“Thundering Horses”
Chapter 7


After the evening at Stake and Shake Chris drove Rain back to his car at the commuter parking, while Keith took Jen home. Chris parks the car next to Rain’s Nova as she turns the Camaro off looking over at Rain. Rain looks at her as he says, “I had fun tonight Chris.”

“Good I am glad you did. I hope your little ride down the tracks did not scare you too bad.” Chris says.

Rain laughs as he says, “Well let’s just say… I was not expecting it, I was not sure if I wanted to go on that run. I would have liked some kind of warning and not a few seconds before.” Chris laughs as she hangs her head looking down into her lap.

“You going to be at the shop tomorrow working on the Camaro?” Rain asks her.

Chris looks over at Rain as she says, “Yeah… I need to get her tuned and running a little faster. I want to run the two forty-five tomorrow. I hope Jen and I can get some more speed from her by then.”

“Why do you do this?” Rain asks her shaking his head with a touch of worry in his tone and worry in his eyes.

Chris looks Rain in the eyes as she was about to say something as Rain cut her off saying, “And do not feed me that line about we all have to die someday crap. What you are doing is just down right dangerous and you know that.”

Chris looks away from Rain out the front windshield of the Camaro, as she says nothing. She hears Rain sigh as he says, “I am sorry Chris; I did not mean to upset you, but don’t you think you might be missed if you get killed doing this?”

“I know… it is stupid, but…” Chris pauses as she looks at Rain; Rain saw a tear roll down her cheek as Chris quickly turns away from him.

Rain leans forward to look at her as he reaches for her he says softly, “Chris are you alright?”

“I am fine…” Chris says sniffling and wiping her eyes.

Rain touches the bottom of her jaw turning her head to look at him as he says, “I have all night… We can talk if you want.”

Chris smiles at Rain with a sad look in her eyes as another tear rolls down her cheek. Rain wipes it away with the back of his finger as he says, “Come on… I am all ears. What you tell me will never leave this car.”

Chris smiles as Rain smiles back adding, “Scouts Honor…” Chris look over Rain out the passenger window behind him as Rain held up three fingers as if he was in the Scouts as he slowly started bobbing and weaving his head back and forth, as he was trying to make eye contact with her, Chris starts to laugh looking away.

“And you call me crazy.” Chris says.

“Well you’re a different kind of crazy, but I do like your kind of crazy, just not the train racing crazy part.” Rain says with a wide-eyed look on his face.

Chris laughs again as she says, “Thanks Rain…”

“Thanks… Thanks for what; I have not done anything yet?” Rain replies.

“For just being here…” Chris tells him.

“Hey, I thought that was what friends were for. I would like to think you would be there for me after what you told me tonight.” Rain says.

“What I told you?!” Chris questions.

“Yeah…” Rain makes eye contact with Chris again, as he says in a sweet caring tone, “About you, keeping me, around for a while.”

Chris starts to become uncomfortable at what he said as she looks away from Rain. Rain could see Chris was a little unnerved by him repeating what she told him as he says, “So do you want to talk Chris?”

Chris still looks away from Rain as she feels Rain touch her hand she had sitting on the shifter in the car. She looks at her hand as Rain’s hand is sitting over the top of hers. Chris looks up at Rain as he is smiling at her. Chris starts to tell Rain her dark secret of why she is the way she is.

While the night moved on Rain and Chris was outside the Camaro by now, still talking. Chris looked at her watch as she says, “Wow Rain I need to be getting home and to bed it is 4am. I got to get up in 4 more hours.”

“Is it that early already?” Rain asks.

Chris turned her watch for Rain to see it as he chuckles, “I guess I need to let you get to bed then.” Rain tells her, lifting off the Camaro where he was leaning against it.

“Thank you Rain…” Chris tells him standing there a little uncertain if she should hug Rain as she does Jon and the others.

Rain steps toward her and takes her in his arms giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek as he says, “Not a problem Chris, I enjoyed our talk.”

Chris steps back from Rain shocked by his kiss not sure what to say as she starts to walk around the Camaro to the drivers side. Chris hears Rain call out to her from his car, “I will see you tomorrow at the shop alright?”

Chris nods still not sure what to say as she climbs in the Camaro and starts it Rain starts his Nova and drives away as Chris sits there still in shock.


Two weeks later and the last day of school Chris is walking down the hall of the Science building going to her locker for the last time of the school year. The kids were hootin’ and hollering jumping around and running through the halls like they all had lost their minds. Chris worked her way down to her locker shaking her head as one of her friends ran past her placing his hands on her shoulders and springing his self around Chris landing behind her.

