Codie’s POV
“Holy shit.” I said, sitting up straight in my bed. “Holy shit.” I said again as I read the alarm name on my phone. Today was the day, I was getting back to my racing today. “I’ve waited for this day for an entire year.” I said, running around, getting breakfast, getting changed, getting to the racetrack. “Hello partner.” I said, taking a bow as I greeted Mark, or ‘Frosty’ as I have called him many times before.
“Hello partner.” He said in response, copying my actions. I walked through my garage, running my hand over my car. My car. I smiled to myself at that thought.
“I would ask you how your racing is going, but I’ve been watching it intently on the television. I have been that bored and craving racing that much.” I told him.
“Oh god.” Was all he said before my team walked in. I saw Amelie first.
“Did you tell him?” I asked her.
“No, it wasn’t the right time.” she told me.
“You have to tell him.” I told her.
“I know.” She responded.
“Tell who what?” Clarisse asked, not knowing what was going on.
“Tell Harry I’m pregnant.” Amelie told her.
“Oh, no way. Your parents are gonna kill you man.” Clarisse responded.
“No, I’m engaged.” Amelie corrected.
“Man, why weren’t you telling me this?” Clarisse said.
“Dude, why weren’t you telling me this?” Elysse butted in.
“I didn’t think it was really important at the time.” Amelie answered them both. Jamie comes in, with the keys to my car.
“Take the bloody things, I am not getting back in that motherf*cking car again. Until a tag team race anyway…” she told me, holding out the keys as far away from her as she could. I put my hand out to catch them. She dropped them and they landed in the middle of my hand.
“Thank you.” I said to her. I went to the driver’s side door and opened it, sitting on the driver’s seat. I put the keys in and switched on the ignition. It was a beautiful loud sound that filled the air with rumbling. Tears filled my eyes at the sound. I was back, and I was back to stay.
I turned the car off as Whincup walks into the garage. “Back I see.” He says in his stuck up, arrogant, stupid voice.
“Yes, yes I am.” I replied.
“Good luck for today.” He wishes me.
“I won’t need it for time trials… or for the actual race tomorrow. If anything, I should be wishing you luck.” I told him in my signature nasty-but-nice tone.
“I doubt I’m going to need it.” He said.
“Yeah, you probably won’t. You’ll be too busy shoving people out of the way, breaking the rules. One day you will end up killing people, Jamie, one day, you will fall. One day people will see you for who you really are. People will see how you win, it isn’t because you’re a good racer, it’s because you are a stuck up, arrogant prick who thinks that no one could ever replace him. You see, you can’t be replaced. Not because you are so good, it’s because no one else would even dare risking other people’s lives on this track. You are just that selfish and heartless. You don't even deserve to be racing. I don't care what you are like after you leave the race track, I care about how you act towards me.
“You aren’t even worth a punch to the face. You aren’t even worth a kick to the nuts. You aren’t even worth me swearing, that’s why I haven’t done it yet. You are worth nothing. I will prove that when I win this race, when. I. Kick. Your. Arse.” I told him, emphasizing the ‘I’. I was sick of him already, and I hadn’t even seen him for five minutes.
“Good to know that you haven’t changed a single bit.” He tried offending me.
“Why would I change? Just because you don't like my attitude doesn’t mean a thing. I don't care what you think of me, you are just a bully, a bully that no one cares about.” I told him. That shut him up. He walked out of my garage, finally, and I turned around to face my friends, Frosty and our teams.
“That…” Frosty trailed off, “was awesome!” he shouted, pulling me into a bear hug which crushed my bones.
“Thank you… Frosty… can you please…” I tried to breathe, “Let go of me?” I asked finally. He let me go and I almost fell to the ground out of exhaustion. “F*ck man, you trying to kill me here?” I asked when I got my breath back.
“Nah, not yet. Not after what you just did there, that was freaking awesome, you were all like ‘a bully that no one cares about’ and he was all like ‘OMG, like IDK, did she just, like, shut me down?’ and like walked away. It was… amazing.” Frosty said in a girly voice.
“It wasn’t that good, I’ve had better.” I told him.
“Really?” he asked.
“Yeah bro, look, I don't know where you come from, but where I come from, I kick ass.” I told him.
“Shit, Tinkerbelle, you need to get changed.” Elysse said, looking at the time.
“Shit, I do.” I ran to the change rooms and got changed quickly and braided my hair as fast as I could. I ran back and found my car ready to get on the grid for time trials. I jumped in my baby and got ready for the green light, as soon as it did, I was practicing the course, taking in every single thing that I could. I practiced at the right turn hairpin that I crashed on last time, focusing on what speed would be best and what amount I should be turning the wheel.
I got back home, exhausted, but the girls (by girls I mean all of us but Amelie, who was staying at her house to call Harry and tell him the news. She did come to tell me how to improve my racing, but she left after that) stayed at my house. We watched what we could of my time trials, and prepared for tomorrow.
Louis’ POV
“Today wasn’t the time.” I told Zayn. He had asked me why I hadn’t got to Codie today.
“What?” he asked.
“It didn’t seem right.” I explained further.
