One lap to go, and one car to go. I didn't even know who the hell was right in front of me, but even if it had been Griffin, I would have had to wreck him. Nothing compared to the rush of victory, and I had been living in withdrawal for far too long.

As we entered turn one, I drove right up against the wall. The car in front of me took a lower, less risky path, but momentum could carry me past the turn much faster.

Down the straightaway, he came back up the race track to block my path before I even had the chance to think about passing him cleanly. With only half a lap left, I couldn't hit the brakes, so I bumped into the back of his car and didn't alter my course.

Decisions had to be made. If I could stay at his bumper, he was going into the wall in turns three and four.

I could hear nothing but the engine and my plan in my mind. It took all of my focus to keep the car in the right direction, and I took a quick glance in my rearview mirror to make sure no one would steal the win from me if I took out the leader. Tyler wrecked me at Talladega and Griffin won, after all. I would have been a fool to let something like that cost me a million dollars. There was enough track between me and the third and fourth place cars that I felt okay about the move.

We were almost into the turns, and I took in a breath. I never wanted to be a dirty racer, but I needed to win. I took in a breath. Fuck Roger Truscott, and fuck everyone who ever made me take an obscene amount of piss tests.

I ran into the back of the car in front of me. While it wasn't bad when I did it on the straightaway, every driver knew that it would definitely lead to a crash in the turn. The blue car fishtailed in front of me into the wall, and I dove to the bottom of the race track to keep myself away from the scene. I couldn't let myself get caught up in the accident (or the purpose).

The checkered flag waved through the air, and my sponsorless number fifty-nine car crossed the finish line.

"I won?" I laughed. "Oh my god. Ladies and gentlemen, Katie Moore is back."

I looked in the mirror, and the blue car struggled toward the finish line with heavy damage from the wall. The number ten was scraped up, and I took in a breath.

I wrecked Tyler Bailey for the win. I wasn't sure how the hell he managed to claw his way back into the lead, but I stole it. No, I took back what was mine.

Ha. That motherfucker deserved it.

I couldn't make out what Brad and Marty said over the heartbeat in my ears, but I could talk to them later. For now, I had about eight hundred media hoops to jump through.

I climbed out of my car to a microphone being shoved in my face. I ignored it and took off my helmet. Jesus. No respect.

"Katie Moore, that was an absolutely incredible race. You drove through the entire field to win. Take us through those last few laps," Jamie Reece, one of the reporters from the television network, said to me.

I probably looked like hell compared to her, since she was all dressed and made up for the camera, but I didn't care. I had just spent a couple hours in a car bathing in my own sweat. If people expected me to look good after that, then they were stupid.

"To be honest, I don't really remember what the hell just happened." I let out a shaky laugh. "It's insane. I finally won a fucking race." I covered my mouth. "Oh, shit. We're on camera."

Jamie laughed it off as the crowd cheered. "There's no editing that out."

I grimaced. "Sorry. Um, usually I have to give these interviews when I'm pissed off, so this is weird. No, but I'm so grateful that the fans voted me into this opportunity. I consider it a win for America."

"What does it mean to you to be the first woman to win an all-star race?" she asked.

"First woman driver," I corrected. "There have been female engineers who have worked on every single all-star car in recent years. They're winners too, just like the rest of my crew. I'm just happy that I'm the one who gets my name in the record book."

"Do you think this win sends the message to every car owner that you belong here?"

I hesitated for a moment. Belong? No. I earned the opportunity to go wherever the hell I wanted whenever the hell I felt like it. But I put on a smile. "I hope it shows that I can handle this life."

"Thanks, Katie. Enjoy your win. You deserve it," Jamie said, and I gave her one last smile.

Right in front of the stands was the platform that NASCAR used to wave all the flags, and they had my checkered flag. It was tradition for the driver to take it after a win, and I didn't typically follow NASCAR's unwritten rules, this one was important to me.

"Congratulations, Katie Moore," the official said as she handed me the flag. It had been a few years since I won one, and although I sometimes went through Griffin's collection, this was by far the most meaningful flag I had ever touched.

I smiled. "Thank you." My cheeks were gonna fall off if I smiled one more time, but it was a lot easier to look classy when things were going my way.

When I turned to head back to my car, there was someone waiting for a word with me about my win.

"Look, if I wrecked you, you wouldn't have finished the race. I moved you out of the way because my car was better. Get out of my spotlight. No one asked you," I said before he could start the conversation the way he wanted it to go.

Tyler threw his hands up. "I didn't come here for a spotlight that shines on dirty racing. I came here to let you know that was a petty move, but you already know that. It's fucking disgusting."

Maybe he should have chosen a better word than petty. Richard Petty, also known as the King, was one of the best in the history of the sport.

I jabbed the checkered flag at his chest. "If you're looking for an apology, you're not gonna find one here. I'm not sorry. It's about time I get what I deserve."

"What you deserve? You cried when you lost at Talladega," Tyler said.

"I had that victory locked up until you wrecked me. That wasn't racing. That was pure spite on your part. At least this was honorable, since I would have done it to anybody," I said.

"That was some catty bullshit right there. I swear to God, Katie, you live in an alternate reality where you can never do anything wrong."

"Not true. I dated you for a year."

Tyler lowered his eyebrows. "Just go get drunk. That's about all you're good at anyway."

"And winning All-Star Races." I smiled. "I'm good at that too."

