<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/Mtx59.jpg)</div><br/><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Name:</strong> Allison Leclerc<br/><strong>Title:</strong> The Brains<br/><strong>Location:</strong> Somewhere along Highway 16<br/><strong>Tags:</strong> Taras</span></span><br/><hr/><br/><strong>"If you can... try to forget about it. For now."</strong><br/><br/><em>I can't.</em> "I will." One more lie for the road, what difference could it make now? At least this time it was for a good cause, not because Allison was being afraid or selfish. She didn't want Taras worrying about her during the race, she'd rather have him focus on the road and the other cars. He always poured all of himself into his driving, including his emotions, and she would prefer it if he wasn't agitated when he got behind the wheel tonight. Allison worried about Taras just as much as he did about her, even if she was a bit quieter and more subtle about it.<br/><br/>She scoffed lightly when her friend told her that he'd bet money on her to win, but it brought a faint smile to her lips all the same. Even now, he was still trying to cheer her up; somewhat clumsily, it had to be said, but it only made Ally appreciate it that much more since she knew that it didn't exactly come easily to him. It was just one of the many things that made him so endearing to her. She was one of the few people who knew Taras beyond the rugged and stoic exterior that he put forth, and she was grateful for it.<br/><br/>Allison shifted into first gear smoothly and slowly pulled the car away from the gas pumps and back out on to the small side road which would merge back into the highway a couple of hundred feet further down. Most cars that were highly modded for power had really rough clutches and stiff clutch pedals that made gear changes feel excessively choppy and grabby, but hers wasn't too bad in comparison, especially considering the amount of power and torque that it was capable of withstanding. <br/><br/>The rest of the ride back was uneventful enough. It was undeniably awkward, especially when there was the occasional prolonged silence, but they both did their best to make a bit of conversation. It was mostly about the race or the crew or the other cars they'd be competing against, though, since they'd agreed to hold off on the personal stuff until after. It would almost have felt like some strange sort of relief, knowing that she wouldn't have to worry about lying or keeping her fake story straight, but then the thought of a scornful Cori popped back into Allison's head and made her shudder.<br/><br/>There was still a bit of time left before the race started when they arrived back at the spot where Taras' Firebird was waiting for him, so Ally parked her own car next to it and they both got out. She was hoping to at least briefly meet up with the rest of the crew before things got underway. <em>It'll probably be the last time that I get the chance before Cori exiles me...or maybe she'll just kill me instead.</em> <br/><br/>"Thank you," was all that she said to Taras while they walked side by side, searching for their friends. <em>For being so patient; for not forcing me to explain before I was ready; for everything else.</em> Ally knew that he would understand her meaning. She knew that she was probably going to be an emotional wreck later when the floodgates were opened and the truth came spilling out, but for now she was managing to suppress everything and keep it together. For now, she still had a crew to represent and a race to win.</div>