by CJ Adler
I watch Grey as the three of them near the finishing line. I've seen him race a few times before. He's usually brilliant at maneuvering away from the heat, but it seems Xavier is getting to him. It almost looks like Grey is not in full control of his car.
Jay must notice Grey's peculiar driving as well because he suddenly applies the brakes and begins slowing down as if to wait for Grey and Xavier to catch up.
What are you doing, Taylor?
Before Grey even gets the chance to catch up, Xavier, without warning, swerves into him at full force, pushing him right off the road. Nancy gasps aloud at the sight of Grey's car skidding violently across the grass.
My eyes widen as it dawns on me. This is exactly what Jay was talking about. He predicted this. Xavier is getting even.
Jay does a straight 180 turn and heads back for Grey instead of just crossing the finish line. Sometimes, there are more important things in life than winning.
“It's alright. He's okay. Grey's fine,” I reassure Nancy, unconvinced myself.
Xavier deliberately goes off course in full speed and hits into Grey a second time. Grey's car goes hurtling across the grass roughly on impact, spinning in uncontrollable circles before coming to a complete stop. The crowds fall silent in shock. We all wait for Grey to step out of the car, but he doesn't.
“Or maybe not,” I correct myself, my gaze drifting to his smashed car, fuel leaking everywhere.
Why is there fuel leaking?
I pull Nancy's hands away from her eyes as it hits me. “I think Xavier sabotaged Grey's car in an act of revenge!” It would explain why Grey's been having a tough time racing today. It would also explain why he hasn't been in full control of his car on these last couple of laps.
It's when I see the crowds gasping in fright that I refocus my attention back to the race at hand, only to see Xavier preparing to crash into Grey a third time. He's going to seriously injure Grey if he keeps at it. This is out of hand.
“Get help out there!” Someone shouts out frantically, fearful of what could happen next. “That kid is out of control!”
Xavier reverses back, getting ready to race forward and hit Grey.
Jay, applying full speed, takes a sharp turn, skidding through Grey's fuel yet still somehow managing to keep in control of his car. He puts his foot all the way down on the accelerator before swerving right in front of Xavier as if to block him from hitting Grey.
I watch on in horror as Jay takes the hit for his 'acquaintance'.
In spite of Xave slamming on brakes, Jay's car still goes spiraling out of control. Time seems to slow when his Gallardo, light in weight, flips over on collision. It rolls vehemently, several times, before coming to a brutal halt, leaving his car upside down.
Fortunately, Grey's being helped out of his car by some people. However, he's furious and already making a beeline for Xavier upon seeing what the idiot just did.
While everyone holds their breaths in anticipation, I'm already running down to the tracks, completely ignoring Nancy's calls to come back. I scale the fences effortlessly, Nancy not far behind me, and head straight for Jay's car.
My heart is beating erratically as pure panic sets in. I'm having a hard time remembering how to breathe. I don't think I've ever been so terrified – not even with
Yolanda's abuse, not even when my father walked out on us.
By the time I get to the smashed Gallardo, Jay's already managed to get himself out. The crowds begin cheering in relief. There's some blood trailing down his forehead and he's limping slightly but, other than that, he seems to be alright. He's in one piece and that's all I care about.
I sprint over to him and practically throw myself into his arms, latching onto him tightly. He leans his weight against me, glad to have the support. A soft chuckle resonates from his chest as he tries to make light of the dark moment. “Did you actually just sprint for me?” he teases, knowing that I despise all forms of exercise. “In my books, that qualifies as a new milestone for you.”
I pull away from him, unable to find it within me to laugh or even shed a smile. I meet his gaze, falling silent. His eyes shine like a sea of silver on a hot day, the silver glimmering beneath the sun as each wave of blue takes me a little further under his spell. I'm lured in a little deeper until I'm drowning in the abyss of blue with no way out but through him.
I love him.
He was willing to take the plunge for Grey, knowing beforehand that he'd get hurt. His continuous acts of selflessness tell me who he is at heart. He's the kind of person that will take a bullet for a stranger.
