DIANA'S POV

I looked at my reflection on the mirror to make sure that the outfit I'd chosen was appropriate for the Masinga drag festivals Kareem had invited me to. I knew for a fact that most girls were going to be skimply dressed in hopes of attracting the rich men in attendance but I was already spoken for, in a way. I was dressed to impress only one man. I had chosen a long black and white plaid checkered skirt with a thigh high slit, short sleeved black cropped t-shirt and four inch black boots. My nails were done in a beautiful baby pink, hair was in long brown braids and my make up was light, just lipstick and eyeliner since we were going to be in dust all day long and I didn't want to look like a clown.

When I was satisfied with how I looked I put everything I'd need into a small black backpack and grabbed my leather jacket. Manuel had already texted me that he was waiting for me outside. He was picking me up instead of Kareem because Vihaan needed him to do some last minute preparations at the autoshop. It was only eight in the morning but we had to leave early since it was a two hour drive to the venue.

"Looking hot cousin, trying to drive Kareem crazy are you."Manuel shouted from the driver's seat of his Ford Ranger double cabin pick up truck.

"Shut up before I make you."I replied getting in besides him.

"Threats so early in the morning, are you not getting any this days."Manuel teased as he started the car.

"You do know your mom and I are super close right. Keep running your mouth and I'll just tell on you."I retorted.

"Okay fine, I'm sorry. How've you been though? I've missed you."Manual asked.

"I've been great and I've missed you too, when you're not being an ass hat that is."I replied.

"You love me and my ass hat ways."Manuel said with a cheeky grin.

"Unfortunately."I muttered with a straight face.

He looked at me still smiling and I couldn't maintain my straight face. We both burst out laughing and after calming down we spent the rest of the drive catching up.

When we arrived at the autoshop, there was a lot of activity going on so Manuel left me in the truck while he went to find Kareem for me.

I had just alighted the truck to enjoy some of the morning sun when I was picked up from behind my feet lifting off the ground. I shrieked in surprise but relaxed when I glimpsed at the familiar tattooed hands. When he saw that I was no longer freaking out, Kareem put me down slowly and turned me around his arms still on my waist.

"Why would you scare me like that?"I scolded slapping his bicep not that he felt it anyway.

"Just getting you amped up in advance for the adrenaline rush to come."He replied with a grin.

"Well you definitely startled me so mission accomplished."I retorted my heart still racing a little bit.

"Sorry."Kareem apologized but it was clear he didn't really mean it.

"Did you get a fresh haircut ?"I asked getting a good look at him.

"Yeah."

"You look handsome."I complimented admiring him.

He looked really good, enough to get my motors running.

"Thank you and you look gorgeous. I'll be torn between watching the drifts and keeping my eye on you, lest you get snatched up."Kareem replied making me laugh.

"Not gonna happen, you have me all to yourself today."I assured him.

"Perfect, now let's go have breakfast before we leave. Vihaan arranged for it so we better take advantage."Kareem said pulling me with him.

Breakfast was more or less of a small self serve buffet. All the guys were seated outside on a long table with benches so after Kareem and I got our food we joined them. A few minutes later Vihaan came out of the building and approached us.

"Diana my darling, what a pleasant surprise."He explained when he saw me.

Vihaan and my dad were old friends so we were very familiar with each other.

"Nice to see you baba, how've you been?"I replied addressing him respectfully.

"I've been good and today will be even better."He replied with a smile.

"No doubt, I can't wait."I replied.

Vihaan didn't ask why I was there or who I was with so I assumed he already knew.

"Okay I'll leave you to it. You take care of her."He said addressing Kareem directly.

"I will."Kareem promised.

"You told him about us?"I asked Kareem as soon as Vihaan was out of earshot.

"I had to since everyone going with us needs to be accounted for. I hope that isn't a problem."Kareem explained.

If Vihaan knew then soon my dad would, followed by mom then my whole family.

"No it's not a big deal, I just hope you're ready to deal with my family. Vihaan will definitely tell my dad and once he knows everyone else will."I informed Kareem.

"That ain't a big deal, it was bound to happen sooner or later."He replied.

If he wasn't worried then I wouldn't be either. It's like he had said, they were bound to find out sooner or later.

"So about the travel arrangements, you'll be driving with me in the pickup truck that's hauling my two cars, Vihaan will be driving with Fabian in the hauler truck while Manuel will drive the rest in his double cabin."Kareem informed me.

