On the Outside

Home : Stories by Mick : Twisted Web : On the Outside

Summary: Jeff has an epiphany.

AUTHOR: Mick
EMAIL: mick@cryptoffic.com
RATING: PG
SERIES: Twisted Web
CHARACTER: Jeff Gordon, Ingrid Vandebosch, Jeff POV
WORD COUNT: 751
COMPLETED: August 8, 2008
DISCLAIMER: If I owned them I’d be too busy to write this stuff. Just fiction, folks. I own NOTHING and am affiliated with NO ONE mentioned here. Not the drivers, not the teams, no one. This is all fiction and fun. In other words...NOT REAL, NOT REAL, NOT REAL. ;-)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is for a very special person’s birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAT!!!! Sorry it’s kinda short, but Jeff was being a royal pain in my butt. Don’t worry, there’ll be plenty more for you before the day is out. :D
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Charlotte, NC - Hendrick Motorsports

I don't know what the hell's been going on around here lately, but I know that whatever it is, it can't be good. Chandra mysteriously stopped showing up to the shop; Junior's been coming and going as quickly as possible, never staying longer than necessary; Jimmie's been…well…Jimmie's been a zombie. Something is obviously going on with the three of them, but no one's talking. Not to each other and certainly not to outsiders, myself included. I’ve got the sense to know that something obviously happened between the three of them, but I won’t go out on any limbs just yet. For all I know Junior insulted Chandra somehow and Jimmie went after him for it. Or maybe it was Jimmie who started in with Junior over something and Chandra’s taking Junior’s side. It could be any number of things. It makes my head hurt thinking of all the possibilities. I’ve tried to get Jimmie to talk to me, but lately he’s been avoiding everyone like the plague. The only person I’ve seen him around willingly is Nick. Those two have gotten closer and closer over the years and while it worries me a little, I try not to dwell on it. Jimmie’s a big boy and he can make his own decisions.

Look up when I hear a gentle tapping on my door and smile softly when I see Ingrid and Ella standing in the doorway. She returns my smile and comes into the office, shifting my beautiful baby girl on her hip a bit. She’s out like a light and looking twice as angelic as she usually does. My girls, God I love them. I push myself up from my chair and come around the desk to greet them, kissing first my wife and then my daughter before leaning back against the desk. I wasn’t expecting to see them until I got home so this is a pleasant surprise. Any extra time I get to spend with Ing and Ella is always a blessing. I take Ella to give Ingrid’s arms a break, holding her protectively against my chest. She doesn’t even stir as I stroke her hair and I know instinctively she’ll be out for at least another hour or so.

“So what brings you two all the way over here? I thought you had that “Mommy and Me” swim class this afternoon?” Rock Ella without even really thinking about it as I glance up at Ingrid. She’s wearing a plain pair of jeans and a simple top but even so, she’s gorgeous. Even with her hair in a messy bun and a diaper bag over her shoulder, she’s a goddess.

“We do…or…we did. I got to the pool and she was out like a light,” she looks adoringly at the little girl in my arms and I can see the extra sparkle that’s always there when she’s talking about Ella, “I couldn’t bring myself to wake her up, so I turned around and headed for home, but Chandra called me…” She drifts off and I can’t help the frown on my face. Something’s not right and I can feel it in the air.

Try to play it nonchalant as I shift the baby a little, quirking an eyebrow curiously, “Oh? What’d she have to say?”

She sees right through my act and I’m not surprised in the least. Ingrid’s one of the few people who can read me better than I can read myself, “I’m worried about her, Jeff. I’m worried about the both of them…” The worry creases her forehead and she looks out the window pensively before turning back to me, “She’s staying with Junior, Jeff. She asked me to come meet her over there. I’m starting to think I know what’s been going on, but…”

Chandra’s staying with Junior? On the ACRES? This is definitely far more complicated than I thought it was. This is way more than just a simple fight between she and Jimmie, or Jimmie and Junior. If Chandra’s living with him, then…My eyes go wide as it all finally becomes so crystal clear. All of her visits, all of the time she spent “out with friends” that Jimmie’d never met, all of his time away with Nick…

“They were having an affair. They were having an affair and Jimmie found out,” It comes out as a statement, flat and emotionless, as our eyes lock. I know in an instant we’ve both had the same thought. This is going to get ugly.

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Mick - mick@cryptoffic.com