13. Skylar
CHAPTER 13
SKYLAR
I t’s early, so I didn’t expect to see anyone as I crouch and lay flowers in front of Tommy’s colorful memorial in the art building. I didn’t know him for long, but he was fun and clearly an amazing friend. More than that, he deserves to be honored and remembered, so I come every week and place fresh flowers to thank him for doing what he did. I will always remember him, even if everything else fades. I know Evan visits almost daily, and sometimes I see Lally here, but she’s usually crying, and we share a silent understanding not to bring it up.
Alice comes as well, though she doesn’t speak.
It’s just me today, though, and I straighten some of the images others added of him as I sit back on my haunches. “Hey, buddy, your wall is growing. Soon you’ll take over this place.” Smiling, I straighten a few more pictures before standing. “I’ll be back next week with more. How about roses next, huh?” Shoving my hands in my pocket, I turn to leave, only to find Bones there, staring at me with an unreadable expression.
“You’re here early,” I comment. The school hasn’t even officially opened yet. I know classes don’t start for another few hours, although people are in labs and the library.
“I was at the library when I thought I could swing by”—he glances at the wall—“and make sure it was okay.”
“What do you mean?”
“The school board was trying to get rid of it, something about it being against the rules. I made sure they wouldn’t touch it, but I wanted to make sure they hadn’t without me noticing,” he replies.
“Bones, you big softie.” I smirk. “Do the others know?”
“No. Why would I tell them?” He frowns, not understanding why his friends would be proud and thankful.
Foolish, beautiful man.
“Come on, I’ll walk you out.” I move to his side, and surprisingly, he falls into step with me as we hit the path and walk under the trees blowing in the breeze.
“You come every week?” he asks, filling the silence.
“I do.” I glance at him and smile. “I wasn’t as close to him as the others. I only met him a few times through Evan, but he was funny and an amazing soul. My friends loved him very much, and he saved us all that night, so I come to remind him I will never forget what he did. It seems right.”
“Who’s the softie now?” He bumps my shoulder, and I find myself smiling. “Are you on your way to the track?”
“Yeah, we’re practicing pretty much twenty-four seven at the moment. Since I’m a newbie, it’s important to find a flow with my partner and the team. I’m a good racer, but it’s not enough to win. It’s about the team as much as it’s about me.”
“Profound. I expected you to be all ‘it’s not the car, but the driver. I’m the best.’” He smirks.
“Nah, I can win, I know that, but I want to win the right way,” I reply. “I want them with me. They welcomed me in like family, and we’ve gotten close really quickly. It doesn’t feel right to go rogue, so even though I hate early mornings, I drag my ass there every day and do what I’m told.”
“You? Do what you’re told? I don’t believe it for a second.”
I laugh, and we share a grin.
“It doesn’t come naturally, I’ll admit.” I wink as we wander down the path. “Luckily, my partner, Mackie, is really good, and we fit together well.”
“You must spend a lot of time with him,” he remarks, but there’s something in his voice that makes me rerun his words through my head.
Smirking, I turn and walk backwards so I can keep him in view. “He’s in love with someone else, and so am I. We are friends, nothing more.”
“I didn’t ask,” he scoffs, but his shoulders loosen, and he grabs me when I stumble over the edge of the path. “Walk normal, idiot.”
“So, is this what it feels like to walk with the popular kid? The bad boy of Pine Valley? I am so lucky. Should I swoon?” I joke.
“I wouldn’t know. I don’t really walk with anyone.” I raise my brow, and he sighs. “I have friends, but I prefer being alone. It’s just easier.” He shrugs. “Besides, most people take one look at me and turn the other way. They call me Bones because they say when I’m through with them, that’s all that’s left. It stuck, and I kept it to spite them.”
I can’t believe he’s telling me this, so I keep pushing, wanting to know everything about him.
“What’s your real name?” It’s something I’ve always been curious about. I could have found out, but for some reason, I want him to tell me himself.
“Ah, now, that would be telling,” he teases.
I stop before my car and turn to him. “How about a deal?” I offer.
“You and your deals. I think you do it just because you know us lawyers can’t resist a good wager.”
