Jackson's P.O.V:

If I was going to figure this out, I had to take out

---

Alex's P.O.V:

Casey. She must have been a part of this. I'd have to make up with Jackson. If the car I thought was behind this turned out to be behind this, he was as much of a part of the plan as I was. The plan was that

---

Jackson's P.O.V:

By killing my reputation through Alex, the blame would go to first me, then McQueen. By messing with McQueen's image, people wouldn't want him in the leagues, anymore. He'd be kicked out, and

---

Alex's P.O.V:

The person behind this would win.

I needed a way to contact Jackson. I didn't have contact with anyone from his team, as well as vice-versa.

"We'll go to Rust-eze, of course, but what about Jackson?" I asked. "I need to get some kind of contact with him. We need to take down-"

"We'll worry about Jackson later, Alex." Dad cut off. I looked to Cruz.

"I can escort her to the stadium in Florida," said Cruz. "I have contacts there."

Jackson was over at the race track where our tiebreaker took place.

"I'll take care of this one, you go ahead with Cruz." Dad instructed me. I nodded, joining the yellow car.

"Come on, let's go," she said. "Use the horsepower, Alex."

"What about you?" I asked.

She zoomed ahead.

We sped off, heading for Florida, while my dad made his way over to the Rust-eze center.

---

Jackson's P.O.V:

I was trying to talk to my team, dumbfounded that Alex and Ramirez were here. They heard about what happened, and I was being accused by them.

They stopped trusting me.

Makes sense.

Parking boot was on the other tire, now.

I drove off, finally fed up at them. I had no crew, anymore. My trailer was gone, too. They said that my "actions" made a negative impact, and that I ruined our impression on not only the cars watching the races, but the cars around the rest of the world, who were viewing what we did as a team effort.

Just great.

I turned off, only to be surrounded by paparazzi, asking questions about what happened between Alex and I. I drove past, ignoring them, when I saw...

"Alex!" I called. She couldn't hear. She was looking around, and Cruz was with her.

"Alex!" I called. I was partially blinded by the camera flashes, but ignored the color splashes in my eyes.

All I was focused on was her.

"Alex!" I called, shoving past camera crews and reporters. She looked in my direction, and she and Cruz drove off towards me.

Alex and I caught up with each other.

"You were set up." she said.

"Alex, they're all gone," I responded. "The pit crew, my trailer. They left."

"Is it because of what they saw?" she asked.

"What they heard."

She stayed quiet for a minute.

"You didn't do anything." she said.

"Alex, you and I are the only ones that know that." I pointed out.

"Actually, there's an entire town in California that knows that," said Cruz. "Oh, and I know, too, so you're pretty much covered."

RS.

"They know?" I asked.

"Sheriff was the first to hear," said Alex. "Cruz came up with the idea that you were possibly bribed into it, and we tried to come up with ideas of cars who like to bribe."

"You got anything?" I asked.

You could almost hear the light bulb click on.

We both looked to each other.

"Sterling."

---

Alex's P.O.V.:

Jackson, Cruz and I had looked around the entire stadium.

Casey was gone. Which only meant one thing:

She was already with Sterling.

"We need to call Dad, and let him know that Casey's there." I informed.

"Alex, he doesn't know her." Jackson argued. I looked to him, as if he just asked what a wall is.

"Which is why we need to call him, so we can let him know about her." I said, slowly. He lowered his eyelids at me, glaring.

"Sorry, Jackson," I said. "but, you make a stupid statement, you get a stupid response."

"So funny I forgot to laugh," he retorted. "Has your dad sent out any mudflaps, yet?"

I punched him with my tire. He smirked.

"You're rude."

"You love me."

"I do."

---

We made our way to the Rust-eze company, to catch up with Dad and Mom. Cruz had called Dad, letting him know about Casey. Not only would this be my first trip to the center, but it would also be my first time seeing Sterling.

Cruz led us through the halls to his office, and driving up there, I could hear him talking with Dad.

"I hate to do this to any of your family, but let's face it," his voice echoed. "even your daughter's becoming bigger than you. It's only a matter of time before you have to go, McQueen."

"I apologize, Mr. Sterling, but you have no idea what you're getting into," said Dad. "and, once they find out-"

"They won't find out, because if they do, I'll drop you from our sponsorship," Sterling interrupted. "The Rust-eze brand is your biggest sponsor, and if you lose us, your career is over. I could have done this the easy way, and fired you a long time ago, but I decided to give you one chance: either you retire on your own, or we-"

At this time, I made it in, Jackson following. Sterling looked to us, giving us a smile.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Alex," he said. "I see Mr. Storm with you."

Jackson glared at him.

"I've heard a lot about you," Sterling continued. "Good to have you here with me. Did you enjoy the trip?"

Oh boy, I thought, after seeing the looking on Jack's face.

"Oh, yeah," he said. "I love having to be escorted to my opponent's sponsor because I was set up, and my career is over, since I have no crew or trailer."

"Great," said Sterling. "That was my idea. You can thank me later."

Jackson charged his motor, and I nuzzled against him a little, as if to tell him to calm down.

He looked at me, sighed, nodded, and stopped.

"I can definitely clear your record for you, Storm," said Sterling. "Since of course, people now know that the only reason you decided to get together with a veteran racer's daughter is for more fame than you already-"

"That's a lie, and we both know it." Jackson interrupted.

"Oh, so, you didn't recognize the McQueens' daughter and decide that, since she was the daughter of a veteran, you would try and take advantage of that publicity for yourself?" he asked. Jackson was quiet.

"There's no need to lie anymore, Jackson," he continued. "Not like you had a hope, anyways. I mean, it's obvious the only reason you're in the leagues is because for one: you're a rookie, and two: a young relative of mine was the one that took interest your skills."

