by L. E. Bross
I swing my gaze back to the boys in question and now there are three sets of eyes staring at me. I catch X’s gaze and he salutes me with a fry before popping it into his mouth. Baz just stares like I’m a puzzle he’s trying to solve. But Riot?
I find myself pinned in place by one royally pissed off boy. He’s not even pretending to pay attention to the girl at his side now. If looks could kill I’d be on the floor taking my last breath. Riot looks ready to come up out of his chair even with the girl clinging to his arm.
When she notices he’s not paying attention she follows his gaze to me.
Her eyes narrow minutely but I don’t really care about her. I’m too caught up in the way Riot makes my heart pound. Damn him, not only for having that fuckall attitude, but for being one of the hottest guys I’ve ever met.
A lethal combination for someone like me.
His expression changes suddenly and he slides his fingers behind her neck and pulls her closer. My heart thunders in my ears and I grip my burger so tight that it falls into pieces on my tray.
He says something in her ear that has her nodding, then he pushes up from the table and gives me an over the shoulder smirk as he saunters out of the room, the boys on his heels.
“Ummm,” Meri whispers in my ear. “What the fuck was that?”
I’m still battling to get myself under control when I look over at her.
“It’s nothing. We don’t get along. He hates me for some reason.”
She huffs out a laugh. “Well he might hate you, but that boy wanted to throw you down on the nearest table and fuck your brains out, too.”
Now it’s my turn to laugh, even though my pulse races at the thought. “You’re clearly delusional.”
She studies my face until I’m forced to look at my mangled lunch.
“Hate sex can be really hot,” she says under her breath.
Her gaze strays to Trey. He hasn’t taken his eyes off her and I can see it brewing in his eyes. He’s not happy that she ditched him for me. I’m not sure how a guy like him got someone so sweet.
She winks at her boyfriend who narrows his eyes before turning to the guys next to him, effectively ignoring Meri for the rest of lunch.
It only seems to make her happier.
I know they say opposites attract but I find that like attracts like to be truer. When I look up, I see Luc watching me, interest now burning hot behind his eyes.
He’s where my focus needs to be. I give him a coy smile, then take my tray and stand. Meri comes with me, despite the protest of her boyfriend. As I’m dumping my garbage into the bin, the bell rings.
“I am so getting some later tonight,” Meri tells me as we walk out of the cafeteria. From the way Trey is looking at her ass, I’d say she’s right.
Meri and I part ways after lunch and I head to my afternoon classes. X is in my study hall and AP Environmental Science and I brace for the attitude, but he sits on the opposite side of the room and never even glances at me. I get my assignments and pack everything up and when I push out of my seat, he’s gone.
Seriously. Whiplash.
I don’t see any of them in the halls and by the time I’m walking to my car, my neck is prickling. I expect one of them to jump out at any minute, but the worry is all for nothing because their car is gone.
“Ever!”
I spin around as Meri rushes up to my car.
“Are we still on for tonight? Pick you up around eight?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
“Oh and in case you were wondering, Luc races.”
With a wink, she takes off and I climb into my convertible.
It’s time to take control and start what I came here to do.
“Holy hotness,” Meri gushes when I open my bedroom door.
“You’re one to talk.”
I look over the outfit she has on and suddenly feel underdressed. She’s rocking a tiny mini with ruffles along the bottom and thigh-high fishnets hooked to visible garters. The sleeveless top she has on drapes open, exposing half her cleavage. And her boots. I may have drooled a little when I saw them. Supple black leather with a chunky heel that lace up to her knees.
She’s pulled her red hair into a high ponytail and there’s glitter on her eyelids. My choice of ripped skinny jeans and a lace-trimmed tank seem a little amateurish. At least I have on black ankle boots to dress it up a little.
She takes my hand and spins me around, letting out a whistle.
“You have a great ass. I’m jealous.”
I eye her cleavage. I don’t even have to wear a bra unless I’m trying to push the girls up.
“Trade you for your tits,” I say with a subconscious laugh. Maybe I should put on a different shirt.
“No way. You have this biker pixie look that all the guys are going batshit for. Trust me. I saw the way they were looking at you today. Especially you know who. And you’re the kind of girl they can pick up and wear.”
My mouth falls open and I choke out a laugh. I have no idea what that even means.
“You know, bounce, bounce.” She gyrates her hips and makes the motion that clears it all up. “Trey and I tried the against the wall sex. I almost broke his dick. Let me just tell you that it’s a hell of a lot harder than porn makes it look. But you, you could totally pull it off and they know it.”
The envious look she sends me has me laughing even harder.
I’ve never had a girlfriend before and Meri, she’s something else. She sees my expression and giggles.
“I lack a filter. Sorry. Something pops into my mind and I say it. It makes me lovable and quirky, right?”
I like her.
“Totally quirky.”
“So you ready? The race starts in thirty.”
An excited shiver races over my arms. I may have watched the guys loading their bikes into the huge pickup an hour ago. The sound of laughter drew me to my balcony and I watched unabashedly.
