by Raathi Chota
“Do you ever feel like you hate someone because they’ve done something horrible to you yet…you always find a way to forgive them because you missed them so much and just craved them?” I turned to Ethan with a frown.
“Look, Lana, I haven’t found that special someone yet, but when I do, I know that we’ll have arguments leading to us not talking for a few days, but if I really cared…” He trailed off as his chocolate brown eyes met mine. “Fuck yeah, I’ll crave for their presence. Like you said: Everyone deserves a second chance.” He playfully nudged my shoulder.
“What if you’ve been through so much together and everything seems fine, but you don’t actually know if they care?”
“If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t be part of your life anymore,” Ethan said. Silence took over us after that. I pursed my lips at the thought of who Ethan referred to, I knew who I did, but I was curious.
“There’s my favorite lingerie buddy,” a familiar voice erupted as I glanced around. I raised a brow as Axel walked toward us. His hands shoved in his jeans pockets as he smirked at me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked as he greeted Ethan.
“You have a favorite lingerie buddy?” Ethan piped up as Axel grinned.
“Keene invited me, and yes,” Axel answered both our questions.
“I’m not going to even ask how you know Keene.” I sighed.
“That’s why I like you, pumpkin,” Axel said, then ruffled my hair. I scowled as Ethan raised a brow at the two of us.
“You call her pumpkin?” he asked as Axel leaned against the hood.
“At least it’s better than Levi calling her princess and Carter calling her cutie or hot stuff.” Axel shrugged as my cheeks reddened.
“Have you guys ever tried calling me by my name?”
“Where’s the fun in that, pumpkin? Makes you unique to us.” He chuckled.
“Sure.” I laughed. “Can’t you be like Ethan and call me Lana?”
Axel opened his mouth to reply, but the sounds of an engine booming cut him off. We whipped our heads around to see a crowd forming. I jumped off Levi’s car as I followed Axel and Ethan. We joined the group to see that they circled a vehicle. It wasn’t just any car; it was Aidan’s. It looked different. Whoever Blake sent knew his stuff. A new paint job made the Subaru stand out with its shiny white color. The hood scoop stood out, which made the car even more striking with the gold rims. Axel let out a low whistle as we stared in awe. Aidan hopped out of the car with a wide grin spread across his face. He walked toward us, then hugged his cousin. Ethan and I watched in amusement as Axel and Aidan joked around.
“You look like a winner tonight.” I grinned as Aidan smiled.
“Uh huh. Like the rims?” he asked. I nodded, impressed, as we talked. A loud siren went off, which signaled the end of a race. I nervously spun around to see Levi and Keene approach us. Blake got out of the Porsche, and people congratulated him as he walked toward us.
“This should be exciting,” Keene mumbled beside me as we watched the people gather around the start line. All the racers lined up their cars, and I anxiously watched Blake as he smirked at Levi. We stood behind the vehicles as they went over the rules. I didn’t even know why they even bothered with rules since they broke half of them. It was Blake, Aidan, Levi, and this other guy who drove a Mercedes SLS.
“Good luck, dude,” Aidan said to the guy with the Mercedes.
“Yeah, looks like you’ll need it,” the guy responded as Aidan raised a brow.
“Pucker up,” Blake cooed as he made kissy faces. I scrunched my nose up as I stared at him. Somehow, he’d became cockier in the last few days. I didn’t know if it was Levi or his ego that showed the most.
“Wait,” I blurted out as Levi and Blake shook hands. Aidan and the other guy were already in their cars as people cheered. I nervously bit my lip as I approached Blake.
“If you’re gonna give him a good luck kiss, I think I deserve one too,” Levi piped up as I faced Blake.
“You said you wanted to drive his car in a race,” I said. “Why don’t you?”
“I’m down.” Levi shrugged as he looked at the Porsche. I casually folded my arms as I turned to Blake. He looked at me curiously, as if he knew what I was on to, but shrugged.
“Cool with me,” he said, then walked off. Before Levi walked to the Porsche, I gripped his arm. I looked him dead in the eye as he raised a brow at me.
“You better win this, Radcliff.”