A lopsided smile forms on his lips before tipping up into that rare smirk of his as mischief twinkles through his blue eyes. “Do I get a sympathy kiss?” he asks, a playful grin dancing across his lips.
I lift my hand and shoot it across his face, slapping him instead. His head whips to the side on impact and I almost feel guilty.
Jay freezes, turning his head back to me, before slowly lifting his hand to rub his cheek. “Not gonna lie, did not see that coming,” he mutters as if at a total loss, not really all that fazed by my actions; I think the adrenaline and aftershock are still having an effect on him.
“That's for just about giving me a heart attack!” I scold him. “Next time, don't you dare sacrifice yourself for Grey!”
“Can feel the love from all the way over here, Lawson! I'll remember that the next time you need me for one of your stupid ploys!” Grey calls over to me from a small distance away upon overhearing my conversation with Jay.
He's still searching for Xavier but Xavier's already long gone. Xavier is smart enough to know when to run. If I see him, I will kill him; that's if Grey doesn't get to him first. I don't know if Grey's more angry about his stuffed up car or Jay, his stuffed up friend.
As for me, I'm just thankful that neither Jay nor Grey has sustained any serious injuries in spite of their demolished cars. Racers are quite the resilient bunch, I'll give them that. Accidents are always expected when it comes to racing. Nonetheless, being prepared for it doesn't make it any easier. I honestly don't know how I'd cope if I ever lost Jay. I wouldn't be able to do the whole 'life' thing without him.
My eyes dart back to Jay's Gallardo, my heart speeding up at the sight.
Jay turns his head and follows my gaze, guessing my thoughts. He turns back to face me. “I think it can be fixed,” he says, motioning to the car with his eyes in another attempt to distract me from what we both know I was just thinking about.
I'm about to reply when an ear-splitting explosion silences me, rubble and debris flying left, right, and center.
“Yeah…” I drawl, pausing dramatically for effect, “I don't think so.”
His car just burst into flames. Thankfully, we're at a safe distance away from the fire busy consuming it.
Jay forces a smile as if to comfort me. “I guess I'm going to need a new car then, huh?” he jokes, his expression strained and downcast. He really really loved that car.
I trace his jaw with my fingertips as if to recapture his attention. “The car is replaceable,” I assure him. “You're not,” I say in conviction before tilting his face down to me so that I can give him that sympathy kiss he's been asking for.
“Cops!” Someone shouts, interrupting our moment.
Jay and I spring apart, only to see all the crowds disperse in a hurry as the sirens of police cars go off; someone must have tipped them off. Everyone makes a run for their cars, leaving those without cars behind. Even if we did have a car, Jay's not fit to drive. He's still out of it.
I glance around to see that Grey's gone, Nancy's gone, and even the racing siblings, Landon and Emma, have split. We're alone. The entire championships has just dismantled in seconds.
“Run!” Jay shouts at me, grabbing ahold of my hand as he tugs me after him.
We're not fast enough on foot. A cop car stops directly in front of us.
Flip! We're probably going to be taken into custody for illegal street racing. It w
ill be my second time in jail with Jay. History repeats itself.
Just as the cop gets ready to round us up, a black Gallardo pulls up beside us. The window rolls down, only for Xavier's face to come into view. He's wearing his signature smirk as he unlocks the doors and beckons us forward.
“Get in, losers.”
Chapter 59
Unsolvable
“I hope you know that I'm still going to roundhouse kick your face in for wrecking my Gallardo,” Jay informs Xavier from the back seat. He's still infuriated. I don't blame him. Xavier could have killed Grey and Jay with his reckless attitude.
“Same here,” Grey adds, agreeing with Jay.
Seeing as Grey doesn't have a car anymore either, Xavier took the liberty of picking him and Nancy up as well. They're all squashed in the back, Nancy being in the middle of the boys. I, of course, am up front because I'm awesome and because I pestered Grey into swapping seats with me. I'm sure he'd be happier in the back next to Nancy in any case.
