Heated rivulets streaked down my cheeks and fell into my purse as I fumbled for my keys. A few seconds later, I managed to get inside my car, and at that point, sadness gripped me. With my head in my hand, I sat and wept, the disappointment sinking in and overwhelming me.

I had no idea how long I sat there. Five minutes, ten…

Eventually however, I dried my eyes with some tissues I’d pulled from my purse and pulled out of the school parking lot for the last time. For the time being, I’d spent all the emotion I could on Simon. When I would have to tell him later, more would surely follow.

Driving away from the school, my worries shifted from Simon to the others I still faced. There was the matter of returning to Dr. Wilcox’s office. I hoped he was sincere about giving me my old position back. I had a little bit of a financial cushion, but not much of one.

And now that the team let me go, my mind drifted back to thoughts of Dyson. I didn’t want to just give up on seeing where things went, even though it did seem one-sided between us at the moment.

Maybe I’d been too hard on him. Maybe not. Hell, I didn’t know.

After all, racing was all he’d ever known, and in the span of a week, it had all been ripped away from him. Even though I know I did the right thing to protect his health, the more I tried to look at it from his perspective, the more I began to understand why he’d been acting out.

If I could just talk to him for a few minutes, I could try and explain things from my point of view one last time. Sniffling the last bit of sadness away, I reached for my phone, pulling it out of my purse. Seconds later, I dialed his number. After the fourth ring, a woman answered.

The voice was familiar. It was Dyson’s mom.

“Mary?” I began. “Why are you answering Dyson’s phone? Is he okay?”

“Hello, Ava,” she replied, her voice sounded stilted, like she forced herself to be polite.

Confused by her tone of voice, I continued, “What’s the matter? Where are you?”

Dyson’s mother exhaled into the receiver. “I’m at my house, in Pomona.”

“Is Dyson there with you?”

Mary cleared her throat. “I really don’t think it’s a good idea if I talk to you about my son, considering everything that’s happened.”

I had no idea what she was talking about. “What do you mean, Mary? Are you talking about his suspension?”

“Yes… and no,” she began. “Listen, Ava, I really liked you when we met. But this is business, and Dyson got suspended from the team you work for.”

Liked me? As in past tense?

“Mary, I don’t know what Dyson told you, but I had nothing to do with his suspension. It was my recommendation for him to come out of the race when he was suffering from dizziness. But the reason he got kicked off the team was…”

Mary interrupted me. “Dyson is my son, Ava. I know he’s not perfect but I love him and he’s hurting right now. All he’s ever wanted to do is drive. Without that, he’s lost.”

I swallowed hard, wondering if she’d hear me out much longer. “I understand, Mary. I want to help if I can, but I need to talk to him.”

“No, no, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Mary, please.”

Dyson’s mother fell silent for several seconds. Cars passing me on either side on the freeway were the only sounds I was aware of while I waited for her to say something, anything.

She exhaled. “Why do you care so much, Ava? Other than Marco, you’re the only person from the team that’s phoned. All of his so-called friends… When everything turned against him, where did everyone go? He’s angry and hurting. Can’t you understand that?”

As soon as she uttered those words, I realized I’d been ignoring the truth for a long time now. It may have been foolish, emotional, and above all else, a really bad idea, but I had deep feelings for Dyson.

It tore me apart to think of him in so much pain. The thought of everyone turning their backs on him angered me. But, at the same time, I didn’t feel comfortable telling Mary something I hadn’t even told Dyson.

“Mary, I don’t know what you want me to say,” I paused, searching for any words that might help to convince her, but none came.

“Okay, Ava,” she said. “I’m going to go.”

“No, Mary! Please wait…”

I heard the sound of her breathing on the other end of the line. She hadn’t hung up. I swallowed hard, not believing what I was about to say.

“I’m,” I began, clearing my throat. “In love with him. I love your son, Mary.”

Once again, she exhaled deeply into the receiver. “Ava, I already knew that. I knew that from the moment I met you. I need to know if it’s strong enough to get Dyson through this. Are you strong enough?”

Her revelation shocked me. If it was that obvious to her, it must have been to everyone else, Dyson included.

I shook my head.

“Honestly, Mary, I don’t know if I’m strong enough for anyone, anymore. But I do know I’m telling you the truth.”

“Okay,” she said, pausing for a moment. “If that’s true, you need to come here - to Pomona. If Dyson finds out that I’ve been talking to you, he’ll take off. This is the only way. Can you come?”

“I can try.” I began, hurrying to explain. “It’s just that my nephew, his school, my job, everything is terrible right now and…”

“No, Ava. That’s not good enough. I need to know. Can you come?”

After a deep exhale, I stared into the distance, into the deep orange glow of the setting sun, towards the West.

Towards Dyson.

“Yes,” I said, at last. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

AVA

Even though I hated having to put off my conversation with Simon, I knew how upset he would be. The last thing I wanted to do was leave home right after telling him. Instead, I decided to wait until I returned from Pomona. I didn’t like keeping secrets from people, least of all him, but I felt as if I had no choice.

Late the next afternoon, I arrived in California, and after picking up a rental car, I drove to Dyson’s childhood home. His mother asked me to park down the street and walk up to the house, in case Dyson happened to see.

Walking along a sidewalk that led to their home, I noticed the front door open. Mary and Dyson’s brother, Chance, exited and walked towards me. We met about halfway up the walk to their house. We hugged and exchanged greetings briefly before Mary began to speak.

“I’m so glad you could come, Ava. I know that I was short with you on the phone. I didn’t mean to be.”

I shook my head. “It’s fine. I understand. I’m not upset at all, and I’m happy to be here.”

Chance stood there with his arms crossed. “I don’t know if I’d go saying that just yet. He’s in a pretty foul mood.”

I looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

Mary also glanced in her son’s direction for turning back towards me. “You’ll see soon enough.”

I nodded and looked towards the driveway. It appeared to circle around the back of the house.

“Where’s Dyson now?”

Chance nodded and gestured with his thumb behind him. “He’s in the garage, working on one of our motorcycles.”

“Okay,” I began, smoothing out the lines of my clothes for a moment. “Can I… Should I go back there now?”

Mary and Chance looked at one another.

“Well, that’s why you’re here, right?” Chance said, winking at me, looking every bit like Dyson in that instant.

Straightening my posture, I nodded, “Yes. Well… wish me luck.”

The two of them stepped aside, and I began to walk away.

“Hey, Ava.” Chance called out.

I did half-turn over my shoulder and looked at him. “Yeah?”

“If you need me, I’ll be right inside the house.”

I frowned. “I’m not so sure I like the sound of that.”

He waved me off. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. It’s just that he can be a hothead sometimes. That’s all.”