Chapter 16

Richard Collins

Thursday : March 6th 2025

With Star in tow, the rest of the night went by in a flash. The executives were having a great time, and three of the five races went off without a hitch. The one and only red flag of the night so far came during the semi-final event. A shoving match ended with one of the karts getting turned around. The race had to be halted, and the kart had to be turned around by staff. Nothing major and quite normal.

What wasn't normal was Stella Star. The more her presence became realized by the other members of staff, the more people started to realize she didn't work here. She wasn't exactly trying to hide it anymore, more interested in hanging out with Ruby, or yelling at the drivers on the track like she was a homicidal crew chief.

“Ram him! What are you doing!? Just move him out of the way! Amateurs, I swear…”

“Uh, Star, what are you doing?” Ruby eventually interrupted.

 “These idiots don't know how to pass…” She explained before turning back to the track.

 “I would kick your asses all over a real race track!” Meanwhile, Mr. Collins, who had been listening to Star's constant hazing, finally shouted over.

“Then why don't you prove it Blondey, get over here!” 

“Oh he's mad…” Star laughed, grabbing a bag of peanuts off one of the tables. Ruby meanwhile was starting to sweat bullets. The more antagonizing Star had been, the more she was worried it would blow back onto her. As Star walked over to the crossover bridge to go into the interior of the track, Ruby desperately grabbed at her arm.

“Star, please. Dick is just a grumpy old man, please quit pushing his buttons.” 

“Why, it's funny, and it's good for his heart too. Teasing will keep him healthy.” Star laughed, more or less pulling Ruby up the stairs and across the bridge.

“His heart isn't what I'm worried about!” Ruby whined but it was too late. They had crossed the bridge and were now within Dick's domain. Approaching the king in his throne, Star showed not a hint of remorse or fear.

“Alright, now tell me Blondey, who exactly are you? Because I don't remember hiring a sharped tongued little smart ass to yell at our guests!”

“Because you didn't Dick, I told you that earlier. Stella Star at your service, driver of the 39 Hooters Indycar over in the states.” Star gave Dick an overly dramatic and quite sarcastic bow, allowing him and Ruby to lock eyes for a moment.

“Do you know this girl miss Starfire?”

“Uh, well… you see…” Now in pure panic mode, fearing she was about to get fired and that's would be three days without a meaningful paycheck this week, Ruby didn't know what to say. As the roulette wheel of fate spun in her head in real time, she decided honestly was the best policy.

“Yes…” Is all she managed to get out though, realizing it would be almost impossible to explain. Meanwhile Star had stood back up and was wearing a particularly mischievous smirk on her face.

“Ruby told me all about this place, and these little extra events you guys hold for the Warren Buffett types of the world. The problem is you don't teach them how to race. Four events have ended with only two or three changes of position from the starting grid, that's boring.”

“This is a go kart track, not a racing school Blondey. It's not my fault these guys didn't come prepared…” Dick started but quickly Star cut him off.

“Kinda like you?” Dick's face changed, morphing away from frustration and into a deep rooted anger.

“Excuse me?” Dick hissed, his voice barely audible now over the sounds of the karts.

“You're Richard Collins right? Or Dick, I suppose. You got a ride in the Bathurst 1000 in the 1990’s but you walked off your team. You told the media you didn't come prepared mentally, too afraid of the mountain, and you never got a ride again because of it.” as Star spoke, Ruby could practically see the PTSD in Mr. Collins' face. It was quite a shocking revelation, Mr. Collins a former racing driver? He never once spoke about it, granted Ruby had only worked about fifteen days here total thanks to her weird lifestyle. But still, How did Star catch onto his past?

“Quit talking like you know me.” He growled

“You're right, I don't. But Google is a hell of a tool Dick. If you want to hide your past, you better get more creative with the alias’.” Star said with a carefree smile

“Enough, what do you want? Why are you here other than to piss me off.” 

“Honestly I was just bored. Ruby's a friend, so I figured I would hang out with her, help out a little here and there. Give back to the community, you know? But after seeing what's going on around this track, I'm as pissed off as you. You know as well as I do these guys could be having a lot more fun if they had some idea what they were doing and how to do it” Dick’s face relented, and he nodded. 

“We're supposed to have a fifteen minute racing theory video people watch along with all the safety stuff. We stopped doing it because most people don't pay attention, and it helps move people through faster.” Finally he admitted.

“That's what I thought! So, here's what I suggest. A wildcard race before the final, for anyone who wants to take part. Me, you, and Ruby join the race as wildcards, starring in the back. If one of us wins, nothing happens, they get an extra race on the house. But if anyone else beats us, you give them a refund, and I'll pay for this event in full including their food and drinks! Greater rewards equal greater motivation.”

“Huh?! You want me to drive?” Ruby exclaimed, hearing Star’s crazy idea.

“I would say the same. I haven't touched a steering wheel since 2002.” Dick remarked.

“Then I would say their money is pretty safe. Regardless, we show them how to pass cars, their final race is more fun, and they'll be more likely to come back, everyone wins!” Star said, tilting her head to maximize the charming qualities of her smile. Dick gave a long labored sigh, and he nodded. 

“Fine Blondey, I appreciate you putting your money where your mouth is. After this race, I'll put it up to a vote for our guests to decide.” 

“Sounds good, time to conquer that mountain Richard.” And with that, Star turned around, giving a little wave, and headed for the bridge. Ruby stood there for a second in shock, looking back and forth at Dick, and then Star and then Dick again before following. 

“How did you know all that?!” Ruby asked once they were on the other side of the bridge. Star’s face darkened a little bit, as if lost in a memory.

“It's a long story Ruby, but let's say I think we met in a different life.”