by K. Walker
A few moments later I noticed Wes close to the locker rooms as I was headed to class, and I stopped. The smile that lit up his face was refreshing, compared to all the animosity I had been receiving lately.
“Hey, you still game for later?” I asked.
“You bet.” He grinned.
“But tell me something first, Wes. What happened race night?”
He clenched his jaw and looked away. “Now’s not a good time for that, but I promise,” he assured me as he inched closer so that I could feel his breath on my skin, “I’ll tell you all about it another time.”
“Who’s Robby?” I asked, determined not to drop it. I didn’t want to give him time to make anything up. “And did your year off have anything to do with end of summer race night?”
Wes gripped me by the elbow and pulled me aside. “What’s with all the questions, Sophia. Just chill, okay?”
“I’ll chill when I know what this is all about. And if you want that one on one time with me, you’re going to have to say something. It’s like these damn secrets that no one wants to talk about.”
I knew I would be late for class, but I couldn’t walk away without knowing. It was like an itch. “Fine,” he replied and sighed, swiping a hand through his hair. He leaned against the lockers and looked down at me. “I raced Robby for pink slips that night, and he lost. He was fucking crazy afterward and came after me, jumped in my car, crashed and died. They blamed me for it. I wasn’t even there when Robby got into my car. I heard he was stoned or on something, and that’s why he crashed. But Chad thinks I’m to blame. Couple of days later, cops found drugs in my car. I was sent to rehab, and now I’m back, and that’s the story in a nutshell.”
I was in shock. “Are you saying Chad set you up?”
“I don’t know if it was Chad or Brody, but it could be any one of them. Or all of them. I don’t care, either way. Cops came and shut down the track. I’m not sure what happened afterward, but seems they’ve found a new place to race this year.” He shrugged nonchalantly, even though he was sharing heavy news.
“But it wasn’t your fault, right?” I pleaded, trying to absorb this new information.
“I know, baby. But try to convince them of that.” He sighed and rocked off the lockers. “Anyway, I have to get to gym.”
“Okay, and Wes,” I said and took his hand as he was walking away. “Thank you for telling me. I’ll see you later.”
He smiled in an adorable way as he stepped backwards, pulling me to him and kissing me. I welcomed it that time, and when he let go, my head was swimming. There was just something about him that pulled me in and made my heart beat with excitement.
It wasn’t the same thing I had felt for Chad, but something a little wilder and more exciting. Chad could hate him all he wanted. I didn’t have to. What happened between them so long ago had absolutely nothing to do with me.
But deep down I didn’t want anyone to know, not yet, that I was really into him.
I walked to class, feeling very light like a load had been lifted off of me. Minutes before my last period, my phone buzzed.
Wes: Meet me behind the bleachers.
I knew that was probably the last place I should be – the one place too many naughty memories were made. But what the hell? You only live once and it was my senior year, after all.
Wes was waiting for me when I got there, and he pulled me into his strong arms and pressed his lips hard onto mine. I touched him on the sides as my hands started to move and I inched closer, and they locked around his middle.
His lips were soft against mine, and I felt him clutching my ass as the kiss intensified he slipped his tongue in my mouth. When we finally separated, I was glowing, and he was licking his lower lip.
“Does this mean what I think it does?” he asked as he looked down at me excitedly.
“I don’t know,” I said, looking up at him. “Maybe. But how about we take it slow. For now?”
“Sure. Anything you want,” he replied and kissed me again.
I couldn’t deny it was a damned good feeling, and the butterflies in my stomach sprang up and fluttered vibrantly. He hugged me afterward, and the butterflies collapsed. I missed that feeling.
“So, you still wanna hang?”
He scratched his head. “Actually, I have to go somewhere. You weren’t sure so I made other plans. But I can change them back…”
“No, it’s okay. We can always go somewhere another time.”
“That’s right,” he agreed and stroked my cheek. “Chad must have been a fool to let you go. You’re so damned beautiful.”