Emma and Landon are driving behind us to make sure that the cops are off our tails. Xavier's been speeding ever since we left. He doesn't want to take any chances, thus, he refuses to step on the brakes and slow down.
“I know,” Xavier groans from beside me. “But, c'mon, I just saved you all from a life in prison,” he tries to reason, looking for a way out seeing as he's practically a dead man.
He made enemies with the wrong people: Grey's just plain cruel and Jay has a temper. Nancy is feisty and Landon literally beats people up for the fun of it. Landon obeys Emma, enough said about Emma. As for me, I'm like a teddy bear— a teddy bear made of stone, that is.
“Which is why we're going to beat you to a pulp but still spare your life,” Jay answers coldly, unimpressed by Xavier's little rescue mission.
“Speak for yourself. I want him dead,” Grey disagrees this time 'round.
Jay's always the more lenient of the two. He's quite forgiving when he wants to be. Grey, on the other hand, loves to hold his grudges—Grey the Grudge Holder, or just Grey The Grudge.
“Dead, dead, dead,” Grey states as if talking about murder is the norm for him.
“Grey!” Nancy swats him on the arm, surprised by his blunt rudeness.
Does this girl even know him?!
Xavier swallows nervously upon hearing Grey's threat. “I lost my temper. I didn't mean to go that far. In my defense, JT riled me up before the race. Plus, you punched me. You guys took a shot at me first,” he points out, his twisted way of apologizing. “Not my fault you went down swinging.”
“You tried to kill us,” Grey repeats casually. “You're dead.”
Jay sighs at Grey. “Lay off, man. Your car wasn't drowning in fire like mine. You can fix your ride. I should be angrier than you. I had to actually pay for my car.” Jay's been cranky ever since the run-in with his foster dad. I'm surprised he's managed to keep it all together for this long. How he's defending Xavier…I don't know. He's a softy at heart.
“You cutting him slack?” Grey scoffs as if he can't believe what he's hearing. “He literally tried to kill us, even sabotaged my car.”
“I didn't try to kill you guys, let's just clear that up.” Xavier quickly jumps to his own defense. “I just wanted to see the both of you lose. After I crashed into Grey, I kind of just lost it and kept going. I knew, from experience, that he would be perfectly fine, so I wasn't all that concerned. My mistake was with JT.”
“Sure was,” Jay mutters, still feeling the pain after the crash.
Xavier glances at Jay from the rearview mirror. “I never even meant to hit you, JT. You chose to get in the way for Grey's sake. Bumping you was unintentional. I couldn't slam on the brakes in time. I never meant for your car to flip and roll. I regret what I did,” he explains, discreetly apologizing. He will never be upfront about it, but he feels guilty.
“Nah. You're still dead. I ain't falling for this bull,” Grey persists on with his death threats.
“I'll replace both your cars?” Xavier offers in a last attempt to save himself from Grey's wrath.
“Deal,” Grey agrees, changing his mind. “I'll allow your existence to continue on for a little longer.”
“I'm down with that,” Jay agrees to the offer too. He'll do absolutely anything to get his beloved car back.
I reach out and clout Xavier over the head for the hell of it. “You ever hurt Jay again and I will end you,” I warn venomously.
Grey coughs loudly as if to capture my attention. I roll my eyes before adding, “And Grey.”
Grey grins at this, satisfied.
“Yeah, yeah, Kitten, whatever floats your boat,” Xavier chuckles, not taking me seriously.
“I would not push it if I were you, my man. She has a backhand and she can pack a punch harder than Grey,” Jay warns him like the nice guy he is. “Yeah right!” Grey scoffs.
“I'll believe it when I see it,” Xavier retorts, refusing to believe him.
He'll see it soon enough!
“I literally got slapped across the face for doing the right thing,” Jay states, persistent. “Trust me, I wouldn't cross her boundaries. Even she has her limits.”
“Pshaw! Limits are for losers! I'm a badass!” I interject.
Grey slaps his forehead in frustration. “No, you're not,” he argues.
Nancy changes the subject before an argument can break out. “So, who actually won then?”
