Chapter 44
Chapter Forty-Four
RYDER
“ D o not say a fucking word to Liz about what happened at the bonfire,” Jay warns us once again.
He has given us the same threat every fucking day since the bonfire party.
I glance across the parking lot where Elizabeth is talking to Beth and Celeste.
“If you don’t tell her, she’s eventually going to find out.”
Julien hops up onto the tailgate of the truck. “I agree with Ry. Tell her. Get it out there, act like it’s no big deal, and move on. Liz doesn’t need another Jacinda or Maria incident.”
“Don’t you know that I know that already? She’s stressed enough as it is with all her AP exams coming up, work, and getting ready for her music competition. She doesn’t need another thing to worry about,” Jay replies in frustration. “She hasn’t been sleeping, and now she’s worrying about Hailey, but she won’t give me specifics.”
“I hate to say he’s right, but…” Julien says, flip-flopping his opinion.
“You just told him that he should tell her.”
He shrugs. “He made a good point. I’m allowed to change my mind.”
I shove my hands inside my pockets. “Do what you want to do, man, but I disagree. Then again, it wasn’t me Jacinda was climbing all over, so it’s not me Elizabeth will be upset with.”
I stop talking when Elizabeth approaches. Jayson reaches out to grab her, but she spins out of his reach and jumps onto my back, piggyback style.
“I can’t wait to see you race tonight.”
Elizabeth took the week off work, Julien doesn’t have a match, and Jayson doesn’t have a swim meet, so everyone’s coming to watch me race.
Her legs squeeze around me when Jayson tries to pull her off.
“Hands off my girl, Ry.”
Because he’s being a dick, I want to mess with him.
“Hold tight,” is the only warning I give her, and I take off across the parking lot toward my car.
Elizabeth hangs on for dear life, laughing hysterically. Jayson doesn’t find it funny at all. He may be a fast swimmer, but I’m a faster runner. I have Elizabeth in my car, doors locked, and engine turned on by the time Jayson pounds on my window.
“Open up, fucker, and give me my girl!”
I raise my middle finger and rev the engine. Elizabeth waves goodbye, and we peel out of the lot.
“He is so going to beat your ass when he gets to the track.”
I grin at her. “Worth it.”
“Am I a bad person to like it so much when you mess with him?”
“He deserved it.”
“Why do you say that?”
I change the subject. “I can’t believe we only have a month left before we graduate.”
“I know! It all feels so surreal.”
“Eavesdropped any info about where the parentals are taking us for summer vacation?”
Elizabeth’s grin is wicked. “I found a London travel book half hidden under my dad’s newspaper this morning.”
“You’re shitting me? We’re going to England?”
“I hope so. I was right about Hawaii.”
She swipes through my music files. She loves cranking up rock and roll when we’re driving in my car together.
“Ryder, has Brea said anything to you about Hailey acting weird?”
I shake my head, eyes on the road. “Nothing. Sorry. I did talk to her like you asked me to, but she said that other than Hailey having a secret boyfriend, she’s been the same old Hailey with her, maybe a little more standoffish than usual.”
“I think her secret boyfriend is hurting her. Forget I said that. I’ll figure it out.”
I slip my hand off the gearstick and take her hand.
“Hey, if anyone is hurting her, we’ll stop it.”
There’s a flurry of loud honking, and I look in my rearview mirror. Jayson’s truck is coming up fast.
Elizabeth turns in her seat to peer out the back windshield.
“Wonder what took him so long.”
I push down the gas and speed away. No way will he catch up to us now.
We arrive at the Fields minutes later. Cars and trucks are already parked along the side of the dirt road. Things won’t really get busy until about seven, so we have over an hour to kill.
Gravel flies up when Jayson slams on the brakes and parks his truck behind us.
“Come here, Liz,” he says when he gets out.
She uses me like a human shield, hiding behind my back. Julien casually walks over and lifts Elizabeth into his arms.
“Stop being a possessive ass,” he tells his brother.
“Fucking Christ. Will everyone stop touching my girl?”
If her giggles are anything to go by, Elizabeth is enjoying the game of pass the girlfriend .
Elijah shows up, and Julien hands Elizabeth over to Jayson.
“Hi.” She grins at him.
Jayson attacks her mouth with a kiss. I turn to pop the hood of my car, feigning checking the engine. It gets harder and harder for me to watch Jayson kiss Elizabeth because, shit , I want to be the man kissing her.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” Elijah says. “But word is, Marshall is racing tonight. Haven’t seen him yet, so here’s to hoping he doesn’t show up.”
Julien lets loose a few choice curse words.
“College can’t come soon enough. I won’t have to see that asshole anymore for the rest of my life.”
I spot Fallon’s Porsche 918 Spyder coming up the road. I swear that guy goes through cars like he does women. Jayson drags Elizabeth off, and Julien and Elijah walk away, deep in conversation.
Since my hood is up, I look over my engine.
“Hey, Ry!” Fallon shouts.
“See you brought the Porsche.”
Elizabeth’s blonde hair slides into my periphery. While Jayson is talking with a group of guys from our school, Elizabeth is closely watching Fallon and me.
“That car is fucking awesome. Want to give it a spin?”
That snatches my attention. “The Porsche? You serious?”
“You’re the only one I would trust driving her.”
“Fuck yeah. When and where?”
Even if he offered, I’m not idiotic enough to take an almost one-million-dollar car out on a dirt track in the middle of a field.
Fallon twirls his keys around his index finger and slips them in his front jeans pocket. “I’ll set something up for this weekend at the track in Raleigh.”
“Sounds good. When did you get back?”
After he graduated from Highland High last year, Fallon took a gap year. For the last few months, he’s been gone who knows where, and I haven’t seen him in a while.
“Got back a couple of weeks ago. I spent some time with Tati.”
Tati is his older half sister, who lives in Spain.
He leans against my Hellcat. “You’re racing Marshall tonight.”
My head bumps up, and I almost smack it against the underside of the hood.
“Why the hell would you set that up,” I say, not as a question but as an accusation.
Fallon takes out a joint and then puts it back in his pocket when he sees Elijah’s dad.
“Why? You worried?”
“Hell, no. I can drive circles around that asshole with my eyes closed.”
Fallon tilts his head when he notices Elizabeth looking and stares at her. She cocks her head to the side, imitating Fallon, and stares right back at him.
I frown. “You keep looking at Elizabeth like that, and you and I are going to have a problem.”
I’ve always known he’s had a thing for her. It’s why he and Jay hate each other.
“She’s a fascination. Hot as fuck, too.”
“Fallon,” I warn.
“I know she’s hands off.”
My gaze follows him as he walks over to her. He leans in to whisper something in her ear, then saunters off, a smile on his face.
When she joins me, I slam the hood down.
“Want to tell me what that was all about?”
Her gaze slides his way. “Just Fallon being Fallon.”