“No more Chad talk, please.”
“Fine by me,” he replied wryly, and kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll call you later.”
I nodded and he walked off. I wasn’t ready to leave yet. My legs wouldn’t let me move. Everything felt stiff, or wobbly – there were no gray areas.
It took me a full ten minutes to get going, and by the time I got a start, my heart was hammering, like I was getting a panic attack. You would think that was the first time I had ever kissed a crush.
The smile that I wore remained with me all the way into the following day where I expected to sneak kisses and hugs with Wes.
“Nice trade,” Callie said to me as soon as she saw me in the hall.
“What?” I scrunched up my face and turned away from her. I didn’t care about anything she had to say, and I wasn’t going to try to figure it out.
“What the hell?” Amanda asked as soon as she saw me. “You made out with Wes? And you’re together now?”
I looked around at all the curious faces, and disgusted ones, too. And Callie’s comment began to make sense. I turned back to her, and she had her arms folded. She was grinning like a Cheshire cat, like she had accomplished something by me dating…but I wasn’t dating Wes.
“Where did you hear that?” I asked.
“It’s all over school. He made out with you under the bleachers.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I shrilled and slapped my hand over my face, right before familiar hands slipped around me from behind. I turned around and slapped them away. “I told you not to say anything.”
“So, it’s true?” Amanda asked, her eyes wild and disappointed.
“I didn’t say anything. Someone probably saw us. You know how those things go,” he said and smiled. And then kissed me.
It was like he had me under a spell and I was incapable of stopping him. “Are you sure?” I asked, pulling away and feeling confused about what was going on.
I noticed Amanda rolling her eyes and looking away, like the sight of us disgusted her. It probably did, but she would have to get used to it.
“Why would I lie to you? Besides, I want the whole world to know you’re my girl. You’re my girl, right? Come on, baby. You know you’re mine.”
I felt like I was on a reality TV show and my answer determined whether or not the show would continue. “Yes, I’m all yours, Wes,” I stated as he kissed me again and that time it was to the sounds of oohs.
It was officially official.
If people wanted to talk, then let them. At least now they had something to talk about. Chad had his chance and he’d messed it up. It was the Wes and Sophia era, and I was going to enjoy every minute of it.
Chapter 8
I sat on the hood of my car watching Sophia slide into the Mustang. Since when was racing her thing? She hadn’t been back since that one time she was with me.
She didn’t know what she was doing, and there was no way for me to get through to her.
“Are you going to say something to her?” Cody asked as he leaned against the car.
“What’s the point?” I asked and slid off the car. “I’m going to get ready for the race.”
“You never did say why you broke up with her,” Cody said as he moved around to the driver side with me. “What gives?”
“Nothing. It just wasn’t working out,” I told him and slid into the seat. “See you
at the finish line.” I closed the door before he said anything else.
The car slowly crawled to the starting line, and I wasn’t surprised when Wes pulled up right next to me, with Sophia perched comfortably next to him. That was his MO – everything was a show for him. Just like that kissing scene under the bleachers.
He knew I would be out there. He knew I would see them. That was what he wanted, because that was what guys like Wes did. But there was no way for me to tell her the kind of person he was without coming off like the jealous ex and according to everyone and her, I wasn’t. I was the damn asshole that dumped her.
I didn’t want to break up with her, but I had to. And I couldn’t tell her why. Not yet, anyway. Not until I figured out how to get out of the damn mess that I was in.
The revving of engines jarred my senses and thrust me back into the present. It was unbearable seeing her with Wes, and it cut me to the core.
Christy, the model for the night, walked to the front of the cars with the flag in her hand. I looked down the track, but I could barely focus. The passenger in the Mustang to my right was more distracting and so damn beautiful.
