Tyson and Milkshakes

Brief reminder: The racing scoring system has changed. She needs points, not wins. Anyway, time to meet Tyson. I honestly hate reading love-triangles, so why do I keep writing them? To the story!
********
“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Are you sure? I’m a great listener and I am stuck with you…”

“Maxx.”

“Yes?”

“Shut up.”

Maxx fell silent, allowing her thoughts fall silent as well. She wasn’t sure where she had ended up. She just drove after the race. Drove and drove and drove. Anyplace was better than that track, watching as the debris smoldered on the water. She brought her knees up to her face, burying her eyes in her knees. She sat on some curb, beside some park, but she didn’t know where. She had never been to this far outside of Acro City on her own before. It was one of the smaller towns that surrounded the larger city, leaches to the city’s systems but far enough away to be away from it. Once she had seen this small half blocked sized children’s park, she stopped Maxx, got off him, and sat promptly down on the curb.

And that’s where she stayed, the cool air telling her that evening was fast approaching. Not that she cared. She couldn’t care. It was too much. All of it.

She should have never gotten out of bed today.

She tried to press it all out. All the memories, all the worries, all the confusion. Everything. She just wanted it gone. All she wanted was to be left alone and never have to worry about using her Talent ever again. It has caused her nothing but grief all her life. It would just be better if she were born Talentless. That was all she ever wanted….

Amy wasn’t sure when she started crying again, but the tears on her cheeks went cold as the cool air brushed across them.

Jay’s probably worried sick at this point, she started to think as the sun was setting. But she couldn’t even bring herself to think of her Sponsor. He wasn’t here, probably got stuck having to explain to the media why she had run off like that. It was one of the few times she was glad that she had Jay around; he could handle that stuff much better than she ever could. That was his world, what he had grown up doing.

It was where he belonged.

And all she wanted was to disappear.

“Excuse me? Miss? Are you alright?”

Amy glanced up, half expecting it to be Jay. He always came after her when she was upset. But this wasn’t Jay. It was another young man, probably close to her age. He had stopped in front of her, straddling his pedal bike between his legs. He wore a fast food uniform and the beak of his hat jutted out from underneath his bike helmet.

“No,” she answered him, hiding her face again in her knees. “Leave me alone.”

“Hey,” the boy said in a kind tone. She heard him kick the kickstand out and propped his bike up. She didn’t acknowledge him as he sat down beside her. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she snapped at him, refusing to look at him. “Just leave me alone.”

“You don’t look like you need to be alone,” he said, nudging her shoulder with his. “Come on. Tell me.”

“It’s none of your business, insistent person I’ve never met.”

He chuckled. “My name is Tyson. Now I’m not a stranger.”

She snorted, still refusing to look up.

“What’s your name?”

He didn’t give up easily, she had to give him that.

“Amy,” she finally grumbled.

“Amy,” he repeated, sounding like he was nodding to himself. “You’re upset about something? Did you loose your race or something?”

This had her shooting him a glare. He had taken off both his bike helmet and his hat, revealing his face. It was a kind face with still a bit of baby fat clinging to his cheeks. Freckles were sprinkled under his bright blue eyes and his black hair was chopped short.

“What?” he asked, flinching a bit at her harsh gaze. “You’re wearing a jumpsuit, I assumed…”

“Are you late for work?” she asked, eyeing his own uniform. It had a few grease spots she was sure that the wash couldn’t take out and slightly rumpled. Typical fast food uniform. She has worn one the summer before her senior year and vowed to never work in a fast food restaurant ever again.

“Just getting off, actually,” he said with a shrug. “I was just passing by when I saw a pretty girl crying on the curb and thought that I could help.”

She snorted. Pretty? Her? Was he blind? “Thanks for the offer,” she said bitterly, planting her face down again. “But there isn’t anything you can do.” There’s nothing that anyone can do… she thought bitterly.

“There must be something,” Tyson insisted. “A shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, a milkshake to drown your sorrows in...”

She hated to admit it, but the milkshake offer sounded good.

“Well?” he asked.

“Milkshake sounds good,” she muttered, hoping he wouldn’t hear her.

“Great!” he said, getting to his feet. He held his hand out to her. “I know the right place to go. Best milkshakes made in all of Wendell.”

“Wendell?” she asked, glancing up at him and ignoring his hand as she got up. “Is that where I am?” It was a smaller town just north of Acro City by a half hour drive. She was surprised that was as far as she got.

“You didn’t even know where you were?” he asked, sounding surprised. His look turned serious. “Are you running or did someone drop you off here…?”

