College

No intro today. To the story!
**********
Amy didn’t even bother to stay any longer with the Sponsors. Besides, she had been there long enough to be seen and conversed. She was sure that she would get someone to Sponsor her, especially considering the interested they all had in Target’s daughter.

Just so long as it wasn’t that last guy. He was obnoxious.

What was his name again? Kay? Jay?

Whatever, she thought as she rubbed her knuckles. He had some hard abs. It probably wasn’t the best idea to punch him.

Next time, she vowed. Next time that pretty nose of his. That, at least, should be softer to break.

Stalking outside, she found Maxx still in his purple and red coat of paint. He too seemed miserable about the choice of colors for them.

“Why did they pick purple and red for you?” he asked as she approached.

“Red was my Dad’s color,” she said, sitting down on Maxx’s hood. “And since I’m a girl, they thought purple would be good. Apparently in the last couple of years they’ve decided that Racers need two colors instead of the one.”

“I know the rules and regulations,” Maxx huffed. “They included that into my program.”

“Maxx,” she sighed. “Silver.”

She stood up and Maxx changed color. She got in, realizing that she had left him in his racing car form.

“Maxx,” she started to say.

“Get out.”

The command was short and without emotion.

“Maxx?” she asked, confused.

“I said out,” he said again. “Or would you like an explanation first, miss lazy bum?”

“An explanation,” she insisted.

“Very well,” he snorted. “It is unknown what happens if a Racer changes their vehicle while being in said vehicle. Some theorize that the Racer will die during the magical change. Others say that both program and Racer will disappear.”

“Oh,” she said, understanding. “I’ll get out.”

She got out of the car and faced him so that she was sure she wasn’t in the area of change.

“Maxx. Normal car.”

He changed into a normal silver car, completely unremarkable and nowhere out of place.

“I’m a part of your Talent,” he huffed. “Why don’t you want to show me off?”

“Because I want to go for a drive before going back,” she argued, getting back inside. “I don’t want to get stared at.”

“Or followed,” he muttered darkly. “You still think that they control every aspect of your life.”

“They say where I live, where I work, what I can and can’t do,” she pointed out. “A simple drive is one of the few things I have left in this miserable circuit.”

“You have me.” He sounded hurt.

She smiled, rubbing the steering wheel lovingly. “I’m sorry, Maxx,” she cooed. “I do have you. You’re the best thing that has happened to me since coming here.”

“Including getting into that college?” he asked.

“College is my own goal that I had awhile,” she said. “You’re more than all that.”

“Thank you!” he said, then paused. “I think…”

Amy laughed, revving his engine. “Come on, Maxx. Let’s go for a drive.”
*********
The next day, after Amy had eaten breakfast, Camellia found her.

“You have a Sponsor,” the Seeker said, grinning, though it was now always forced around her. “He’s waiting for you in conference room five. Don’t keep him waiting.”

Without making sure she understood the instructions, Camellia walked away. Amy shook her head and went for the conference room. After she and Maxx had gotten back from their drive, very late that night, Camellia was there to chew her out about her behavior in front of the Sponsors. She said that there was a possibility that she wouldn’t get a Sponsor because of how she treated them.

I don’t care, Amy thought as she found the right room. I want out of this Circuit as fast as possible. And if that means they have to kick me out because I’m such a pain, then so be it.

However, she didn’t think that plan would work. Speeders were always kept under close surveillance, even before the Races started.

Opening the door, she found that her Sponsor was someone who had not been in the room the day before.

“Hello!” said the heavyset man, walking up to her and shaking her hand. “So you must be Aims.”

“Yes,” she said slowly, narrowing her eyes. “And you are…?”

“Oh,” he laughed, “I’m Roger Westview. I’m an associate of Sponsor Williams. He’s the one Sponsoring you through the Circuit.”

Williams, the CEO of Fortune Bank. She was backed by a banker. For some reason, that rubbed her wrong.

At least it wasn’t that one heir.

“Isn’t he going to come see me?” she asked. From all the stories she had heard about Sponsors, they were very involved in their Racers’ lives.

“He’s not the type,” Roger said. “He’s actually quite ill and doesn’t get out much. He prefers to send out his associates to do all his work. When he heard that Racer Target’s daughter was in the Circuit, he placed his bid for you long before everyone else. And I must say, that it was a large sum.”

Thanks, Dad, she thought. It was a sincere thanks. She didn’t want to deal with people. If she was going to go through this Circuit, she would prefer to have her Dad’s reputation to proceed her.

“Well, then, Aims,” he said, motioning toward the table and her contract on it. “Shall we discuss the terms of your contract?”

“Why not?” she sighed, sitting down at the table. “What other restrictions is Williams going to impose on me?”

