Chapter 11

Chapter 11

/Thursday during lunch at HK high/

"Yesterday was so fun, isn't that right Kura?" Tomoyo giggled knowingly.

"Yes it was! There were so many stalls and so many delicious foods!" she nodded enthusiastically.

"Really, that's all? Just stalls and foods? Nothing else?" Chiharu asked smiling cheekily.

Sakura tilted her head side way. "Is there?"

"Why don't you tell us?" Rika asked back.

"Mhmm. Why don't you tell us how you got cute plushy you were cuddling yesterday?" Jia smiled.

Sakura felt her cheeks were getting warmer. "I was not cuddling, just hugging," she mumbled.

"Yes, yes. So, how did you get that plushy? Did someone give it to you?" Tomoyo asked slyly.

"Umm…"Sakura mumbled.

"What was that? Say it louder Sakura," Jia teased.

"Syaoran won it for me," she blushed.

"Oh?"

"Syaoran huh?"

"Hmm, first name basis already?" Tomoyo teased, giggling at the pink face girl.

"I-um-err…"

"I think you'll probably turned permanently red soon Sakura," Chiharu giggled.

"You guys are terrible!" With a flustering face, she gathered her leftover lunch, got up and left. The four girls laughed at Sakura's retreating back.

"I guess your plan worked out just fine," Chiharu laughed.

"Yup, better than I had imagined actually. Mei would be proud!" Tomoyo's eyes glittered.

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"So, do you want to come with us this tomorrow night?" Tomoyo asked.

"It's going to be a blast!" Chiharu added.

"Yup, we haven't racing that much this month. I think I'm all rusty," Jia said.

"Hmm, I don't know. Touya said he'll call…" Sakura answered tapping her chin.

"Awwh! Maybe next time then?" Rika replied positively.

"Sure!" Sakura smiled.

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/Friday/

Sakura was at home, sitting on her bed, her back against the headrest. In her hands was a car magazine. She flipped through the pages but her thoughts were else where. She sighed, placing the magazine on her lap she glanced at the digital clock at her bedside table. It blinked 8.05pm. Time sure was dragging on. Putting the magazine on the bedside table, she laid down, her arms fanned out.

Turning to her side, her hand reached out for the orange plushy-Kero. She smiled, lifting it up in the air in front of her. It was unexpected but sweet of Syaoran that he had won the plushy for her. No boy has done that before, except for her brother and father. Bringing it to her chest, she hugged it. She would treasure it, as a token of their friendship.

I guess you're not half as bad Syaoran. But that doesn't mean I'll stop calling you a jerk because you're still one!

A ringing sound broke the train of her thoughts. Realising it was her phone, she answered.

"Hello? About time you call!" she complained.

"I've been waiting…Hmm, yes I'm fine, dad's fine too, though he's very busy with work. How are you are?"

"Ah, that's good. How's everyone? Awwh, tell them I missed them too," Sakura giggled into the phone.

"Touya, when are you visiting? Missed you? As if!" she stuck her tongue out, forgetting he couldn't see.

"Oh, do you remember Tomoyo, my best friend? Yup, that's the one. She has a racing team here."

"Yup, she's pretty good herself. Uh-huh. Of course, I've been practicing! No, don't worry I won't join a team…yet. Although, I've been wondering, why won't you let me join a team?"

Sakura's jaw dropped and screeched into the phone."WHAT? I'm an AMATURE? Touya, take that back! You're so mean!"

"Mhmm. Yup. Yup. No…yes, father. Yes….Yes. What? NO! I'M NOT A MONSTER! Stop calling me that! I'm-" Touya had hung up on her.

"Stupid brother!" she mumbled, placing the phone at its stand. Glancing at the clock again, it read 9.20pm.

"Wow, time sure flies!" Giggling, she got up and stretched. Grinning, "It's time for Cherry to shine!"

Sakura left the house at 9.30pm with her Spider.

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Reaching the destination, Sakura parked the car. Adjusting her cap in place, she turned the engine off and stepped out. Her emerald eyes scanned the place. In the distance she saw some familiar cars, studying closer, she realised it was Tomoyo's and the others. Pulling the cap lower, she walked a bit closer to the crowd.

Asking around, she learned that tonight race was a tag race. This meant she needed a team to enter. Sighing, feeling dejected, she walked back to the car.

"Oh, sorry," she apologised after she bumped into someone.

"No, it's my fault," the voice replied. Frowning, the voice sounded very familiar to her. She looked up and smiled.

"Hi Lei,"

"Cherry! What a surprise," he smiled. "Are you here for the race?"

Shaking her head, "I was but unfortunately it's a tag race and I don't have a team."

"Well, if you don't mind, we can be a team?"

"You don't have a team too?" she asked.

"Nope, I was about to leave when I bumped into you. So what do you say? You and me?"

"That'd be awesome!" She grinned.

"In that case, let us sign up. After you m'lady," he bowed a bit.

Giggling, she curtsied. "Why thank you kind sir."

After the duo had signed up, they were told that their number was 3. The man, Jin, told the two to wait for their number to be call. There were 24 teams altogether in the tag race.

Jin explained the rules and cheating was a definite no. Whoever was caught cheating, the team would be disqualified immediately. The first racer in the team was to start at the starting point, obviously, and the second was to start around mid-way of the course. He said the course was pretty easy and straight forward: follow the indicated path. Sakura and Lei had agreed that this should be an easy race to win. After the explanations were done, Jin announced to the second racer to drive after the red car to their starting point. The race would go back and forth until there was a winner. Sakura had volunteered to start first; Lei nodded and drove to his starting line.