“A bit of running,” she admitted. “Not that I got very far and not like that I’m not going to be back there. I have a curfew to make before they start sending people out to find me.”

“Who would be looking for you?” he asked, finally sounding nervous.

“Oh, come on,” she snapped, gesturing to her jumpsuit. “I’m a Racer! I thought that this would give me away!”

“No way!” he breathed, taking in again her outfit with wide shocked eyes. “You’re a Racer? Seriously?”

“Ugh,” she groaned, rolling her eyes. “I’m leaving.”

“No, wait!” he said, grabbing her arm. “I’m sorry if I didn’t recognize you… I really don’t follow the Circuit. I’ve just been never interested in that sort of stuff, you know?”

Amy blinked. After everything that had happened that day, hearing that someone else in this crazy world didn’t follow the races was like a breath of fresh air. “Seriously?” she asked, still staring at him as if she had never seen the likes of him before. She hadn’t really. Nearly everyone followed the Circuit. “You never follow?”

“I probably disgust you with that, didn’t I?” he asked nervously.

Amy quickly shook her head. “Actually, it’s great. I am so sick of the Circuit and the fame it’s brought me. It’s nice to hear that someone actually didn’t know who I was at first sight.”

Tyson smiled and Amy decided that she liked it. It stripped the baby fat from his face and lit up his eyes. “That’s great!” he said. “I mean… I’m glad that you can appreciate that. I always figured that Talented always got upset when a Talentless didn’t recognize them.”

“Oh, most of them are,” she agreed bitterly. “But I’m not like that. I’d much rather be Talentless myself.”

“Really?” he asked, sounding surprised. “How about we talk about that over a milkshake? My treat!”

“You know, Tyson,” she said, finally smiling a bit. “That sounds pretty great.”
**********
“I don’t know if this milkshake is the best in Wendell, but it is one of the better ones I’ve had in my life.”

Tyson grinned, nodding. “I knew you’d like it. Everyone likes it.”

They sat across from each other in booth by a window, sucking up the last bit of their milkshakes. Nellie Diner was a mom ‘n’ pop shop; typical fifties style with flickering lights, soft music over the speakers, and limy-green in color with pasty white strips. This particular shop also included bumper stickers from all over the world, plastered on every available wall space. It was a nice place, she admitted, a nice and cozy place that she could see herself getting used to.

She picked up her milkshake, trying to angle the straw at the bottom of the cup to get the last bit of the sweet treat. Maxx was parked outside. The program had grumbled a bit to her inside her head as she followed after Tyson to the shop, noting that she was following a complete stranger into a place she knew nothing about. She, however, ignored her program and his pouting, and he was currently giving her the silent treatment. Didn’t bother her any. The silence was what she needed most from him.

“So,” Tyson said, looking a bit nervous again. “What had you crying on the side of the road? Did you actually loose your race?”

“Not by much,” she said softly, not even glancing him in the eye. It really wasn’t any of his business- she shouldn’t even be here- but she found herself wanting to explain things to this kind boy who bought her a milkshake. He seemed like the decent sort, one that she could unburden her cares on and he would just listen. A friend with an ear and a shoulder to cry on. Not that she didn’t have that with Sally, Hacker, and to some small extent, Jay, but Tyson even admitted that he wasn’t into the Circuit. She needed someone outside of Acro City to unburden to.

“You say that like it isn’t a bad thing…?” he asked, sounding confused.

“Not really,” she said, shrugging. “It’s… It’s what happened behind me that’s got me like this.” She took a deep breath. “You might not have heard… but there was a crash. It was pretty bad…”

“Oh,” Tyson said softly. “I’m sorry.”

She closed her eyes tight, hoping the action would block the memory from coming to the front of her mind. “It’s hard seeing crashes like that… My dad..” She took in a deep shivering breath. “My dad died in a crash like that.”

Tyson reached over the table to grasp her hand. “I’m sorry,” he said again. She glanced up to see the pity in his expression. “That must have been terrible.”

She wasn’t sure if he meant her dad dying or watching others die in a similar crash. However, she found that she didn’t care which one he was pitying. At least he was trying to understand. That was much better than what anyone else had tried to do.

“Worse bit?” she went on softly, not pulling her hand from his grasp. “I could have avoided racing today. But no! My Sponsor wanted me to race today.” She snorted, her other hand forming a fist. She really wished Jay was here right now. She’d punch him. “He said that it would be good for me to race today, show them what I’ve got.”

