Racing Through Stars!

Freen found herself sitting in a holding cell at the Bangkok police station, staring at the concrete walls and wondering how her life had gotten to this point. She had mixed feelings about the whole night - part of her regretted getting involved in Billy's street racing operation, but another part of her was already thinking about when she could get back on a bike and race again. The rush of speed and competition had felt like coming home after months of feeling lost and empty.

She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard footsteps getting louder in the hallway outside her cell. A police officer appeared and started unlocking her door with a set of keys that jangled against his belt.

"Hey, Sarocha, you're getting out of here," the man said with a smirk that suggested he'd seen plenty of street racers come and go through this place.

Freen just gave him a flat stare and didn't say anything. She stood up from the narrow bench and walked out of the cell, following him down the hallway toward the main part of the station. When she got to the front desk area, she saw Heng waiting for her with his arms crossed and a frown on his face.

"Seriously, Freen. What were you thinking when you decided to do this?" Heng said, shaking his head like he couldn't believe they were having this conversation.

"Billy talked me into it, and you know how much I miss racing. Plus, I really needed the money," Freen answered, trying to sound like it had been a reasonable decision even though she knew how it looked.

Heng sighed and shook his head again, but then his expression softened and he started to smile. "Well, if you're going to keep doing this crazy stuff, you have to take me with you the next time you race. I want to see what all the fuss is about."

Freen chuckled lightly, feeling some of the tension leave her shoulders. "Yeah, I'll definitely call you next time. Thanks for bailing me out of this mess."

"Actually, I didn't bail you out," Heng said, turning away from her with a guilty expression on his face.

Freen stopped walking when she looked toward the parking lot and saw Nam getting out of her car with an expression that could have melted steel.

Freen glared at her best friend like he'd just betrayed everything they'd ever meant to each other. "What the hell, Heng?! Why did you call her?"

"And that's my cue to leave," Heng said, raising his hands in defeat and starting to walk away as fast as he could without actually running.

"You are in so much trouble right now, Freen," Nam said through gritted teeth, clearly fighting the urge to slap her cousin right there in front of the police station. She walked toward Freen with the kind of determined stride that meant this conversation was going to be painful.

"Well, I just got out of jail, so I'm having a pretty bad night already," Freen said, trying to sound casual about the whole situation.

"Why would you do something this stupid?" Nam crossed her arms and stared at Freen like she was trying to see into her soul.

"I told you already - I needed the money badly," Freen replied, looking anywhere except directly at her cousin's face.

"Why can't you just get a normal job like a regular person?"

"I need money now, not in a few weeks! I'm completely broke, Nam. My rent is months behind, and I've got bills I can't pay." Freen's voice was getting louder and more defensive.

"I know you're good at racing, but-"

Freen cut her off before she could finish. "You're damn right I am! This is what I know how to do best. This is who I am."

Nam just stared at her for a long moment, and Freen bit her lip and pulled her hair back, trying to relieve some of the tension that was building up in her neck and shoulders.

"Listen to me carefully," Nam said, her voice getting softer but more serious. "Do what you have to do to get the money you need. But make sure you don't stay in this world for very long. It might be quick money, but it's also the shortest way to end up dead."

Freen knew Nam was absolutely right about the dangers, even if she didn't want to admit it out loud. She simply nodded, but she couldn't promise anything because she honestly didn't know what she was going to do next.

The ride home was long and completely silent. Nam drove through the Bangkok streets without saying a word, and Freen stared out the window at the city lights passing by. When they finally pulled up in front of Freen's apartment building, the silence felt heavy and uncomfortable.

"Nam, please don't tell my dad what I've been up to," Freen said softly, turning to look at her cousin with the kind of pleading expression she hadn't used since they were kids.

Nam looked back at Freen's eyes and sighed like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. "I won't say anything to him. But if something serious happens to you, I'm telling both our parents everything."

Freen gave her a small smile that was grateful and sad at the same time, then got out of the car and walked toward her building.

Once she was inside her small apartment, she took off her leather jacket and went straight to the bathroom to take a hot shower. As the water ran over her skin, she thought about everything that had gone wrong during the race. She'd almost won - she'd been ahead for most of it until her memories of the accident had clouded her mind and made her lose focus at exactly the wrong moment.

After the shower, she put on her pajamas and collapsed onto the couch to check her phone messages. There were several from Heng asking a bunch of questions about street racing and whether she was planning to keep doing it. But Billy's message was the one that caught her attention and made her stomach tighten.

Billy [1:01am]: You're still racing for me. We had a deal, remember?

Freen stared at the message for a long time before finally typing back.

Freen [2:15am]: I know we have a deal. But I need to fix your motorcycle first - the engine died on me.

She placed her phone on the coffee table and tried to go to sleep, but her mind kept racing almost as fast as the motorcycles had been earlier that night.