Dating Tyler was easily the dumbest decision of my life, and the bar was set incredibly high. When God created me, He said, "This is a disaster that can't keep her mouth shut. We'll need five to seven guardian angels watching over her at all times," and then released me into the world with a couple of alcoholic saviors to make sure I didn't kill myself.

Although the race was over, the party was only just starting. The rest of the night would be filled with celebration, not just for me but for racing in general. And it was no secret that I loved a good time, but the magic already seemed to have worn off. It was probably Tyler who ruined it.

Victory Lane, interviews, afterparty. Just like the rest of my life, I was just along for the ride at this point.

By midnight, the party was still going strong, but I couldn't handle it anymore. I left to go sit in my trailer by myself. There were times I cried in front of others, but if I could help it, I tried to do that shit on my own time.

The door to my trailer opened, and Griffin poked his head in. "What are you doing here? Everybody's looking for you."

"Tell them I died," I said. "Tell them I drank too much, choked on my own vomit, and fucking died. They'll believe it."

"Jesus, Kate. Are you crying?"

"I'm just exhausted, Griffin. It's been crazy these last few months, and I guess it's catching up to me." I looked over at him and smiled. "God, am I old?"

Griffin laughed. "You're twenty-five, Kate. You're super fucking old."

Neither one of us spoke for a moment as he took a seat on the couch beside me. The thin walls of the trailer muffled the loud music blasting outside, but I could still tell what song was playing, Little Red Corvette by Prince.

Soon I'd be reunited with my own Corvette, and with the million dollars in my pocket, she'd be back on the road within a few months. At least it was something to look forward to.

"You want to tell me the real reason you're crying?" Griffin asked.

I shrugged. "If I knew, I'd tell you. I won. I have a huge ass party for me. Why am I not happy right now? It doesn't make sense."

"What about the robot nerds?"

"What about them?"

"Are you mad that you have to go back there?" Griffin asked.

I hesitated. "I'm not sure. I don't even know what the hell to think. I guess I just wish I had someone to sort it all out for me. No offense, but that's not exactly your strength. I count on you to make me smile."

"Oh," Griffin said. "If you want, I'll call my mom so you can talk to her."

Shit. He meant well, but it only reminded me of what I didn't have. It would have meant the world for my parents to see me win. It wouldn't even go down in the history books as a woman winning a Cup Series race since this was just a silly all-star event, but they still should have had the opportunity to watch their sacrifices pay off.

They never got to see me win a minor series championship a few years prior. They never got to see me switch gears for a brief robot affair.

"This world has taken too much from me," I said, "and I'm tired of a few assholes hating me for taking something back. It's beyond tiring."

"What about your therapist, Shannon? I mean, if you're heading back to Canada, Ohio is right on your way. You could talk to her," Griffin said.

I looked at Griffin. "You're so lucky you're hot, because you suck at making people feel better."

"I'll get you a drink if you want."

I nodded. "Surprise me."

Griffin stood up to get me the drink he offered.

I had told myself a million times that one win would fix all of my problems, and maybe it eventually would, but for now, it wasn't helping a damn thing. It only made every decision and desire more confusing.

I earned the victory with the help of my makeshift crew and engineering squad, but my winnings were going straight back to Drake, Annie, and Josiah. What had they done for me? I owed them nothing.

Maybe I owed it to Annie and Drake. They took me in and were kind to me when I was down. At the very least, they deserved an explanation from me, even if they ended up telling me to take my money back to the US and get fucked.

Besides, Annie deserved a way out of her one-way relationship with Josiah to do whatever she wanted. She sat back and watched me do what I wanted. That had to have inspired some independent thinking. And if it didn't, then I'd have to do some independent thinking for her.

"I know that margaritas always seem to cheer you up, so I brought you one," Griffin said. "You should probably join the party. There's no point in spending tonight alone."

He was right. I didn't want to be alone, but I also didn't want to go back to that stupid fucking party.

"I'm not alone if you're here," I said.

Griffin took in a breath. "That's true, but I brought you your drink, so I'm heading back to the party to tell everyone that you've met a tragic end."

"Griffin, don't. I need you right now," I said. "Do you think I disappointed my parents by moving Tyler out of my way to win?"

"Uh, no. Obviously, I never met them, but from what you've told me, they just wanted you to do what was right, even if it didn't win you fans." He paused. "But that totally won you some fans. I can't even imagine what your mentions look like right now."

I let myself smile for a moment, but I didn't turn away when another set of tears fell down my face. "I just wish they could have seen it. The last time they saw me, I was a kid with a dream. I just want them to know that it all worked out."

The whole working out thing was still a work in progress, but maybe if they believed it, they'd convince me of it too.

"Well, Kate, I'm sure they know that. They raised you, so clearly they're in heaven right now." He finally handed me my margarita. "Just let me know if you want anything else. I'm gonna take a quick nap, and you better be better by the time I wake up."

He took the spot next to me on the couch, and it never failed to amaze me that he could fall asleep in two seconds flat.

There was something about his presence that was reassuring. Sure, there were people who didn't like me, and there were people who didn't stick around, either by choice or by getting fucking murdered, but Griffin was always there, even if he didn't want to be. Sharing a victory with him meant more to me than sharing it with a bunch of people who didn't understand a damn thing about me.

Hopefully it would be worth it when I went back to Team Sacrilege.

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I did it! I finished a chapter on time! Thank you so much for reading. I really appreciate all of the support, and I hope you're doing great.

So now that Katie won the big bucks, do you think Team Sacrilege will want her back?