"Why do you need both your cars?"I asked.

"To show off."Kareem replied with a grin.

Kareem was not a proud guy so I knew that he was just joking.

"Awesome, now what's the real reason?"I inquired calling him out on his bullshit.

"The trails change every year so I'm just taking both to keep my options of drifting open. I'll pick either or if I'm really in the mood both."Kareem explained.

"You're going to be racing?"

"More like drifting and showing off a few tricks."Kareem explained.

I thought we were just going to showcase the cars and watch other people drift. I had no idea Kareem would be taking part in the action.

"Will that be a problem?"Kareem asked when he noticed my silence.

He must have interpreted my silence to mean I wasn't into it. It was quite the opposite really, it would be sexy as hell seeing Kareem behind the wheel doing tricks and drifting.

"Nope none at all."I replied smiling at him.

Thirty minutes later we were leaving the Autoshop compound and on the way to Masinga Dam Resort where the event was being hosted.

"Are you okay?"Kareem asked a few minutes into the drive breaking the silence.

"Yeah I'm great, really looking forward to the event."I replied.

"That's good to hear, it's an experience I can't wait to share with you."Kareem said making me smile.

"Want to play a game?"I suggested so as to pass the two hour drive time without any awkwardness.

"Yeah sure, what did you have in mind?"

"It's a simple one where we name the make and model of the other cars in the road."I suggested.

"You do not want to play this game with an automotive engineer, you'll loose."Kareem said with a laugh.

"Wanna bet?"I challenged.

"I'll stake anything you want, that's how confident I am."Kareem replied.

I liked it when men undermined me like that sometimes, it gave me a chance to prove them wrong. I grew up surrounded by men so I knew a lot more than I let on.

"It's a deal and an open bet. I'll claim my prize after I win."I concurred.

"Oh it's on, let's go. Ladies first."Kareem invited thinking he was doing me a favor.

To say that Kareem was a sore loser was an understatement. When we got to the resort two hours and fifteen minutes later, he was still in shock.

"How?"He kept asking over and over again.

"A magician never reveals their secret."I grinned happy to see the shocked look on his face.

I hadn't expected to win either but once Kareem noticed that I knew more than I let on, he'd started losing focus giving me the chance to win. He was a formidable opponent though but his first mistake had been to undermine me.

Kareem didn't have any more time to lament about his loss because the venue started coming into view. There were a lot of people and cars. It was like an outdoor showroom for the most expensive and fastest cars in Kenya. The ladies were also dressed to their sluttiest in short shorts and tops that barely hid anything.

"Are you a boobs or an ass man?"I asked suddenly making Kareem break too fast where he wasn't supposed to.

"Where did that come from?"He asked looking at me surprised as he regained his composure and kept on driving.

"I just want to know where your line of sight will be all day."I replied.

I had no idea why I was even asking that question. I didn't have big boobs or a big ass, they were a bit average but I liked them.

"It will be on you."Kareem said.

"Thank you but that didn't answer my question, boobs or ass."I insisted.

"You're not going to let it go are you?" Kareem asked and I shook my head. "Neither, both, I don't know. I like thighs, I'm a thigh man."Kareem replied looking very embarrassed.

I burst out laughing because of how confused he looked, poor man.

"You're a very odd man, Kareem, I've never heard of a man into thighs, you are the first."I said once I'd stopped laughing.

"What can I say? Uniqueness is my gift."

I let it go after that not wanting to embarrass him anymore. When we drove up to the entrance, Kareem showed our tickets, they were stamped and we were allowed to enter. Vihaan had booked us a tent under his company's name and parking spots so it was up to Kareem to find it. It took some time of driving around but we eventually found it. Manuel and the other guys had already arrived but Vihaan and Fabian weren't in yet. While Manuel helped Kareem unload his cars, I took a seat in the tent, put on my sunglasses and sat back to enjoy the view. There would be no hard work for me but I didn't mind watching Kareem.

Vihaan and Fabian arrived thirty minutes later and it took a lot longer to unload all the cars. Kareem kept glancing at me and sending me winks, just to make sure I wasn't too bored while they worked. Honestly I wasn't, I was having a good time already. I liked watching people sometimes so I did exactly that by sitting back and observing all the different individuals around me. It was very entertaining and I got to see some pretty interesting things going on.

There was also a lot of activities going in besides the drifting and car shows. There were vendors selling foods and drinks and a dj doing his thing by providing everyone with good music and entertainment.