“Dude, what are you? An idiot?”
“Probably.” I agreed with his last statement. “I just don't want to put her off of her racing. She needs full concentration. If I tell her I'm here, I’ll put her off her game for tomorrow. And if I do that, she’ll never forgive me. I’ll talk to her after she actually races tomorrow, from pole position.” I told him.
“From pole what?” he had no idea.
“Pole position, first place. Best starting point.” I explained. I may not be good with the racing words and stuff, but, I had learnt some of it. Pole position seemed like a pretty good start.
“Mmkay then.” He replied with. The next second Harry was bursting through the door, carrying Amelie bridal style.
“We’re pregnant!” he shouted.
“Excuse me…” Amelie said nicely. “But I’m the one pregnant here!” she slapped his arm and said in a not so nice tone.
“Hey, you chose to get pregnant!” he shouted at her.
“Oh, you think it’s a choice?! Not my fault you forgot the protection you stupid twat!” she shouted.
“I’m sorry, but if we have a girl, we are naming her Darcy.” Harry told Amelie. I just observed what was going on here. Why was the youngest of the group having a kid already? You would think that Clarisse and Liam would have one first, and then after I get Codie back we would either adopt or have a surrogate and then it would be Harry and Amelie.
“Well…” Amelie tried to argue but failed. “I actually really like that name. Yeah, Darcy if it’s a girl and what if it’s a boy?” she asked.
“It will be a girl. Definitely a girl, okay? If you wish hard enough it will be a girl, right?” Harry asked.
“I suppose that could work. But just in case, we need a boy’s name.” Amelie told him.
“Okay, Joseph?” he asked her.
“We goin’ all Christian now are we?” I think Harry took that as a ‘no’.
“How about…” he trailed off.
“Logan.” Amelie offered.
“Yes, I like that name. Yes, Darcy if it’s a girl and Logan if it’s a boy.” They agreed, “But what about middle names?” Harry made everything technical.
“We’ll figure that out later.” Amelie said.
“I love you Amelie.” Harry said, before kissing her. Man, me and Zayn were the unlucky one’s to see everything.
“Guys, get a room!” Zayn shouted at them.
“This is a room.” Harry said, before going at it again with Amelie. Oh Jesus.
Codie’s POV
I was in my car at pole position. I was so happy I got pole position. Whincup was back a bit, about spot ten. I laughed as I remembered what happened yesterday. “Alright Codie, first race back, starting from the best position, don't stall the mothertruckin’ car, okay? Good.” I heard Amelie tell me over the headphones.
“Alright Witherspoon.” I agreed. She had told Harry last night, but I knew there was still a secret, one that everyone was keeping from me. There was something that didn’t add up. Why was Amelie so happy about telling him? It’s like he was here when she told him. And Clarisse seemed really happy too, like her boyfriend was somewhere near. Jamie had smelt oddly like smokes yesterday, and she never smokes. It’s like she had been with Zayn.
Elysse had just been Elysse, but she was eating more than usual, like Niall had been pestering her. Now I just need a reason for Louis to be here and some sort of loosely attached proof that could convince my mind he was. None of the other reasons for the other boys actually worked very well. I sighed as I watched the lights.
I watched the first red one, then the second, then the third light, the green one. I put my foot to the accelerator. And felt myself speed up. Lap one passed, and then lap two. Next thing I knew I was 40 laps in and at the pit stop, getting fuelled up and my tyres getting changed. I looked into the garage and saw some familiar hair, but it was a guy. Why was a guy wearing the pit crew head phones?
Amelie always wore them. She may be helping with the tyre change at the moment, but, why was a guy wearing the headphones? I barely realised that my pit stop had finished until I felt the bounce of my car hitting the ground again. I drove off, slowly in the pits and then sped up as I hit the actual race track again.
I drove around each corner, focused on my speed and accuracy with the turns. I went to turn the last big corner before the hair pin turn. The one that had never liked me. I heard something go wrong in the engine, something snap beneath the car and felt he steering wheel stop moving. The computer, something just happened to it, I think.
“Amelie, something’s wrong, the steering wheels not moving!” I shouted.
“Have you pressed down on the brake?” she tried to keep calm.
“What the f*ck do you think I’m doing?! I’m not gonna make the pit stop!” I shouted back. Now I was starting to panic. The accelerator was stuck at full pace, the brake wasn’t working and the steering wheel had stopped moving.
“F*ck.” I heard repeated on the other side of the headphones.
“What do I do?!” I shouted.
“I don’t know.” I heard a familiar guy’s voice the other side of the headphones.
“That’s helpful.” I could still use my sarcasm. My heart beat fast and I could hear the blood in my ears. My breathing was quick and unsteady.
“I know.” They said sarcastically. That was when it clicked in my head. That voice. That was what I needed to prove he was here.
“Louis?” I asked before someone rammed into the back of my car, and I hit the corner. I screamed as my seat belt snapped and my head hit the steering wheel, even with the helmet on, the force made me unable to move. I was too shocked to move any limbs as I got tossed around inside of the metal car. I wish I had been knocked unconscious with what happened next.
