Page 91 of Heartbreaker

“But… she is Heartbreaker.” I know what he means: Heartbreaker wasn’t just a role of Lana’s; it was who she is. She is a heartbreaker. She was meant to be here, to race and win and show off. I thought it was what she wanted too, until she told me that she was still planning to leave.

“She likes what she does,” I say, trying to be casual. “I won’t tell her what to do with her life.”

“Man, I knew you were a moron, but I didn’t realize you were this stupid.”

I blink at him, confused. In the past few months, things have started to shift for the better between Tyler and me. Though I couldn’t say we were back to childhood best friends, I thought we were getting closer.

But maybe it was all in my head.

“What the fuck?”

“Oh, come on, Rome. You know as well as I do she was meant for Monster Smash. Not everyone can do this, but she did it—and she did it fucking amazingly. She could take the title if she wanted to. Especially if she had a good mentor in her corner.”

Lana could take the national title, and I know it would mean so much to her. Not just because she could feel good about it, but she would love showing other girls, other women, that they belong in spaces that historically weren’t intended for them.

In the last few months, Lana opened doors here, and she didn’t let them close behind her. She put in a doorstop so anyone else could follow her in.

“It’s not my place to tell her what she should be doing or not.”

“Maybe, maybe not. I’m not her man, unfortunately,” he says, giving me a shit-eating grin I kind of want to punch off his face. “But I do know that she’s the type to do what she feels like she’s supposed to do to make other people happy. But when she’s in that truck, she looks happy.”

He’s right, of course, and a part of me wants to punch him for knowing that about my girl, for taking such notice of her. But then again, Tyler’s always been great at reading people.

“So, if you were her man,” I say, the words tasting sour. He beams, loving the opportunity to make me uncomfortable. “You never will be—but if you were, what would you do? Because if you were her man, you’d know that telling her what to do would not go over well. You’d know that if you did that, it would most likely end a relationship that is worth a lot more than getting my way.”

“Well, I wouldn’t tell her what she has to say, for one,” he says. “I’d show her.”

“Show her?” I ask, a bit confused, but then it clicks as I look around the arena, an arena that in the next few hours will be loud with engines and dust as practice begins.

An arena she belongs in.

“Show her,” I say with a nod, then turn to my former best friend. “Do you think⁠—”

“I thought you’d never ask,” he says with a wide grin before I can even finish my sentence.

It takes two hours, but by the time Lana texts me to say she’s coming down to say goodbye to everyone, we’re ready. The lights in the arena are off, the engines silent, and when I meet her in the hall, she looks rightfully confused.

“You were gone for too long,” I say, pulling her into me and pressing my lips to hers. I hope to god she doesn’t see the nervousness on my face or feel the faint shaking of my hands. When I pull back, she looks at me for an explanation, but doesn’t say anything, instead sliding her hand into mine before moving to her tiptoes to press a kiss to my lips. Demi is behind her, a smug smile on her lips, knowing full well what’s been going on down here since I’ve been texting her all afternoon.

“Ready?” I ask, and she looks at me with a soft, mournful look. She thinks she’s hiding it behind a sunny smile, but I can see right through her mask, so I don’t miss it.

“Yeah,” she says with a sigh before we head toward the arena door. Her brows furrow, and she looks up at me. “Why is it so quiet? Did I miss practice?” I shake my head.

“No.” It’s a simple answer, but I think that raises her suspicions more than anything else. When I open the doors to the dark arena, she looks around the dimly lit stadium.

“What on earth?” We step onto the dirt and just like we planned, Tyler comes over to greet us.

“Hey, heartbreaker,” he says, and the only reason I let it go is that it’s all part of our plan. I guess I should think of another pet name for her, another way to differentiate myself from her fans, but she’ll always be a heartbreaker to me.

“What’s going on here? I thought you were practicing?” Tyler just shakes his head, and she looks up at me, lost. “I thought I’d be able to race you one more time.” There’s a bit of disappointment on her face, and it only confirms this was the right choice, that we need to do what we can to get her to realize she has to stay.

“I’m not driving today,” I say.

“What do you mean you’re not driving?” On cue, Tyler answers her question.

“No one’s driving today. The whole team isn’t here,” he says. Lana steps away from me, looking unsure, and I just smile down at her smugly.

“What is this?”