Page 37 of First in Line

“See you, Jax.”

I hang up and walk up to the men, who lead me to the stands. There, a few journalists shove their mics in front of me, which I wasn’t expecting. Well, I guess I should have seen it coming, but I’m not ready for this.

“What’s your name, kid?” one of them asks.

“Jax—Jackson Reyes.”

“Is this your first SCCA race?”

“Uh, my third.”

“Have you ever won before?”

“Only rallycross races. I’m good at those.”

“Looks like you’re pretty good at this, too,” one of them shouts, making the others laugh.

“You look very young, kid. How old are you?”

“I turned seventeen today.”

“And when did you start driving?”

“My brother taught me when I was nine.”

I realize a little too late that sharing that information might not have been the most clever idea. It’s probably illegal, and I hope no one will come after my brother over this.

“Well, now it makes sense,” the suited guy replies, laying a firm hand on my shoulder. “This kid’s been training for eight years!”

Again, the journalists laugh. “One last question,” he decides. “Then we have to talk business with this kid.”

“Who do you dedicate this win to?” someone asks first.

I don’t even have to think before saying, “To my girlfriend. This one’s for you, princess. And all the ones that’ll come next.”

“Ambitious kid, eh? Come on, let’s go find your aunt, Jackson. My friends and I have some money we’d love to give you.”

“Does this victory taste even sweeter?” the journalist asks before bringing the mic to my lips.

“Why?”

“Today’s your birthday, isn’t it?”

“Oh, right.”

“You’re turning thirty-one today, right?”

“Yeah. And no, victory always tastes the same. Redundant.”

The woman laughs, even though I barely meant it as a joke. Her colleague beside her asks, “You’re three-for-three so far in the season. Three races, three wins. And it’s your third Grand Prix win here in Japan. Do you have anything to say about this double trifecta?”

“Let’s hope I’ll be four-for-four in Jeddah.”

“Do you think this year might be the one where you beat your personal record of eighteen wins in one season?”

“All I know is I’ll try. I think my boss would like that. Right, Wes?”

I turn to Wesley Pryce, my team’s owner and founder of Altron, standing on the sidelines. He nods with a smile and a thumbs-up.