I shake my head at her. “Oh, Nance, if that was your way of stopping a debate, you went about it all the wrong way.” This girl has a lot to learn. She definitely needs to hang around more.
“Me,” Grey answers with ease, having no doubt about it in his mind.
“No way! You were behind me. I'm obviously the winner, you idiot,” Xavier argues.
“You were both way behind me. I was lapping the both of you,” Jay pipes up, a mischievous grin on his face, well aware of what he's doing.
“I would have won if you didn't sabotage my car, you in-bred!” Grey continues arguing with Xavier.
They both ignore Jay flat.
“Keep telling yourself that. What's your excuse for losing all the other times?” Xavier asks cockily.
“What was yours?” Jay shoots back at Xavier, defending Grey.
“Shut up, JT!” Xavier snaps, aggravated. “You're not a part of this.”
“Why the hell not?” Jay questions with a grin. “Just because I'm better than you?”
I zone out of their bickering and answer my ringing phone. “What's up, Bella Bells? What can I do you for?”
“Just checking in. Is everything alright?” she asks, music playing in the background. She's obviously still at the dance.
I explain the situation to her in detail and then wait for her response.
Initially, I'm met with silence.
“Well, if it helps at all, I'm glad Jay's not angry at you anymore. He can't be harsh with you for even a second without feeling like utter trash. That boy's in love with you,” Bells replies as if unsure of what to say to the rest.
I hear someone make a whipping sound from the background as if having heard Bell's words. It's presumably thee one and only, Max Mills. Bells has obviously put her cell phone on speaker phone as to not leave him out of the loop.
“Give me the phone,” I hear Max demand.
“No, Max!” Bells yelps in a strained voice, almost as if struggling against him as he tries to take the phone from her hand. “I'm talking to her first! I still have to tell her that her gramps is not pleased that she's all the way in Africa,” she tells Max, momentarily forgetting that I can still hear her.
“Hello, Looney Tune!” Max shouts into the phone so loudly that I have to hold the phone away from my ear. He has miraculously overpowered Bells in their struggle.
“Give. It. Back!” Bells says from the background as if hopping up and down to retrieve the phone from her boyfriend.
“Heya, Maxi!” I chirp, excited to hear from him. You can't help but be in
&nbs
p; good spirits when talking to Max. He's an optimistic person. He can make light of any situation.
“Ouch!” Max whines as if being attacked before the phone goes dead.
I put my phone back on charge, only to see the mansion we've stopped in front of. My jaw just about drops at the sight. “Jeez. You're stinking rich, Xavier!” I remark, floored.
No wonder he offered to replace Grey and Jay's cars.
“That's what we've been saying for the past five minutes, moron. So slow.”
Grey shakes his head at me in distaste.
“I was on the phone!” I defend myself. “So, zip it, Ferrot!” I shush him, putting him in his place, before turning back to Xavier. “If I knew you were this rich, I'd have been a lot nicer to you from the start,” I joke.
“Mhmm, I'm sure you would've, Kitten.” He smirks down at me as we step out and wander around his mansion in awe.
“Call my girlfriend 'Kitten' one more time, I dare you.”
I knew Jay would crack eventually.
***
“The Ugly Duckling! C'mon, Jay! I practically gave you the answer,” I complain.
We were all bored and so I, being the genius that I am, suggested that we play charades.
“You pointed at Grey's face over and over again and then you pointed at Xavier's face,” Jay replies as Grey and Xavier continue to scowl at me.
“Exactly!” I exclaim, exasperated. “Handed you the answer.”
“She's got a point,” Landon backs me up, surprisingly enough. He and Em met us at Xavier's house. The cops are still out on the streets; we're all taking cover from them.
“I knew it was The Ugly Duckling the second she pointed at Xavier's face,” Lan continues. “I said to myself—I was like, man, just look at him, he's hideous, he's damn ugly. Then I jumped to the obvious conclusion, 'The Ugly Duckling' from that monstrosity he calls his face.”
I grin and high-five Landon. He gets me. He's a legend.
Emma gives her brother a flat look. “Be nice, Lan.”