“Whatever you say, princess.” He chuckled, then pecked me on the cheek. I was taken back from his action as he ran toward the car. I walked to the side and stood with Keene, Ethan, and Axel. Aidan’s Subaru was in front of us as they got ready. People surrounded the area, cheering, mainly because the best racers went up against each other. A strange feeling whirled inside of me as their engines thundered. I didn’t know why, but I had a feeling that they’d play dirty and jack up Aidan’s car again. The crazy notion seemed to jerk me forward as I gripped the handle of Aidan’s passenger door. I quickly opened it and slipped inside. I ignored Ethan and Keene’s complaints as I shut the door.
“Lana, what the hell are you doing here?” Aidan demanded as he stared at me.
“Please, can I ride with you?” I begged.
“No, it’s too dangerous!” Aidan stuttered as he glanced at the road.
“Please, Aidan…if you let me, I’ll talk to Tiffany for you!” I offered. Aidan’s eyes lit up as he stared at me. Before Aidan spoke, the flag girl strolled toward the center of the cars. My eyes widened as I realized what was happening. I’d only ridden twice with Levi, and both experiences terrified me. I quickly put on my seatbelt as Aidan watched me as if I were a freak. “Safety first!” I exclaimed as the girl raised her flag. That’s when they hit the accelerator. A look of determination filled Aidan’s face as he turned to look at Levi and Blake. I leaned forward so that they’d see me. Their reactions were priceless as Levi’s eyes widened and Blake had a blank look. I gave an innocent wave, which only made them angrier as their cars boomed.
As soon as the girl lowered the flag, we were off. Blake being the show off that he was, he hit the accelerator pedal until a screech came out of the car. My eyes widened as the car rose as he dashed forward. I gripped on to my seatbelt as we zipped down the street. The Mercedes led the way as we trailed behind him. I glanced at the side mirror to see Blake and Levi gain on us. A turn came up as Aidan hit the gas pedal. He swerved past the Mercedes and took the turn. Out of nowhere, Levi turned with us as his tires screeched against the concrete.
I glanced in the mirror and saw no sign of Blake. A sigh of relief escaped my lips. I looked up to see that Levi was trying to block us. As we drove past a street, Blake appeared out of nowhere, as if he’d come out of the shadows. Both blocked us as they tried to push each other off. Blake bumped into Levi as he did the same. A smirk danced on my lips as I looked at our surroundings. One advantage of driving with Levi was that I’d learned his tricks, patterns, and ways. “Go onto the sidewalk.” I pointed to the walkway that had a few stores, but thank goodness it was night, so nobody was there.
“What?” Aidan yelled as he hit the gas pedal and hit Blake’s bumper.
“Sidewalk!” I rushed out as the car swerved. Everything happened so fast as we drove onto the sidewalk and past Levi and Blake. The car wobbled as we drove onto the uneven sidewalks. Once we were far away from the two, he drove back onto the road. We drove at an alarming speed as my eyes flicked from left to right. We turned right into a random street, yet something about it made it seem familiar. Realization hit me as I recognized the familiar alley on our right. “Go left!” I yelled because I didn’t want to pass the alley, as it had police tape surrounding the area, which meant it was still under investigation. The car curved to the left, making me regret saying that. Up ahead was a main road which made Aidan go faster. I pushed my glasses up, then gazed at the traffic light. It changed to yellow as Aidan picked up his pace. I turned to look at hi
m and noticed the sweat running down his forehead.
“Hold on!” he shouted. I glanced up to see the light was red as all the cars stopped. We needed to get to the other side of the intersection because we went left instead of right. My nails dug into the seat as the car swerved to the right. Dozens of headlights passed us as the drivers stared at us. I let out a shaky breath as we drove on and saw Blake and Levi in the distance. Aidan caught up with them as I watched the two. Suddenly they went opposite ways further into the industrial area as I raised a brow. I looked straight ahead to see why. My eyes widened as I saw a bridge open. I glanced at Aidan and noticed a wicked look in his eye.
“Aidan, no!” I demanded as we were now on the bridge.
“It’s a shortcut, Lana, and you want to win, right?” he asked, then hit the gas pedal.
“If we survive, I’m so going to kill you after this!” I yelled as we inched closer. “This isn’t Fast and Furious!”
