“What did he want?”
“He texted me a few times lately but we finally got to touch base. And I don’t want it to sound like we’re a charity case or anything, because we’re technically not but like, we also don't have a house right now…”
“You have to talk faster,” Key says. “This is freaking me out.”
”Sorry,” I say. “It’s no big deal, and nothing to worry about. But I guess they liked having me back for that race last week, and they have a couple of Team Loco guys out with injuries so the team offered me a three-day temporary contract to race with them next weekend. A solid podium finish would get me about fifty grand.”
Her eyes go wide. “They offered this because they think we need money?”
“Not exactly… but the whole motocross world knows that our house burned down and we lost everything. I guess they thought it would be cool for me to win, and also fun to have me filling in on Team Loco just temporarily.”
She shifts her weight onto her hip. “Well, what do you want to do?”
“Fifty grand for three days of work is way more than I make at The Track.”
My parents pay me well for working at the family business, but not fifty grand in three days well. The entire business doesn’t make that much in three days.
She hugs her arms around her. “Plus you really liked racing again, huh?”
”Hell yes. It was awesome. The team bike was way faster than my bikes here.”
”You should do it,” she says, glancing at Harper who is still watching TV, one arm wrapped around Arko’s back. “If you think you’ll enjoy it, you should totally do it.”
”It would mean leaving you guys here with my parents alone,” I say, curling my nose.
She rolls her eyes. “You say that like I don’t have the best in-laws ever. They love me more than they love you.”
”True…” I grab a stick of beef jerky from the pantry, realizing I should go grocery shopping soon to replace all the stuff I’m eating. Since we’re not paying any sort of rent or utilities here, I should buy all the groceries just to show our appreciation. “I guess I’m doing it,” I say, leaning over to kiss her.
She pulls away. “Ew, beef jerky breath!”
“I’ve only had one bite,” I protest.
She curls her lip. “That’s garlic flavored—trust me, it smells.”
”Okay well you owe me after I brush my teeth,” I say, playfully taking another bite. The garlic taste is delicious but I guess the resulting garlic breath is not exactly sexy.
I text Marcus that I’m in for the three day race. He texts back a bunch of fire emojis, which I guess makes it official. By the time I’ve showered and brushed my teeth, I hear my phone vibrating from the other room. I rub a towel over my hair to dry it, casually checking my phone with the other hand and—holy shit.
I have seventy-two notifications from social media alone. Several texts, and two missed calls from Team Loco guys. What on earth? Seems like Marcus put the word out on Team Loco’s website and social media that I would be joining the team next weekend, and everyone has something to say about it. Luckily, it all seems positive. I haven’t posted to my own social media page in a couple of weeks, but that hasn’t stopped five hundred new comments appearing on my latest post, which was just a photo of my giant ice cream cone I got at a local food truck.
The motocross websites and extreme sports pages picked up the story, and they’re making it extra click-baity by mentioning that my house burned down in their article titles.
From Ashes to Air: Jett Adams Scores High-Paying Team Loco Contract after Devastating House Fire
He Lost Everything – Except His Need For Speed
I roll my eyes. Websites will do anything for clicks, views, and comments. I’m not a big fan of social media, but I am grateful for the opportunities I have through this sport. Without the fans, I doubt Team Loco would be offering me this temporary, high-paying spot.
A panicked, “Dad!” fills the air from downstairs. I jump at first, but the voice isn’t Harper’s. It’s my little sister Brooke, and she’s calling for our dad, not me. I jog downstairs to see what the commotion is all about.
“Holy hell,” Dad says, running a hand down his mouth. “We have got to fix this before Bayleigh sees.”
”What happened?” I say. The muddy dog and muddy paw prints all over the kitchen make it pretty obvious what happened, but the real question here is how did it happen?
”I took him outside to pee,” Brooke says, “but the sprinklers were on, so he played in the mud instead.”
“And you just let him get all muddy?” Dad says.