“He doesn’t sound like the kind of guy who you should be hanging out with,” Tyson pointed out, his tone strangely… protective? “If he doesn’t listen to what you say, then he isn’t worth it.”

“He’s my Sponsor,” she grumbled, rolling her eyes. “There’s not much I can do to get rid of him. He pays my bills, deals with the media for me… Heck, he even got me all my school books this semester. I was not expecting that.”

Tyson frowned; Amy decided she liked this expression on his face too. The baby fat came in and it looked more like a pout. It was cute. “You go to school?”

She nodded. “I don’t want to be in the Circuit forever. Once I’m done with my five years racing, I’m going to do what I want to do.”

“What’s that?”

“Chemistry,” she admitted. “I want to make medicines.”

“A worthy goal,” he laughed, that cute smile coming out again. “I’m working full time right now to get enough money to start college.”

“Oh?” she asked, suddenly very interested in him. “What are you going into?”

“Horticulture,” he laughed nervously. “Not as glitzy as some careers, but I’d like to think that if I get in it, that I might help find a way to end world hunger, you know? Figure out more durable plants for third world countries, teach them how to use the resources they have and what they can really do with it…” He laughed again, turning his head away as if he were ashamed. “It’s silly, I know, but…”

“No,” she said, turning her hand over so she could squeeze his hand. “That sounds like a worthy goal too. I never thought about how much horticulture could make a difference in the world.”

Tyson looked up with that smile again. “Really?”

“How much longer are you going to wait until you start school?” she asked.

“Another year or so,” he sighed. “As I said, I’m trying to save up my money for college. I didn’t get good enough grades to get one of those all-paid-tuition scholarships, so between what I make and what small scholarships I’ve got, it’s going to be a bit before I get into school.”

Amy grimaced a bit. It probably wouldn’t be best to tell him that before she was a Racer she had earned one of those all-paid-tuition scholarships. She had been amazed when she got it and was grinning until the Circuit dragged her away. She had worked hard for that scholarship, knowing just how many other Talentless also worked to get above the rest. There were too many losers in the cutthroat world of scholarships.

Btz, btz, btz.

“Oh,” she said, fumbling for her phone. “That’s mine.”

She gave him a quick apologizing smile as she pull her hand away from his to answer it. “Hello?”

“Where are you?”

“Nice to talk to you too, Jay,” she grumbled. Great. Just great. Just as she was starting to feel better about life, worrying about someone else for a change, her Sponsor had to go and ruin the moment. The next time she saw him, he was getting punch in the face.

“I’m serious, Amy,” Jay said, sounding exhausted through the phone. “The media is in a frenzy since you aren’t here.”

“Tell them to take a hike,” she snapped. “I am not some sort of circus freak they paid to see.” Tyson frowned at that, glaring briefly at the phone at her ear.

“Amy,” Jay said sternly.

“No, Jay,” she growled. “I’m not going to deal with them.”

“Fine,” he snapped back. It must be going bad there. Jay never snapped at her. It made her wonder what was really happening back in Acro City. “But at least tell me that you’re safe so I can assure them that you haven’t gone off and killed yourself.”

“The rumors are that bad, huh?” she asked, slightly amused. While killing herself was an issue completely off the table, disappearing had an appeal.

“People are getting worried,” Jay said through what sounded like his teeth.

“Which means you, Sally, Hacker, and my mom,” she translated. She eyed Tyson again, noting his confusion and glaring. He obviously didn’t like what he was hearing from her side. “Hey, Jay, could we talk later? I have a friend that I’m talking to.”

“Friend?” he repeated. “Where? You’re not with Nat and Aaron, and Sally and Hacker are with me… Who else do you talk to in this city?”

“What makes you think I’m in the city?”

The other end was silent.

“I’ll be back before the curfew,” she promised him. “Then you can give me an earful. But until then… Don’t call me again.”

“Amy…” She pulled the phone away from her ear and thumbed the end button, effectively cutting her Sponsor off. “Sorry about that,” she said to Tyson, putting her phone back down. “My Sponsor is a jerk.”

“That was your Sponsor?” Tyson asked, once again glaring at the phone.

“Yep,” she mumbled. “He’s getting punched later.” She then sighed, noting the time on her phone. “And I promised that I would be back before the Circuit curfew. I should probably get going.” She stood up. Tyson quickly followed her example, walking her to the door. “Thanks for the milkshake, Tyson. And the listening ear. I needed it.”

