Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 152045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 760(@200wpm)___ 608(@250wpm)___ 507(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 760(@200wpm)___ 608(@250wpm)___ 507(@300wpm)
Their speed increases, and I push it faster, finding them accelerating more. I smile behind my helmet, my heart swelling in my throat.
We fly around and around, and I sink into the curves, holding my own as we race. The finish line approaches, and I find myself pushing it just a little harder, until…
We charge past, blowing through the finish line and the flag and cruising around again, slowly decelerating. Third.
I think I was in third place.
I shake with laughter as I ride around to the start again and pull up to the side. I don’t look at the other guys, and I won’t worry about what they say.
We’re going to do that again someday. Mark my words.
Dad rushes up, followed by Hawke, Aro, Mace, Codi, and Coral.
I beam. “It was so much fun,” I say to my dad.
He fixes me with a look like I went far faster than was the plan, but I see a smile peek out as he helps remove my helmet and I take off my gloves.
“You’ve been racing,” he says. “Who taught you how to do that?”
I flash him a big, toothy smile, but I don’t unclench my teeth, and he knows he won’t find out the answer to that tonight. Maybe someday I’ll tell him about Farrow when I’m sure my dad won’t kill him.
Hell, if I can be coached by my dad, and mentored by Farrow and Noah, nothing will be able to stop me, much less catch me. Farrow and Noah have very different styles, though. I don’t think they’d work well together.
“Tuesdays and Thursdays, four to six,” Dad says. “Here at the track, you got it?”
I nod quickly. He’s training me?
He hands off my helmet to Aro. “And I’m setting you up with a personal trainer at Astrophysics,” he tells me.
I wince. “Exercise?”
He narrows his eyes, and I remove the expression from my face immediately. “I’m sorry, yes.”
All of his racers go to a trainer. It’s part of the program, and in this, he’s my coach. Not my dad.
He smiles a little and comes in, kissing my hair.
And then he backs away, making room for my friends.
The girls rush in. “That was awesome,” Coral blurts out.
“You were going so fast, I thought I was going to die,” Mace laughs.
I hug Aro and then look around. “Where’s Hunter?”
Aro shrugs. “I didn’t see him.”
I look to the others, and they shake their heads, having no idea.
But he was here.
Hunter
Kade drives us back to Weston, and I don’t know why I let him drive my car. I don’t even know why he asked. He hates old things.
“Is this an actual fucking radio?” He presses each knob, the dial darting left to right as he searches for music. “Not like a satellite radio or anything?”
He looks at me with an expression somewhere between confusion and pain etched on his brow. I shake with a quiet laugh and look out the window.
“Bench seats are useful, though,” he adds with a playful tone.
Yes, they are.
We drive back through town and cruise down High Street, toward the river.
“Why didn’t you wait for her?” he asks.
“She’s going to be celebrating.” I take out my phone and start scrolling. “Her friends and family are there.”
“You’re her friend,” he points out the obvious, “and her family.”
I turn to face him. “I wasn’t invited.”
“Her boyfriend doesn’t need an invitation.”
“I’m not her boyfriend.”
I don’t mean to sound defeatist, but she didn’t send anyone with a message, telling me to meet her at Fallstown. She said she’d be late. That’s it. It was me who decided I wanted to be there for her. She didn’t ask.
“Hunter…” he chides.
But I cut him off. “Look, I know, all right? But I also know I’ve told her I loved her twice, and she hasn’t said it back. Whatever the hell we’re doing is confusing for her or some shit. I’ll fight with her another day. Not tonight. She’s feeling too good.”
She looked incredible on that track.
But if she felt the same way I do, she would’ve said so.
“Girls don’t like to be the one chasing a guy,” he mumbles. “That’s all I’m saying.”
I rub my forehead and then exhale. “Why are you coming back with me?”
I sound aggravated, and I’m hoping he notices.
But he just grins. “What’s her name? Arlet?”
Oh, fuck no.
“We need to talk about that,” I say in a hard voice.
But he just laughs. “I didn’t mean to do it in your bed.”
“Bullshit.”
“She started getting handsy,” he tells me, “and when she found out I wasn’t you, she didn’t seem to care, and hey, neither did I.”
“So you decided to screw in my room on the off chance Dylan would see.”
It’s not a question.
He just kind of shrugs and winces at the same time. “You know I don’t think,” he explains. “I won’t do it again?”