Team McQueen had gone down to Wheel Well to celebrate the Florida 500, and though Jackson had shown up, I certainly hadn't.

I had been making my way back to Florida, driving past crowds that were flooding into the RS to see him and Dad, as well as some other racers.

I needed to figure out what was going on, because obviously, Jackson wasn't going to spill. I'd overheard from a few Lamborghini girls (rich cars; they're always the loudmouths of other cars' business) that he had gotten into a fight with someone, and that he almost got dented, but I didn't really think that that was true.

I had been out of the county, and on the road, when I was stopped by two familiar cars.

Bob and Darrell.

"Well, I'll be darned, look who it is!" said Darrell (I honestly wonder whether or not the country accent is real). "Where are you going, Ms. McQueen?"

"I was actually just, uh...going to pick up a friend," I lied. "She'd asked me if I could drive with her to Wheel Well, so, uh..." I ended that lie with a laugh.

"That's a far drive," said Bob. "We can get a helicopter ride for-"

"No!" I cut off. He looked a little surprised, and I smiled, a little embarrassed.

"She's a little scared of heights," I lied, yet again. "That wouldn't be a good idea."

"Well, make sure ya make it on time, Alex!" Darrell encouraged. "Wouldn't want ya to miss the party!"

"I'll be sure to do that." I answered, giving him a smile, and driving off.

Man, that could've gone worse.

I continued on my way to Florida, and I have to say, I was pretty tired after the drive. I decided to ask Team Igntr about what happened. The only one out of the whole team there was Ray. I called him over.

"Hey!" I called. He looked over, a little...confuzzled...and drove over to me.

"Hey, Alex," he said, a smile on his face. "What are you here for, this late at night?"

"I just..." I tried. "...I wanted to ask...do you know what happened between one of your workers and Jackson?"

"About the fight?" he asked.

"Well...yes." I confirmed. He frowned a little.

"You know, you didn't have to drive all the way down here, for that," he explained, a smirk on his face. "Jackson was invited back to the team, but...one of his forklifts didn't take well to him looking for you."

Looking for me?

"He was...looking for me?" I asked.

"We were planning on taking him back to the Igntr Center," said Ray. "He wanted to take you with him; I asked him why, later on. He said he wanted to show you around, a thank-you for uniting Igntr and Rust-eze."

I fell silent.

"And like an idiot, I yelled at him..." I trailed off, a frown on my face. Ray gave me a warm smile.

"You were trying to protect him." said the crew chief. I looked at him, a lid raised.

"Couples argue, because they care about each other, Alex," he explained. "Keep your head up, alright?"

I gave him a smile, a nodded.

"Thank you, Ray."

"I would say the same thing, Alex."

---

It was nice to take a drive with myself, back to RS. I felt like such a rebel, knowing that my parents weren't here.

So, I decided to take advantage of the situation, and drive around different places, watching the cool things other cars did.

There had been cars with adorable little kid cars driving around, and one of them even came up to me for a picture, which was the best.

I was having a lot more fun out there than back at that stupid racing party.

Not that I was ever there.

I had woken up in a nice hotel, the next morning. It wasn't any better than Mom's motel, but nonetheless, it was pretty sweet-looking, and I was tired, so I decided to check in. I was feeling pretty good, when I awoke.

For about thirty seconds.

Then, memories of last night, and ditching the party then flooded into my mind, and panic immediately set in.

"Shoot!" I exclaimed. "The party!"

I began to repeat the words "I'm dead" while rushing over to the phone to call Dad. After a few rings, it went to voicemail.

Oh boy.

I rushed to the phone, dialing the number of the Springs' phone booth.

One ring.

Two.

"Hello?" someone asked.

"Lena?" I asked.

"Alex!" she exclaimed, through the phone. "Where did you go?! We looked everywhere!"

"Lena, I can explain-"

"It better be good, Alex!" she scolded. "Do you realize how scared I was? I almost lost my best friend! Are you even okay?!"

"Lena, I'm safe, okay?" I asked. "I went down to the stadium, and I'm in a hotel, now."

I could hear her sigh through the phone.

"Your dad has been worried sick! You better get back here right- hey!"

Someone interrupted her, and I could hear muffled arguing through the static of the phone, before someone began speaking to me.

I became a nervous wreck, when I heard his voice.

"Alex." he said.

Jackson.

---

"Alex, where did you go?" he asked, and I could tell he wasn't exactly jumping for joy, at the moment. I swallowed, before hesitantly answering.

"I'm...in Florida right now," I confessed. "I'm safe."

"Alex, what the heck were you doing in Florida?" he angrily asked.

I didn't respond.

"Alex, you there?"

I let him know I was, but I didn't answer his question.

"Alex, you better not have driven all the way to Florida for what I know you did!" he warned.

"Jackson, you weren't telling me, and I knew something was wrong!" I argued.

"I told you that I was fine, Alex!" he argued back. "What happens in Team Igntr isn't any of your business!"

"If you're getting hurt, then it is my business-"

"I can take care of myself, Alex!" he shouted through the phone. I was quiet.