Chris turns watching him land and take off running down the hall as she yells out, “Don’t break anything you got a race to run tonight, Little Red Roc!”

“HA… I can beat that guy with my eyes gouged out.” Mike yells back. Chris laughs shaking her head as she turns walking to her locker again.

Just then, Rain comes running down the hall behind Chris yelling Chris could not understand a word he was yelling as she turns around seeing Keith and Jon right behind Rain. Rain grabs Chris by her arms when he gets in front of her as they spin around. Rain pulls her into the lockers with him as Rain’s back lands against the lockers and Chris landed on top of him. Chris and Rain find themselves nose-to-nose, Chris, and Rain’s eyes lock for a brief second, as Keith and Jon slam into the locker on either side of them. Chris quickly lifts herself from Rain.

“YES… WE ARE OUT OF HERE!” Keith exclaims.

Chris looks at Keith as she says, “So you’re taking off now?” She looks over at Jon and then at Keith again as Rain stood between them looking back and forth at them as well.

“Hell yeah we are taking off now.” Jon says, “We have Mike’s car to get ready for tonight we should have been out of here at noon today.”

“Well it was the last day. I thought I would stick around with everything going on. You guys did not have to stay with.” Chris says.

“You know we cannot leave you behind and it was worth sticking around.” Keith says.

“So you are not staying for the last hour?” Chris asks them.

“Why… All it is is a long boring speech from the Big Guy telling us to have a fun and safe summer.” Keith says.

“You’re not going with WS?” Rain asks her.

Chris does not look at Rain as she works on the combination on her locker she says, “I think I am going to stick around here until the end.”

Keith and Jon look at Chris and then Rain as Keith asks, “What’s up with you Sis, you have been acting really weird these last two weeks.”

Chris gets a weird look on her face looking at them as she opens her locker. Jen and Shelly walk up to them as Jen says, “Leave your Sister alone Whistle you do not need to know everything.”

“Fine I’ll drop it, but she better pull out of it before next week. She and I are running MRA that week as a team. I need her in top battle mode.” Keith says.

“Your Sister will be ready to go by next week so back off and leave her be. Has she ever let you down?” Shelly asks him.

“Well… No.” Keith replies.

“Alright then… Now get out of here. We will see you at the shop later.” Jen says shoeing the three of them off down the hall.

Keith, Jon, and Rain walk off down the hall as Rain turns looking over his shoulder at Jen, Shelly, and Chris standing in front of Chris’s locker. Rain does not hear Keith and Jon talking about what is up with Chris.

“Dude… Rain… Hello Earth to Rain.” Keith says waving his hand in front of Rain’s face.

Rain looks quickly back at Keith as he says, “HUH… WHAT??”

“It has you bugged too don’t it?” Jon asks him.

“What has me bugged?” Rain asks him. Keith turns looking back at his Sister and then Rain.

Keith starts to laugh as he says, “NO WAY…” Keith looks back at Chris again as she is looks their way, but her eyes are on Rain. Keith looks at Rain and laughs again as he shakes his head.

“What are you laughing about Whistle?” Jon asks him.

“Nothing just drop it.” Keith says.

“What… What do you mean just drop it?” Jon exclaims. “We have to get her pulled out of this.”

“Like I said, just drop it. Sis will get this worked out soon enough. She knows what to do or I should say what not to do about this.” Keith replies as he looks at Rain that was looking back at his Sister.

“I hope you know what you are talking about Whistle, because you majorly lost me on it.” Jon tells him.

Keith bumps Jon to get his attention as he motions toward Rain. Jon looks at Rain as he is still looking back at Chris. Jon looks back at Chris as she looks toward them seeing Rain looking at her as Rain and Chris quickly turn, as if they were not looking at one another.

“AWW… HELL NO… NOT JUST HELL NO, BUT HELL NO!!” Jon exclaims.

“Jon…” Keith says.

Jon stood there shaking his head as Rain says, “What’s wrong Jon?”

Jon looks around Keith getting ready to say something as Keith cuts him off saying, “Nothing Jon is just freaking out over something he knows is not going to happen. He knows WS as well as I do and he knows she will get this under control real soon.”

Jon walks ahead of them shaking his head mumbling under his breath about what he just saw.

“Is Jon mad about something?” Rain asks Keith.

