Alright, so maybe Ben had never gone to college. He went right from high school to working at the garage with Dean, to getting an offer to work at the speedway about an hour from home. And true, he could have stayed living at home but Sammy was getting to be a teenager now and Alec was off in New York... so he got a crappy apartment in the college area and hung out with kids who thought he was one of them.
The drag races, however, he had been doing since he moved to town. His father would SHOOT HIM if he ever knew what Ben did with the beloved Camero that they had built together. Little adjustments here and there had made his baby the fastest "classic" in the area, and he was the man to beat every weekend.
He had just finished - and won - another race as he drove his car back towards the starting line to cheering fans. He didn't bother opening the door, instead just pulled himself out the window to sit on it as he half turned to look at the crowd. "Come on, boys, give me a challenge here tonight!" he taunted over the classic rock that was blaring out the windows.
"I hate being short," Jordan muttered as she and Haley eeled their way to the front of the line. It had taken a few pretty smiles and a little bit of flirting to get to a place where they could see, and she honestly didn't know how long it would last. All she knew was that she could actually see the track and what was happening.
"Yeah, well -- tall wouldn't do you much good here either," she replied, linking an arm through her friends so that she didn't lose her. "So -- how does this work? They race for money, right?"
"Pretty much. They get in their cars, they drive down the track, winners gloat, losers cry -- " Jordan paused for a moment, before pointing in Ben's direction. " -- that guy's pretty good. The one with the Camero."
She craned her neck around the set of shoulders nearest to her to look, and she gave a bit of a shrug. "Well, at least his music doesn't suck." CCR. She was pretty sure she knew this one on the guitar.
Ben looked over at the mustang that one of the pretty boy jocks had near the starting line. He loved pissing off the jocks - especially when he got to kiss their girlfriends later that night after the jock threw a fit.
"Well, if it isn't the Mustang with a helmet. Jimmy, ain't you done losing to me yet?" Ben shifted to sit up on the roof of his car, smirking. "Don't tell me you got Daddy to buy you another piece of Japanese crap that you think is gonna work."
"You gonna talk, or you willing to put your money where your mouth is?" Jimmy held up a small roll of cash. "Five hundred says I can have you eating my dust."
Ben waited a moment, doing the math in his head as the crowd quieted down, whispering to each other about the bet that had just been put on the table. He didn't really have the full amount on him to cover it. Hell, he'd probably have to get his folks to loan him some if he lost so that he wouldn't have to dip into the rent money, and then get serious overtime to pay it off.
But he knew cars, and the sounds that were coming from Jimmy's engine weren't the healthiest of noises. He might have more power, but whatever was in there was burning oil and spitting out something horrible into the engine. The question was more on if it was going to fail him during a flat out race.
Dean always told him that taking risks sometimes paid off big time. Ben jumped off the hood of his car and ran his hands through his hair. "The only dust I eat is the body powder your girl let me eat off her last week," he replied, the smirk growing as he took what cash he had in his wallet and slapped it down.
"Here's three, and you know I'm good for the extra two if I need it."
Jimmy tried to swipe at Ben for the comment but he ducked and backed away. "Let's race."
"Camero Boy" was in love with himself. Really. He opened the door and instead of sliding in, he stepped up on the seat and looked out at the crowd. "Come on, folks, make some noise!"
The kids started to cheer and he nodded, then slid into the seat. The cars made their way to the starting line, and Ben revved his engine, windows up as he looked over at Jimmy...
... who flipped him off, his windows open. Ben smirked.
The girl walked into the center, her bandana shirt barely covering her as she lifted a scarf. The boys both revved their engines, and waited...
They were off the moment the scarf left her fingertips. No longer smiling and playful, Ben was focused on the race. He saw the track, watching the markers that had once been used to let planes know when the end of the runway was. Jimmy was keeping right neck to neck with him, and Ben made sure he didn't blow his engine as he carefully increased his speed.
Suddenly, Jimmy's car shot out ahead. Ben looked at the muffler and saw a blue flame coming out. Son of a Bitch. He's got another injector... He worked to keep up, hoping that the injector would spurt out before they got to the end.
Jordan was giving her a play by play as to what exactly was going on, but Haley wasn't exactly listening. Eventually the two cars zoomed past them, continuing to head down towards the finish line.
Ben kept his focus, easing his car back up on Jimmy's tail. Even with an injector, Ben knew he could overpower the mustang.
That's when he heard the pop. A moment later white smoke blinded him as the radiator in the mustang couldn't deal with the heat from the engine and the injector and started to fail.
It was dangerous because he couldn't tell where the mustang was in the smoke, so he quickly flipped on his fog lights and swerved just a bit to the left and floored it, hoping to get through the smoke.
Of course he broke out of it just before the finish line so everyone was able to see him cross it first as he then skidded to a stop. Without thinking he grabbed a fire extinguisher from the back seat and took off running to the smoke cloud, not hearing any engine noises as the cloud stopped moving. "Jimmy! Get the fuck out of there!" Ben shouted as he skirted the edge, wanting to make sure the other car was not on fire or still moving.