"Jackson, what would you have done if I wasn't there to yell at you, before you turned that tire changer into scrap metal?" I asked.

"You never needed to yell in the first place!"

"You would have hurt someone, if I didn't!" I shouted into the phone. "You're lucky you didn't kill my dad, at the Dinoco 400!"

"Now we're going back to that!" he complained. God, he was stubborn.

"You're unbelievable!" I informed.

"Well, you know what?" he asked, sarcastically.

"What?" I argued back.

"Takes one to know one!" he shot.

"Well, if I'm so hard to deal with, you can go ahead and find someone else," I shot back. "I suggest Casey, since you're both so cocky and over your hoods about everything!"

"At least I didn't have to fake being a racer!" he pointed out.

"At least I didn't fake being a car." I shot at him again.

"If I'm so fake, go find someone else with daddy issues! Maybe, they'll give you a better time!"

"Then, I will!" I threatened.

"Whatever!"

"Fine!"

Click.

I just about broke that phone, as I slammed it back in its place.

God, he was so hard to stand! It's no wonder cars thought of him as off-putting!

But, a small part of me still felt guilty about him.

I sighed. There was no time to cry. I needed to get back to Radiator Springs.

I knew that my death awaited me, back at home.

I drove out of the hotel, and made my way onto the road to RS. The drive there was a lot longer, thinking about what happened between Jackson and I, but between the arguments, the problem with Casey, it was just too much for me.

Jackson was cocky, arrogant, stubborn, and he kept secrets.

And, I still loved him.

I felt a tear slip down, but I ignored it, driving ahead, until I got to Radiator Springs. There, I was greeted by Lena, who hugged me tight enough to blow my brains out.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" she sobbed. Her expression then changed, into the kind your mother would use, before beating your spoiler.

"Do you realize how worried we all were?!" she scolded.

"I know, I know," I answered. "and, I'm sorry, Lena."

She nodded, and hugged me again.

"I'm just glad you're back, bestie." she responded. I looked around, to see Ramone, Flo, and Luigi.

"Glad you're safe, Hombre," said Ramone. "your dad went loco looking for you!"

That wasn't good.

"You need something to drink, baby girl?" Flo asked. I decided just to let her get something, and nodded. I hadn't even made a ninety-degree turn, before I found myself being hugged by Mom. I hugged her back tight.

"I was worried sick about you!" she exclaimed. She looked me right in the eyes.

"Don't you ever leave like that, again!" she scolded. I nodded, a little teary-eyed, and hugged her again. She hugged back, and I could tell she had a smile on her face.

"We heard what happened between you and Jackson, Alex," Cruz informed, hugging me. "You okay, Girly?" she asked.

I looked down, sighed, and looked back at her, a small smile on my face.

"Yeah," I said. "I just...didn't want things to end up like this."

Cruz's expression concerned me.

"I'm sorry, Al," she said, which was the first time I'd ever been nicknamed "Al". "I know you really loved him."

"Yeah, but," I responded. "Jackson is stubborn; I just hope we can get past this."

I looked behind Cruz, and there stood the one person I was afraid for my life to talk to:

Dad.

---

"Alex, where did you go?" Dad asked, his upset tone easily noticeable. I opened my mouth to speak, but shut it quickly.

"I was losing my head worrying about you, what happened?" he asked, and he seemed to grow angrier at me for not answering.

"I had gone to Florida." I responded.

"Florida?" he asked. "Why were you in Florida?"

"Lightning-" Mom spoke up, but she was interrupted.

"Sally, no," he cut her off, and turned back to me. "What were you doing in Florida, Alex?"

I was quiet, again. I looked to Mom, then to Lena, who gave me the "Yikes" look. I turned back to Dad, to give him the answer that he wasn't looking for.

"Dad, something happened between Jackson and I." I stated.

The town was quiet, as if they wanted me to avoid saying that. I looked to my now silent father, and continued.

"He got into a fight with one of his forklifts, and I wanted to know what happened, so I headed down there, and talked with Ray," I explained. "When I got out, I decided to stay at a hotel."

I looked up at him, as if to signal that I had finished my explanation.

"Why didn't you call any of us?" he asked.

I looked down. I didn't have an answer. I was being irresponsible.

"I know I should have told you where I was going, but I didn't want you to think I was..." I drifted off.

"Being nosy?" he asked. "Sticking your hood in places it shouldn't be?"

I gave him a small smile, and he seemed to return it.

"I'm sorry I didn't go to the party," I responded. "I just...thought I could help Jackson out.."

I looked down, again.

"I guess I just made things worse." I finished, looking to the entrance of Radiator Springs.

"Alex." said Mom. I looked at her.

"You don't need to worry about Jackson," she said. "he can take care of himself. Besides, you don't need a guy to be famous for you. You had a good intention in trying to help him, and if he doesn't see that, he's not worth it."

"Yeah," I responded. "But...this is Jackson that we're talking about."

"I know you cared for him.." she said, trailing off. I closed my eyes, sighed, opened them, and drove back to my cone. It'd been a long day, and all I wanted was to sleep it away.