“Actually,” he said, smiling. “Not a lot. He also heard about how you want to college. He’s a man of hard work himself. He worked up the ranks to get to where he is. He likes hard work in his people. He would prefer if you would continue working as you are.”

“How many Races does he expect me to win?” she asked.

At this, Roger flinched. “Truthfully?” he said. “None.”

She raised an eyebrow. She had made it no secret that she wanted to win five Finals and retire.

“Why?” she asked. She and Maxx had been training hard over the summer. She even had plans to continue that training after she started school.

“Well,” Roger muttered, fidgeting as if he didn’t want to say it. “You are a first year Racer,” he pointed out. “Racers only start winning in their third or fourth years. There are few exceptions.”

“My Dad was,” she started to say when he cut her off.

“Yes,” he agreed, “you are Target’s daughter, but that doesn’t mean much. Did you really get your father’s Talent in full? His determined spirit? His natural grace behind the wheel? That’s not really known until your first Race. Until we know what sort of Racer you are, a prodigy or a normal one, you’re not expected to win any Races. I’ll have you know that it’s normal procedure for all Racers.”

Amy tried hard not to scowl. They have their own rules, she had to remind herself. I just have to prove them wrong.

“Who else is he Sponsoring?” she asked. It was very rare for a company to Sponsor only one Racer.

“Just two others,” Rogers reported, half smiling. “Perhaps you’ve heard of Crasher and Silver Fox?”

“Silver Fox?” Amy repeated, surprised. “Really?” She had heard enough of the Racer to know that the woman was basically worshiped by fans and spoiled by Sponsors. Many of them tried to woo her away from her own Sponsor.

“Indeed,” Roger chuckled. “Silver Fox is our main star. She’s a great Racer. Our company is blessed to have her.”

“Alright,” she said, thinking it over. “So I’m the third Racer you have… When’s my first Race?”

“Three weeks,” Roger told her. “It’s just a small Race, one that all Racers go through so that they can test their skills against each other.”

In other words, she thought, a chance to give the newbies something to judge their skills against. And it gives the veterans a chance to check us out. But that was already happening. Whenever she went out training, several other Racers would come out and watch. Some of them even raced with her and Maxx. As far as she could tell, she was better than most of them.

“Anything else I should know before we sign this monster beast?” she asked.

Roger chuckled again. He did that a lot, it seemed.

“We can do it now.”

Five minutes later, Roger was gone with her contract, her life now in his hands.
**********
“Do I have to look like this?”

Amy drove to school, her first day of classes at the Chemistry Academy. She could barely sit still, even though that she was driving. She was half tempted to ask Maxx to drive for her. Her backpack was in the passenger seat, filled with her notebooks, books, and her new laptop. As an agreement with her Sponsor, he provided her with a current laptop to do what with she liked.

Such as studying.

“Come on, Maxx,” she said soothingly, rubbing her hands along his wheel. “Do you really want to be parked in a college parking lot looking like a racing car?”

“It’d be better than this junker,” he grumbled.

“You know the agreement I made,” she said, getting excited as she spotted her school across the intersection where she was sitting, waiting for the light to turn. “I’m allowed to go to school, but they don’t want it known all over the campus. They’d like me to keep a low profile as long as possible here.”

“So,” Maxx concluded grumpily, “that translate into me looking like a piece of junk?”

“I’m sure that you can survive a few hours looking like this,” she told him, the light turning to allow her through. “Besides, don’t you want a little time to yourself?”

Maxx snorted. “I’m a car,” he pointed out. “I’m almost always alone! It would look pretty strange if I started driving through buildings!”

“You won’t be with other Racer cars,” she corrected. “Come on, Maxx. Don’t be such a stick in the mud about this.”

“Stick in the mud?” he exclaimed. “I have mud in my tires!”

“Oh, shush,” she said, turning into the parking lot. “We’re here. Now, remember the rules…”

“Don’t say anything,” he recited gloomily, “don’t change shape, don’t drive around without someone in the driver’s seat, and don’t get stolen.” He paused as she drove around to find a parking spot. “I don’t get stolen,” he muttered. “I have no locks to break…”

“That’s why they gave me a fake key,” she said, distracted as she found a spot. “It’ll look as if I do unlock you….” She parked. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her pack and patted his steering wheel again. “Be good, Maxx.”

“Do well in your classes,” he sighed, resigning himself to a morning alone.

Grinning, Amy got out of the car, walking with a bounce as she went to her first class as a college student.
**********
The lecture classes were very different from the classes she knew in high school. She had figured that the teachers would keep them for the length of the scheduled class time, as her old teachers did, filling the time with get-to-know-you games or small worthless assignments. Her professors had no such inclination to do such useless things. She paid attention as they went over the class syllabus, what they would cover, and then jumped straight into lecture. She was glad that she came prepared with paper and pencils. It was a bit hard to keep up without them.

