Broken Hill Halo (Broken Hill High #2)

by Sheridan Anne

  We get into the garage to find Jesse in the driver’s seat, revving the engine while Nate stands at the front of the garage, blocking his only way out. “I fucking dare you,” Nate challenges with his hands on his hips.

  I see the determination in Jesse’s eyes to bowl him over, though, he’d never do something like that. Maybe to some dickhead who’d done him wrong, but never his big brother.

  The stare off remains with Jesse stirring shit and Nate calling him on his bullshit for what seems like forever when Brooke walks forward, shoves her hand through the window and cuts the engine. “If you wanted to see who has the biggest set of balls, why don’t you just stand side by side and drop your pants? I’ll judge and we can get this shit over and done with.”

  Jesse laughs as he gets out of Nate’s car. “I’m game,” he says.

  “I’m not dropping my pants for you,” Nate grunts as he walks forward and punches his brother, giving him a dead arm. “You’ll like it too much.”

  “That’s alright,” Jess says turning to face me and Brooke while he reaches for his belt. “I’m still happy to drop my pants.”

  “Ugh,” I say, shoving a hand over my eyes. “You really need to find yourself a girlfriend.”

  “No thanks,” he laughs as he does his belt back up. “I don’t need some bitch bringing that kind of drama into my life. I’m good.”

  I roll my eyes and turn back to Brooke. “Come on,” I tell her. “If you want to go to the race, then you better start getting ready now, otherwise you’ll never make it.”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” she says before tossing Nate’s keys to him. He plucks them out of the sky and follows us inside.

  We all head up the stairs together and Nate follows me and Brooke into my room. Brooke heads towards my closet while I go to the bathroom.

  Nate follows me right in before closing the door and locking it behind me. “What are you doing?” I question as he reaches for my shirt.

  “Finishing what I started,” he tells me before ripping the shirt over my head and crushing his lips to mine. He walks us into the shower and turns on the taps. A second later, he buries himself deep inside me and gives me that release I’ve been craving all afternoon.

  Chapter 2

  We drive down the dirt road towards the racing track with all the guys and Brooke piled into Jesse’s Range Rover behind us. The place is absolutely packed, even more so than usual, but I have to admit, I’m not surprised. This is just the way it is when the teenagers of Broken Hill know the Ryder brothers are going to be somewhere.

  Nate is the local celebrity around here with his bad boy reputation, good looks, and what he can do behind the wheel of a car, so it’s no surprise that everyone has shown up to watch him race. Though that’s the same everywhere I go with the Ryder brothers. There’re always people around wanting their attention, wanting to know where they plan on partying for the night, wanting to be the girl who either one of them takes home, wanting to be the guy that the boys spend their time with.

  It’s ridiculous really. Their popularity knows no bounds and since I entered their world, that attention has moved onto me, and to be honest, I don’t really like it. I mean, I wasn’t a doormat before, but being in the spotlight as Nate’s girlfriend is intense. I can’t even touch my stomach without a rumor starting that I’m knocked up and it’s only been a month.

  The girls have started showing their bitchy side, wanting to try and phaze me out, hoping that I’m too weak to survive being his girl. But it’s funny, the way Nate treated me over the past five years gave me a tough skin, so when it comes to teenage douchebaggery; I can handle just about anything.

  We drive further down the dirt road and rather than driving his car over towards the rest of the parked cars, Nate dives straight towards the crowd of people. Naturally, they all part like the legs of every cheerleader in Broken Hill and Nate ploughs straight through them. Nothing new there. “Dick move,” I laugh.

  The corners of his mouth lift up as he looks over at me. “I know,” he smirks.

  I roll my eyes and shake my head as he brings his car to a stop near the front of the track, giving us the best view.

  Nate cuts the engine and gets out of the car. I can’t help but notice that he left his packet of cigarettes behind and smile to myself. He’s been cutting down a lot lately and I know he’s doing it purely because I don’t like it which is great and all; I just wish he was doing it for himself.

