I Think This Is Your Fate

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|Haylee's POV|

"Hey you sack of bricks! Wake up!" "Make me! I don't wanna!" "Come on Hay! It's 9:30 and I have to go qualify soon! I know you love to watch!" "I don't want to." "Well you don't have much of a say because I'm you're dad, and besides, I don't want you to be all over that Elliott kid. Who knows what y'all do."

"Okay, two things wrong with what you just said..I'm 18 so I can stay here if I want to, and Chase is my best friend." I groan from under the blanket.

"Yes. But you're going to come with me today." Dad says and rips the covers off me. "Fine. But you should be lucky because when you took the blankets off me, I could have been naked." I laugh and get up.

"That is noted." He says and I laugh and pour some coffee into my cup. "Hey Dale! Just thought I would let you know that qualifying has been cancelled due to weather. Points determine position for tomorrow." My fathers crew chief, Greg Ives, says sticking his head in the RV door.

Yeah, my dad is the one and only Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"Ugh, okay. That means I will start p23." Dad groans. "Good luck tomorrow buddy! Hey Haylee!" He says. "Hey!" I smile and he leaves.

"See dad. Didn't have to get up." I say taking a drink of my coffee. "Oh shut it." Dad laughs. We joke around like this all the time.

My phone dings from the table and I walk to get it and dad grabs it.

"Ooh lets see who this is from!" Dad says trying to unlock my phone. "No dad! Stop!" I say tackling my dad. "It's from Chase! I should open it!" He says laughing.

"No no no! Come on!" I say from my dads back. "What's your pass code?!" He asks.

"I'm not telling!" "Then I'm going to have to lock you out of your phone then!" He says putting random numbers in and the wrong pass code warning is flashing.

"No! Give me my phone!!!!" I yell. "No! I pay the bill!" "Come on!" "What's the pass code? And I won't lock you out. This is my last attempt."

"Fine. It's 0388." I say and he stops for a second and sets me down.

"It's your grandpa's number and my number?" He asks with full eyes. "Yeah. I had to put the 0 in front of the 3 because it asked for 4 numbers." I say. "Okay, take the phone." He says and gets up and goes to the kitchen.

He is still tender about the subject of his father, even though it was years ago.

I unlock my phone and smile.

From: Chase ☺🏁
Hey heard sprint cup qualifying was cancelled. Do you care if I come over for a while?

To: Chase ☺🏁
Let me ask dad.

"Hey dad, do you care if Chase comes over for a while?" I ask. "What are y'all gonna do?" He asks eating a sandwich.

"I have no idea. Let me ask him."

To: Chase ☺🏁
Dad wants to know what you wanna do

From: Chase ☺🏁
Maybe us 3 could play some NASCAR '15? Cause I wanna beat your dad!

To: Chase ☺🏁
Gonna show him that text. 😂😂😂

"Dad look at this." I say and he walks into the living room and reads the text Chase sent and his reaction is priceless.

"Let me text em." He says and I hand him the phone.

To: Chase ☺🏁
it's Dale, and I'm older and more wiser than you are, and just cause you're my teammate, I don't care. You're going down! ⬇

From: Chase ☺🏁
Okay, I'm on my way over Dale!!!

"Look at what you did. You made the kid flustered." I laugh.

"He does these things to himself." Dad laughs and sets the tv up for a good competitive game.

A few minutes later the door flies open. "Let's go Earnhardt's." Chase says taking a spot on the couch next to me.

"You're in my spot child." Dale says pushing Chase off the couch. "Fine. I'm good on the floor." "Better angle for me to kick you in the head." Dad says.

I am sitting there dying of laughter watching my dad and my best friend 'argue'.

"What's so funny?" Dad asks. "You two act like you're married." I laugh even harder to Chase's face. "No." Chase says.

"Okay children, lets play this game." I say going to the menu. "Who do y'all wanna be?" I ask them, and I have controller 1.

"Of course I want to be the 88." Dad says and I pick it for him. "I want to be the 24." Chase says.
"I think today imma be the 2." I say out loud.

I look over and they are giving me a weird look. "What?" I ask. "A Penske against two Hendrick's?" Chase asks.

"Yeah, and I'm gonna kick your butts." I smile.

"Where to boys?" I ask. "Pocono." Dad says. "Talladega." Chase says. "No, Pocono." Dad says a little louder to Chase.

"Let's do Talladega! More of a challenge!" Chase says. "Fine." Dad says crossing his arms.

I select Talladega, and we begin playing. With 45 to go, the 2 is in 4th, the 88 is in 15th, and the 24 is in 17th.

But with 10 to go, the 2 is in 1st, the 88 in 2nd, and the 24 in 3rd.

"Okay y'all. Get off my ass." I say speeding up. "Wouldn't ever dream of it." Dad says about to catch me, but then Chase about catches dad.

"Come on ol 24!" Chase yells and about clears the pass, but then the checkered flag waves, and I am the winner!!!! I do a burn out and the crowd yells.

"In your faces!!" I yell and rub it in to the boys. "Good race." Dad says to Chase shaking his hand. "You too." Chase says back.

"You guys are talking like this was real." I laugh. "Every race is a real race." Chase says back.
"Congrats on the win! you should do this professionally!" Dad says. "Yeah! Good job!" Chase smiles.
"Thanks." I say.

Dad looks down at his phone.

"Hey Kasey wants to hang out, so I will be back later. I'm trusting you Chase." Dad says eyeballing Chase.

"Nothing is going to happen Dale." Chase laughs. "Again, he's my best friend dad." I smile and dad pulls me into a hug. "Love you Haylee. See you later."

"Love you too dad." I say, and dad leaves. "Sorry about him." I laugh. "It's okay, I'm used to his sass." Chase laughs.

"So, once again, congratulations on the win in 'Dega." Chase says sitting next to me. "It's not real Chase. Cause if it was, I wouldn't stand a chance." I say honestly.

I mean, dad took me to try out dirt racing, and I really liked it. But racing at the NASCAR sprint cup level, I don't think I could do it.

"We know that's not true now, Haylee." Chase says putting his head on my shoulder.

"Why you getting all 'lets make Haylee Earnhardt a NASCAR driver yeah!'?" I ask sarcastically. "I mean, racing is in your blood, Hay. It's almost inevitable that you will become a NASCAR driver." Chase says looking up at me.

"Just because you did doesn't mean I will." I say. "I know, but why don't you give it a shot sometime?" He asks sitting up facing me.

"I don't know. I just don't think I could stand a chance against all of those big names out there." I say.

"Yes you could." He says back. Everyone is putting that pressure onto me. And I can't stand it, I'm at my boiling point

"Chase, how about you come back either later or tomorrow because I want to be alone right now." I say honestly.

"Uh okay. See you later Haylee!" Chase says and leaves. Why does everyone expect me to become a NASCAR driver? I mean, I know I am 3rd generation of this racing family..but I just don't know. It's getting me so confused.