My hands white-knuckled the wheel and I sank my feet onto the pedal. Dust and gravel sprayed all around us as the other drivers did the same, and when Christy brought the flag down, the squealing of tires filled the air as the cars shot down the track like a bolt.
I was not in front.
I was behind the Mustang, and I was forced to watch my girl sitting next to the asshole I despised more than anything. I hit the NOS and shot forward, saving just enough for the home stretch. Wes knew I had it, so I had no doubt he had modified his car, too.
I could see them in my rearview mirror as we hit the first turn. I shifted my car to the right to cut him off on the turn and sped ahead. He pulled back as I shot forward and down the stretch. I sneered as I watched him – it could have easily been just the two of us racing.
Another turn was coming up before another quarter-mile lap. I kept my pace, always with my eyes on the mirror, as I approached the final turn. The other drivers lagged behind, and I knew I was in the clear.
I hit the brake as I neared the corner, and the R8 drifted to the right. The Mustang found a gap between my car and the curb, and by the time I straightened again, he was ahead.
I clenched my jaw and floored the pedal, pushing my car to the limit. When I was close enough to the Mustang, I hit the NOS button again, and my car inched past Wes, just before he shot across the finish line.
I banged my hand on the wheel when I realized he had bested me. He had gotten better – or maybe it was his new lucky charm.
I didn’t stop to see him gloating or to watch her all over him, celebrating his victory. I didn’t want to be there. The four cars that followed me told me the guys had decided to come with me.
Sophia hadn’t even looked at me. I could understand it. Almost. She should know better. She should know something was up. Fuck! I punched the wheel and pulled over onto the side of the road.
The other cars did the same and Cody was the first to jump out. “What the hell? You just left?”
Other doors slammed as I stood by the side of the road staring at the city lights that loomed in the distance. I sighed and turned when other feet shuffled on the gravel. “I’m gonna head home. I’ll meet up with you guys tomorrow.”
“Come on, man,” Deven said as he walked up to me. “Is this about Sophia? Man, fuck that bitch. She’s a traitor!”
I growled and gripped him by the throat. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” I was seething with rage. None of them understood. They didn’t know.
“Chad, come on, let him go,” Zeke pleaded as he cautiously inched closer. “None of us know what’s up with you and Sophia.” I flashed him an annoyed look and he paused.
I flung Cody backwards, and he rocked into Zeke, who steadied him. “It’s none of your fucking business.”
“We have a right to know if it affects us,” Brody replied, but he never left the back of the pack.
“It doesn’t affect you,” I assured them as I got back into my car. “I’ll handle it.”
They were still parked on the roadway when they disappeared from my rearview mirror. My heart was thundering, and I was livid with rage all the way home. My face tightened even more when I saw the Porsche in the driveway.
I stuffed my keys into my pockets and walked into the house, past Cheryl who was just heading out.
“Hi, Chad,” she said warily. I didn’t reply. She could go screw herself for all I cared. “Chad!” she called again, like she was trying to prove something to someone. Or herself. I kept walking. I wasn’t in the mood for my father’s piece of shit girlfriend. “I’m talking to you.”
“Cheryl, leave me the fuck alone!” I turned and snapped, and she jumped and pressed her hand against her chest.
“Chad? What the…were you talking to Cheryl like that?” Dad asked angrily as he suddenly appeared from the dining room archway.
I pointed my finger at him. “You don’t get to say anything to me! All of this is because of you!”
I tried to walk past him, and he grabbed me by the arm. “Don’t you talk to me like that, Chad. I’m still your father.”
“Yeah? So how come every shitty thing that has happened in my life is because of you? Huh? Aren’t you the one who’s supposed to be protecting me?” I yelled and pointed at my chest.
“I’m trying to do that,” he replied and heaved a sigh before releasing my arm. “You’re making it so difficult. Cheryl and I…”
“Dad, don’t even go there. You left Mom for that…that…” I knew what I wanted to say, but I saw the look in his eyes. “Just forget it.”