"Ray is the one who took interest," Jackson corrected. "She just wanted the money."

I remembered Jackson telling me that someone had turned his way of racing into something he didn't want it to be. I glared at Sterling.

"What?" he asked. "You really thought you had a chance with the famous Jackson Storm?"

Sterling laughed.

"You kids," he said. "You hold your breath too quickly on these things."

"That's enough, Sterling," Dad said. "I have witnesses with me. If you won't give in, I have authorities that can force you-"

"Ah-ah-ah, McQueen," he said. "That is a legal threat and you can definitely lose your career for that-"

"With all due respect, I don't care about my career, Mr. Sterling." said Dad.

"Then, why have you been working so hard to keep it?" Sterling asked.

"That was before I realized that racing is the reward, not the stuff!" Dad argued. "Seeing my daughter smile as she feels the rush of going two-hundred miles an hour is the reward!"

"You can't argue with me on this, when all you cared about up until this point was that Piston Cup, McQueen!" he argued back. "I told you that I was going to keep you from Florida, but you refused, because you don't want to admit that your days of racing have come to an end! Alex had nothing to do with this-"

"Then what was your diversion with that girl and Jackson?" Dad asked, and I felt myself hiding by Jack.

"That was simply to get her off the track, to make it easier for you to do the same!" Sterling answered. "I thought you promised me that you wou-"

"When you hurt my daughter, all bets were off." Dad finished, cutting off the silver car. Sterling was silent. At this time, someone had come up to the office.

"Hey, Mr. Sterling," she said. "I have the files on the McQueens that you reque-"

Casey.

She was quiet, when she saw us. I drove up to her, beating Jackson to the punch that I knew he wanted to give her.

"It's one thing to use Jackson to set me up, but stealing personal information on us, so you can get my dad to retire? That's just low." I told her straight out. She huffed, then smirked.

"It's not like you're able to do anything about it," she shot back. "Besides, his life is pretty much over now. All that's left for him to do is park into a hole and die."

I could have rammed her into the flawless, clear-glass wall, right then. I looked her straight in the eyes.

"Unless you want me to turn your pampered, little, blue spoiler into a metal tinder box, I suggest you give me those files." I threatened.

"What are you gonna do?" she asked. "Cry to your lifeless boo about me? Go take your daddy issues somewhere else, Loser."

"Alex-" said Dad, but I interrupted, giving him a smile.

"No, it's okay," I said. "I think she's just upset at the fact that while I'm dating a celebrity and living in the fast lane, she's stuck in the criminal underbelly stealing confidential information about other cars and taking them to her desperate wannabe boss."

"Ay!" said Ramone. "You need some hielo for that burn?"

I smirked at the expression on Casey's face. She looked so embarrassed. I looked to Jackson, who seemed entertained.

"While you're handing me those files, you can also make sure to let the media know that you decided to make the great Jackson Storm look like a non-trustworthy cheater, and be sure to put in that you needed a sixteen-year-old rookie to point it out to you." I added.

She gave me a dirty look, before handing the files to Guido, defeated. My parents and Jackson hugged me, relieved that we beat them.

"Either you leave my client alone, or I will drop you from this sponsorship immediately, Mr. McQueen!" Sterling shouted, angrily. Dad smiled at him.

"I have dozens of sponsors," he said. "Don't think you're so special, Mr. Sterling."

At that moment, two of Sheriff's friends had shown up, taking Sterling and Casey.

"Thanks for coming, Brother." said Sheriff. The other sheriff car nodded.

"Thanks for the call, Brother." he answered, before taking his other friend, Casey and Sterling with him. I smiled, looking to Jackson. He gave me a half smile.

Obviously, that was the best I was gonna get out of him.

"I may be the "Great Jackson Storm"," he said. "but, for now, I think I'm gonna settle for just "Jackson"."

I smiled.

"You're a good liar." I said.

"Am I that obvious?" he asked. I laughed a little, as he nuzzled against me. I smiled, returning it.

"I know you won't be racing on Friday," he said. "but, will you at least watch?"

I tilted my head (technically, hood) at him.

"It'd be nice to have someone there, instead of in the pit," he said. "Someone to cheer me on, ya know?"

I smiled.

"I was hoping you'd ask."

---

It was the day of the Florida 500, and I had to admit it. I was pretty nervous, not for me, but for Cruz, Jackson and most of all: Dad.

Still, I was excited to see Cruz and Dad race. I was really hyped for Dad to be racing again. After his crash, I never thought he'd be willing to race, again.

I was wrong.

It only made him want to race more.

Jackson could take partial credit for that.

"We're here at the Florida International Speedway, for the Florida 500!" said Darrell Cartrip. "Boy, am I excited for Jackson and Lightning McQueen to be racing!"

"Especially knowing McQueen is back in," said a familiar voice, that I remembered hearing when I was about three or four years old.

"I'm surprised. McQueen's the only veteran still racing!" said the voice, again.

Chick.

I remembered seeing Chick when I was little, but I guess I forgot about him, as I grew. Still, it was good to know he would be doing the reports during the races.

"Jackson has won all of the races, and it all comes down to this!" Darrell announced. "Can McQueen win this last one?"

Instead of staying with my family in the pits, I decided to sit in the very front, to cheer Jackson on. After what that boy had been through, he definitely seemed to need it.

Key words: seemed to.

I smiled to him, as he lined up with Dad and Cruz at the starting line.

"I hear we have another female racing, too! Is that her?" Chick asked.

"Yup!" said Cartrip. "That's Cruz Ramirez! She was a techy at Rust-eze!"

"Well, if she had the smarts, she definitely should have the speed!" Chick responded. "Let's start this race!"

Jackson seemed to spot me, and gave me a small smile, as the light counted down.

We heard the horn go off, and the race began.