With one final push, the car went up in the air. Aidan laughed while I screamed for dear life. Then like a humongous speed bump, we flopped back onto the ground. I breathed so loud that I didn’t even notice that we were on the road again. I glanced up to see no sign of Blake, Levi, or the Mercedes. We might win. Construction work was up ahead, yet Aidan drove right past it since the rest of the street was clear. Aidan took the last right where we saw the finish line two blocks away. Out the corner of my left eye, I saw a car approach us. It was Blake. Levi was nowhere to be found, which made me nervous. The sounds of the Mustang approaching us made me look at Aidan. We were the only two cars as people cheered. I saw Keene raise his head and overlook us. Axel and Ethan howled as we inched closer to the finish line. It’s like a hit of adrenaline swept through Blake as he bolted past us. My jaw dropped as we passed the finish line seconds after Blake. Aidan and I got out of the car and were thrown with noise. Blake stood against the Mustang as the people cheered him on. Keene ran past us before I could ask him what’s wrong. Blake walked toward us and congratulated his cousin then turned to me. My jaw clenched at the thought of the kiss.
“No way!” a loud voice shouted as I tore my gaze away from Blake. Everyone watched the monitor as it played the recent event. I suddenly paled as I watched Levi and Blake. It was the empty street with the construction. Levi was in the same lane as the road works with Blake next to him. Blake contested Levi as he drove against him. Then at the right moment, Blake swerved to the right as he saw the roadworks. Levi looked ahead as he spotted it too, then hit the brakes, but it was too late. At speed, the Porsche’s left side of the hood hit against a concrete block and the car tilted. I watched in horror as the car flipped in the air, the wheels spinning as Levi swayed inside it. It landed on all fours but jolted forward as Levi hit the brakes. The car came to a complete stop in the middle of the road as Levi sunk in his seat. I whipped my head back to Blake to see the concerned look. His eyes met mine, and I had the sudden urge to punch him. Apparently, he wouldn’t need to sabotage a car, because to play dirty was all he needed to win.
I spun around and ran toward Levi. I heard footsteps behind me as well as Aidan’s and Axel’s voices, but I didn’t care. I sprinted down the street. My boots would probably be ruined by the time I got home. After what seemed like forever, I stopped when I saw the Porsche. It had a massive dent on the side, and I immediately felt sorry for Ethan. I approached the car to see a laid-back Levi in the driver’s seat. His eyes were shut as he leaned against the window. I gritted my teeth as I tried to get the door open. After a few attempts, I got it open, and Levi almost fell out of the car. I instantly lifted him up and put him back on the seat. I cupped his cheeks as I searched for injuries. He let out a hoarse groan as I saw the cut on his forehead.
“Are you okay?” I asked as he scrunched his nose up. He groaned again but gave a short nod. Seconds later, Keene approached us.
“Dude, you okay? Should I call an ambula—”
“No, I’m fine,” he muttered then took my hand in his. “Just take me home.”
I nodded as Keene and I helped him out of the car. Ethan and Aidan stayed by the vehicle and cleaned up. I helped Levi into the passenger seat of his car, then left Keene to do the rest. Out the corner of my eye, I saw Blake and Axel. I clenched my fists and squinted my eyes at him. I marched toward them as I pushed my way through the crowd. Axel noticed me and grinned as he elbowed Blake. He spun around with a wicked look in his eye as I approached him.
“You want your kiss?” I grumbled. Blake raised his brow as he slowly nodded. I took the palm of my hand, kissed it, then gave him one hard slap. Oohs and snickers surrounded us as I quickly spun around and walked toward Levi. Without another word, I got into the driver’s seat and drove off with Levi beside me. We drove in silence as I glanced at Levi. He rested against the seat as he looked out the window. “How’s your cut?”
“Not that deep, Keene touched it up. Don’t worry.” Levi sighed. “How was your date?”
“It was good.”
“So are you guys a thing now?”
“I-I don’t know.”
“So you guys just gonna go out and fuck like the last few years didn’t happen?”
“No, what the hell? We’re not even a couple yet.”
“Blake agrees with me that he’s just playing you.”
“Like you two haven’t,” I muttered. I glanced at the time and noticed that it was almost midnight. Dad didn’t give me a curfew, though.
