𝙳𝚛𝚊𝚐 𝚁𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚗'

February 5, Saturday

Steve's POV

Time went by fast.

Faster than I expected.

It hadn't even been that long since Y/n walked through the front door that night—shaken up, a little scratched, Dally right beside her like some kind of guard dog. I already knew her before all that. Not as long as the Curtis boys, but long enough. We had class together back in sixth grade. I used to think she was the quiet, timid type. The kind that kept her head down and didn't say much.

Guess I was wrong.

The more you know someone, the more they surprise you.

She's funny—real funny when she wants to be. Sarcastic too. But there's more to her than that. She's tough, yeah, but not in a loud way. It's tucked under the surface. Same with everything else; anger, hurt, all of it.

I don't think I've ever really seen her mad. Not fully at least.

Except when the guys bring up the Socs. Or Bob Sheldon. That name alone... yeah, that's different.I didn't pay much attention to him before. Just another rich kid with good grades and a clean shirt. Didn't peg him as the type to throw beer blasts for fun or go around wrecking things like it's some kinda game.

Then again—I wasn't exactly paying attention to much back then.

I was too busy getting on Mrs. Crawford's nerves, making sure she remembered my name for all the wrong reasons and hated me for the rest of her existence. School wasn't my thing. Never was. I'd rather be loud, mess around, do anything but sit still and listen. Same on the streets. Just... a little smarter about it. I guess I just hated being told what to do.

Still do.

Now I leaned against the counter, arms crossed, staring out the window while Sodapop counted the cash, scribbling numbers down on the boss's notepad.

The place was quiet for once. Just the faint hum of the lights and the occasional car passing by.

"She looks cute," Soda said suddenly, snapping the register shut with a click.

I glanced over at him. "She doesn't know where we're goin' today, does she?"

Sodapop shook his head, a grin already forming. "Nope."

"Good."

We'd been planning this since yesterday.

A drag race.

We didn't tell her for a reason—she might've backed out if she knew cops could come flying outta nowhere. But it was our thing. Mine and Soda's.

There's a stretch of road out past town, near this old tunnel that cuts through to the countryside. On the other side, everything opens up—fields, fences, cows grazing like nothing in the world ever happens. The old man lives out there too. He never gave us trouble–just told us if the cops showed, he didn't know a thing.

Fair deal.

But the best part?

The sunsets.

Man... they hit different out there. The sky goes all gold and red, like it's burning slow across the horizon.

And tonight It felt like the kind of night for it.

Soda finished up, tearing the page from the notepad and tucking it away. We grabbed our jackets and headed out, locking the door behind us.

The evening air was cooler now, carrying that faint smell of gasoline and dust.

Y/n was sitting nearby, head tilted back like she'd been watching the sky. She looked up when she heard us, and smiled.

Soda nudged me lightly, saying under his breath. "Told you."

I rolled my eyes, but there was a hint of a grin there anyway.

"Hey," I called out, stepping forward, "you ready?"

She raised a brow, pushing herself up. "Depends. What are you two up to?"

Soda and I shared a quick look. Same thought, same timing.

"Just a drive," he said casually.

I added, "Nothin' crazy."

Her eyes narrowed just slightly, like she wasn't buying it.

"...That already sounds suspicious."

Soda laughed, throwing an arm around her shoulders as we started toward the car. "C'mon, you'll like it."

I opened the passenger door, leaning against it. "Promise."

She hesitated for half a second—then slid in anyway.

And just like that, the night got started.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The road stretched out ahead of us, long and empty, the town lights fading behind asI drove farther away from it.

I was driving, with one hand loose on the wheel, the other tapping along to some tune only I could hear. Y/n sat in the passenger seat, elbow resting against the window, watching everything pass by with quiet curiosity.

She hadn't asked yet.

Which meant she was thinking.

"You gonna tell me where we're going," she finally said, glancing over at Soda, "or am I just supposed to trust you two?"

Soda grinned, not even looking at her. "You trust me, don't ya?"

"...That depends."

