Chapter 4

 

 

Kate almost forgot about Aura as the days blended together. They spoke of her, and Kate occasionally thought of Aura’s impending arrival, but her focus remained on Reed.

She learned he didn’t like to put toothpaste onto his brush, and preferred to suck it right from the tube. The strange choice drew no small amount of teasing from the other girls, but he merely shrugged.

“Don’t you hate it when the toothpaste gets all stuck in the bottom of the brush?” he asked. “Besides, the brush lasts longer than the tube.”

Kate snorted and shoed the others away so she could step into the bathroom. The rule about private time remained, but four girls and one bathroom made time difficult, so they’d agreed to brush at the same time. She glanced his way and smiled, feeling all the while like a couple that lived together. Then she noticed toothpaste dribbling down his chin.

“You faf somfin on fur fin.”

He chuckled. “Fut?”

She spit and pointed to his chin. “You have something on your chin.”

“So do you,” he said.

They laughed in unison and finished getting ready for bed. The next day they went to the post office to send his rent check, and to the bank to deposit her check from a recent tutoring session. They talked finances and budgets, and went shopping for weekly groceries, forcing them to choose what they were going to eat and when.

She got a close up look at his money. She’d expected him to be good with budgeting and was not disappointed, and he got a close up view of her Amazon addiction. His laughter ended when she saw his bank statement, and noticed how much he spent on sweet potato chips.

“They’re delicious,” he said defensively.

“But so expensive!”

“Worth it!”

They dealt with the mundane and the momentous, like when he received the news that one of the internships was interested in him and wanted an interview. She shared in his dismay when he learned his car needed new brakes, and he commiserated with her when she got sick. He even made her soup.

She’d dated Jason for years, but grew closer to Reed in two weeks than she ever had to Jason. The simplicity of daily life, shared through the lens of a marathon date, cemented their relationship in a way that felt permanent. For a glorious moment she imagined their future unfold.

“I don’t want this date to end,” she complained on the final night.

“This has certainly been an unexpected date,” he said.

“Sure we can’t continue?”

“No repeats,” he said.

“Why not?”

“You know why,” he said.

She wanted to argue but she didn’t. Their time together had also led to a pushing of physical boundaries. Their kisses had grown more passionate, and she’d sensed his resolve weakening. She wanted to push against his barriers, but she didn’t want to be the reason they were broken.

“Fine,” she said with a sigh. “What are we doing tonight?”

“You had your date with cars, I have mine.”

His cryptic answer reminded her of their date when they’d driven go-karts. She’d thought she would have an advantage, but he’d surprised her with his skill. Now they were driving again? How? Where?

She pressed him for answers but he refused, his smile turning teasing. “You’ll see when we get there.”

They left Boulder behind and drove to Denver. Prior to Reed, she’d thought it a long commute, but after two weeks together the time seemed to pass in minutes, and before she knew it they were pulling into a packed stadium. Then she spotted the signs.

“A crash derby?”

“Have you ever done one?” he asked.

“Never,” she said. “But I always wanted to.”

“That’s what your mother thought, but she wasn’t sure.”

She smiled, still surprised by the normalcy of her boyfriend talking to her mom. They were guided into a spot by flashlight wielding employees and then headed to the front of the stadium, joining the raucous crowd.

The stadium was large, the stands big enough for thousands. Nearly full, they swelled with people carrying nachos and hot dogs, large sodas and beer. Families came with kids and groups of teenagers, all talking excitingly about the upcoming carnage. Then she ascended the steps and the arena came into view.

Rows of cars were lined up side by side, parked on a floor of sand. Ramps curved into large jumps and a pair of huge monster trucks sat between them. Their chassis gleamed, their enormous tires black and clean, just waiting to be filled with mud.

“I’ve always wanted to see a monster truck rally,” Reed said.

“I assumed you’d already been to one,” she said.

“Almost,” he said. “Once. But the girl got strep throat and couldn’t make it. I gave the tickets to Jackson and Shelby. I think it was actually their first date.”

“And they hit it off?”

“From the first day,” he said with a laugh. “Although their relationship was a little rocky at first.”

“How so?”

“Later,” he said, pointing to the arena. “They’re about to fire up the engines. I brought earplugs if you’d like them.”

“Will I need them?” she asked.

Two men climbed into the monster trucks and waved, and then the engines turned on. The roar of the engines was followed by a roar from the crowd. The blue truck spun, the tires digging into the dirt and sending a spray of soil into the air. It accelerated around the arena like a roaring lion, the sound of its engine drowning out thousands of throats. Then the second truck kicked on and Kate winced at the sound.

“Earplugs?” she shouted.

He handed her a pair and she put them in, diminishing the shrieking engines to a dull roar. Most members of the crowd didn’t seem to mind the noise and cheered the screaming engines. Another two monster trucks came out and the four prowled around the arena, and Kate screamed her approval.

An announcer ascended the steps to the small stage at the edge of the crowd and grabbed the microphone. His appearance sent the four monster trucks to the four corners of the arena where the drivers killed their engines. Then he welcomed the crowd, his voice echoing through the arena as he introduced the cars and their drivers.

“This is incredible!” Kate shouted, awed by the enormous cars and what they were about to do.

“Just wait!” Reed called back.

When the announcer got up the trucks revved their engines and the blue one rounded the arena. It charged the smallest jump. The noise of the crowd swelled with anticipation as it reached the ramp and went airborne, and then landed on the line of cars.

Glass shattered and metal crumpled as the giant tires tore into hoods and trunks, the monster trucks bouncing over the crushed cars. The crowd roared its approval as the truck reached the end of the cars and sped away.

The next followed, and then the third, each truck trampling the cars into the dirt, shattering and smashing the cars like they were toys. Witnessing the awesome carnage left Kate shocked and breathless.

One truck landed with a wheel off the cars and tilted sharply. The crowd gave a collective gasp as the truck careened to the side and bounced off another ramp before righting itself. Kate laughed in delight and relief and looked to Reed, who was equally as shocked.

The trucks smashed cars for half an hour and jumped off the big ramps, streaking through the air amid cheers and screams. Kate enjoyed everything about the event, the screams, the whine of overpowered engines, the crunch of steel, the smell of chips slathered in nacho cheese. Kate screamed herself hoarse.

When the trucks exited the arena, the announcer returned to his platform and announced an amateur crash derby would be the next event. Reed caught her hand as the announcer continued to talk and pulled her toward the steps, guiding her out of the stands.

“Want to get something to drink?”

She nodded and they made their way to the concessions. The line was just beginning to form during the break and he was third, allowing them to grab drinks quickly. But instead of returning to their seats he pulled her to the end of the arena.

“Let’s go check out the cars they’re using in the derby,” he said.

Sipping their drinks, she and Reed threaded through the crowd to the end, where six cars were parked behind a gate to the arena. All were painted in garish colors and she spotted a Toyota with a giant unicorn on the driver’s side door. Several drivers were being outfitted with protective gear and helmets. One of the employees spotted Reed and Kate on the fence and walked over.

“You must be Reed and Kate,” he said. “You ready?”

“For what?” Kate asked.

“We aren’t here to watch,” Reed said, a smile on his face. “We’re here to drive.”