself. Ever since I became a full-time racer, I’ve barely touched the tools in the garage. Back in the day, this place was practically my playground. Especially wheel polishing—I used to hog that job all to myself when I first started here. “You’re the garage owner. How do you not know this?”

   “I know what you’re doing. Just don’t get why,” Jeff said, crossing his arms and looking at me in confusion. “It’s not even your job.”

   “I’m free. Got nothing to do.”

   “Not going to practice?”

   “I’m good enough. Too lazy.”

   “Looking like this, I bet next season we’ll have a new king,” his mocking tone was annoying as hell, but it didn’t faze me much. Like I said, it’s all about confidence, and I happen to have more than most. “Charlie’s probably ready to step on you.”

   “Honestly, he’s already stepping on me some days. Gotta say, our big bro’s no joke…”

Previous

Next