The car going up in smoke was rather dramatic, but Haley just pushed her way forward, trying to get a better look at what was going on. Her paternal cop instincts were pushing through, wanting to get closer and see if she could help, but Jordan yanked her back by the arm.
"Are you insane?"
"He could be in trouble. Someone should call an ambulance or something. His car is on fire."
Jimmy came stumbling out of the smoke and Ben pulled him away to lean him against his Camero. "Damnit, Jimmy, are you insane? You saw what happened last time you tried to mess with your engine. Now you've gone and blown the radiator!"
"So what? It worked. If it held out a bit longer, I would have beat you."
"So what?! Jimmy, the engine could have exploded! You could have died! As it is, you've got a few thousand dollars now of damage to fix, plus your car is going to smell like crap." Ben pushed away from him. "You really want to beat me that badly?"
"No one beats me at home."
"But you ain't at home, man. I do this for a living. That's why I don't take the bets from kids I know I'm gonna beat. Hell, I only took this one cause you were offering me a challenge."
Jimmy gave Ben a small smirk. "But I had you going..."
Ben tilted his head back but shook it, laughing. "Yes. You had me going. For a minute. I still would have overtaken you by the finish line."
"No you wouldn't have..."
"Get a tow truck and don't drive it. Tow it right to your garage and have them look at it. And if that's one of those Japanese blue fuel injectors, take it out because those are illegal and you car'll get confiscated."
"See? Look, all better." Haley sighed slightly, before pulling out of her friends arm and starting to head back towards the parked cars of the spectators. Jordan followed her before putting a hand on her hip. "The dick is up next. Where are you going?"
"Get some air," Haley replied. "The crowds gettin' kind of suffocating."
"You're from New York City. Since when do you give a shit about crowds?"
"When the crowds keep making grabs at my boobs," she shouted back, before breaking the crowd and heading back towards where she parked her car, humming the CCR song under her breath.
Ben left Jimmy and his friend who was doing the tractor pulling to get his car out of the way. A nice bankroll in his pocket now, Ben drove his Camero to the parking lot, then leaving the music going, he popped the hood and ducked his head under, checking to make sure his fluid levels were all good.
He was going to really need that oil change now. "Tomorrow baby. First thing tomorrow..." he told the car as he kept looking it over, not paying attention to anyone who might be walking by.
Haley was drumming along to the music lightly against her stomach as the Camero drove past her. Being the child of two officers of the law meant she was naturally built with the instinct to help, even if it wasn't what she wanted to do with her life. It was annoying, but it was the way she worked, and sometimes a simple question could alleviate a lot.
She recognized the car, so she started to make her way around to the front of the hood, and stopped when she saw him bending over the engine. Haley was a girl who could appreciate a great pair of jeans when she saw them, and this was definitely a great pair of jeans. She bit her lip slightly, just watching for a moment, before shaking herself out of it, and asking what she needed to know.
Ben wasn't really expecting anyone to sneak up on him with the races still going on, so hearing a sudden voice made him jump and bang his head on the hood of the car. He muttered an "ow" and quickly ducked out from under it.
"Yeah, he's fine for the most part, though his dad's probably gonna kill him. Sadly, there's no cure for idiocy."
Ben quickly took a look over the girl standing next to him. Nice. "I don't recall seeing you 'round here before."
"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." She cringed slightly as he bumped his head, before giving a bit of a shrug. "Cuz I'm not from around here? I mean, I'm going to graduate school at IU, and I'm from the city, so ... "
She paused for a minute, before shaking her head. "And by 'the city' I mean New York City. If that wasn't obvious enough already."
The drag races, however, he had been doing since he moved to town. His father would SHOOT HIM if he ever knew what Ben did with the beloved Camero that they had built together. Little adjustments here and there had made his baby the fastest "classic" in the area, and he was the man to beat every weekend.
He had just finished - and won - another race as he drove his car back towards the starting line to cheering fans. He didn't bother opening the door, instead just pulled himself out the window to sit on it as he half turned to look at the crowd. "Come on, boys, give me a challenge here tonight!" he taunted over the classic rock that was blaring out the windows.
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"Yeah, well -- tall wouldn't do you much good here either," she replied, linking an arm through her friends so that she didn't lose her. "So -- how does this work? They race for money, right?"
"Pretty much. They get in their cars, they drive down the track, winners gloat, losers cry -- " Jordan paused for a moment, before pointing in Ben's direction. " -- that guy's pretty good. The one with the Camero."
She craned her neck around the set of shoulders nearest to her to look, and she gave a bit of a shrug. "Well, at least his music doesn't suck." CCR. She was pretty sure she knew this one on the guitar.
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Ben looked over at the mustang that one of the pretty boy jocks had near the starting line. He loved pissing off the jocks - especially when he got to kiss their girlfriends later that night after the jock threw a fit.