  Nate stops at the front of his car and leans against the hood before looking back over his shoulder and giving me a ‘what the fuck are you doing’ look so I hurry myself up. I grab my phone out of the center console and push my way out the door. I slide the phone into my back pocket of my jeans before walking around the front of the car to Nate.

  The second I step into his side, his arm instantly slides around my waist and he pulls me into him, making the butterflies go apeshit in my stomach. You’d think that feeling would have started to fade by now, but it hasn’t, and I absolutely love it.

  “What were you doing?” he murmurs as his eyes focus on the blue car currently speeding around the track.

  “Nothing,” I tell him as his hand slides down from my waist and slips into the back pocket of my jeans. He removes my phone, solely so his hand can take possession of my ass. I nod towards the race. “Is this guy good?”

  He lifts his shoulder in a bored shrug. “He’s alright. He gave me a good run a few months back, but he’s nothing special.”

  “Who are you against tonight?”

  He cranes his neck around, searching out his opponent when he indicates across the track to a white Camaro. I gasp as I take it in. It’s exactly the same car as Nate’s, just in white. “You’ve got the same cars.”

  “Yep,” he says. “Tonight is going to come down to who’s a better racer.”

  “True,” I smile. “But I bet he hasn’t built his car as good as yours, though.”

  He scoffs as he smirks down at me. “You’re just pointing out the obvious, babe.”

  “You could at least pretend to not have such a big ego.”

  His eyes flame as he watches me. “Now, what fun would that be?”

  I roll my eyes and have to give him credit for not making a joke about what else of his is big as our group of friends finally make their way over to us. “Sup, fuckers?” Maxen cheers with his arm thrown over Brooke’s shoulder and a half empty beer in his hand.

  They expertly weave their way through the crowd of people desperate to get their attention and come to a standstill beside us. Jesse leans against the hood of Nate’s car and looks out towards the track. “Shit, man,” he says. “You’re up against Noah.”

  “You don’t need to sound so nervous,” Nate grunts.

  Jesse looks over my head at his brother. “I’m not,” he defends. “It’s just going to be a close one.”

  Parker scoffs. “Noah’s good, but he’s not that good.”

  Nate puffs up his chest with his friend’s encouragement. “True,” he smirks.

  “Jesus,” I laugh as I look around the boys. “It’s no wonder Nate has such a big head.”

  “You don’t think I’ll win?” he questions as he looks down at me.

  “I know you’ll win,” I grin. “I’m just pointing out that you could stand to deflate your ego a little.”

  “That’s never going to happen.”

  I go to tease him some more when Brooke’s ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhing’ draws my attention away. I turn to find her attention solely on the blue car that continues speeding around the track with expert precision as it whoops its opponent’s ass.

  The driver approaches the final corner and hits the gas as he drifts around the dirt bend with the sound of the engine drowning out the crowd’s roar. “Wow, he’s good,” I murmur as he completes the corner and flies down the final straight.

  Nate scoffs with distaste beside me and has me wondering who the hell the driver of the blue car is. The guy shoots forward through the fini
sh line and hits the brake. I watch as a cloud of dust shoots up behind him and a moment later, he comes to a stop before people everywhere start cheering and heading his way.

  With the amount of attention and cheers the guy is getting, he’s clearly popular and I watch with interest as the door opens and the guy climbs out. My back stiffens as a strange familiarity comes over me. I’ve seen this guy before.

  I narrow my eyes as I try to place him when it all comes back. He’s the guy I’d thought was hot a few weeks ago at Nate and Jesse’s party. Though, I can’t quite place his name. It started with a J. John maybe? Jake? Jackson? Yes. Jackson. That’s it.

  From what Nate had said that night, the guy is a real douchebag and is the definition of trouble. He came over to me with the arrogance of an asshole and insisted I leave with him, even after Nate had claimed me with his arm around my waist and his fingers dipping into the top of my shorts. I still recall the way my skin burned under his touch that night. It was intoxicating. Nothing has changed.