They moved like they’d done it a thousand times, and probably they had. I couldn't keep my gaze from Riot. He looked looser. Every time he’d grin at one of his brothers, my pulse would leap. He has a sexy as fuck smile.
And whatever they were wearing? Hot with a capital H. It’s what they had on the other night in the kitchen, some kind of one-piece jumper. They had the tops unzipped and hanging down around their waists.
The best part was that they were bare chested.
Again.
I’m getting used to this.
It’s criminal how chiseled they all are. X has more muscles with football player wide shoulders, Baz on the leaner side, like a swimmer. Riot is right in the middle. And there was enough tanned skin and solid six-packs between them to make a girl seriously drunk.
But not me.
I’m definitely not thinking about any of them wearing me right now.
Not at all.
“Ready?” Meri asks again and I pull myself out of the wicked thoughts.
“Yep.”
I’ve never watched a bike race except on TV. I’m kind of excited to see if it’s as cool as it looks. I’m pretty sure that the camera angles make the jumps appear a lot higher than they really are.
We get to the bottom of the stairs and the office door swings open. Peter pokes his head out of the office.
“Ever, do you have a second?”
I glance at Meri who nods. “I’ll wait in the car. Hello, Mr. Panchard.”
“Hello, Merideth. How’s your mother?”
“Busy as always.”
She gives him a half wave and scoots out the door.
“How was your first day at Neverly?”
He crosses his arms and leans against the doorjamb. His eyes are tired and bloodshot and his shirt full of wrinkles and untucked. In a word, he’s a mess. Behind him I see a half-empty bottle of whiskey on his desk.
“It was good. Nothing like I expected.”
He nods, distracted by something in his head. I wait but he stays quiet.
“I should go.
Meri is waiting.”
That snaps him out of his thoughts. “Did you meet Lucas Hook?”
Though I never got an actual introduction, he knows who I am. I also know he’ll be at the race tonight where I plan on making sure of it.
“Yes.”
“Good. That’s good.” Peter drags his fingers through his hair and it’s sticking up in all directions when he takes a step back and shuts the door without another word.
I stare at the wood for a few seconds.
Okay then, I guess our conversation is over.
I can’t get a clear read on Peter Panchard. He’s so lost in his grief that he barely sees his boys. He must know that they notice. Hell, I’m a stranger and I’ve already seen the way they push him to try to get a reaction. The way their eyes follow him when he leaves the room.
I shake my head and spin around. The whole point of going to watch the race tonight is to meet Luc. Get close, steal this timepiece and finally find Belle.
“Eyes on the prize, Ever, not the hot boys with daddy issues,” I mutter to myself, yanking open the front door.
Meri waits next to a tricked out purple Jeep and waves when she sees me. Like I could ever miss it. She has the top and the doors off and the wide tires make it look like some macho dude should be driving it. I might doubt who it belonged to except there are sparkly pink dice hanging from the mirror. That and the fact that Meri is stroking her hand over the hood.
“Do you like my baby? She was my eighteenth birthday present. My family isn’t nearly as rich as all this,” she waves her hand at the house behind me, “but my dad does all right and I am an only child.”
She bats her eyelashes until I laugh.
“Her name is Belle. Isn’t it weird how cars are girls…”
I stumble and my hip slams into the side of the Jeep, but Meri doesn't notice as she walks around the front and then climbs into the driver’s seat, still talking. There’s a buzzing in my ears that takes a minute to clear.
Hearing my sister’s name so causally took me by surprise. I haven't heard anyone else say it in months. It’s like I’m the only one who remembers her.
“Ever?”
I look up to see Meri paused, watching me with a strange expression.
“Are you afraid of riding without doors? I have them in the back if you want me to put them back on.”
I blink against the tears that always start to burn my eyes when I think about Belle. “No, this is cool. Sorry, it’s just...my sister’s name is Belle. I…” I swallow against the lump in my throat and decide to share a tiny bit with my new friend. “I haven’t seen her for about six months.”
Her face falls and fills with sadness. “I’m so sorry. You don’t have to tell me about it now, but if you need to talk I’m here, okay? I mean, I know you just met me but I’d like to think that we bonded over our mutual love of chocolate milk.” She gives me a smile that lets me know she isn’t going to push but the invitation is there.
I smile back gratefully.
It’s been awhile since I’ve talked about Belle. Nate got sick of hearing about her and told me to stop. There are a lot of happy memories that make me smile. I should focus on those more often.
“I’d like that. Maybe over ice cream one day after school.”
She smiles at me and I climb in and fasten my seatbelt. I don’t think I’ve ever had a friend like Meri. It was always Belle and me and I didn't have time for much else. The foster families were always more interested in the check than us, but that was okay. We had each other.
I think I clung to Nate so hard so I wouldn’t be alone.
He wasn’t a long-term solution, but I think he thought he was.
But that part of my life is over and done.
“So,” Meri says, putting the Jeep into gear and heading down the driveway, “you ready to see how Neverly does fun on a Monday night? Hold on, girl, it’s gonna get wild.”