Louis’ POV (a minute before the race)
“So I can?” I asked again. I had asked Amelie if I could go down to the garage and watch from there. She said yes, but I was just checking.
“Yes.” She repeated again. “Gotta go now, the race is gonna start.” She said, hanging up on the phone. I jumped up from my seat and ran to the back of the garages, finding the right one and getting inside. It was amazing what happened in the garages. There is always so much going on at once.
“Doin’ well Codie.” I heard Amelie say over the head set. I stood next to her and watched through the multiple cameras inside and outside of the car.
“Where is she, on the track?” I asked.
“She’s at the hairpin.” She said to me, covering the microphone on the headset.
“The what?” I asked.
“The place she crashed last time.” Amelie explained in a worried voice. It cannot be good, this amount of stress while she has a baby. I suppose she is the best on her job I suppose, she could watch all of these screens at once I think, and there are like ten of them.
“Okay.” I said, so she knew I understood. “How well is she doing?” I asked next. She probably didn’t want to be answering my questions right now, but she did anyway, knowing I cared.
“She’s doing well for the first race back.” She told me.
“That’s good.” I didn’t make much conversation. Instead I observed how Amelie watched the race. Next thing I knew I had the head set around my neck as Codie came in for a pit stop. I swear she looked at me through the car window, but couldn’t tell with her helmet on.
I gave the head set back to Amelie and she instructed Codie what to do next. I watched and watched until I heard shouting through the head phones. “Amelie, something’s wrong, the steering wheels not moving!” I heard shouted through the headphones.
“Have you pressed down on the brake?” Amelie’s ‘panicked but trying to keep calm for Codie’s sake’ voice asked.
“What the f*ck do you think I’m doing?! I'm not going to make the next pit stop!” I heard through the head phones from the other side.
“F*ck, f*ck, f*ck-” Amelie kept repeating, taking off the head seat and putting it down on the table. Her hands looked like they were pulling out her hair and she never stopped repeating the same word. I put the head set on, if Codie was in trouble I wasn’t going to leave her without someone to talk to.
“What do I do?!” she shouted through the microphone. I heard her breathing, it scared me with that unsteady breath.
“I don't know.” I told her. I didn’t think anyone did. If what I had heard was true, she was only going to crash. I felt my eyes begin to heat up and my vision go fuzzy. Tears were already building, and her breath being unsteady only made mine the same.
“That’s helpful.” She said sarcastically. At least she still had her sense of humour.
“I know.” I said in the same tone. A single tear rolled down my cheek as I watched the car run helplessly down the straight. She had no control over it.
“Louis?” Codie asked. I was about to reply, but that was when it started. Whincup’s car illegally ran into the back of Codie’s, sending her tumbling. I heard her scream as the car started rolling. It rolled side to side at first then somehow went top to bottom. The bonnet and the boot of the car taking it in turns standing up tall. I breathed out and held my breath, it landed against a wall, the top of the car towards the ground.
“Come on Codie, get out, get out before-” I was cut off as my worst nightmare came true. The car exploded, and Codie hadn’t gotten out. “-the engine explodes.” I finished my sentence. I didn’t even get to say goodbye… or hi for that matter. I watched from the screens as the ambulance went to the fiery car wreck. I watched as they pulled Codie, who was unmoving, from the car.
“Please don't be dead, please don't be dead, please don't be dead.” I chanted again and again as I ran to the ambulance, getting in the back of it with the doctors. Don't ask me how I got there, how I wasn’t stopped because I only remember the first and the last few steps. I don't remember how I had gotten there. I only remember watching the ambulance people taking off her helmet and seeing her head gushing blood. The helmet had smashed and pieces of it had cut her head.
“Oh my god.” I said as I saw her blonde hair stained with blood. My hands stroked her face as we rushed to the hospital. Her breathing was faint, but it was still there. I lick my lips as I watched her heart beat on the monitor. It was slow, and was slowing down. “Don't you dare die on me, not now, not ever.” I told her, and her heartbeat evened out, still really slow, but it wasn’t getting slower. “C’mon Codie, you can make it through this.” I said as they took her out of the ambulance and into the hospital.
“Louis.” I heard her whisper. Maybe she was dreaming something, or maybe she knew I was here.
“I’m never leaving your side again.” I told her, holding her hands as she was wheeled down the halls of the hospital.
“We’re sorry sir, but you are going to have to let go. We are taking her to surgery, as soon as we are done, you will be able to see her again.” A new doctor told me. I shook my head. I wasn’t letting her go now.
“No, why can’t I go with her?” I asked, scratch that, pleaded.
“Can you please let go, sir.” He instructed more than asked.
“Why?!” I shouted.
“Look, we have given you enough chances sir.” He clicked and two people grabbed my arms, holding me back.
“CODIE!!!”I shouted to the hospital. I watched helplessly as they wheeled her quickly to the surgery room. The people sat me down on a chair and everyone else arrived. Someone held my head in their arms and the tears I had stored up started falling. I watched as the familiar blonde hair turned around a corner on a hospital bed and leave me behind.

Notes