  Distaste starts to spread over me as I watch Jackson with his friends. I recognize a few of them from the public school and I’m assuming by the way they’re all hovering around him like he’s some kind of king, means he’s the Nate of the public school. The designated bad boy. And judging by the way Nate is scowling across at him, there’s no love between these two.

  “I take that back,” I tell Nate. “He handles his car like a pussy.”

  “That’s more like it,” he grunts before pulling his hand out from my back pocket.

  “You’re up, Nate,” Tyson says from beside Jesse. “Show that fucker there’s only room for one kickass Camaro around here.”

  Nate grins as he walks around to his door. I look back and watch as he opens the door and leans against the open frame. “What are you doing?” he says. “Get your ass in the car.”

  “Huh?” I grunt as I stare at him. “I’m not racing with you.”

  “Bullshit. Get in.”

  “No way in hell,” I tell him as I step back into Jesse, wanting to get as far away from those hypnotic eyes that could make me do just about anything. I mean, I’ve been with him while he was racing twice now and while it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen, it’s absolutely terrifying. “I’m staying right here.”

  His eyes soften and he gives me the bad boy version of puppy dog eyes which is so damn hot. “Please?” he smiles.

  I shake my head as I walk around to him. I step right up into him and tilt my chin up. “You’re on your own for this one,” I tell him as his arms circle around my waist.

  “It was worth a try,” he murmurs as his lips come down on mine. He kisses me deeply and I melt into him. All too soon, he pulls away and drops down into his car. I step back to allow him to close the door and a moment later, the engine comes to life with a deafening sound that sets off a few car alarms.

  A grin rips across my face as I look down at him through the open window. “Go get ‘em, tiger,” I say before the laughter claims me.

  He shakes his head and winks before pushing his car forward through the people and heading down towards the starting line.

  I squish myself beside Brooke and take her drink out of her hand before taking a sip. “This is going to be a good one,” she says, practically bouncing on her toes.

  “I know,” I say nervously. I mean, I know he’s going to win, but I can’t help the jittery nerves that flow through me.

  Jesse comes up on my other side and throws his heavy arm over my shoulder. “He’s got this is the bag,” he tells me as the white Camaro pulls in beside his matte black one, revving his engine to try and intimidate Nate, though, that shit will never work on a guy like Nate. He has balls of steel.

  “He should be racing for keeps,” Parker says. “He could use that heap of shit for spare parts.”

  “Fuck yeah,” Jesse laughs. “He better fucking win. Ty put money down on this race.”

  Their blasé attitude helps with my nerves, right up until the skanky blonde in hooker heels, a skirt with her ass cheeks hanging out the bottom, and a set of fake tits squished into a black, string bikini steps between the two cars. She walks forward and holds up a handkerchief, ready to start the race.

  My back stiffens with anticipation and has Jesse nudging me. “Chill out. Our boy’s going to kill it.”

  “I can’t help it,” I tell him.

  A moment later, the handkerchief comes down and Nate takes off like a bat out of hell. The sound of the Camaros is deafening and the dirt spilling up behind them is incredible. The crowd goes nuts and it’s clear they’re all cheering for their favorite bad boy as Brooke latches onto my hand. She squeezes it and I squeeze hers right back.

  Jesse and the boys holler out all sorts of obscene shit as Nate pushes his car in front of Noah’s. They hit the first corner and Nate cuts it in while Noah goes a little too wide and puts distance between them.

  I can’t see Nate’s face from here but I don’t doubt he’d be grinning and shaking his head at Noah’s rookie error. Nate takes off after the bend and leaves Noah behind in a cloud of dust. From there, his win just becomes more and more inevitable.

  My body starts to relax and I start jumping up and down, screaming out Nate’s name. I mean while being in the car during the race is an experience I’ll never forget, being out in the open and watching every tiny little detail as it plays out is incredible. I can see the way the dust comes up as Nate’s tires spin under the harsh spotlights and how Nate manages to outsmart his opponents and expertly races the track.