"Well, if it isn't the Mustang with a helmet. Jimmy, ain't you done losing to me yet?" Ben shifted to sit up on the roof of his car, smirking. "Don't tell me you got Daddy to buy you another piece of Japanese crap that you think is gonna work."
"You gonna talk, or you willing to put your money where your mouth is?" Jimmy held up a small roll of cash. "Five hundred says I can have you eating my dust."
Ben waited a moment, doing the math in his head as the crowd quieted down, whispering to each other about the bet that had just been put on the table. He didn't really have the full amount on him to cover it. Hell, he'd probably have to get his folks to loan him some if he lost so that he wouldn't have to dip into the rent money, and then get serious overtime to pay it off.
But he knew cars, and the sounds that were coming from Jimmy's engine weren't the healthiest of noises. He might have more power, but whatever was in there was burning oil and spitting out something horrible into the engine. The question was more on if it was going to fail him during a flat out race.
Was he willing to take that chance?
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"Shhhhhh. It's just getting interesting."
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"Here's three, and you know I'm good for the extra two if I need it."
Jimmy tried to swipe at Ben for the comment but he ducked and backed away. "Let's race."
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"Told you so," Jordan laughed, before starting to yank her down towards the finish line. "Come on, we'll get a better view."
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The kids started to cheer and he nodded, then slid into the seat. The cars made their way to the starting line, and Ben revved his engine, windows up as he looked over at Jimmy...
... who flipped him off, his windows open. Ben smirked.
The girl walked into the center, her bandana shirt barely covering her as she lifted a scarf. The boys both revved their engines, and waited...
They were off the moment the scarf left her fingertips. No longer smiling and playful, Ben was focused on the race. He saw the track, watching the markers that had once been used to let planes know when the end of the runway was. Jimmy was keeping right neck to neck with him, and Ben made sure he didn't blow his engine as he carefully increased his speed.
Suddenly, Jimmy's car shot out ahead. Ben looked at the muffler and saw a blue flame coming out. Son of a Bitch. He's got another injector... He worked to keep up, hoping that the injector would spurt out before they got to the end.
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"Camero boy's in trouble."
"Camero boy's in big trouble."
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That's when he heard the pop. A moment later white smoke blinded him as the radiator in the mustang couldn't deal with the heat from the engine and the injector and started to fail.
It was dangerous because he couldn't tell where the mustang was in the smoke, so he quickly flipped on his fog lights and swerved just a bit to the left and floored it, hoping to get through the smoke.
Of course he broke out of it just before the finish line so everyone was able to see him cross it first as he then skidded to a stop. Without thinking he grabbed a fire extinguisher from the back seat and took off running to the smoke cloud, not hearing any engine noises as the cloud stopped moving. "Jimmy! Get the fuck out of there!" Ben shouted as he skirted the edge, wanting to make sure the other car was not on fire or still moving.
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"Are you insane?"
"He could be in trouble. Someone should call an ambulance or something. His car is on fire."
"Hales. Stay."
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"So what? It worked. If it held out a bit longer, I would have beat you."
"So what?! Jimmy, the engine could have exploded! You could have died! As it is, you've got a few thousand dollars now of damage to fix, plus your car is going to smell like crap." Ben pushed away from him. "You really want to beat me that badly?"
"No one beats me at home."
"But you ain't at home, man. I do this for a living. That's why I don't take the bets from kids I know I'm gonna beat. Hell, I only took this one cause you were offering me a challenge."
Jimmy gave Ben a small smirk. "But I had you going..."
Ben tilted his head back but shook it, laughing. "Yes. You had me going. For a minute. I still would have overtaken you by the finish line."
"No you wouldn't have..."
"Get a tow truck and don't drive it. Tow it right to your garage and have them look at it. And if that's one of those Japanese blue fuel injectors, take it out because those are illegal and you car'll get confiscated."
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"Get some air," Haley replied. "The crowds gettin' kind of suffocating."
"You're from New York City. Since when do you give a shit about crowds?"
"When the crowds keep making grabs at my boobs," she shouted back, before breaking the crowd and heading back towards where she parked her car, humming the CCR song under her breath.
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He was going to really need that oil change now. "Tomorrow baby. First thing tomorrow..." he told the car as he kept looking it over, not paying attention to anyone who might be walking by.
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She recognized the car, so she started to make her way around to the front of the hood, and stopped when she saw him bending over the engine. Haley was a girl who could appreciate a great pair of jeans when she saw them, and this was definitely a great pair of jeans. She bit her lip slightly, just watching for a moment, before shaking herself out of it, and asking what she needed to know.
"That kid okay?"
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"Yeah, he's fine for the most part, though his dad's probably gonna kill him. Sadly, there's no cure for idiocy."
Ben quickly took a look over the girl standing next to him. Nice. "I don't recall seeing you 'round here before."
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She paused for a minute, before shaking her head. "And by 'the city' I mean New York City. If that wasn't obvious enough already."
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