It was 1973, in a small town on the outskirts of Georgia, my parents rented a house there for the summer so my dad could finish his next big novel.

   He was coming off a short hiatus after four successful novels and was ready to get back to business.

   My parents seemed to enjoy the peacefulness of small town living. I, on the other hand, got board pretty quickly. I wasn't much for small town living, I was used to the fast paced city, where there were a million things to do.

   Then, I met a girl. Everyone called her "Rockin" Judy Moore. I didn't really know why they called her that, but it probably had something to do with her obsession. She wanted to be the fastest woman on the planet.

   She was as beautiful as they came and a little wild to boot. Something about her pulled me in, like a moth to a flame. But, that's a story for later.

   This was my summer of love, a summer filled with more speed than the big city and an attraction that would last a lifetime...

June, 1973

My dad pulled his car into the long driveway of the house we would be staying in for the rest of the summer.

The hot, humid air hit me as soon as I opened the door, the sun beating down on me as I stepped out.

"Why couldn't we rent a house in Canada or something? I though the idea of going away for the summer was to beat the heat." I complained.

Trisha rested her hand on my shoulder. "Why don't you relax and try to have some fun, sweetie?"

I smoothly stepped away from her.

   "Why don't you stop pretending like you're my mother?" I replied under my breath.

Yep, Trisha was my step-mother. She was a nice lady and all, but she wasn't my mother. No, my mother died when I was young.

"Angela Price! What did we talk about?" My father scolded.

I just ignored him, grabbing my bags from the trunk and heading for the front door.

   After we were all settled in, I attempted to find something to do in the house, but there wasn't even a television set, so I decided to go for a walk and explore a little.

   "Where are you off to?" My father asked.

   "Just gonna go look around a little, I'll be back before dinner." Then, I was out the door and on my way.

   I walked down the long driveway and onto the street, heading as far away from the house as my feet would take me.

   Hundreds of trees stood tall over me as I walked down the long, winding road.

   The walk was surprisingly peaceful, until I heard, what I could only assume was, the loud rev of an engine.

   I stopped in my tracks and looked around, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from.

   Then, I heard it again. I decided to follow the noise through the trees, eventually coming up on an old farmhouse.

   That's when I saw her, she leaned over the engine of her car, high cut jean shorts and a tight tank top hugged her skin, her light brown hair blowing in the slight breeze.

   "Give it a few more revs, Rex." She said.

   Once again that unbearable noise pierced my ears.

   I covered them. "What're you doing?"

   The woman immediately looked up. "I'm sorry?"

   Her beautiful features paralyzed me where I stood. "Uh... what?"

   She wiped her hands on a rag as she approached me, a small smile on her lips. "Can I help you?"

   "Um, no, sorry. I was just going for a walk when I heard your car. I guess my curiosity got the better of me." I replied, looking down at my feet.

   She giggled. "You new around here?"

   I looked up, nodding my head. "Yes ma'am, my family and I just moved in down the street for the summer."

   She nodded, sticking her hand towards me. "Well, my names Judy, we'll try and keep it down."

   I looked down at her grease stained hand. "Uh..."

   She looked down at it as well. "What? A little grease never hurt nobody."

   A slight smile spread on my lips as I shook her hand. "Angela, it's nice to meet you."

   "Same to you." She replied, still holding my hand.

   "Aye, Judy, get your cute behind back here, we ain't done tuning The Rocket yet." Called a voice from somewhere in the barn.

   "The Rocket?" I questioned.

   She chuckled. "That's what we named my car."

   I nodded as a skinny guy walked out from the barn. Grease stains covered his face and overalls. "Hey, Judy, who's your new friend?"

   "Oh, this is Angela, her family just moved in down the street. Angela, this is my mechanic."

   The man, who couldn't have been much older than us, stuck his hand towards me. "Rex, nice to meet you."

   I shook it. "Likewise."

   "Hey, you mind lending us a hand?" Judy asked.

   I shrugged. "Sure."

   She smiled and nodded before leading us back to the barn.

I looked over the dark purple car as I entered. "Well, I like the color."

   It might've been a new car, but it definitely didn't look like any car I'd ever seen. It had huge rear tires and exhaust pipes on the side, not to mention the big scoop on the hood.

Judy smiled as she opened the drivers side door. "Thanks. Here, take a seat."

I gingerly sat behind the wheel. "Now what?"

I froze as she leaned over me to turn the key, her body lightly brushing mine.

Then, the car rumbled to life, causing me to jump slightly.

Judy giggled as she stood back up. "Sorry 'bout that."

I shook my head. "No need, I just wasn't expecting it to be so... loud."

She smiled. "Well, it ought to be, it is a race car after all."

"You're a race car driver?" I asked.

She shrugged. "If you wanna call it that, sure."

"What kinda racing do you do?"

"Drag racing." Rex cut in. "She's the fastest woman this side of Georgia."

"Soon to be the fastest woman in the south." She added.

I nodded, trying to understand why someone would build a car just to go fast in a straight line.

"Anyway, why don't you give it some gas, darlin'." Rex said before moving back to the front of the car.

I looked down at the pedals, slowly hovering my foot over the gas.

Then, I felt her hand on my shoulder. "Don't be afraid, she won't bite." Judy said, giving me a reassuring smile.

I returned it before slowly pushing the pedal down, the sound of the engine growing louder.

"Give it some more!" Rex called out.

My smile grew wider as I pressed the pedal down a few more times, the rumble from the engine vibrating me in my seat.

"Alright, cut it." Rex said.

Judy leaned over me again to shut the car off. "That was fun, huh?" She asked as she stood up.

I nodded, unable to wipe the grin from my face.

I wasn't really sure what it was, the sound of the engine or the rumble of all that power under my right foot. But, just like that, I was hooked...