Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 152045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 760(@200wpm)___ 608(@250wpm)___ 507(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152045 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 760(@200wpm)___ 608(@250wpm)___ 507(@300wpm)
Climbing on Farrow’s bike, I head the short distance to Fallstown, forcing myself to not speed, and determined not to fight. At least in front of her.
I pull onto the empty country road, not driving long before I see the long driveway into the race park. I coast down, trees on both sides, and spot my car dead ahead, at the end of the lane, just before the track. A parking lot sits to my right, and I see a blue and black motorbike race around the bend, continuing on around the Loop.
Kade leans against my hood, only the back of his head visible as he watches Dylan.
Parking the bike next to my car, I climb off and remove the helmet, hanging it on a handlebar.
I walk to his side and lean against the car.
He draws in a breath. “I’m sure she thought I was you from a distance and yet, she ignores me.” He glances over at me. “She mad at you?”
I give a small smile, watching Dylan lean into the far turn. No one is here, which is odd for a Friday night, but with the game, I guess Jared gave the crews the night off. “She’s busy,” I tell him. “And you and I have drained enough of her time.”
I can’t remember the last time we stood so close and didn’t yell.
I hold out my hand. “Give me my keys.”
Watching Dylan train on the otherwise deserted track, he drops the keys in my hand. “You didn’t win anything, you know?” he says. “In a week, they’ll be spinning a story about how we gave it to Weston out of pity.”
I nod, running down the narrative they’ll likely spin. “The fumble looked so real… Kade’s just so amazing, selling it as well as he did…. So self-sacrificing,” I coo. “Let’s all go suck his cock.”
He smiles and stands up straight, turning to face me. I do the same.
Darting out his hands, he shoves me in the chest. “Are you coming home now?”
I stumble, laughing under my breath. “I might.”
He shoves me again, and I stop the grunt of pain before it escapes fully.
He gets in my face. “Is that a yes or a no?” he bites out.
I hear Dylan’s bike close in again. I keep my hands to myself.
“I like it across the river,” I tell him. “The teachers are cool, and Farrow’s a fucking slob, but he has my back.”
Kade’s glare sharpens because he’s never backed me up.
“T.C., Anders, Luca, Calvin, Constin, Mace, Coral…” I list off all the other friends I’m lucky to have. “Yeah, I like it there.”
He grabs me by the back of the neck and yanks me to the ground, the pavement cutting into my back. I growl as he straddles me and squeezes my throat in his fist, hitting me across the face.
“Guys, stop!” I hear Dylan somewhere off to my left.
But Kade doesn’t. “You don’t give a shit about our parents!” he screams at me. “They want you home!”
“Stop, or I’ll call the police!” Dylan yells.
I shove Kade to the side and leap to my feet, facing him as he rises.
Dylan takes a couple steps toward us. “Enough!”
I only stare at Kade, though. “I like it there, so it works out for everyone. I can stay in Weston, then there’s nothing standing in your way,” I finish explaining. “Because she won’t have me like this. She doesn’t love me!”
“Hunter…” Her voice cracks.
“But maybe…” I say, no longer yelling, because sadness swells in my fucking throat. “Maybe, eventually, she’ll love you, and maybe you’ll be happy, and you’ll get off my fucking back!”
I don’t know what the hell he wants!
“She doesn’t love me,” I tell him again. “There’s no reason to hate me or to be jealous of me—”
“I wasn’t jealous of you!” he bellows. “I was jealous of her!”
I go still, Dylan and I falling silent as tears shake in Kade’s bloodshot eyes, threatening to spill.
His breathing is hard and heavy, and I turn the words over in my head, trying to understand. Jealous of her?
“What?” I ask, confused.
What does she have that he wants?
He turns a little, hiding his face as a bitter laugh that sounds almost like a sob leaves his throat. “Fuck…”
We all stand there as the anger dissipates, Kade calms, and he inhales and exhales deeply.
Turning to me, he says, “Do you remember us getting a dog when were eight?” He doesn’t wait for me to answer, though. “And we were supposed to take care of it together and train it together, and we’d pull him up into our treehouse with a bucket.” He holds my eyes for a second before going on. “And then you took Sith to sleep over at Dylan’s house one night and left him there when we went out of town the next week, and then he was bonded to you two, and you were the ones feeding him and playing with him and holding him.” He starts yelling. “It was our fucking dog, dude! Yours and mine!”