A talk with Alice.

It was kind of funny seeing the confusion and panic in someone else’s face, though I didn’t quite understand why Alice would feel that way at all. The amusement became unease as she started walking up to me with a large ratchet in her hand.

“Ah, there she is,” Mr. Alex said, grinning. “That’s my sister, Alice.”

“Oh! Alice!” Mom smiled and waved at the student council president. “This is your brother’s shop? Why didn’t you tell us he had one?”

“Hm? You know her?” Mr. Alex asked.

Alice sighed and put on a smile. “Hello ma’am, hello Oliver. Alex, Ms. Holly is my friend’s mom, and Oliver her twin brother.”

“Oooh, I see. Then let me see to your car myself, ma’am, as an apology for having you deal with this little handful,” Mr. Alex said, pointing a thumb towards Alice, who looked comically unamused.

Mom laughed. “Not at all. She’s a very responsible girl. It’s always a joy having her at our house.”

“So you behave at other people’s houses, huh?”

“I behave everywhere, unlike you!” Alice poked her brother on the ribs with the ratchet in her hands. “Now go take a look at their car! You’re making them wait!”

“Yes, yes.” Mr. Alex laughed, then addressed my mom. “Bring the car in, ma’am.”

Mr. Alex and my mom went to see the car while I stayed alone with Alice in front of me. Given the small scowl on her face, the tension on her shoulders and the blush on her cheeks, I had the feeling she wasn’t pleased I’d seen her like this.

“So… you work here?” I asked.

Alice sighed again, loosening some of the tension. She looked towards her car. “Not exactly. I help whenever I can, and my brother pays me by letting me use his shop to work on my car or giving me discounts on parts I need.”

“That’s an amazing car. An RX-7, right? FD?”

Her attitude did a complete 180. Her eyes widened, brightened and she had a huge, goofy smile that was similar to her brother’s. “You know it?”

I smiled back, but rubbed the back of my neck nervously. “It’s a very iconic car. Sorry to say I don’t know much, only what I’ve learned from playing racing games.”

“I see.” She chuckled. “But you even got the model right, so you already know more than people who think they know. Come, let me show it to you.”

I followed an excited Alice back to her car, trying every hard to continue avoiding the thought that, somehow, she looked incredibly hot in that tight-fitting coverall.

“Do you know what makes the RX-7 so special?” she asked me with a grin.

“...Its looks?” I offered.

Alice shook her head. “It’s the engine. This one is one of the few cars that successfully make use of a wankel engine, also known as a rotary engine, and lovingly nicknamed the dorito engine due to the triangle shape of the rotor.”

“Ah, I think I’ve heard that before.”

Alice smiled, but a hand on it and looked down at the exposed engine. “I’ve had this car since I was 14, you know?”

My eyes widened. “Since 14?”

“It was a gift from my brother and my dad. On my birthday, they told me to go outside to see my gift. What I saw was a beat up, rusty piece of junk one could barely call a car. My dad said that if I wanted a car by the time I was 18, I would have to fix it myself.”

I blinked and my jaw fell. “...And you did.”

Alice pulled down the hood and leaned lightly against the front of her car. “Can I ask you a favor?”

“Hm? Sure.”

“Can you please…” she grimaced and swallowed, “not tell anyone about this?”

“Not tell anyone?”

Alice nodded. “Not even Isabelle and Noelle.”

“Wait, they don’t know?”

Alice swallowed and her lip quivered. “The only ones who know are Mila, Grace and Sarah.”

My own confusion aside… “I can promise not to tell anyone.” I looked back to where mom was. “And I’m confident I can convince mom to keep this to herself, too.”

Alice smiled wryly. “Thanks.”

“But… why? Why keep it a secret?”

Alice looked away. “It’s… complicated.”

“You don’t think… they’ll think less of you for this, right?”

Alice flinched. “It’s… part of it, but not entirely.” She sighed. “I guess I deserve this. I know your big secret, so it’s only right you found out about mine.”

Every muscle of my body tensed for half a second before I gave in to my fate. Alice chuckled at that.

“How’s it going, then? From what I hear, you’re treating my friends well, but how are they treating you?”

“So they really did tell you…” I felt my cheeks burning. “I had a feeling, but…”

“Sorry. We still tell each other everything. I’ve kept the secret, though.”

“...Thank you.”

Alice chuckled again. “You know, if someone had to find out about this, I’m glad it was you.”

“Why?”

“Mila, Grace and Sarah trust you. If so, I can trust you too. It’s why I didn’t say anything when you and Noelle agreed to go to that event together.”

“That was…!”

“I know.” Alice smiled reassuringly. “The two of you could stand to broaden your social circle, so I was happy. Still… Don’t play with her feelings, okay?”

Silently, I nodded.

“...” Alice looked back at her car with some hesitation. “Oliver?”

“Yes?”

“Would you… come with me to an event this Saturday night?”

That was completely unexpected. “An event?”

Alice bit her lip. “See, the real reason I keep this a secret is that… I don’t just work on my car. I race in it.”

My eyes could’ve been popping out for all I know. “Y-You mean… Street racing!?” I asked in hushed tones.

Alice nodded slowly. “I always go with my brother, you see. Always. And this Saturday some people from another town are coming for a meet. We were both looking forward to it, but… My brother’s wife is sick, so he says he’s gonna have to skip this one. Going alone… I’m not sure I want to do it, so I wasn’t going to go, either, but…”

“But you really want to go,” I guessed.

Alice nodded again. “It’s fun seeing other cars who’ve had so much work put into them and see how they perform in a race. Racing against cars I’ve never seen before… The thought excites me, so I really don’t want to miss this.”

“Stupid question but… Isn’t this… Illegal?”

“Technically, yes…” Alice grimaced. “Which is why I can’t let the school find out. It’s harmless, though! Well, to anyone who isn’t racing…” She sighed. “Do you know the new tunnel they made a couple of years ago for the road out of town? The one crossing the mountain?”

“I think so.”

“Since they made that, the old mountain pass is practically abandoned. No one uses it, much less at night. That’s where we always gather so we don’t involve other people. We also don’t bet or anything. We just race for fun… and bragging rights.”

That got a chuckle out of me and a smile from Alice.

“But why ask me to go with you? I don’t know anything about cars.”

Alice lifted three fingers. “Three reasons. 1) You’re the only person I can realistically ask. I don’t want to go alone, and I’d rather not ask Mila, Grace or Sarah. You’re the only other person I’ve told about this. 2) It… has to be a guy. There aren’t many other girls at these meets, so the guys can get a little… too friendly. Since I go with my brother, it’s never a problem. Alone, though? You can see why I don’t want to ask the girls. And 3) I want to know you more.”

“Huh?”

Alice giggled. “I’ve known you for a while, Oliver, but we’ve never spoken much until now. Then all of a sudden the girls call me and tell me they are all dating you at the same time. Not just that, but Noelle was telling me how much fun she had the other day. How can I not be curious about you?”

“I hope it’s just curiosity and not suspicion,” I joked.

“Should I be suspicious of something?” she teased.

“No.”

“Good. So… what do you say? You’ll get to ride this car with me down the mountain. It’s better than any rollercoaster you’ve ever been on.”

I had to admit, that did sound tempting.

I looked back towards mom again. “Saturday night, right? I’ll have to ask my mom. Sadly, that’s non-negotiable. Either she knows what I’m up to or I lose her trust.”

Alice nodded. “That’s fair. Tell her I invited you to a car meet and that I’ll drive you home.”

“Okay. I’ll get back to you soon.”

“Thank you.”

Well… This wasn’t where I saw my day going, but maybe it was for the best.

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