"I just don't get why you all are blaming me for this. It's not my fault that the poor girl is being raised by a little bitch," I said.

"We got kicked out of brunch place, Katie. That's the most embarrassing thing in the entire world," Drake said as he drove us back to the Sacrilege house. Annie and Josiah were in the back seat, and I was just waiting for Josiah to try to start some shit.

"I mean, Jesus. You had, what? Two mimosas?" Josiah said.

Shit started.

I turned around in my seat. "Alright, well, I didn't fucking ask you. I hadn't eaten anything, I weigh a staggering hundred and thirty pounds, and champagne works really fast." I shook my head. "Plus, I didn't like that lady's tone."

"Where's the manager?" Annie mocked in a high voice, then laughed at herself.

"You called a six-year-old a pussy," Drake added.

Was I on trial or something? Because if so, I was in Vegas at the time of this crime and therefore could not possibly be guilty.

"A hypothetical six-year-old. I never saw the kid, and there's no evidence to support that she even exists at all," I said.

"This is literally insane. I shouldn't have to explain to a grown woman that it's not acceptable to do that kind of shit, especially one in your situation." Drake shook his head. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

I didn't answer that. There was no possible explanation I could ever give that would satisfy him.

"It's like you're stuck in high school or something, and I was just beginning to think that maybe this was all behind you," he continued.

"You're not my goddamn mother, so I really don't want to hear you say shit about me. I'm trying, and no one gives a fuck about it," I said. "This is your fault, anyway. You just take and take and take from me, and then you wonder what the hell happened when I finally snap."

"This isn't the first time that you've snapped, Katie, but it sure as hell is the last."

I rose my eyebrows. "What the fuck's that supposed to mean?"

"You're a horrible person, and I can't handle you anymore. I'm done."

Done? Done with what? My driving? My attitude? Me?

"If you're kicking me off the team, be a fucking man and say it. But as soon as those words come out of your mouth, I'm taking everything that's rightfully mine with me," I said.

He hesitated for a moment. "I'm not kicking you off the team."

Of course he wasn't. He hated everything about me, but I had the keys to that tournament, and he sure as hell wasn't about to let the opportunity head back to Baton Rouge or Vegas or Akron or wherever the fuck I ended up.

It was the same reason he kept Josiah around. Drake didn't have any goddamn morals. It was all about the wins for him.

"It's hilarious how this always happens. Everyone wants the good parts of what I am and what I bring, but no one sticks around for when it all finally catches up to me," I said.

Whatever the hell was between us was gone. He could hate me all he wanted, but if he didn't have the balls to give up the positives to preserve the nonexistent sanctity of his robot team, he wasn't much of a man at all.

"Is it really a bad thing to want the best version of you? Because you seem happy to be like this even though it makes everyone else miserable," Drake continued.

"Because I am." I looked over my shoulder to Josiah, who had his hand on Annie's knee. They looked like a functional couple compared to us. "I sure as hell am not responsible for making you miserable. You do a damn good job at it by yourself by only caring about that robot."

"What do you even care about?"

Annie, Griffin, and whoever the hell could get me back in a racecar. That was all. "Well, it isn't you anymore, Drake. Just forget about everything. I'll pack my shit up as soon as we get back to the house."

"But what about the tournament?" Josiah asked.

Was it even worth it? I had nothing to prove, nothing to gain, and no contract that tied my hands.

I always said I wanted to beat Megha Ratti and her robot team Amazon.

"Why the hell should I even bother? My future isn't here," I said.

"But your present is," Annie said.

Well, fuck, with that kind of logic, I'd never leave.

The car fell quiet for a moment, and even though Annie's thinking wasn't entirely sound, maybe there was a little bit of truth to it. Even if I didn't have a damn thing in the Sacrilege house, I still had to look out for her. Annie never hurt anyone, for God's sake.

Of course, it was also that same thought process that kept her in a loveless relationship with a goddamn bum, though, so why was I even entertaining the idea?

I slumped down in the seat and shifted my gaze out the window. All of this bullshit was just because I told it like it was to a woman who was raising a pussy.

***

Although I still hadn't made up my mind on whether I would follow through with the tournament, I was definitely moving out of Drake's room. There wasn't a lot that needed to be taken to the living room, especially since most of my shit was back in Baton Rouge under the distant watch of Griffin.

