Shelby Manning (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
shelbycobra) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
nexus_crossings2022-08-03 05:19 am
shelbycobra) wrote in nexus_crossings2022-08-03 05:19 am
In which Shelby brings an unexpected guest.
It had been a while since Shelby had visited the Nexus, and in that time, many things had changed. She had made the decision to stay at Team Penske despite getting a very good offer from Chip Ganassi Racing, unable to walk away from the teammates and crew members that she considered family after they had supported her through the majority of her career. She had reunited with her strategist Shane Worthington, and the two of them had made a pact that they were going to make her giving up her dream job worth it. Unfortunately the 2022 season had not yielded the success that they wanted.
While Shelby had won a race, her other teammates had won more. And though she was leading the championship standings by virtue of consistently finishing in the Top 5, that still felt disappointing when she'd had years where she had won three or four events and dominated. There were only four races left in the season and she felt like she hadn't reached her full potential. She was also adjusting to changes off-track with rumors about where she might be driving in 2023 and having to balance a personal life. After almost a decade of friendship and over a year of circling each other, she and her ex-strategist Peter Fowler had finally entered into a romantic relationship. While Shelby loved Peter deeply, the transition hadn't been easy and she wasn't used to having to think about her home life during the racing season. She also had no idea that he had bought an engagement ring in Toronto.
Add all that up and she wasn't surprised the Nexus thought she needed a getaway once they had finished the Indianapolis race and things had relatively settled back to normal. What did surprise her was that Peter had gone through the door with her. That had never happened before, but one second they'd been headed for the garage to try and distract themselves by working on her Cobra, and now here they were. Peter was the most down to earth person she knew, so Shelby's first reaction was to turn around and see exactly how perplexed he was. He was just staring at her like he thought she was going to say something, and so she just grabbed him by the waist to get his 6'2" self out of the way.
"Okay, how does anybody else feel about surprises?" she quipped, wondering who was around right now and what they were going to say when she introduced them to her boyfriend.
While Shelby had won a race, her other teammates had won more. And though she was leading the championship standings by virtue of consistently finishing in the Top 5, that still felt disappointing when she'd had years where she had won three or four events and dominated. There were only four races left in the season and she felt like she hadn't reached her full potential. She was also adjusting to changes off-track with rumors about where she might be driving in 2023 and having to balance a personal life. After almost a decade of friendship and over a year of circling each other, she and her ex-strategist Peter Fowler had finally entered into a romantic relationship. While Shelby loved Peter deeply, the transition hadn't been easy and she wasn't used to having to think about her home life during the racing season. She also had no idea that he had bought an engagement ring in Toronto.
Add all that up and she wasn't surprised the Nexus thought she needed a getaway once they had finished the Indianapolis race and things had relatively settled back to normal. What did surprise her was that Peter had gone through the door with her. That had never happened before, but one second they'd been headed for the garage to try and distract themselves by working on her Cobra, and now here they were. Peter was the most down to earth person she knew, so Shelby's first reaction was to turn around and see exactly how perplexed he was. He was just staring at her like he thought she was going to say something, and so she just grabbed him by the waist to get his 6'2" self out of the way.
"Okay, how does anybody else feel about surprises?" she quipped, wondering who was around right now and what they were going to say when she introduced them to her boyfriend.
no subject
Ollie was under the hood of a decked out 80's Firebird with a older guy that has red hair down past his waist. Ollie's stunt bike parked there too but they were talking engines and how to amp up his Formula 1 car. Rekker wasn't a racecar driver, more a speed demon on the road with a love for fast cars and no fear of death.
Ollie looked up and barely stifled the laugh when he saw the man, taller than Rekker, looking like he didn't know what the hell was going on. "It depends on the surprise and who is springing it."
Ollie had dated a troublemaker of a prankster for a long time, and he was one himself. Rekker looked up too, pushing all that red hair out of the way. "As long as it doesn't involve damned glitter."
That got a laugh free of Ollie who was still getting used to how grouchy the red head could be.
no subject
"I had been planning to work on my Cobra," she quipped, the Indy 500 winner's ring sparkling on her other hand. "But I probably shouldn't touch your car. Please tell me things are quiet around here today? While I try to introduce my boyfriend here to our little side venture."
sorry for the late reply, RL got crazy.
"AC or Shelby?" Ollie asked at the mention of a Cobra. There were a few models and he was naturally curious.
Rekker shrugged about her and the car. "I don't mind." He had been showing Ollie how to do engine upgrades. "As calm as it can be with thirty rockstars on tour break around somewhere."
Surely there was intense chaos somewhere, probably a bar, but this part of the Nexus was calm for the moment.