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Kelsey
The AMA races in Salt Lake were larger and louder than the small fair races Kelsey had gone to with JT. The TV didn’t do the races justice.
Driving to Salt Lake had only been a little over eight hours in the chartered bus that JT, Mac, and Blake shared with Eva and Mac’s dad, Brian. JT had invited Kelsey along and they’d all slept on plush leather reclining seats while the night had passed by.
Kelsey’s hand in JT’s had made for a very quick night, but she was feeling the effects of traveling. She continually watched JT when they arrived to make sure he was feeling okay, but with checking into separate rooms upon arriving, he’d disappeared with everything else expected of him.
Brian escorted her to the staging area prior to the races before he ran off to do his “managing”.
Unsure of how JT was doing, Kelsey reached for her phone to text him. As she hit send she remembered he’d told her he didn't keep his phone on him when preparing for races.
His phone was probably at the hotel.
She showed the special pass Brian had given her to the guards and followed the information signs down to the loading area.
So many men and women milling around with Fox gear and LBZ labeled clothing. An energy drink logo plastered most of the walls and banners. Vendors lined the walls and sold memorabilia of all sorts to take home after the races. Mugs, backpacks, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and even underwear were all covered in dirt bikes and the faces of the racers.
Unable to help herself, Kelsey bought a small red dirt bike charm dangling on a thin chain. She hooked it on and patted it in place two inches below her the base of her neck.
Kelsey would have special access as JT’s medical personnel, but that didn't mean she was any less nervous for him. He would be racing any minute. Maybe the necklace would be good luck.
The announcer’s voice boomed over the intercom system. “Next race, 450 Pro-Series, in-line one and back from injury, JT Thompson. He's looking pretty good out there, as usual. It’s as if nothing happened. Blake Stone and Mac Hudson are on his sides. This is shaping up to be an incredible season with all your favorites!”
Nerves tickled her stomach. She couldn’t watch and opted instead to retrieve a big soft pretzel. She didn’t want to chew through all of her fingernails before noon.
Ambling along hallways lined with cement-blocked walls, Kelsey followed the signs down to the team area, coming to stand at the edge of the arena. On the other side of the bars, the pit crews hustled getting ready for the finish line. The loud roar and grumble of the people as racers passed was like a wave sensation. Bright lights and flashing cameras created a dizzying effect.
Kelsey had never been immersed in so many people in one place. She preferred the small town feel of southern California and couldn't understand why anyone would want to live in all that or be around all the crazy fans screaming and shouting for the racers. Her racer.
That was until she saw JT on the track. His bike sailed over the tabletop jump. She would recognize those plastics anywhere. He had been practicing on the bike the last few days and she had become intimately close to the ride.
Whoops were going to be the hardest sections for him on the track. At his house, the whoops were repetitive along the race track. The multiple bumps in short succession had been hard on his ankle and wrist. She couldn't imagine how his ribs felt.
All the telekinetic tape she’d asked the physical therapist to apply, along with some of his still-present bandages, made him a walking Band-Aid. He wasn’t one-hundred percent, but he didn’t need to be. He just needed to get through the race.
Kelsey didn’t even care if he won as long as he was happy and tried his best. As trite as it sounded.
Before she knew it, the race was over. JT crossed the checkered flag line first, the waving square brandished as if the man were declaring his surrender with the wrong flag.
He won.
She stood there, with her hands over her mouth and her eyes wide. He had done it. He had done it. They had done it.
Kelsey waited in the docking area by the truck for him to show up. She didn’t feel like watching the bikini clad card holders fawn over the racers and winners at the stand. The trailer was getting loaded by some pit crew and she knew JT and the others would join her soon. But the knowledge that he’d be along soon didn’t help the time go by any faster.
“There's my girl.” JT's grin grew more as he walked towards her. Fatigue shouted under his eyes, just as she had suspected it would. His excitement didn’t dim under the pain.
She leaned into his embrace and murmured against the soft, warm skin of his neck just below his ear. “You did it. You won.” Was that the right time she told JT she had to start school?
How could she tell him that over the last couple weeks she had fallen even further in love with him? Further than a crush. His ambition and work ethic didn’t just carry through his dirt biking. He maintained a clean home, despite her earlier assumption that he might have a housekeeper, and he did his own landscaping. Both because he liked to and he was particular about the way things looked.
Seeing that he didn’t give up either thing cemented her emotions for him. Fighting was one thing, but giving up wasn't an option. He'd never quit. Even when he had gone to Blake’s, it hadn't been because he was quitting on her or his dream. It was because he wanted to give her a break. He thought she was quitting.
Like his mom.
As long as they didn't quit each other, they had so much that they could offer one other.
“I won more than you know.” His lips moved against hers as he talked and then sealed the kiss with a loud smacking sound. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, swinging her around in a wide circle.
Kelsey couldn't help shrieking with joy.
