A little while before race time I wandered through the garages. Just passing the time. I stopped when I saw Mel coming towards me. �Oh god� I thought to myself. She had a smile on her face, almost friendly.
�Hey Shannon� she said, stopping a foot or so away. I cocked my eyebrow in response. �Look, i'm sorry for what Beth did. But I think you and Shane need to know something, Beth is losing it. I�m afraid that she might hurt you or Shane� she said, pleading to me with her eyes. I felt his hand on my back, �Mel� he said flatly.
�Hey Shane, look I was just telling Shannon that I think Beth has lost it. And I was worried about you guys�. Shane looked at me and then back at Mel. �Thank you Mel. You know you really need to find new friends� he stated. Mel nodded; I took pity on the girl. �Why don�t you and I go grab a soda and sit for a bit� I asked her, seeing the surprised look Shane was giving me.
Mel agreed and she and I started off in the direction of the coaches.
********
�So what exactly is her deal?� I asked Mel, taking a sip of coke. Mel just shrugged. �I don�t know, lately it has been Shane this and Shane that. I really think she is going mental.� I nodded, making sure I knew in the back of my head that this girl could be here for all the wrong reasons.
�Well I think that Shane and I will both put a restraining order on her. And I know he is going to get NASCAR to bar her from anywhere except the stands.� I answered. Mel agreed that would be for the best.
I invited her to sit on the hauler with me, she agreed. We walked through the garages towards pit road. I could tell Mel was nervous, her eyes were darting everywhere. �What�s wrong?� I asked, curiously. Mel sighed �If Beth sees me with you I am afraid what she will do� she whispered. I chuckled, �Beth won�t do anything, and you see all the police walking around here? They are here for protection, trust me I won�t let her get to you� I said. We continued to walk, stopping by Shane�s garage to see that he and the crew had already headed down to pit road.
I saw Shane standing by the truck, talking to Ritchie. I walked up with Mel by my side. Shane took my hand and pulled me up beside him, continuing his talk with Ritchie.
�Well Miss Shannon� Ritchie said, smiling at me. �Hi� I said, giving a friendly smile back. �Nice to see you back� he said, waving goodbye.
Shane wrapped and arm around me. I knew that this was all going to fast, but it felt so good. �Remember�. Tonight.� He said smiling brightly. I started to walk away; Shane grabbed my hand and pulled me back to him. �Stay� he whispered. I agreed and waited through the national anthem and the flyover. He held my hand, rubbing it gently with his thumb.
I leaned in, smiled, and said �Be safe and good luck�. Even though he was wearing his helmet I could see him smile. He lifted my hand up under his helmet and kissed my finger tips. I pulled out and walked over to Mel. She followed me through the garages and we climbed up on top of the hauler.
Shane was starting in 12th position. The race was pretty boring, Shane ended up finishing in 23rd place. Mel and I climbed off the hauler and headed down to the garage. We ran into Dee, She was a little upset cause Matt�s engine blew. We chatted for a few minutes and then parted ways.
�Well girl, I had fun� Mel said, smiling. �Gimme a call when you get home� I said waving her off. I decided to leave Shane alone and headed for his coach. I checked the door, it was locked. I got comfortable in a chair that he had sitting outside.
I waited about 15 minutes before Shane showed up. �How long have you been waiting?� he asked, putting his hand out to help me up. �About 15 or so� I answered. Shane turned around, �you could have just gotten the key from me� he said, chuckling.
He opened the door and I followed him inside. He immediately went and took a shower while I settled in on the couch.
About 10 minutes later��.
Shane emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. I couldn�t take my eyes of the water droplets that were running down his chest.
Shane quickly changed into a pair of Pajama pants and a white shirt. He came out and sat down next to me on the couch. �Ready to talk?� he asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me closer to him.