“Any time,” Tyson said cheerfully, quickly making the mood lighter. She kind of liked that, how quickly he could make things seem better. “If you ever need another milkshake…”

Amy wasn’t sure, but she thought that Tyson was trying to hit on her. She was used to Jay’s constant flirting, with bold and confident moves and words, but Tyson’s nervous and soft approach was enduring.

“Yeah,” she agreed, smiling. “How about we exchange numbers? That way I can call you up if I need another one.”

“Sure!” Tyson said quickly, fumbling around his uniform to get his phone out. “That sounds great!” The phone exchange took only a moment and they were standing awkwardly again.

“So,” Amy said, unsure what to do next. “See you around?”

“Of course!” Tyson said, grinning and also fidgeting. “I hope it won’t be long before you need another milkshake…” He then flinched. “That came out wrong. Not that I don’t want to share a milkshake with you… Wrong again… I’d just like to see you again… without the milkshake problems… Not that milkshakes are problematic… it’s just you know…” He sighed, bowing his head in defeat.

Amy grinned. This boy really didn’t know what to do around a girl.

“I’ll call you,” she promised, holding her hand out to shake. “And not just for a milkshake.”

She could really get used to his smile.
***********
Jay was waiting in the RCC’s garage as Amy finally pulled up. He checked his phone, noting that she had shown up just minutes before the curfew started. He said nothing as she pulled Maxx into his place. The program was still in his motorcycle form and was arguing with his Racer.

“They’re not going to put up with your leaving,” Maxx was warning her. “You’re going to get some punishment for that stunt.”

He couldn’t be more right. Jay groaned softly, pinching the bridge of his nose. He could feel the headache already pounding away inside his skull. It had been a long day. After his dramatic conversation with his father, he had to deal with the media. Of course they wanted to know about Amy’s father and why she reacted the way she did. He did his best to appease them and give them enough answers that they wouldn’t bother her longer, but then the other Sponsors had to start their digging in. Though they used teasing tones, he knew what the undercurrent of their words were. They didn’t think that he had a good enough hold on his Racer, to reign her in like they would have done. They would have forced her to confront the media, to deal with their unsympathetic questions and deal with living that crash over and over again.

He couldn’t do that to Amy. She’s been through enough.

But even after he dealt with all of that, he had to deal with Camellia. The woman was absolutely livid that one of her Racers wasn’t accounted for and demanded that he use the tracking code in Maxx to find her. Jay put his foot down then. The Circuit controlled enough of her life. He wouldn’t have them know everything, even if that meant not knowing where she was. Eventually, he called her, hoping that she would at least pick up.

And she did. And she said she was with a friend. A friend that wasn’t Sally, Hacker, Nat, Aaron, or him, the only people he was sure that she knew in Acro City well enough to crash with.

But no! She wasn’t even in Acro City! He quickly called her mom after that, and after assuring the woman that her daughter was safe, wondered if Amy might have been with her.

That conversation went down hill fast. Jay now had even more reason to keep Amy safe. Because if he didn’t, her mom would be coming after him. And they say dads are the protective ones when it comes to daughters.

Amy took her helmet off, her hair a mess after being under it. Jay also noted that she hadn’t changed out of her jumpsuit. Before the race, it was stunning on her, now it looked rumbled and worse for wear.

“What can they punish me with?” Amy asked Maxx, placing the helmet down on his seat. “An earlier curfew?”

“Something a bit worse than that,” Jay said, standing up and stretching the stiff muscles of his lower back. Amy jumped at the sound of his voice and spun around on him.

“What are you doing here?” she snapped. He raised an eyebrow.

“You promised that I could give you an earful when you got back,” he pointed out. “My Talent has kept me here to fulfill it.”

“Oh…” Amy said sheepishly, glancing away. “Sorry. I’ll word it better next time.”

“There won’t be a next time,” Jay groaned. “Your punishment isn’t a curfew, it’s a boundary.”

“Boundary?” she repeated.

He nodded solemnly. “And believe me, it could have been a lot worse if I wasn’t there to argue your side. I know you were upset, but you shouldn’t have run off like that.”

“Oh, really?” she snapped. Jay flinched, hearing the tears in her voice. “Everyone is just going to expect me to happily talk about Racers dying in the same kind of race my dad died in? That I should be grateful that I wasn’t in it so I could advance? What else was I going to do, Jay? I can’t face them. Can’t! They’ve already destroyed my life enough! They don’t need to give me mental warfare too!”

Jay flinched. She was right, he hated to admit it, but she was right. The Circuit and Sponsors had no right to play these mind games with her. She already knew that they wanted to kill her, wasn’t that enough?