I snorted. "You already got in the car. Too late now."

She turned slightly, giving me a look. "You're both real suspicious, you know that?"

"Relax," Soda said, I was already easing the car down a narrower road. "We're just showin' you somethin' fun."

The tunnel came into view up ahead, dark and quiet, like it was hiding something on the other side. I slowed down just enough to pass through, the sound of the engine echoing off the walls before we burst out into the open.

And there it was.Cars. Lined up along the road, engines rumbling low, headlights cutting through the dimming light. A small crowd stood off to the side—laughing, talking, waiting.

Y/n leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing.

"...What is this?"

I drove to an empty space and parked. "This,"I said, shutting off the engine, "is where the fun starts."

She stepped out slowly, looking around, taking it all in. Then it clicked.

Her head snapped toward us. "Are you serious?"

I leaned against the hood of my car, smirking. "What, you scared?"

She scoffed immediately. "No—I just didn't think you two were this stupid."

Soda laughed, tossing me a look. "She'll fit right in."

---

Engines roared to life one by one, the sound building, vibrating through the ground like a warning. I slid into my car, gripping the wheel, the familiar rush already kicking in. Across from me, Soda was leaning against his own ride—old, worn, but built for speed. Same as mine.Not pretty–but fast. Y/n stood off to the side at first, arms crossed, watching everything like she was trying to decide whether to be impressed or concerned.

"C'mon!" Soda called, waving her over. "Ride with me first!"

She hesitated—then jogged over, slipping into the passenger seat.

I watched her shaking her head, but not getting out.

Yeah. She wasn't scared.

From the edge of the crowd, a couple familiar faces lingered—Evie, arms crossed tight, eyes locked on me. And a little farther off, Sandy stood near a fence, quiet, watching Soda with something unreadable in her expression. Neither of them said a word. Neither of them looked away. But Y/n?Didn't even notice.

---

The signal came quick. A girl posed in front, raising her hand. By the second she shouted and dropped her hand we were gone.

Tires screeched against pavement, engines howling as we tore down the road. The world blurred into streaks of dark and gold, wind cutting sharp through the open windows.

I pushed the gas harder, gripping tight, feeling the car respond like it was alive under me.

Ahead, Soda's car shot forward, Y/n's hair whipping back as she laughed—actually laughed.

I grinned despite myself, pushing faster.

The tunnel rushed up, swallowing the sound for a split second before spitting us back out into the open stretch. The finish point loomed ahead, closer, closer–then done.

I slammed the brakes just enough to slow, engine still rumbling hard in my chest.

Soda pulled up not far ahead, already laughing, leaning back like he owned the night.

I stepped out, adrenaline still buzzing through my veins.

"Who won?" Y/n called, climbing out, breathless, eyes bright.

"Does it matter?" Soda shot back, grinning.

"It does if I was in the winning car."

"That's debatable," I cut in, walking over.

She pointed between us. "Rematch."

I raised a brow. "Oh yeah?"

She nodded, already moving toward my car. "I'm riding with you this time."

Soda let out a laugh. "Traitor!"

"Don't get too comfortable," she shot back.

I opened the door for her with a small smirk. "Try not to slow me down."

"Please," she said, sliding in, "I might be your good luck charm."

We lined up again, revved the engines.And again we drove, but faster this time. Riskier. Like the night itself was daring us to push it. When we finished, the air felt electric, everyone shouting, laughing, riding the high of it. And for a moment everything was perfect.

Then the faint distant sirens interrupted the moment. I froze for half a second, head turning toward the sound. Soda heard it too.

"...That ain't good."

The noise grew louder, cutting through the night like a blade. People started moving fast now. Cars were starting, doors slamming, voices rising. "Time to go!" I called. We left the cars hidden and ran to the car we were before, already jumping back into the driver's seat.

Y/n looked between us, adrenaline still written all over her face. "Was that—?"

"Yeah," Soda said quickly, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the car this time. "That's our cue."

Engines roared again, but this time we weren't racing–we were running.