She was also surprised at the number of students in her first classes. While she was used to twenty to thirty students with a teacher, her large classes had up to seventy. I can easily be overlooked in these classes, she thought, leaving another class, noticing how many of the students walked past her without saying anything. Even when a few bumped into her.

It’s what I want though, she thought, walking to her last class for the day, a lab. I’m not a Talented here. I’m another student.

Just as she had always planned it to be anyway.

Entering the lab class, she was finally met with a sight she was used to. The room was filled with long tables with various equipment that all science classes boasted. There were a few students already there, mingling near the front of the room. As far as she could tell, there wasn’t a teacher yet.

Picking an empty table, she propped her backpack against the side of the chair, sat, and waited for the teacher to show up. Soon other students started to also show up, picking chairs. One girl came in and promptly sat right next to her. She was a plump girl, with a long blond braid and pink complexion. Amy guessed that she was also fresh out of high school.

“Hi there,” she said, smiling nervously. Amy returned the smile. She had seen the girl in a few of her other classes. “I’m Natalie. Who are you?”

“Amy,” she said, offering her hand in a shake. The girl took it.

“Exciting, isn’t it?” she asked, looking around the room with a twinkle in her eye. “To be here… learning chemistry from one of the best schools in the field… living away from home… Hey, where do you live?”

Amy froze. She forgot. Most students, especially freshmen, spent their first years living on campus. She didn’t have that luxury. She would be living at the RCC until she retired. There was no thought of where else she could live.

Not that she was going to tell Natalie that.

“I live off campus,” she admitted, looking down at her feet. “Relatives, you know. Trying to save money.”

“Oh,” Natalie said, patting her back. “I understand. If I had relatives living in the city, I’d live with them.”

Before Amy could reply, another student entered. Everyone in the room went silent for a moment then continued on in hushed tones. Amy could understand why. It was the same everywhere. The stunned silence, the gawking, and the respect.

A Talented had entered the room.

He had been introduced in every class, pointed out in the halls, and even randomly adored everywhere he went. He was one of the few Talented that attended the Academy, a free pass since he was Talented.

A little unfair, really, she thought. She had to pay her way through school and she was a Talented as well. Not that they knew that.

This Talented was one of the most handsome men Amy knew. And that was saying something. She didn’t notice boys most of the time. But this guy was tall, trim, and had an easy smile. He also presented himself as clean cut, with a nice style of black hair and well-pressed clothes. Unlike other Talented Amy knew, he didn’t consider himself above others, talking politely with everyone who stopped him in the halls and approaching people first.

He glanced around the room with brown eyes, deciding which table to join. Amy half hoped that he would pick another table to sit at.

Then again, only she and Natalie were at this table….

He walked towards them.

“Oh, my,” Natalie breathed, a blush turning her face red. “He’s coming this way!”

“Hello there,” he said, smiling as he reached them. “Mind if I join you?”

“No,” Amy said, “go ahead.”

“Thanks!” he said, sitting down on the other side of Natalie. The poor girl was still red and wouldn’t look him in the eye. “You probably already know me, but I’m Aaron Colifer. Who are you?”

“I’m Amy McPeir,” she answered.

“Natalie,” she managed to squeak out.

“Nice to meet you,” he said, grinning. “So, how do you guys like classes so far?”

“It’s a lot of fun,” Amy said. She was beginning to really like this Talented. He seemed very down to earth, easy to talk to. “I’m really excited to be here.”

Aaron laughed. “I’d be surprised to find someone who isn’t excited to be here.”

At that moment, the teacher walked in, one of their professors from before. The class settled down and got ready for the day’s lab. Amy couldn’t stop her smiling. She was very glad that she was there.
**********
“So?” Maxx asked as she got in him. “How was class?”

“Wonderful,” she beamed, turning him on with a thought. “And how was sitting in the parking lot?”

Maxx snorted as he revved. “Boring,” he grumbled. “If we’re going to be doing this five days a week, then I’m going to need something to do.”

She frowned, backing him out. “What can you do?”

“You could leave me movies,” he pointed out.

“Really?” she asked, surprised by his answer.

“No,” he sighed. “I’m pulling your leg. Actually, you could tune me in to your classes.”

“You really want to listen to my classes?” she asked, amused. “You’re a computer chip designed to enhance my Talent. You’re a racing machine. How could chemistry interest you?”

“It’s not so much the chemistry,” he admitted, “it’s more about keeping my program busy. Analyzing new information is always entertaining for a computer.”

He had a point.

“Alright,” she said, turning onto the road. “But I don’t want you to be interested when I’m taking a test. I’m not going to be a cheat.”

Maxx scoffed. “I’m not interested in tests anyway. A boring and pointless ritual, if you ask me.”

Amy laughed. Maxx had another point.
*********
Next week, her first race! Enjoy the journey!