I started out on the couch out there, never slept, and got incredible pissy until Drake offered me the other half of his bed. And it sure as hell would happen again with those stupid clocks that did nothing but take up space and make noise.

Even though Drake got way too upset over one minor brunch incident, I couldn't put myself through that again. Drunk Katie and Hungover Katie were even more intolerable than Two Celebratory Mimosas and With No Chance at a Change Katie.

As I continued folding the few articles of clothing I brought with me to London, one item in particular resonated with me: the fire suit Annie made.

"It's been a while, my good friend," I mumbled and held it up against my chest. Damn, I looked good in it.

Just then, someone knocked at the door. "Come on Katie. I know for a fact that you don't have that much stuff in there."

Drake.

Obviously he wasn't wrong, but unfortunately for him, I had just come across the one piece that meant anything to me. If I didn't have someone to sleep with in a quiet room, there was only one reason to stay, and I held a piece of her brilliance in my hands.

I at least deserved to look hot as hell one last time for Annie. She would appreciate it in her aesthetic and feminine way of viewing the world. And it was one last time to remind Drake that he fucked up.

That fire suit was a gift, and so was I, goddammit.

I undressed to put on the red and black outfit that contoured every insecurity into something worth love.

"No, no, no, no. Please, God, no." But no matter how firmly but gently I tugged at the fabric, it was stuck halfway up my thigh.

How in the fuck did that happen?

I shook my head. "It's only been a few months, and now I'm fat." I looked up at the ceiling. "You think this is funny, don't you? I sure as hell hope you're having the time of your life up there laughing at me. Tell Mom and Dad I say hi."

The door swung open. "You okay, babe?" Annie poked her head in and found me sitting on the floor. Her eyes widened. "I don't know what noise you just made, but it was definitely not human."

"I'm so sorry. I don't even know where the hell all of this extra weight came from. Maybe I'm just bloated," I said. "I guess Griffin's strict regiment was actually helpful."

"I thought you hated his healthy lifestyle," Annie said.

"I do, but now look at me. I'm a goddamn marshmallow."

"You're not a marshmallow, and even if you were, would it really be that big of a deal?"

"Do you have any idea how good of shape you need to be in order to handle a thirty-five hundred pound car going two hundred miles an hour?"

She hesitated. "Well, I'm sure, but—"

"You want to know Griffin's resting heart rate? It's fifty beats per minute. I'm nowhere near that."

"Why do you know that?"

"Robot conversations are very different from racecar ones. And I can guarantee you that's part of the reason he's still employed and I'm not."

"Are you okay right now? Why don't we get some fresh air?"

"I don't need fresh air. I need out of here before I blow my goddamn brains out. I love you, but I'm done too."

Annie averted her eyes from me. "Okay. That's okay. Just get dressed, and then we can talk. I actually do have some good news for you that I want to tell you on a walk."

"A walk?" I laughed. "Can't we just make margaritas and pretend this morning never happened?"

"You need air and actual clothes, Katie."

"Fuck me," I muttered.

She left me all alone to get dressed and shut the door behind her. It was always hard to tell what was running through her pretty little mind, especially since I didn't even know what the hell was going on in mine.

When I was younger, I always fantasized that when I would get older, I'd be able to do whatever I wanted. But there were a lot of times I wasn't the one in charge of my own career, and when I tried to take it back, whoever called the shots just cut me loose.

For once, I was the one who was kind of calling the shots, and Drake had to keep me in the line of work. Who the hell was he going to replace me with for the tournament berth that depended on my fame? Another disgraced loudmouthed woman with too much time on her hands who looked exactly like me? Surprisingly, we weren't all that easy to find in the wild.

The only thing I had going for me was that Annie said she had good news, and while we had different definitions for a lot of common phrases, hopefully this one really would be great. Even though I wanted nothing but the best for her, I sure as hell didn't have it in me to stay in London much longer.

Hell, she was the only reason I stuck around as long as I did.

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Hi everyone! How are you doing? Thank you so much for reading!

What could Annie possibly have to say to Katie?

And to keep things exciting, I'm also going to ask a fun question! (I'm in a chatty mood lately.) So what is the best book on Wattpad?