  Being out in the crowd and being a part of the atmosphere during his race is intoxicating. Everybody watching the same thing and cheering for the same guy. There’s nothing better.

  Though, I could be wrong, watching him cross the finish line and turning the white Camaro brown with dust is pretty damn good. A smile is permanently etched on my face as Jesse and I scream out for Nate. “Fuck yeah,” he laughs as he grabs my hand and hauls me away from Brooke.

  I struggle to keep up with him as he bounds down toward the finish line, pushing everyone else out of his way in his need to get to his brother. “Did you fucking see that?” he throws over his shoulder. “He smoked him.”

  The smile on my face is starting to hurt my cheeks and the laughter hasn’t stopped. “Hell yeah, he did.”

  We get down to the race track which is when I notice the rest of the group have followed down behind us.

  Nate gets out of his car and the cocky grin on his face as he searches me out has my panties bursting into flames. I mean, how the hell did I ever get this lucky? Girls all over Broken Hill would sell their souls to the devil to get the slightest taste of what I’ve got.

  Jesse barrels into him and knocks him back into the side of his car with his momentum before he claps him on the back. The rest of the guys join in and celebrate as Brooke and I stand back, terrified to get in the middle of that muscle sandwich.

  Nate groans and pushes the guys off before he reaches out and pulls me into him. I stretch up onto my tippy toes and grin up at him. “That was hot,” I tell him.

  He presses his lips down onto mine as his hand winds down around my body and grabs my ass. “You’re fucking wet, aren’t you?” he murmurs against my lips for only me to hear.

  “Take me home and find out.”

  He groans low in his throat as he kisses me again, and a minute later, Brooke is there pulling me off him. “Come on,” she says. “Stop being such a hussy. I need another drink and then we're going to that party.”

  I pout as she rips me away from Nate. I’d forgotten about Phoenix’s party in all the excitement. All I want to do is go home to Nate’s bed and never come out again, though, it’s going to have to wait until we’ve partied the night away. After all, I have all the time in the world to enjoy Nate.

  “Go with them,” I hear Nate say as we start wandering off into the rush of bodies. A moment later Max is there and scoops Brooke up and over his shoulder. She squeals out but the squeal is
taken over by her laughter as she smacks Maxen’s ass.

  “Put me down, you big ass,” she says.

  He spanks her ass and leaves her there as he leads me up to Jesse’s Range Rover where Brooke has stashed all her girly drinks. Max finally puts her down and she dives into the car to get her drink.

  I wait patiently as she rifles through her things and sticks her hand out of the open doorway, passing me a drink. I gratefully accept it and wait again as she touches up her lip gloss.

  As I wait, I feel someone’s eyes on me and I can’t help but look around all the abandoned cars. I find the culprit a few cars down with his arm over some girl, watching me curiously. Jackson grins at me when he notices I’ve caught him staring before giving me a knowing wink and setting his attention on the girl.

  A shiver runs through me and I start to feel dirty. I don’t like that he remembers who I am, though, I was probably the only girl he’s ever set his sights on that he never got, add that to the fact that Nate is my boyfriend and all that does is make me a target for sick games. Though, I’m kind of hoping he doesn’t give a shit and he’s just trying to get a rise out of me, which has clearly worked.

  I shake it off and pay attention to the drink in my hand as Brooke finishes doing whatever the hell she’s doing.

  We get back down to the crowd and find everyone after they moved away from the finish line. Though it’s not hard, we just follow the noise.

  We watch a few more races and after Nate declares that he’s done here, we head out and twenty minutes later, he pulls up onto the front lawn of Phoenix’s house, not giving a shit about the people who have to scram out of his way.

  Chapter 3

  Nate and I step through the door to Phoenix’s place and all eyes turn our way before a flurry of activity takes over. Some people scram out of Nate’s way, terrified of becoming his next victim while others hurry towards him, desperately wanting his attention. Drinks are thrusts into our hands, fists are bumped, and backs are slapped.