Keith looks at Rain as he says, “Well yes and no.”

“HUH?” Rain asks confused.

“Well let’s just say if WS does the right thing things will be cool. If she does what Jon thinks she might do…” Keith pauses looking back at his Sister and then at Rain he continues, “There might be trouble.” The tone in Keith’s voice sounded worried with his last comment to Rain.

“Well I hope she gets it worked out soon, for Jon’s sake at least.” Rain says.

“And a few others…” Keith says under his breath. Rain looks at Keith confused not sure what he said, but knew deep down it was not good.


At the Shop over an hour later, Jon, Keith and the others work on the IROC for tonight’s race. Jon had a bad attitude while he worked upsetting the others in the shop as well. As Jon threw tools back in the toolbox, mumbling under his breath as Jon heard Mike ask, “What is up your ass Jon?”

“Yeah what ever it is you need to get over it your really starting to piss me off with this attitude of yours.” Tim says.

Jon shot Mike and Tim a dirty look as he says, “Don’t worry about it; I will get it taken care of as soon as she gets here.”

No sooner then Jon says that Chris, Jen, and Shelly pull up in the Cougar they climb from the car and walk toward the shop. Jon makes a beeline toward Chris with Keith hot on Jon’s heels.

Keith grabs Jon’s arm as he says, “She will knock you on your ass Jon you go jumping all over her on this.”

“She is not going to bend the rules to suit her liking, after she made them .” Jon replies jerking away from Keith and walking away from him to face Chris.

The girl’s step into the shop as Jon headed toward them Chris seen Jon was mad, but did not know why. Jon stops in front of Chris as he says, “What are you going to do about Rain?”

“What about Rain?” Chris questioned, Shelly, Jen and Chris looks at Keith, “What happen Bub, where is Rain?”

“Rain should be here soon he went home first. He had something’s he had to do for his Mom.” Keith replies.

“So what happen to piss Jon off?” Jen asks.

“Chris is what pissed me off.” Jon exclaims.

“What did I do?!” Chris exclaims as she raised her hand touching her chest in a gesture to herself.

“What did you do… You know exactly what you are doing and I will tell you right now if you think you and Rain are going to get together after you set that rule. You’re crazier then a pet coon in a rattlesnake hole.” Jon exclaimed.

Chris looks at Jen and Shelly slightly upset as she says, “What did you tell him?”

“I did not tell him anything!” Jen replies.

“What am I going to tell him? Anyway there is nothing to tell.” Shelly says.

Jon looks at Jen and Shelly then back at Chris again as he says, “You all are such liars… I saw the way you and Rain were eyeing one another today in the hall.”

Chris shakes her head as she exclaims, “You’re jumping my ass over a look I gave Rain in the hall today. You are a moron Jon!!”

Chris starts walking past Jon as he grabs her arm. Chris turns jerking away from him she looks Jon in the eyes as Jon says, “You like Rain I saw the way you looked at him in the hall don’t lie about it.”

“Your right I do like Rain, Jon!” Chris says in a hateful tone, “But you know that it won’t happen between us. You of all people should have known that. So get the hell over it!” Chris turns walking away from Jon as she says, “I made the rule after the last batch of trouble we had on the team that damn near broke us apart. Why would I want to go back through that mess again?”

“It was not your fault what happen the last time.” Jon exclaims.

Chris spins around looking at Jon as she says, “Maybe not the last time Jon, but if you remember we lost Charger for over 6 months because of the break up he and I went through, when we all started this team.”

Jon walks up to Chris getting in her face as he says, “Then what the hell do you think you are doing with Rain!”

“I am not doing anything with Rain!” Chris exclaims.

Just then, Rain pulls up outside the shop he walks toward the shop bay door as he heard Jon and Chris going at it. Only Mike, Tim, and Emil saw Rain walk up to the door, they sat there letting Jon and Chris go at it. Rain hearing every word said between the two of them as they went at it.

“Bull Shit!” Jon replies loudly.

“And what the hell do you think we are doing mister know it all?” Chris asks Jon.

“I have no idea what you two are doing, but I swear if something is going on between you two I am going to come down on you like a tone of bricks.” Jon exclaims.

“Well get over it, because nothing is going on.” Chris replies.

“You’re not going to be with Rain, Chris. If I cannot be with Shell, you and Rain are sure the hell not going to be together.” Jon says pointing at Shelly.

“You know Jon technically Chris can be with Rain if she wants.” Jen says.