"We came here to have fun and here you are looking bored."Manuel commented taking a seat next to me.

"I'm not bored, I'm actually having fun."I replied.

"I'll take your word for it."

A few minutes later Kareem was done with what he was doing so he approached me.

"Fancy a walk, I'll show you around."He invited holding his hand out for me.

"I would like that very much. See you loser."I addressed Manuel before taking Kareem's hand.

I got up and kicked Manuel's boot in the process just for fun. He sneered at me while I just blew him a kiss walking away.

"Why are you and Manuel always teasing each other?"Kareem asked making me smile.

"Manuel and I actually grew up together, since he's my mother's sisters child. He's younger than me by two years so he's kind of my younger brother. I can't tease my big brothers like that since I'm the last born so to me Manuel is that younger sibling I have to tease and he retaliates because well he learnt from my big brothers."I explained.

"Well that makes sense, Jamila and I are like that sometimes."Kareem said making me smile.

We walked around for like an hour, gushing over some of the cars around, eating and drinking from the foodstalls and enjoying the music.

"Thank you for sharing this part of your life with me, I'm having fun."I told Kareem as we walked back to our tent since his slot for drifting was coming up.

"I'm glad you're here, thank you for coming."Kareem replied kissing my cheek.

"Wish me luck."Kareem requested when we got to the tent.

"You don't need it but good luck."I replied leaning up to kiss his cheek.

He let go of my hand and winked at me as he walked towards his cars.

It took some time to set up and while he did that, Manuel led me to the stands where I could observe Kareem.

"It didn't rain so did they make the ground went intentionally?"I asked Manuel.

"Yeah, makes the drifting that much harder and more dangerous."Manuel replied with an excited grin.

I was excited to see Kareem do his thing but at the same time I was scared for him. A driver had the choice of drifting on the tarmac or the muddy field. Looks like Kareem preferred the more challenging aspect.

"He'll be fine don't worry. Kareem is really good at what he does."Manuel assured me when he saw the worried look on my face.

I didn't get to reply because just then the familiar rumble of the GTO hit my ears. Kareem drove to the entrance revving his engine making everyone to go crazy. He stopped at the entrance for a few minutes, getting the crowd excited and without anyone expecting it, he just shot off at a very high speed. I couldn't take my eyes off his car the whole time. My blood was pumping in my veins and the adrenaline rush Kareem had warned me about was at an all time high. Manuel, Fabian, Vihaan and the rest of the guys whose names I'd yet to catch were cheering from the sidelines excitedly. I was cheering at the top of my lungs too because I was excited for Kareem and the chance to watch him shine. There were a few close calls but like Manuel has assured me Kareem was an expert and managed to save himself just in time. Drifting was dangerous if you didn't know what you were doing but Kareem was very good at it so he was safe.

Thirty minutes and a lot of screaming later, Kareem was done. I abandoned the guys and rushed to the entrance to congratulate him. I had to weave through quite a huge crowd that was forming around him but I managed. Kareem saw me before I got to him so he abandoned whoever he was talking to and approached me. I jumped at him and looped my hands around his neck. He managed to catch me wrapping his muscular arms around my waist.

"That was fantastic."I congratulated kissing his cheek.

"Thank you, glad I could make you proud."Kareem replied grinning victoriously.

I had to let him go since other people wanted to talk to him but Kareem kept me by his side the whole time. He kept squeezing my waist every once in a while to let me know that he was still with me even as he talked to other people.

After the crowd around him died down we joined the rest of our team back at the tent where everyone accorded Kareem his much deserved congratulations.

"What about you sis? Fancy showing off your skills today?"Manuel asked when all the excitement died down.

"What are you talking about?"I inquired.

"Don't play dumb, Kareem isn't the only one talented behind the wheel. I've seen you drift before and we're in the perfect place for you to shine."Manuel expounded.

I tried to play but it was not working. Being raised with boys meant that I was a tomboy at heart under all my dresses and nerdy personality.

"What's he talking about?"Kareem asked looking at me confused.

"I'm saying that your girl over here can give you a run for your money behind the wheel."Manuel said before I had the chance to explain myself.

"Is this true?"Kareem inquired.

There was no need denying since Manuel wouldn't let me get away with it.

"Yeah sort of but I haven't done it in a really long time."I replied.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?"Kareem questioned.

"Because she doesn't like people thinking she's a tomboy."Manuel answered on my behalf.

