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"A race? Um.. you can take me back if you want, but I don't mind staying if you want me to stick around for the race." Nathaniel replied. "Do you not want to do it? Can't you tell them that you don't want to?" He asked. "You shouldn't have to do anything you didn't sign up for."
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"Right, yeah… I don't want you to have to drive me all the way to your place and then all the way back here. They might think you're ditching, and it would take a while." He sighed softly. I guess Carter is pretty good at racing if he's at the top… I haven't ever seen a race like this before.
"It's fine! I don't mind. Just, uh… don't want to get arrested." Nathaniel laughed nervously and hesitated before getting out of the car. He didn't know when the race was and he didn't want to be in Carter's way.
Carter grabbed his mask, putting it on before he got out of the car. "You won't get arrested, this is an official race. The cops shut down the roads where we race, but if it was in the city, it'd be a different story." he shrugged. "In case you were wondering, I wear a mask because uh, I don't want these people coming after me for beating them"
"Oh, um… o-okay. Where should I go?" Nathaniel asked, looking around as though expecting the correct answer to simply jump out at him. Not finding one, he looked back up at Carter in the car for guidance. He hadn't ever been to a race or anything like this before, so he was completely in the dark.
"Um… right. Okay." Nathaniel followed Carter closely over to the tent. "I'll wait here for you until the race is over, yeah?" He smiled nervously, looking around at the nearby people who were eyeing him suspiciously.
Nathaniel swallowed nervously when Carter left him alone, drawing his wings around himself a bit. He glanced over to the guys near him, who looked irritated. One glanced over to where Carter had left and then glared at Nathaniel, who cowered in response.
When Carter had come to a stop, Nathaniel hurried over, looking disheveled and stressed again. He kept looking over his shoulder as he came over, but he felt more at ease once he was with Carter and not alone. "Good… good job. Can we leave?" He said quietly, breathless.
Nathaniel didn't need to be told twice and quickly got into the car, buckling himself in. "They're… t-they're mad. They don't like me." He whispered breathlessly.
"They're mad you won, they— they're mad I'm with you." Nathaniel stared at the floor, fidgeting with his hands.
"But you walked me to the tent… they didn't see your face, but they still know I'm with you…" Nathaniel shook his head a bit, still tense and nervous.
"But… he grabbed me… what did you do to make these guys hate you so much? Just winning?"
"It was some guy… he had on a face mask and sunglasses, so I couldn't see him very well. He had black hair, though… he grabbed my arm when you crossed the finish line. I think he might've grabbed one of my feathers when I ran off, too."
"It's fine, I-I'm fine…" Nathaniel sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm not sure the guy was even one of the competitors. Maybe a friend of a competitor, or even just a guy who likes watching theraces, I don't— I don't know."
"Okay… it's really not that big a deal, I don't think, just… caught me off guard… I was worried he was gonna actually hurt me."
"You can do whatever you think is best, I don't care." Nathaniel shrugged and stared at the floor.