“Umm… Jen you’re not helping things here.” Emil says behind gritted teeth as he walked up to Jen, Shelly, and Keith. Keith looked at Emil, as he knew what Emil was thinking. With the way, the fight was going between Chris and Jon things were going to get bad here soon after what Jen just said.

Chris and Jon look at Jen, as Jon exclaims, “No she cannot, Chris made the rule that no one within the team can date one another. So therefore they cannot date.”

Rain stood back staying out of their sight still listening to what they were saying.

“But Rain has not said one way or the other if he wanted to be on the team yet. Even though we asked him to join he has not told us yes.” Emil looked at the anger building within Jon as he looked at Shelly still going on, “Therefore, he is not yet part of the team so they could be together. I mean after all there can be no trouble within the team if he is not part of our team.” Shelly explains.

Jon spins around looking at Chris as he yells, “SO YOU ARE SEEING RAIN!”

“You’re a fucking idiot.” Chris tells Jon turning and walking away from him. Jon became highly upset at Chris for her calling him what she did as Jon grabs Chris’ arm jerking her around to face him.

Keith and Emil step forward just as Jon was about to say something. Emil sets his hand on Chris’ shoulder and Keith had a hold of Jon’s arm as Keith says, “It ends now before we all do something we regret later.” Keith looks Jon in the eyes as Jon jerks away from Keith. Jon looks at Keith and then Emil.

“Just like you two to stick up for her.” Jon replies walking away from them all to the back of the shop.

“You have done the same Jon when we have gone at it with Chris, Jen, or Shelly so do not even go there.” Emil calls back to Jon.

“You all right Sis?” Keith asks her.

“I am fine Bub, I need some air.” Chris tells him walking to the front of the shop.

Chris walks to the front as Rain comes walking around the corner stepping inside the shop the look on his face told Chris he heard the whole fight between her and Jon. Rain looks Chris in the eyes as Chris quickly looked away, picking up her pace, and going outside.

“Chris…” Rain calls out to her turning to follow her out.

“Let it go dude, now is not the time.” Mike tells him.

Rain looks over at Jon as Tim says, “That would be a definite No.” Rain looks at Tim as Tim was shaking his head.

Keith walks over to Rain as he tells him, “What ever you heard… I would forget… Because if it is brought back up, what happen today will be nothing compared to the next fight they get into.”

“But the fight they were having was about me. How can I just forget about it… I mean I…” Rain pauses as he looks out the bay door at Chris sitting against her Cougar,

“I know what you are going to say and if I was you I would forget it, because WS is not going to let it happen, she wants you on this team.” Rain turns looking at Keith as he nods a slight nod.

Just then, Keith and Chris’ Dad pull up to the shop, getting out of the car he walks into the shop. Their Dad did not look happy as he storms up to Keith.

“What’s up Dad?” Keith asks him.

“Oh, that asshole Jerry did not show today so I fired him. I have the cars from the auction coming in, in the next three days and I am short handed now.” Keith looks at his Dad, as Keith gets a sly look on his face as he says, “Hey Rain you know body work, right?”

“A little… yeah, why?” Rain replies.

“You find a job yet?” Keith asks him. LeRoy looks at Keith and then Rain as Rain was shaking his head.

“You want a job son?” LeRoy asks him.

“Me… Work here?” Rain questioned in a surprised tone.

“Well you know some about auto body. That’s all you need I can teach you everything else you need to know and I can teach you the right way to do it.” LeRoy tells him.

Rain gets a big smile on his face as he grabs LeRoy’s hand shaking it Rain exclaims, “Hell yeah…”

Rain clears his throat becoming embarrassed as Keith laughs at him Rain looks back at LeRoy as he says, “Sorry sir… Yes I would love to work in your shop and learn what I can about cars and body work from you.”

LeRoy laughs, as he says, “No need to be so formal son we are all friends or family here.”

Rain smiles as he says, “Thank you LeRoy I will do you proud.”

“Great that’s what I like to hear. Your first day will be Monday, be here at 8am. You will work Monday thru Friday 8am to 6pm, weekends off.” LeRoy tells him.

“Thank you…” Rain says again.

“Well you all have a car to get ready for tonight so you better get to working on it. Mike will need all the help he can get when it comes to his racing skills.” LeRoy tells them.

“Thanks LeRoy…” Mike replies in a sarcastic tone.

Rain, Keith, and LeRoy laugh as Keith and Rain walk off to go get Mike’s IROC ready for tonight.



Thundering Horses Chapter 8