In my own case as an easily identifiable high school geek, rather than try harder to fit in, I did the opposite. Dived deep into high performance car matters, and even rebuilt my largely average Mustang Mach 1 into something of a road warrior monstrosity.

In the 1970s a zero chrome, all-blacked out car with a front air dam scraping the ground was in no way considered cool or trendy in my rural hometown. Quite the opposite. People tended to think something was wrong with you for doing such a thing. And spying the interior roll cage merely helped reinforce their suspicions.

But that was fine with me. I only had eyes for a certain cheerleader, who seemed forever out of my reach anyway. Much of the rest of my life was pretty brutal and violent then. So I developed an interest in fast cars, and how to make my own into one of the best around.

I didn't realize that those modifications themselves would open up new opportunities for me, in adventures of all sorts. Including with the ladies.

Thirty-something years after the events (and hopefully well beyond the expiry dates of any possible legal liabilities) I decided to put together some accounts of those days and that car on the internet. The full list of what's currently available can be seen in The Shadowfast supercar driver logs. But on this page is listed only the more romantic tales of the collection.

I hope you enjoy them!

In the accounts below details like names, dates, and more have been changed for reasons which should become apparent to readers. I also include a partial list of the actual events from which these stories are drawn for those who are interested.

Slip, sliding away; Sometimes a femme fatale can be awfully attractive: especially when they turn out to be simply a desperate (and beautiful!) girl trying to survive in a harsh world whatever way they can. And of course, didn't intend to almost kill you in your first meeting.

To see lots more of Lindsay, check out Slip, sliding away.

Too close for comfort; This is a tale of childhood sweethearts, and what happens when they get tangled up in the throes of puberty and high school.

To see lots more of Dana, check out Too close for comfort.

Heartbreaker; At times it can seem like finding your soul mate would be the best thing which could ever happen to you. But there is a possible downside nobody talks about.

To see lots more of Bridget, check out Heartbreaker.

• Notes from the actual owner/driver of the Shadowfast super car; Want to see more about the actual events which inspired these tales? Then this is the link for you!
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