“Chad, I’m really sorry about Sophia,” he said softly as I was walking away.
“Don’t be sorry, Dad. Do something about it,” I turned and said, looking him square in the eye, disbelieving his words. “This is all your fault. Why the hell did I even think about protecting you? You’ve never done that for me or this family for Christ’s sake!”
“That’s not true son but in this circumstance what the hell do you want me to do about it? Natalie has me by the balls. Do you know how that feels? She holds my contracts, and she can end my career if she wants to. And then what would we do? Huh? I could lose the house. You and your sister would have to go and live with your mother in Santa Barbara.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I’m going to kill Callie. Somehow, some way, she’s not getting away with this. “I know,” I finally said. I gave my father a sideways glance, feeling disdain wash over my face. “Why do you think I agreed to do it? I had no choice in the matter. It was either that or I break it off with Sophia so I did the latter. I knew Callie was a bitch, but I never knew how much until now.”
“She’s a Humpry, Chad. It’s in her blood,” Dad moaned and wiped his hand down his face.
“We have to do something, Dad,” I pleaded and walked back to him. I was desperate, and I hated seeing my girl with the enemy. She thought I didn’t want her, but she didn’t know how far from the truth that was. If I tried to get close to her, Callie made sure I kept my distance, always playing the ‘I’ll make your dad bankrupt’ card.
But behind every cave of gold lay a secret. She must have something we could use to get out from under her. I had to find something, because no fucking way was I going to sit back and watch Sophia ride off into the sunset with Wes Collingwood.
“Like what?” he asked. “My hands are tied.”
I could see the helplessness that washed over his face but I was just so pissed. “So that’s it, then? Huh? Your hands are tied and my life gets screwed. Great! Thanks for nothing.” I started to stalk off and then suddenly turned again. “You know what, Dad? You’re smart—creative, right? Why don’t you starting using that head of yours, maybe use some resources and fucking come up with something?”
I stalked off, so blinded by rage that I bumped into the column
at the foot of the stairs. I slammed my door shut and threw myself onto the bed. I knew things couldn’t continue like they were. There had to be a way to get out of this mess. Everyone has a fucking secret or a few skeletons in their closet, to say the least.
Nothing at that moment had come to mind. I had been with her for months, and I couldn’t find a damned thing I could use. I twisted and turned all night, and by morning, I was even grumpier than the night before.
“Uh-oh,” Brody said as soon as he saw me in the parking lot. “I’ll keep my distance,” he declared and held his hands out.
They all knew me well enough to steer clear of me on days like that. I leaned against the car, wishing I had a joint – something to take the edge off, when I saw her. She was alone, and I noticed the odd looks I got from the guys, and the discomfort in how they shuffled and tried to appear as if they weren’t looking at me.
It was fucking annoying.
But I kept watching Sophia anyway. All the way to the door. She was wearing the same military jacket and tee I had seen her wearing that first day she came to school. It was hard not to notice her then, and I’d known she would be my girl.
Nothing was going to get in the way of that. That was my thought right before my head tilted to the left and I saw Callie glowering at me. I clicked my teeth, pushed up off the car, grabbed my jacket and slung it around me as I walked off.
“What are you doing?” she asked as she hurried along next to me, her heels clip-clopping on the tiles.
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m going to class,” I snapped and tried to outwalk her.
She grabbed my arm and pulled back in an attempt to stop me. “Chad, you’re not taking this seriously enough,” she replied and tried to keep her voice at a whisper.
I clenched both my jaw, then my fists and I pulled my arm back. “What, you want more serious than dumping my girl because you threatened my father? What more do you want? My fucking soul, Callie?”
“It’s more than that,” she shot back and rocked back on her heels. “It’s not just your dad. I’ll make sure her fucking mom loses her job too. And you know I can make it happen. So, keep your distance, or she’ll remain the poor girl she is. Who knows, she might become my damn helper if you’re not careful.”
