by Raathi Chota
“Yes, sir,” he mumbled as I stepped out of the house.
“But don’t stay too late, otherwi—”
“Bye, Dad!” I cut him off with a tight-lipped smile. Once the front door shut, I heard Benny sigh. I chuckled as his pace quickened so that he could open the door for me. “Thanks.” I smiled as I got into the car. Once we were buckled in, he started the engine. We drove in silence as I stared out the window.
“You look beautiful,” Benny blurted out.
“Thanks you too,” I mumbled, but my eyes widened as Benny snorted. “Wai—I mean you look…”
“It’s okay, Lana.” He chuckled then turned to me with a grave look. “Are you nervous?”
“A little,” I mumbled, then shook my head as Melissa and Miranda’s advice kicked in. “We shouldn’t be nervous. We’ve known each other for years. Tonight, let’s just have fun and be ourselves.” I shrugged yet mentally slapped myself. I was never the romantic type, yet I’ve watched every romance movie there was.
“Because being ourselves is the best we can be.” Benny smiled then took my hand in his as he drove on.
We had dinner at a restaurant downtown, yet it wasn’t fancy or anything. Once we sat down and talked, the awkwardness subsided as laughter filled our ears. I decided on pasta but not the one where it whacked me in the face. Then we shared a dessert and talked. We walked, and he draped his jacket over my shoulders. The streets were quite busy for a Wednesday night, but most people took transport home.
“Can you hear that?” Benny asked as he stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets. We stopped as I listened for the peculiar sound. A sweet, persistent sound filled my ears as it got louder. Benny entwined my hand in his as he ushered me forward. “Come on,” he said, then jogged down the streets. The music got louder until I saw a man with a saxophone. He was so into it—his one leg was propped up on the bench as he swayed. His fingers moved elegantly over the keys, which created a beautiful sound. Benny took my other hand in his as he pulled me closer to him. We started to go to the beat of the saxophone as I looked up at him. He smiled down at me then twirled me around. His hands moved down to my waist as he securely wrapped his arms around me. I locked my arms around his neck as we danced. The saxophone soothed and relaxed us as I rested my head on his chest and closed my eyes.
***
Benny’s car came to a stop as he parked in front of my house. We haven’t spoken since we danced as we absorbed tonight’s event. I turned to him with a smile and said, “I had fun tonight.”
“Me too.” He smiled as we stared at each other. It seemed like an eternity until I finally looked away and gripped on the door handle. I looked back once more into his brown eyes and bit my lip.
“Goodnight,” I murmured as I pushed the door open.
“Night, Lana,” he mumbled as I got out then shut the door. Without looking back, I walked up the porch and heard his car start. Once I was at the door, I spun around to watch him go. I noticed his stare on me through his tinted windows as he drove off. Once he was down the street, I spun around to unlock the door. A familiar smell lingered through the air as I froze. I gazed over my shoulder and into the night. The smell was so familiar and vigorous it compelled me to follow. I walked down the porch steps and followed the scent. I raised a brow as it ended by Levi’s car. I crouched down and stared into the tinted windows. The window rolled down as a face appeared, and I jumped in surprise.
“Boo!” Blake yelled, then laughed. I let out a huff as I stared at him and the driver that was, in fact, Levi.
“What the hell are you guys doing?” I yelled.
“Hop in, princess,” Levi replied as he took a drag of his cigarette. So that’s what the familiar smell was. “You do realize he wanted to kiss you?”
“Were you guys watching us?” I asked as my face twisted.
“Believe me, we tried not to,” Blake said as he rolled his eyes.
“Why didn’t you kiss him?” Levi asked as I shrugged.
“I don’t kiss on my first date.”
“Yet you’ve kissed him before,” Blake muttered as I scoffed. Levi started the car as Blake lit his cigarette with Levi’s lighter. He turned to me with a smirk plastered on his face and spoke. “We’re going racing. Hop in, princess.”
Chapter Six
Lana
The continuous cheers of people made me edgy as I watched the monitor. Blake did practice races with a bunch of other racers, and let’s just say he might win. I sat on the hood of Levi’s Mustang as Ethan stood next to me. Ethan brought a Porsche 918 Spyder for Blake to use. The way he drove rapidly down the streets made me nervous. Every turn he took the tires screeched as the engine roared. Last time I saw Levi and Keene were when we got here. Then they went into the bistro followed by a bunch of girls. The reason why they hadn’t raced because they were waiting for Aidan. He got his car fixed by someone Blake knew. It was weird that Blake didn’t fix his cousin’s car. The word fix made me uneasy at the thought of Blake sabotaging Levi’s car so that he’d win. Levi was smarter than that, so I didn’t know what would happen. I didn’t want to kiss him. I was still in my date clothes, and the thought of Benny and I dancing over an hour ago made me feel guilty. I liked Benny, I honestly did, and he’s so sweet to try and make up for everything he’s done.
“There they go again,” Ethan sighed as Blake drove past us.
“He’s good,” I murmured as the other cars trailed behind him.
“Yep, he loves cars,” Ethan said. I turned to look at the big jock beside me. His pierced jawline stood out as he gazed over the crowd. Ethan was like a big brother to me who’s caring and protective. Miranda said he’s more of a gentleman, and I smiled in agreement. “You do realize he’s gonna win, right?” he asked as I tore my gaze away from him and looked at Blake on the monitor.
“He hasn’t gone up against Levi.”
“If he wins, then you must kiss him.”
“I don’t want to!” I whined, and Ethan laughed.
“How was your date with Benny?”
“Amazing,” I breathed out as the thought of us dancing to the saxophone entered my mind. I smiled, thinking of when Benny gave the man money and told him he’s got talent. That immediately disappeared as Levi entered my mind. We had sex a few days ago. I didn’t know why I let him do it, but in a way, I liked it. I missed him yet something told me not to. He broke me, yet somehow, I always forgave him. Miranda’s right; I was a softie who’s forgiving. I couldn’t help that I forgave too easily and cared too much. I let out a sigh as I thought back to when Ethan apologized to me at Rodney’s store. That was where it all began, how I became soft and forgiving. “You know that day in the cafeteria when you said that if I wanna talk…”
“Yeah, and I’m here, even to listen.”
“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 a
s 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 him 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.