Hours later, there were 10 teams left, Sakura's and Tomoyo's team were one of them. Unfortunately, later on in the race Tomoyo's team has lost, leaving with only 5 teams left. After some more racings, finally it was down to 2 teams: Sakura and Lei, and Kai and Eric. To make the race more interesting, Jin made one of the four people to pick out a numbered piece of paper. The one with number 2 would start 30 seconds after the number 1. The three males chose her to pick, and it turned out she got number 2. Sighing, she mumbled incoherently causing Lei to chuckle and told her not to worry. After a little discussion, Lei suggested he would start first and Sakura to finish the race. Nodding, she drove off to the second starting line with Kai's car in tow.

"FINALLY THE TIME IS HERE! WHICH TEAM WOULD BE VICTORIOUS? AND WHICH TEAM WOULD GO HOME CRYING?" Jin shouted into the megaphone causing some laughter. "ARE YOU READY?" A loud 'YES' were heard. "ALRIGHT THEN, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, WE'LL BEGIN OUR FINAL ROUND! TEAM 15: KAI AND ERIC WILL START 30 SECONDS BEFORE TEAM 3: CHERRY AND LEI." Listening into his ear piece, he nodded and continued speaking into the megaphone.

"GOOD LUCK RACERS! ON THE COUNT OF 5, THE RACE WILL BEGIN!" Eric revved his car.

"5…4…3…2…1…GO!" Eric sped off while Lei grabbed the steering wheel in anticipation.

"10 SECONDS REMAINING!" Lei revved his car.

"…5…4…3…2…1…GO!" the yellow car disappeared into the night.

Eric sped along the empty road, his eyes constantly checking the review mirror for his opponent. He grinned when he saw emptiness. When he was close to the second starting point, again he checked the mirror. He gasped. Frowning, he stepped on the gas harder, Lei was only a couple of metres behind his car. As soon as Eric's car was behind his team-mate, Kai sped off. Several seconds later, the pink Spider took off.

Sakura calculated that she was several metres behind Kai's car. But she decided to keep going at this speed until Kai was close to the finish line. Besides the path was straight, and her baby could overtook him effortlessly.

Tapping her fingers on the steering wheel, she grinned.

It was time.

Shifting to a higher gear, she accelerated. If she was not mistaken, she should be approximately 500m away from Kai.

400m…

300m…

Kai looked at the review mirror and saw nothing behind him. Sighing in relieve, he suppressed his amusement.

He had heard of the mysterious pink Spider driver. Oh yes, he knew about the Cherry-girl. How could he not? After all, he was also from the Rising Sun. Nonetheless, he did not believe that Cherry won the race against Lisa. It was probably a fluke.

200m…

Even though he was not the best driver in Rising Sun but he was told many times that his skills were remarkable.

Grinning to himself, 'Yup, it's all but a flu…'

100m…

His eyes widened in surprise. He had noticed but it was too late, and now the pink car was behind him. The headlight was bright and strong.

"SHIT!" Cursing, he stepped on the gas harder, hoping to outrun the Spider. However, his action was in vain; in a matter of seconds, the Spider sped passed his car and finished the race.

The crowd cheered. The race was a close one. Stepping out of her car, Sakura leaned on the driver's door and wait for her team-mate. Many people came up to her and congratulated her. Smiling at them, she thanked them. But inside she sighed. It was not that exciting. In fact this race was boring, and she didn't even break a sweat!

Lei parked his car next to her and got out.

He grinned, "Good job!"

Giggling, "Not bad yourself."

Jin announced the winner and presented the winner with two stickers. He ended the night with a short but funny speeches and left. Many people left afterwards but Sakura and Lei remained at the same spot. She looked down at the sticker and blinked innocently at it.

"Nice huh?" Lei asked looking at his sticker. The design was simple. A black V with white letters of the word 'TAG'.

"…I guess?" Looking up at him, she found him looking at her with some amusement.

Chuckling he said, "I'll keep mine. As a memoir of our races," he winked.

Grinning, "In that case, I'll keep mine too. After all, I did win the race."

Shaking his head, he couldn't help but smile at her.

Sakura walked back to her car with Lei. She stuck the sticker at the back window on right side of the passenger seat. Lei did the same.

"You know…we still haven't finished our race," Sakura started.

Nodding, "I'm up for it anytime."

"Good!"

"But I'm leaving for home tomorrow, so maybe when I return here?"

"You're not from here?" she asked.

"Nope, I'm from Tuen Mun."

Blinking blankly at him, she replied sheepishly. "I have no idea where that is. My geography sucks,"

"It's the westernmost continental district of Hong Kong, about 32 km from the Kowloon Peninsula I think."

"Umm…where?" she blushed.

Chuckling at the pink tint on her cheeks, he waved his had dismissively. "Don't worry about it."

"I'm so embarrassed,"

"Don't be…anyways, I like girls with awesome driving skills than map skills," he winked.

Blushing, Sakura found the ground interesting. Lei grinned.

"Hmm, I think we should go. It's getting pretty late," Lei stated.

Looking at the Guess watch on her wrist. "HOE! It's nearly midnight! My dad will be worrying sick! Bye Lei see you later!" Sakura ran to the driver side and quickly got in the car. She started the engine and drove off.

Lei smiled. Cherry sure was one interesting girl. It was too bad that he had to leave tomorrow or else he would definitely try to get to know her a bit more.

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