“You still holding a grudge?” Levi groaned.
“Look who’s talking.”
“Fine, okay, I get it. It’s just we don’t like him. Never have, never will,” he admitted as he raised his arms.
“We? You’ve known Blake for three days, and you grew on each other. Conceited and egotistical,” I muttered as we pulled into the driveway.
“What can I say? I’ve found my people.” He chuckled.
“It doesn’t mean you guys have to act like a bunch of assholes. At least he’s trying to make up the eight years, unlike some people who are so self-centered. Can you guys at least try to act friendly in front of him?” I sighed then made a pouty face. “For me?”
“Fine, but only because I don’t want to see you get hurt.” Levi sighed. “Just so you know, I don’t believe in that ‘as long as you’re happy that’s all that matters’ bullshit, because if he hurts you, I’m gonna strangle him,” he continued as I sighed. “Like I did every year when you cried in my arms.”
“Well, things have changed, Levi,” I said as we sat in the car. “A lot. I’ve been doing things on my own, and it’s scaring me. The most unexpected people can come into your life and make a difference.”
“Wonder what Benny did to make you feel this way…that’s the thing Blake and I can’t get,” he muttered as we sat in total darkness.
“There’s nothing to get. I like Benny a lot, and there’s nothing that you and your new best friend can do that will change that,” I said as I gripped onto the door handle.
“All right, just don’t come crying to me when he breaks your heart.”
“Bullshit. It’s already broken.”
***
The rest of Thursday, I ignored Blake, which wasn’t hard since I barely had any classes with him. Lunch wasn’t so bad since everyone talked and he sat across the table. Liam and Aidan went on and on about Stranger Things, which resulted in Nick and Benny spoiling the last episode for them. As promised, I spoke to Tiffany for Aidan. It turned out she had a crush on him since sophomore year and swooned when he asked her to Homecoming. After lunch, he asked her out on a date, which she evidently said yes to. I joined her girly moment as we squealed.
I walked down the quiet hallway on my way to the gym. Benny said he’d give me a ride home after practice. I didn’t mind sitting and working while they practiced.
“So you’re going to ignore me now?” Blake said.
“He could’ve been severely injured, Blake! You didn’t even stop to see if he was okay,” I snapped.
; “I called him last night, and he said no problem, happened before, no biggy.” Blake sighed as he threw his hands up in exasperation. “We’re not like girls who bitch around and sob for every little thing,” he added as I let out a dry laugh. “I’m still waiting for my kiss.” He leaned forward. Blake towered over me as his dog chain stuck out. I really wanted to take it and choke him. I glanced down at his black Doc Martens, then up to his leather jacket.
“Screw you,” I hissed, then stepped back. Blake tilted his head as he put his hand on his chest. I rolled my eyes, entirely aggravated by him.
“Ouch, that hurt, Willson,” he sarcastically said.
“Ugh, I hate you.”
“That’s funny. At the beginning of the school year, I heard I was your favorite.”
“Yeah, that’s before I got to know the egotistical, selfish, backstabbing, cold-hearted, mystifying bastard know as Blake Gunner,” I said as I placed my hand on his chest. “So yes, Blake, I don’t hate you. I just hate the arrogant, self-centered, and confusing side of you,” I said, jabbing my finger in his chest at each word. “In fact, I like you, Blake. Just not the way that you like me.”
We stared at each other for a moment. An emotionless look filled Blake’s face as I stepped back. He watched as I walked away. I entered the gym and saw all the basketball players practice, yet Benny was nowhere to be found. I glanced at Liam, Nick, and Ethan and strolled toward them.
“Hey, guys.” I smiled.
“Hey, Lana, looking for someone?” Liam wiggled his eyebrows. I gave him a strange look as Nick swung his arm around Liam’s shoulder.
“Her boyfriend,” Nick answered with a sly grin.
“We’re not a cou—”
“Boyfriend!” Liam called out as he glanced around the gym.
“Liam, what are you doing? If he’s no—”
“Why aren’t you saying Benny?” Ethan asked as he raised a brow at me.
“Oh no, she only says his name when they’re alone,” Nick emphasized. My eyes widened as they smirked at each other, then moaned out Benny’s name.