How much did that cost him?

“I never wanted to go to Stanford, Mom. It’s a great school, but I didn’t feel comfortable there when we visited.” She opens her mouth to respond, but I’m not finished. “It wasn’t the right place for me.”

Mom presses her lips together. “It’s the right place for anyone lucky enough to get in.” She looks at my father. “Did you turn her against the idea of going to Stanford?”

Dad raises his eyebrows and laughs. “It looks like you did that all on your own, Elise.”

“It has nothing to do with Dad. I’m not going to the interview.”

Mom’s posture turns rigid. “People don’t turn down interviews at Standard, and you won’t, either. Are you determined to sabotage your future?”

“Maybe your mother is right, Frankie.” Dad says. “You don’t have as many options as you did before.”

“I’m tired of everyone bringing up my mistakes.”

Mom crosses her arms. “Then you should stop making so many.”

“I’m sorry my mistakes are limiting your opportunities to live vicariously through me.” I storm back toward the apartment door, and Lex scrambles to keep up. I’m done talking to my mother. “Dad, I’m going to study at Lex’s. I’ll text you when I get there.”

“Frankie! Don’t you dare leave while we’re having a conversation.” Mom’s composure cracks.

I turn around and face my mother. “A conversation requires two people, which means we haven’t had one in a long time.”

Lex follows me out and catches up with me at the bottom of the stairs. “I feel bad leaving your dad in there. Your mom looked like someone just told her that she’s carrying a fake Chanel bag.”

I don’t have time to enjoy the moment. The race starts in an hour and a half. Mom’s surprise visit gave me an excuse to get out of the apartment without making Dad suspicious, but it won’t matter if I’m late.

I wait until Lex pulls out of Dad’s complex before I ask her to drop me off.

“Why would I leave you at the gas station?” she asks.

“I need to catch a cab.” I avoid giving her too many details.

“Where are you going? I thought you said you were coming to my house.”

“There’s something I have to do first.”

* * *

“We shouldn’t be here.” Lex studies the crowd on V Street.

“Cruz promised no one will hassle us.” I should say me because Cruz has no idea I’m bringing Lex.

“And you believe her because…?”

After arguing with my parents, I’m not in the mood to fight with Lex. “I told you I’d take a cab.”

“Right. Then I’ll turn on the news tomorrow and find out that Hannibal Lecter is making a coat out of you.” Lex weaves around couples hooking up against car bumpers and people checking out the gleaming engines under popped hoods. “I just don’t get it.”

“I’ll explain later. I promise.”

And then you’ll freak out.

“I don’t put as much stock in promises these days.” Under normal circumstances, Lex wouldn’t let me get away with a cop-out answer like that, but she’s too busy worrying to notice.

I spot Cruz standing with Ava next to the GT-R. “Come on.”

Even in my tightest pair of black jeans and a T-shirt that is clingier than the ones I normally wear, my Sambas and unfussy waves don’t exactly blend in.

Lex sees Cruz and rolls her eyes. “Your new best friend is over there. What’s with the sling? Did she get injured assaulting someone?”

“Her father jerked it out of the socket. Does that count?”

Lex bites her lip and trains her eyes on the ground. “Is she okay?”

“No. Cruz was supposed to race tonight. She needs the money to pay her family’s rent.”

“What’s she going to do?” Lex sounds genuinely concerned.

This is the part where I tell her the reason we’re here and she kills me. I keep walking. “If someone else races Cruz’s car and wins, she still gets the money.”

“She should get Marco to race for her,” Lex says. “Aren’t they super close? And he can drive his ass off.”

Here goes. “That’s the problem … he’s too good. And the guy Cruz is supposed to race has to agree on her proxy.”

Lex squishes her eyebrows together.

“The person racing for her.” I have roughly thirty seconds before Lex figures out why we’re really here. The universe decides to throw in some extra drama—Cruz sees me.

She walks toward us, slipping through the crowd like a pro. “You made it. And you brought your friend.”

“Yeah. You remember Lex, right?”

Cruz leads us to the curb across from the row of cars, where it’s less crowded. She tips her chin at Lex. “How’s it going? Did you come to cheer Frankie on?”

Shit.

“Cheer her on?” Understanding flashes in Lex’s eyes and she turns to me. “She doesn’t mean—”

“It’s no big deal. The whole thing takes less than a minute.” I try to sound reassuring.

“Are you completely insane?” Lex drags her hands through her hair. “Did you forget what happened when Abel screwed with the wrong people here?”

“It won’t go down like that tonight.” Cruz rushes to cover for me. “Frankie is just driving. If she loses, I’m the one who is on the hook for the money. Not her.”

Lex ignores her and stares at me. “I would tell you not to do this, but I’ll save us both some time and skip to the part where you won’t listen.”

“It’s going to be fine. I swear.”

Lex covers her ears. “Stop. Ever since Noah died, I’ve watched you take bigger risks, walking closer and closer to the edge. I won’t watch you jump. I’ll be in the car when you’re done.”

Cruz stares at Lex as she walks away. “Sorry. I figured she knew.”

“It’s not your fault.” I should’ve told Lex before we got here.

“I won’t give you any shit if you’re having second thoughts.”

“I’m not.”

Cruz lets out a sigh of relief. “Then I’ve got good news. Pryor agreed to race to the halfway mark, so you won’t have to turn around and come back to the starting line. And he’s gonna give you a car length.” I must look clueless, because she adds, “It means you get to start the race a car length ahead of him. Plus he’s racing an RX-7 he bought a week ago. He hasn’t lowered it yet, or put on the airdam or the rear wing. He hasn’t even replaced the shocks or tuned the engine yet! It will be slow as hell.”