“True, that and I’m desperate to hook you somehow.” I lean back against my hood as I watch him. “If I win that race you’re coming to next week, I get your real name—all of it. What do you think, beautiful?”
“That’s all? My name? I expected you to demand more.” His meaning is clear, and I wink as I run my eyes down his frame.
“Baby, when you give me your body, it won’t be through a deal. It will be because you want me. No, I want your name.”
“And if you lose?” he asks, his eyebrow arched.
“I won’t.” I grin.
“If you do?” he retorts.
“You pick.” I push away from my car, and I don’t stop until we are almost pressed together. “Tell me what you want, angel.”
He glances at my lips, and even though I expect him to tell me to leave him alone, he surprises me when he speaks. “I get to drive your race car if you lose. At least one lap.”
“Deal.” I lean in and kiss his cheek. “To seal it. See you later, beautiful. Have a good day.” I slide into my car and pull out, waving at him before taking off to work.
I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time.
“Sky, are you coming?” Toni, one of the mechanics, calls, and I lift my head to see them lingering by the door. “We are all going for a drink.”
“Nah, you go ahead. I want to practice some more. The race is getting closer.” I shrug.
They wave, and I stare after them, wondering when my life changed so much that I would turn down a party and a drink. I’m just now realizing there are more important things. Everyone else is gone, and the garage is dark. Hell, even Alek and Noah left hours ago.
I’m the newbie, however, and although I can race with my eyes closed, I want this to go well. I want to win, not just for me like I thought, but for all of us. Noah works day and night to give us everything we need, and every single mechanic works their ass off to make it happen. Mackie spends day in and day out adapting his racing style so we can work together. It’s a team effort, and they are only as strong as their weakest member, so I need to buckle up and keep my head down.
I spent all day on the track, and then I hit the gym. Now the books are spread before me. Some detail the tracks we’ll face this championship, while others have other racers’ stats and car information. The one I’m reading now and memorizing has the rules.
There are none on the streets, but here, they are long and detailed, and if you break one, you’re banned or worse. I won’t let that happen.
I might not like to play by rules often, but for this, I will.
Leaning back, I close my eyes and recite the page I just memorized. I run through it until I have it right, and a few hours later, my head is pounding and I physically can’t take in any more information. After packing them away, I head to my locker and put them inside before seeing the light on under Noah’s door.
Frowning, I knock and swing it open, finding him staring at his computer with just a desk light on. “Hey, I thought everyone left.”
“So did I,” he murmurs, glancing at me and hitting pause on something on his laptop. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I was just running through some prep for the championship,” I admit, and the smile he gives me makes me want to shuffle in embarrassment. It’s filled with pride, and something about making Noah proud of me heals something broken in my chest.
No one has ever been proud of me, not ever.
Noah is as he beams at me.
Leaning into the doorway, I eye Noah, clearing my throat and changing the subject before I do something stupid like sob. Daddy issues, am I right?
“How come you’re still here?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” he retorts before leaning back in his chair with a groan and rubbing his face. “I should say something profound like the boss doesn’t leave until all his team does, but really, I’m just watching reruns of recent races to try and suss out the opponents’ strategies so we can adapt and win.”
“Need a hand?” I offer as I push from the door and take the seat next to him.
“You sure?” he murmurs. “It’s not exactly fun.”
“It’s a good idea, and I can get a feel for them. On the streets, the better you know your racer, the better your chances are of winning.” I shrug.
“Sometimes I forget you’re a street kid.” He smirks, rubbing my hair until I lean away with a mock glare. “Alright, but when you get bored, you can leave. Don’t feel bad.”
“I’m betting you’ll fall asleep, old man, before I get bored,” I tease.
“Old man? Jesus fucking Christ. Kids these days,” he mutters as he hits play.
For the next two hours, we watch race after race, stopping to talk through strategies to counter the ones we are seeing. Some use the same tactic every time while others have a pattern, and some are wild cards, but if we can learn to predict their movements, then we stand a chance.
“Next one?” he murmurs.
“Sure thing.” I drop my pen to my notebook and lean closer to the screen as the next race loads up.