With a wink and a laugh, she pulls out of the gate and takes a left onto the main road. Almost immediately she takes another left onto a gravel road. The sun has started to sink and in the thick canopy of the trees, it looks like night already.
“Is it safe to ride bikes at night?”
Meri looks over at me and giggles, but says nothing as she maneuvers what looks to be nothing more than a pathway now. Branches whip by so close I could touch them and when we hit a rut, my teeth clack together so hard that it echoes in my head.
Meri whoops and I grab onto the roll bar over my head. She’s kind of crazy.
The road comes to end and the headlights cut through tall grass where there is no visible path.
“Umm, are you sure you know where you’re going?”
It’s hard to talk when your body is being jostled all over the place. Maybe I should have asked her to put on the doors after all, because the way she drives makes me fear being thrown out.
Darkness surrounds us and the air is noticeably cooler. It’s impossible to see more than five feet in front of the Jeep, but Meri doesn’t slow down. I really hope she knows where she’s going. Just when I start to doubt her sense of direction, the field ends at the crest of a small hill.
My mouth falls open.
Holy. Shit.
“I brought you in the back way because it’s so worth the view your first time,” she says, slowing the Jeep to a stop so I can take it all in.
It’s amazing. The dirt track snakes around following the natural landscape. It winds around in a series of hills and valleys and steep curves and even from here, I can see that the hills are bigger than they look on TV. Stadium lights illuminate every inch of the track and the crowds milling around.
Bikes race around, the whine of the engines going high and low, faster than it looks safe to do. I hold my breath every time one jumps off a hill and goes airborne, then exhale only after it touches down safely.
I swear my stomach contracts like I’m the one on the bikes.
There’s so much going on I don’t know where to look next. Every time a racer zips by, my head twists to follow. I feel like a cat watching a flock of birds. Meri was right, this is exciting.
“They’re just warming up now, when they race it’s a lot faster and a hell of a lot hotter.”
I turn back to the view. The boys are down there somewhere but try as I might, I can’t pick them out of the pack. Meri puts the Jeep in gear and drives us down the hill, parking at the back of a line of cars.
There are people everywhere. Most look our age but there are a handful that look older. Meri notices me looking.
“The ones who didn’t go to college hang out here. No one cares ‘cause they bring the beer.” She motions toward several coolers sitting on the ground near the open tailgate of a truck. A guy is handing out beers to the people slapping money into his hand.
“Two bucks a can.” Meri pulls some cash out of her pocket. “You want one?”
I hate the taste of beer. “I’m good.”
She comes back a minute later with two cans and hands me one. I’m about to refuse when I see it's just a Coke. She grabs my hand and pulls me through a bunch of people until we come to a stop next to the track. Bikes whiz by us, so much louder than before, and Meri suddenly waves to one of the riders.
He gives her thumbs up then pops the throttle and the front wheel lifts off the ground for a few seconds. I have to admit I’m impressed even if he is an asshole.
“So why don’t the cops come out here? They can’t be that oblivious.” And I’m sure I smelled pot a few times, too. This place, with all the underage drinking, would be a cop’s wet dream.
“Trey races,” she says. “His dad is the sheriff. And that guy,” she points back at the one she bought the beer from, “is Trey’s older brother, Matt.”
“That's handy.”
She grins big. “Right? So what do you think so far?”
She pops the top and swallows half the can before coming up for air. The loudest burp ever erupts from her throat and she giggles.
Maybe Meri was right. Maybe I put a little too much stock in angst-ridden movie plots.
“This is wild.” I look around again, slower this time, getting lost in the way everyone is having fun. Parties at Nate’s always had an undertone of business. I tried to keep out of the gang part of his life, but it was right there all the time. No escape.
This, all of this, feels normal.
These are teenagers being teenagers.
It makes me smile.
“Come on, you need a front-row seat for this.”
Meri grabs my hand pulls me around the people who are crowding around the track. A guy grunts when she elbows her way through and tosses her a glare before he sees who it is. He gives her a nod, then takes a step back and turns away to talk to his friend.
“What was that?” I ask in her ear.
“The benefit of dating the brother of the beer guy.”
She winks but I’m sure it has more to do with the fact that her boyfriend’s dad is the sheriff.
As we make our way trackside, I see curious stares aimed in our direction. Hear the whispers that follow behind us.
She’s the one who lives with them.
They didn’t act like they knew each other at school today.
I wonder where she came from.
I’d trade places with her in a hot second.
Meri stops and motions to several bales of hay stacked high enough that we can sit and watch the race with a great view.
Bikes continue to race past and I think I see a familiar looking one, but I’m not sure. Soon after, the track clears and no more bikes pass.
Meri bounces up and down like a toddler on sugar.
“It’s time. Okay so they go around the track twenty times and whoever crosses the finish line first wins. Your boy is in the second race and he always wins.”
She gives me a cheeky grin while I glare. I don’t have a boy.
“I don’t have a boy.” I say it out loud so I’ll believe it, too. “Besides, I’m here to watch Luc.”