Starring:
Summary: A first meeting. A first race. A first kiss.
Date It Happened: Sometime in 2006
Watching, Always Watching
Some backstreets
It wasn't as if she'd really thought she'd end up there, but Ophelia had nothing better to do and it got her out of the house. Anything that got her out of the house was worthwhile, no matter what the event, so she sat on the sidelines, like most of the girls did, waiting for those they knew to climb right back out of their cars to come rejoice in their victory from the race (or lament their loss). Phi didn't care, either way. She just thought the whole thing was interesting. She liked the way the wind was generated by the cars as they went past, how some of the girlfriends seemed just as excited as if they were in the car but were never brave enough to tag along. It was an experience in and of itself, and while Ophelia felt entirely separate from them, she loved watching everyone interact all the same.
Done with his runs fo the time being, Manny lays out on the hood of his 1967 Shelby Mustang, a leg curled under his other. He watched behind sunglasses as, like he expected, a number of his friends emerge victorious. The young man's had his … pep talk from Armando, basically telling him to win at all cost. But for the moment, Manny's thoughts aren't on the races. They're on the girl who seems to be studying everyone around her, an eyebrow quirked upward.
Ophelia can always tell when eyes on her, simply because it's a foreign feeling. She glances back over, studying the figure for a long time before she makes her way back over to Manuel. It's an entirely natural and casual walk, as if the thought had just occurred to her and it hadn't been planned out at all. "You did good, as usual. You really enjoy it?"
The young man shrugs a little bit, a smirk on his face as Ophelia comes over toward her, "Love it. Nothin' better than watchin' some little pendejo choke on dust after talkin' all his shit." His eyes close behind his sunglasses, having to ask, "As usual, huh…means you've been here before?"
"Every time." She smiles faintly, her expression distant as she looks over at his car. "You don't quite notice cause you're too busy, but… I've seen you, Manuel Gomez." The girl moves, inspecting his car with an appraising eye, then disregarding it without a moment's notice. "So you race for the reactions, then? What about the feel of the car while you're driving it? The way the wind is sucked in with the sightest crack of a window, the roar of the engine giving everything it's got as it takes you further ahead of your opponents. What about that?"
Manny laughs at the use of his name, opening his eyes and rolling off the hood of the car. Even regarding the girl with revealed eyes, Manny raises his sunglasses and looks over at Ophelia, smirking, "Manny…drop the Manuel." He grins a little bit as Ophelia explains her personal reaction to racing, "Ever ride along, then?"
"Manny it is, then. I'm Ophelia. Call me Phi. Sounds a lot less like I'm a Shakespearian tragedy waiting to happen." Ophelia insists, peering into his car before looking up at his question. "What, me?" She looks around as if he was speaking to someone else. "Oh. No, I'm not one of /those/." She gestures a thumb back to one of the racers who was currently pinning his girlfriend up against his car and proceeding to make out. "Never had the opportunity. I don't tend to get noticed. It's a good thing, most of the time."
Manny smirks, looking over toward where Ophelia points. Manny laughs a little bit, shaking his head, "Please. Juan talks a big game, but I betcha five bucks that's some random chick he just wanted to make out with." He laughs again, shaking his head. Deciding to test something, the young man switches languages, "(Besides…don't gotta be a racer's girlfriend to ride along. Just gotta wanna see what it's like.)"
"Yeah, but she's been eyeing him for longer than he knows. Poor girl doesn't know he's no good for her." Leaning against Manny's car, Ophelia laughs when he switches languages. The answer is smooth, "(No, but I'd rather not have one go for the eyes simply because I'm female and riding along. Some of these girls are jealous as fuck and all you have to do is /look/ at their man wrong.)"
Manny laughs and nods, "(Okay, /that's/ true.)" He taps his foot once or twice, then leans back against the front quarter panel of his car, deciding to offer, "(So ride with me. No one gonna get jealous over that, I promise.)" His arms fold across his chest, a curious look offered to the girl.
That causes a bit of a raised eyebrow. "(What? You mean that's not your girlfriend?)" She offers innocently, gesturing over to a girl. A girl, whom Manuel would likely note, has pretty much been with every guy there… except for Manny, of course. Ophelia seems to get the joke entirely by the look on her face.
