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“Mason. We need to focus on moving back up the grid, okay?” Zach says calmly.

“Yeah, well, that’s the only bloody option I have now, isn’t it? To try and save this shitshow from being any worse than it is!”

“Mason. Please focus on driving the car. We’ll talk about this off the radio,” the stern voice of Alex Oliver, the Collings Motors team principal, says.

Shit. Alex only speaks to his drivers when two things are going on: either he’s really pleased with a performance, like a race win, or he’s annoyed with what the driver is saying on the radio.

And right now, Alex is not pleased with Mason.

UGH. This is a common reaction from drivers when they are trying to manage the situation and dealing with frustration. Xavier will get sarcastic and shout. Caleb will tell them to only talk if needed, and his icy tone tells everyone he means it.

But Mason? He never says stuff like that. He’s so level and calm on the track.

And to be sitting on P2, ready to fight Xavier, only to have his car stall and drop him to the back of the grid? That’s a driver’s nightmare.

“Oh, Mase!” Sarah cries. “He was P2! Now he’s last. I’m just gutted!”

I look at her. “Me, too. I thought he would be on the podium today.”

Unfortunately, this is all a part of racing. These cars are incredible machines, but they are high-tech machines that also break down.

And in Mason’s case, his car isn’t going to work for him today.

Sarah shakes her head sadly and begins typing on her phone.

I shift my gaze back to the monitors. Caleb has moved up to P4. Xavier has already started putting some space between himself and Archer.

I notice Sarah is texting on her phone again. Check her social media, a voice inside me suddenly whispers. Is she using Mason’s misfortune for content?

I blink. What is wrong with me? Surely, she’s just talking about how disappointing this race is for Mason. No. She’s probably messaging Ruby.

Then I think of Mason’s dad, and my stomach grows acidic. I don’t even want to imagine what he’s thinking right now.

Sarah finishes texting and then resumes watching the race. And I know I’m horrible for doing this, but I have to know. Hopefully I’m just a crappy person for thinking it, especially after the conversation Mason had with her.

I excuse myself and walk over to where my dad is standing. He’s with the engineers at the wall, watching the race with a headset on. When he sees me, he takes his headphones off and puts his hand on my shoulder. “Not a great day for Mason.”

I nod in agreement. “The anti-stall.”

“Data analysis will tell us what went wrong, if we had a car issue, a driver issue, or a combination that led to the anti-stall coming on.”

I cannot even imagine how intense the racing debrief is going to be today. But I don’t believe this is a Mason issue. Not after how well he’s been driving all weekend, and not after hearing the anger in his voice on the radio.

“It didn’t sound like Mason did anything wrong,” I say. “It sounds like the car failed him.”

Dad quirks a brow at me. “You’re speaking like a girlfriend. I’m speaking like ownership. We’ll let data tell the story, Catherine.”

I frown. Dad puts his headset back on, shifting his attention back to the track, and I do, too. The TV analysts are showing the start again, and I feel nauseous when I see how Mason’s car faltered, with all the other drivers moving around him as if he were standing still.

But when I look up at the monitor, I see he’s already moved up five positions.

I pull up Sarah’s Connectivity account on my phone. Sure enough, she’s posted. Before I read it, I silently hope that I am wrong, I’m the arse for doing this, and Sarah has just posted about a rough start for her “Mase” and that she’s going to watch him fight his way back up.

I glance down and see there’s one post:

Rough start for Mase today! Going to be a long afternoon on the track, but I know he’s going to fight until the very end! Good thing I have my Peppy Up probiotic sparkling energy drink to keep me going today! I recommend the strawberry guava, it’s so GOOD! #partner #ad

I feel sick. Is she using Mason’s horrible start to promote a flipping energy drink? I glance across the garage at her, working very hard to hide my contempt.