Chapter 58:
Everything she said cut straight to the point. There was no defense left for Phillip’s side.
People in the crowd were stunned.
They went back and reviewed old race data. Rylie had been in every championship. She was always the fastest. She built their lead every year. In contrast, Stacey’s results were consistently poor, always at the bottom. Had it not been for Rylie, who widened the gap with other racers, Stacey wouldn’t have been able to win first place.
The crowd began to understand. “So Phillip’s team kept winning, but never broke a record because Stacey was slowing them down.”
“No wonder Rylie’s lap shattered the record. She was the reason they won.”
“And she wasn’t even listed as an official member? No contract? No rules binding her? Then she’s free to switch teams.”
More and more voices turned on Phillip’s team.
“What a joke. She carried them for years, and they didn’t even let her on the podium.”
“Same team, same race. Yet only Stacey got the spotlight. That’s not a team. That’s favoritism.”
The crowd started calling them out. Members of Phillip’s team stood frozen, their heads down, unable to respond.
Not long after, the judges made their ruling. Britton’s team would keep their victory. Rylie’s membership was confirmed as valid.
Phillip had never faced such a crushing loss. But he had no way to deny it — everything Rylie said was true. He had never imagined that she would care so deeply about being left out.
The crowd wasn’t quiet about it either. Every shout of “favoritism” landed squarely on him. They all accused him of choosing Stacey over Rylie.
Rylie dropped the mic without a word. She walked straight up to Stacey, lifted her hand, and punched her hard across the face. Gasps echoed through the stands. A few people stood and cheered. “Good hit! That freeloader had it coming!”
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Stacey screamed as she hit the ground. Phillip rushed over, grabbed Rylie’s arm, and held her back. “Stop it, Rylie! What’s wrong with you? We’ve already lost everything. Isn’t that enough? What else do you want?”
“What do I want?” Rylie’s voice cut like glass. Her eyes burned cold. “She tried to kill me on that turn. And now I can’t even land a punch? Maybe I ought to show you how it feels too.”
Stacey wiped her lip. Blood streaked her hand. Her voice trembled. “I didn’t mean to — I swear it wasn’t on purpose!”
Jake stepped up fast. “That’s enough, Rylie! You’re out of line!”
Another member of Phillip’s team added, “Exactly. Stacey just wanted to win the race too badly. Mistakes happen during the process. How can you blame her?”
Britton stepped in front of Rylie, his voice steady. “You’re blaming her? That move Stacey pulled — anyone with a brain knows the danger it could bring. She didn’t slow down when she should have. She waited until Rylie was beside her, then tapped the brakes on the outer lane.”
At that moment, a call came through to the judges from the VIP lounge. They exchanged glances, then turned to review the footage once again.
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