Just then, my phone starts to ring, playing Lover Boy . There is only one person it rings for. I quickly snatch it up and answer, uncaring about Noah listening at my side.
“Angel, are you okay?” I ask worriedly.
He never calls me, not ever, and panic winds through me. What if something is wrong? What if it’s like that night and he’s in danger? My heart starts to pound when there’s just heavy breathing.
“Bones, talk to me,” I plead.
There’s a grunt then the sound of music before a door is shut. “Sky, it’s Alek,” my grumpy best friend says, only making me worry more.
“What the fuck do you have Bones’s phone for? Is he okay?” I get to my feet, my eyes wide.
“Shit, calm down, man, sorry. He’s okay, just very fucking drunk. Bones, stop—shit, okay, take it.” There’s fumbling, and then heavy breathing again.
“Skylar,” Bones slurs, and my eyebrows rise. All the time I have known Bones, I’ve barely see him drink, and never anything past one or two. I can hear how drunk he is in his voice, and when he giggles, I swear I fall back into my seat.
What the hell happened to make him get this drunk?
“Yes, angel?” I murmur. “Alek says you’re drunk.”
“I had a few.” He hiccups. “I’m fine.”
“Uh-huh, you’re always fine. Pass the phone back to Alek, baby,” I say softly.
“No, it’s my phone, talk to me,” he snaps, and my lips twitch at his petulant tone. He’s such a fucking brat. “Why aren’t you here tonight? Are you on a date?”
“If by date you mean sitting with my boss in his weird smelling office and watching race reruns, then yes,” I joke.
“Hey,” Noah mutters. “Does it smell weird?”
“You had that weird concoction for dinner. I smell that,” I admit before focusing on my phone call as Noah sniffs. “Baby, give the phone back to Alek.”
“Why? You don’t want to talk to me? Fine.” There’s a grunt.
“Baby, I want to talk to you all the time, okay? I just need a minute with Alek, so be a good boy and hand him the phone.” I talk slowly, trying to placate him.
There’s more fumbling and then a deep sigh. “You see what we are dealing with? He’s a mess.”
“Why did you let him get so fucking drunk?” I snap, completely annoyed.
“Holy shit,” Noah mutters, and I throw him a glare. “All that soft, loving voice and now look . . . so mean.”
I flip him off and turn away.
“You don’t let Bones do anything, you know that. I don’t know why he got so drunk,” Alek replies.
“Text me the address. I’m on the way. Stay with him and don’t let him have another drink,” I warn.
“Easier said than done—Bones, don’t piss in the pool!” The phone goes dead.
I glance at Noah, and he laughs.
“Go,” Noah says with an understanding smile. “If I had someone I cared about enough to take care of, I would.”
“Who says you don’t?” I counter with an arched brow.
“I don’t know what you mean,” he mutters, his gaze fixed on the race.
“Uh-huh, maybe I mean the person you keep the fridge stocked with his favorite drinks and snacks for, even though it means you’re importing them, or the fact that you watch him on the cameras every morning and night to make sure he gets in okay.”
“I look after all my team,” Noah mutters, sparing me a look.
“With such a personal touch? I never got any snacks.” I wink as I pull my jacket on. “Stop fighting it. Trust me, life is too fucking short to have regrets when the end comes. Live while you can because when it’s over, it’s just fucking over.”
“Don’t go getting all sentimental on me, kid,” Noah mutters as he watches me pack my bag and grab my keys. “I didn’t know you were dating anyone, and I’ve never heard you use that soft voice before.”
“I’m not technically dating him yet. He’s mine. He just doesn’t know it yet,” I admit with a grin, and he laughs.
He snorts. “Lucky him.”
“I know, right?” I wink, throwing my bag over my shoulder. “See you tomorrow, old man.” I duck out of the door as a book hits it, making me grin wider. I love giving him shit, although I can’t help but grin, knowing one day he’s going to give into those feelings and chase that little race boy rather than pushing him away.
I’m just getting into my car when my phone dings with a text.
Alek: 451 Slaughterhouse Rd.
Alek: Be quick or I’m dumping his ass in the pool.
My engine roars to life as I hit reply.
Skylar: On my way. If you touch my boy, you’re dead, Anders.