I glared at him and if one could be killed by looks, Manuel would be six feet under. Manuel hid behind Fabian when he saw the look I was giving him.

"It's something I know but don't exactly enjoy."I said rephrasing what my dumb cousin had just said.

"I'm finding this hard to believe."Kareem said and that statement rubbed off me all wrong.

"Why?"I asked an eyebrow raised.

"Because you're you."Kareem answered stupidly.

"So you're saying I can't do it because I'm a nerdy girl."I challenged and Kareem went silent.

I was not going to give into Manuel's request but the look that Kareem gave me was enough to push me to do something I hadn't done in years. I hated it when a man demeaned me just because I was a woman. It was time to put Kareem in his place. I liked the guy but he needed a refresher course in respecting and believing in women.

"Give me the keys to the Hellcat. "I demanded holding my hand out.

"Why? What for?"Kareem asked.

"To prove you wrong, what else?"I retorted.

"You're not drifting in my car, what if you crash it."Kareem whined.

"I won't crash it and if I do I'll buy you a new one."I replied feeling smug.

Everyone around us was silently watching our exchange like it was a reality show.

"No."Kareem insisted.

"You owe me, you did after all lose the bet earlier. This is me claiming my prize."I demanded.

"Okay fine, say I give you the keys, you can't drift without a booked slot."Kareem pointed out.

He was right, I didn't have time booked on the tracks so there's no way I could drift.

"She can have my spot, I'm going on next."Fabian offered making me smile.

"Thanks Fabian."I smiled at him.

"Whose side are you on?"Kareem challenged Fabian.

"Diana's of course, anyone who can knock you off your high horse is my hero."Fabian responded.

"Okay fine, here."Kareem said giving me the keys.

"Perfect, start preparing your apology."I said to him before strutting to the car.

I hadn't drifted in years but for the sake of getting Kareem to swallow his male ego, I would do it.

I unlocked the car and got in behind the wheel. Taking a deep breath I turned on the engine getting ready to prove Kareem wrong. I adjusted everything to my size since Kareem was very tall.

Driving slowly through the crowd I made it to the tarmac since that's where Fabian's slot had been reserved.

I could see Kareem and the rest of the guys watching me by the sidelines. I tuned everyone out, concentrated on my breathing and the feel of the cool steering wheel on my palms. I didn't even take off my high heels, that's how confident I was in myself. When I felt ready I revved the engine twice then slowly released the break and stepped on the accelerator zooming my way through the tarmac.

The adrenaline rush I'd felt watching Kareem was completely different compared to what I felt being behind the wheel. It was just me in that car, with the smell of burnt rubber around me, the turning of the steering wheel around my hands and my feet against the peddles. I had forgotten how much fun driving and drifting was. Growing up with my brothers meant I got to do every crazy thing with them thus why I had so many hidden skills.

So as to end with a bang and to show off to Kareem so he'd swallow his words, I decided on a big finish. I'd only attempted it once before and failed but I was in a better car model, with a lot more experience. A little rusty yes, but I could manage it. I was going to drift a three hundred and sixty degree angle for my finale. When the stacked tyres I was going to drift around came to sight, I turned the traction control off, shifted to second gear, accelerated, lifted my foot off the accelerator then counter steered. Keeping my eye on the road I kept tapping the accelerator in shot bursts and counter steering but making sure not to oversteer so I didn't loose control of the car. After doing a full 360 degree, I turned the traction control back on before driving away from the tarmac and towards the entrance. I'd done a donut without crashing, that was a very huge accomplishment.

Everyone was waiting for me at the entrance with their jaws on the floor, all except for Manuel. Kareem looked ashamed of himself but with a proud look in his eyes. I got out of the car and tossed the car keys to Kareem.

"Back in one piece as promised."I said feeling very proud of himself.

"I'm sorry, I should not have underestimated you. You were awesome out there."Kareem apologized approaching me.

"I feel like I should ask for a written apology but the fact that you will carry the shame of your words to me to your grave is enough penance for me. You're forgiven."I replied walking past him to talk to the rest of the guys.

"You were awesome cuz, I'm really proud of you. You've got to teach me how to do that sometime."Manuel said picking me up and twirling me around.

I just laughed and patted his back basking in all their praises. I knew one thing for a fact, I was probably never doing that again. I'd proven my point but drifting was not safe so I would leave it to the men who liked risking their lives.

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

I tried, I really tried with this chapter so I hope that you guys enjoyed it.

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