by S J Crabb
Chapter Eighteen
We wake up early in the morning and I smile to myself as I see him lying beside me. He is the sexiest man that I have ever met and I trace the tattoo on his arm.
He looks at me sexily and pulls me against him. He kisses me gently and pulls back looking deeply into my eyes. "I love you Scarlett, you are my world, you know that don't you?" I kiss him and then groan in desperation. "This is so unfair. Why does life have to get in our way? I don't want to leave you Drake but I have to."
Drake looks at me with excitement in his eyes. "Stay Scarlett. Tell your father that you want to transfer here to my school. We can be together all the time then and nobody can come between us."
I lower my eyes. "If I could stay I would Drake. My parents made some stupid deal that I would live with my mom and come to my father's for the holidays. It's not my decision to make. Also living with him is a nightmare. He's not like most fathers and my brothers are awful. The only one I like is Luna and who knows how long she will stay around?"
Drake looks disappointed. "Think about it Scarlett. There must be a solution; we can't give up now that we've found each other." He kisses me and all thoughts leave my head whilst I just enjoy feeling close to him.
For the next few days I just hang out as much as I can with Drake. Dylan is preoccupied with the fight and spends all his spare time training. I noticed an envelope from the Insurance company that I set up for them come and filed it away before they saw it. I just hope that I am wrong about what might happen and I find myself getting more and more nervous as each day goes on.
I spend the least amount of time that I can at my father's. I don't want to see him because he would discover what I am up to in no time if he wanted to. I have to make an appearance some time though and time it for when I know he is at work.
The day before the fight I head into town to sort out the next part of my plan. I make a trip to the bank and take out as much money as I can from my account. Luckily for me I get a good allowance from my father which I rarely spend. I am not like my sisters who appear to spend his money as quickly as he gives it to them.
I thrust the envelope into my bag and just hope that nobody saw me. As I reach my bike my heart sinks as I see my brothers waiting next to it on their bikes. They see me coming and look at me with hard expressions.
Caleb turns to me and sneers. "Look who's here. Haven't seen much of you sister dearest. Too busy with lover boy to spend time with your family?"
Giving him my filthiest look I haul myself on to my bike. "Like you care anyway, I thought you'd be glad that I'm out of your way."
Caleb laughs. "I wish you'd take those other two with you. We can't get rid of them. Roll on next week that's all I'm saying."
I look at Ash with interest. Like me he is due to leave next week. He lives with our Uncle Jake in Falcondell. He has no other family and I have always wondered why he lived there. Like me he always looks miserable and I wonder what goes on in his life. He sees me looking and just sneers and looks away. So much for brotherly love.
Caleb grins as he sees me start the engine. "I can't get used to seeing you on that bike. Why didn't you go for the sports car like those Barbie Doll sisters of ours? You're more like a boy than a girl."
Tossing my hair back I fix him with my most withering look. "Who cares what you think. You're just worried that I'm a better rider than you."
His eyes flash. "Is that a challenge little sis?"
I curl my lip. "If you like. What do you say; $100 says I get home before you?"
Marius and Ash laugh and Marius snorts. "Easiest money you'll ever make bro."
Caleb grins. "You're on little sis. I hope you've got the money ready because I don't like to be owed anything." Revving my engine I say, "Neither do I."
We line our bikes up and I feel a thrill run through me. I actually don't care if I win or not. I just want to challenge myself whilst I still have the bike to ride. I know that when I get home I'll have to rely on my friends for rides. My mom won't let me have a bike despite my constant nagging. No this is going to have to last me for a few months. I know that Caleb is a good rider and is a worthy opponent.
We wait for the lights to change and then we are off. I know that I will be first away as my bike is lighter and so am I. My brothers are heavier than me and their bikes more powerful. As we gather speed they start to catch me up. I am prepared for it and just accept what is bound to happen. I know that as soon as we hit the bends to get us up the hill they will slow down. As long as I can keep close behind them I should be ok. I feel the rush as I gather speed. My hair flies behind me and I can feel the wind whipping across my face. I feel so exhilarated and alive and push myself and my bike to the limit. I feel its power beneath me and channel all of my energy into it. It is as though the bike and I are one and the same. We have merged into one entity and I have never felt so powerful.
We get to the bends and as I thought they start to slow down. The problem will be getting past them and I know that they will try and stop that from happening.
I have never ridden so fast before in my life and far from feeling afraid it feeds my obsession. This is what I love; if I could ride all day I would.
We get nearer home and I know that the only chance I have will be on the final bend. If I can pull level with them I will have the advantage. The trouble is if anything is coming the other way I wouldn't stand a chance.
I can see the final bend ahead of me and push closer. As Marius slows down in front of me I sprint past him. Ash then does the same and I take him too. That just leaves Caleb and I sit right on his tail. I can see the house in the distance and know that if I am to make my move then it must be now. However I see a movement in the trees ahead and realise that it may be an animal that may run out. I err on the side of caution and keep close behind Caleb. Today is not the day to prove my point. I need him to win for the greater good.
He reaches the driveway half a tire in front of me and spins his bike to a stop. I follow suit as do my brothers and we all sit grinning at each other.
Caleb looks at me triumphantly. "Good effort Sis but it will take a lot to beat me. Now I think that you owe me something." Raising my eyes up I reach inside my bag for a $100 bill. "Here you go Caleb; you won this fair and square." I toss him the money and the others laugh as he holds it above his head like a trophy.
We all put our bikes away and I see Marius and Ash head off inside. Hanging back I look at Caleb thoughtfully. He looks at me and raises his eyes. "What?" Shrugging I reach back inside my bag and withdraw another $100 bill.
"You have connections don't you Caleb?" He looks surprised. "What sort of connections?" Looking around me I lower my voice. "I want you to place a bet for me on the fight. I can't because I'm too young but you must know who to go to so I wondered if you could do it for me."
He smirks at me. "Well well who'd have thought our little sis was into gambling. What do you want?"
Looking at him seriously I say, "I want you to bet all of this on Dylan knocking Marius out in the first round." Caleb looks astonished. "You really do like to lose your money not to mention going against your own family. Do you have a death wish or something?"
I shrug. "Look the odds are sure to be long and I might just know something that you don't know. That's all I'm saying ok?"
Caleb narrows his eyes. "If you know something then you better spill or I'll beat it out of you." My eyes flash and I look at him with a sneer. "All I know is that anything can happen in a fight. Sometimes it's worth taking a chance on something that may give you great rewards. We all know that Marius can beat Dylan with his hands tied behind his back, but sometimes strange things happen and that is what I am betting on."
Caleb shrugs and pockets the money. "And there I was thinking you weren't so stupid after all. Well how wrong was I? Oh well it's your money to throw away so what do I care." He storms off and I watch him go with relief. I don't really think that Dylan stands a hope in he
ll of landing even one punch on Marius let alone a knock out one. No what I am betting on is that Caleb tells Marius what I've said. I suppose you could say that I'm hedging my bets. I hope that Marius will think that I know something and not want to take that risk. He will knock Dylan out right away and Dylan will be spared a beating. Now I just have one more visit to make.