Manny laughs a little bit, smirking, "(Well, ya know. She offered, but after she hooked up with John and Roberto on the same day, I'm passin'.)" Manny grins again, shaking his head, "(Come on, I got a heat comin' up pretty quick anyway. Hop in, we'll see how ya like it.)"
"(I think the real question is, Manny, we'll see how /you/ like it.)" Ophelia doesn't let Manny change his mind, sliding into the passenger side of the car. "(Just don't let me distract you. I'd hate to see you lose. Besides.. I think I'm a bit of a good luck charm.)"
Manny smirks a little bit, sliding through the window and grinning. Kicking his car on, Manny throws the car in gear and pulls around to the starting line. "(Run's just a quarter-mile sprint. Love these…)"
Ophelia settles in the seat, seeming quite at east in the car. But there's something about the way she sits, leaning foward, eyes glittering with excitement. It's entirely innocent. There's no fear, even though it's obvious the girl's seen hundreds of these. There's not the tiniest hint of anything but pure joy and exhilaration, in spite of the danger. She simply enjoys the thrill of it. "(You'll win it.)" There's no hint of doubt in her voice. She's sure of what she says.
Manny suddenly turns much more serious. He's not so talkative for the moment, the motor revving as he presses the accelerator in a little bit. Watching the girl who was just all over one of the racers, Ophelia might notice Manny's knuckles whitening as he grips the steering wheel, his foot tapping his accelerator. The young man takes a deep breath or two, and when the girl's arm drops, Manny throws his car in gear, lifting it off the front tires for just a moment before taking off.
While entirely excited about the race, Ophelia's eyes flicker back over to Manny before he takes off. Her curiousity for people is even more drawn in as he moves, ready to take the car faster than she can react. As he takes off, Phi's lips curve into a grin, watching the road with vigor. She's definitely into it. The speed, the adrenaline of the race, all of it. It's not something she's used to.
To put it lightly, Manny smokes the other racer. He looks like he has a little trouble getting off the line, and just never catches up. Manny, on the other hand, never coasts; he never even gives the illusion of slowing down. Crossing the quarter-mile finish in under 10 seconds, Manny's grip on his steering wheel slows down, shifting his car down and cranking the steering wheel, pushing on the brake and spinning the car a complete 180. He grins, leaning back in his seat and grinning, "Well?"
It was so fast. The other car didn't have a chance and there wasn't even a single moment of danger. Not with the way Manny handled the car. Peering over at him, Ophelia's expression is hard to read for a moment. It's only then that she abruptly leans over, planting a kiss abruptly on the driver's lips before starting to pull back. "I liked it."
Manny's snapped out of his typical post-race arrogance by a sudden, surprise kiss. He blinks a little bit, silent for a minute before looking over at Ophelia, language switching again, "(That was…interesting…)"
"(Sorry. No one's really done something that nice for me. Especially not expecting to get anything out of it.)" Ophelia murmurs, leaning back in her chair. Her expression, again, is hard to read, but her brown eyes continue to watch him, quiet but expressive. Watching, always watching, that one.
Manny takes a second to recover, flashing a grin when he finally does and shaking his head. He pulls the car around the quarter-mile track, grinning a little bit, "(Well, now ya know what it's like. Like it?)" He nudges the door open, climbing out and stretching his arms over his head before stepping around the car, opening the passenger door.
The kiss seems to have been forgotten for the moment, Ophelia smoothly climbing out of the car before looking back over to Manny. "(Yeah, I think I do. If you ever need someone to warm your passenger seat again… I hope you'll consider me.)" She grins a bit.
Grinning a little bit, Manny leans back against the hood of the car as he pushes the door shut, "(Mm…think we're about done for the day, but if you're at the next one…)" He grins some, folding his arms across his chest and shrugging a shoulder.
Ophelia offers a nod, glancing back over at him. "(You might find me there, if you're looking hard enough. We'll see. Haven't missed one yet.)" She grins, shrugging, almost as if imitating him.