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, watching as she slumped away from him. “I’m trying what I can…”

“Really?” she snapped, spinning around to him again. She pointed an accusing finger at him. “Who was it that wanted me to race today? Who insisted that it was to show them that I wouldn’t play by their rules? What’s that got me? Nothing! Heck, more of my rights have been invoked. Now I have a boundary that I’m supposed to follow!”

Jay found himself stepping back, surprised by just how mad she was. “Don’t take this out on me!” he found himself snapping back. “I tried to get them to leave you alone! If they had it their way, you would have been expelled from school! But I stood up for you, told them that you had problems with that crash. Which, I might point out, you do! I’m trying to help you Amy, then why can’t you help me back?”

“Are you…” She narrowed her eyes, glaring. “Are you bringing up that I wouldn’t sneak into hospital records for you?”

Jay flinched. “No!” he said too quickly.

“Leave me alone!” she yelled. “I don’t want anything to do with you!”

“Amy!”

He grabbed her arm, hoping the action would at least make her stay long enough so he could explain himself. However, she spun around with her fist, knocking him in the jaw. He stumbled back, holding his jaw careful; he should know by now that she has a mean right hook.

“I don’t want to talk to you,” she sneered, yanking her arm free. “Just leave me alone.” She stomped off, finally managing to get away from him.

Rubbing his jaw, Jay watched her leave, truly confused. What was the matter with her? She had been gone for hours; she should have cooled down by now. He moved his jaw to make sure that it still worked as he came up beside Maxx.

“Hey,” he said, sitting down next to the motorcycle. “Care to explain what just happened?”

“You pushed where you shouldn’t?” Maxx suggested.

He shot a glare at the bike. “Really? I know I said something wrong, but I wasn’t expecting that strong of a reaction. What happened when you two left?”

“You honestly want to know?” Maxx asked. Slowly, Jay nodded.

“Yes. I think I do.”

“You’re not going to like it.”

Jay rolled his eyes. “Just another thing on top of my growing problems. What happened? Did Amy run into a guy who gave her a listening ear?”

“Yes.”

Jay jumped, staring at Maxx. The front tire turned to him; if the program wasn’t a piece of machinery, he would have sworn he was getting the stink eye.

“We made it all the way to Wendell,” Maxx explained. “She sat down on a curb and sat crying for a couple of hours before a nice young man came up to her and offered to get her a milkshake and to listen.” Maxx paused. “I think she was kind of smitten by the boy.”

Jay stiffened. What? No. No, this couldn’t be happening. Yes, he knew that Amy didn’t like him, but they’ve been slowly becoming friends with a common enemy. And from the last few weeks, he thought that he was making a slow progress away from ‘friend’ to something a bit more than that. He couldn’t have heard the program right.

“How could she become smitten over a milkshake?” he asked, trying to wrap his head around it. Amy pushed almost everyone away, even other young men who tried to win her favor. She was adamant that she didn’t want any sort of romantic relationships.

“Well,” Maxx mussed, “it might have to deal with the fact that he didn’t know who she was. Apparently he doesn’t follow the races. I guess she thought it was nice to find someone who didn’t know who she was and could have a normal conversation that didn’t revolve around the Circuit.”

“Maxx, if you’re pulling my leg, I’m going to have Hacker give you cheaper oil…” Jay threatened.

“I’m not pulling your leg,” Maxx quickly assured him. “The guy’s name is Tyson. She exchanged numbers with him.”

Jay paled. No. No. No, no, no, no. This couldn’t be happening. He had been trying so hard to get Amy to start seeing him as something other than a friend, then someone suddenly showed up and usurped his place.

Without a word, he stood up and stalked off, more angry at his father for holding him back, not letting him to go after his Racer. If he had gone after her, she would have never had met this Tyson.

But he was more angry at himself, for not having the courage to go after her and leaving the world of the Circuit behind them for just a few hours.
***********
Fun info time. Yes, I do drown my sorrows in milkshakes because I love milkshakes and I collect bumper stickers from everywhere I go. Nellie’s Diner would be a dream workplace.

But now you’ve met Tyson. One of the other problems I had earlier was that the Sponsors were trying to kill Amy off too soon (they’ll eventually get that desperate, but not yet), so I had to create a conflict that would cool the Sponsors down. And that came in the form of Tyson and the new love-triangle. Honestly, I hate love-triangles, can’t stand them in books or movies (another reason to seriously dislike Twilight), but I can’t seem to stop writing them. Ugh!

Next time on Racer: A wake for the Racers lost. Sad day.

Enjoy the journey!