Driven

Chapter 8 Ryker

Ryker

FOUR YEARS AGO

It’s Thursday, which means it’s shooting practice. I turn the basketball in my hands but my mind keeps replaying how I spent yesterday.

She’s your best friend’s baby sister.

Maybe if I say it enough, it’ll sink into my brain, but I’m starting to realise that maybe I don’t care.

I’ve always thought Gianna is beautiful.

We’ve grown up together, but it’s getting harder to look away, and I can’t keep ignoring the way my body lights on fire when I see her.

When I watched her in the art rooms yesterday, immersed in her project, in her element?

Damn. There’s an ember in her eyes that makes me curious.

She’s got a whole fucking wildfire contained within her, and I want to see it burn.

‘Listen up, ladies,’ Coach Clarke bellows by the corner of the court.

‘I don’t care if this is just practice. We don’t stay number one unless we practise like we’re beating number one.

Every time you step on this floor, we are pedal to the metal.

We run. We pressure. We play … Mr Fernando!

’ he screams at Renny as he waltzes through the gym doors.

‘You’re late. Twenty suicides before you join the court. ’

Renny protests, muttering in Portuguese, while our basketballs bounce off the walls.

He eventually gives in and starts running the length of the court, touching the white painted lines on each end.

Coach barks out the rest of his instructions.

We’re doing full court dribbles. Crossovers, layups, and defensive slides.

I love this game, but I can’t focus, especially when I make it back to the starting baseline in time to see a head of chocolate brown curls approach the bleachers.

Gianna takes her usual spot off to the very left of the middle row.

She opens her sketchbook and places it on her lap, holding a pen to the paper.

As if sensing me, she looks up and I lock eyes with her.

A smile spreads across my face. Her eyes are my favourite, little chestnut whirlpools that don’t hide a thing.

I know every thought that runs through her mind by a single glance in her eyes.

A faint red glow rises to her face before she refocuses on her book.

She does this cute thing where she sucks on the corner of her bottom lip when she concentrates.

It does things to me. It makes me want to give her anything she wants.

She’s your best friend’s—

Fuck it.

Knowing I’m in the final months of seeing her every day is urging me to stop being so chickenshit. I want Gianna Brooks, and I’m sick of wasting time pretending that I don’t.

Plus, yesterday, something shifted.

It was the first time I started thinking that she might feel something back.

An arm jabs right into my stomach, knocking the air out of me and sending me doubling over.

‘It’s not fucking happening, bro.’ Jace runs a hand through his damp hair. ‘You’re not taking my baby sister out.’ When I straighten, he throws the ball my way, ripping my mind back into the court. ‘Yeah, that’s right. I know about yesterday.’

Shit.

His eyes gleam with threat. ‘The cheer squad was bitching about your little show with Hayley, and I’m telling you now – it ain’t happening.’

Ah. So he doesn’t know Gianna and I spent the whole day together afterward.

Over the years, I’ve witnessed Jace’s protective streak about anyone who’s ever even looked Gianna’s way. It’s a bit strange to be on the receiving end of it.

‘Would you relax?’ I say. ‘I was just stopping your bitter ex from giving her a hard time. But I did say we’d all go to Lucifer’s Dream together.’ I bounce the ball between my legs.

‘Only we won’t be,’ Jace says on the heels of a hollow laugh. ‘I’ve made our plans for The Prank. And you’re not taking my baby sister out.’

Renny joins us, dribbling a ball before he stops next to Jace.

‘Don’t give Ryker a hard time. Little G, huh?

She’s eighteen now, you can’t coddle her forever.

’ He pauses and makes a show of sucking each of his fingertips on his left hand.

‘Forbidden fruit is so sweet. If you don’t want Ryker as your bro-in-law, I’ll step in. ’

Jace beats me to it and launches at Renny, who easily deflects his hands. ‘Relax, amigo.’ Renny pushes the ball into Jace’s chest, patting it once. ‘I like the redhead, anyway. Minha Vermelhinha.’

Coach blows his whistle, pointedly breaking up our chatter, while wheeling over a cart of basketballs.

I turn to jog over to the free-throw line, but Jace gently grabs my arm.

‘Please, bro. I mean it,’ he says with a solemn expression. ‘I told Pa I’d protect her. And the shit that we do, the stuff with the cars, the race meets? She doesn’t need to be involved in that. Besides, we’re leaving next year. We’ll be a long way from Booker Bay.’

I frown at the thought of not seeing Gianna. ‘It’s not too far of a drive, especially with the right playlist.’

He runs a hand down his face ‘Can you just tell me what I want to hear?’

I see the desperation in his expression. As his best friend, I’ve been taking his shit light-heartedly, but my feelings are too strong to ignore now.

‘Humour me,’ I start. ‘What are you so worried about?’

‘I promised Pa.’

‘I know you promised your dad you’d protect her, but what makes you think she won’t be protected with me?’

Jace considers for a moment. ‘I can’t have Gianna involved with The Tropics. Ma already hates on everything Gia does. I’d fucking love to have her there, share the same track, but we can’t.’

‘We don’t have to involve her in racing, man.’

He shoots me a dry look. ‘Are you kidding? That place is us. And Gia’s getting curious, asking me about it. As much as I want to, I can’t have her there. It would kill Ma.’

I want to be a smartass and tell Jace that it’s not really about his mother’s feelings, because he’s doing the same thing.

Mrs B doesn’t want him racing, just as much as she doesn’t want Gianna doing it either.

But I know how important racing is to Jace.

He and his dad took a car to the speedway every Friday after school.

That Mustang, and racing, meant everything to them.

I also know how much it broke him when it all ended.

He was home when Mrs B got the call. He found her wailing on the floor with her phone in hand.

She and Gianna locked themselves away, so Jace stepped up and took care of them, the house, the funeral.

I was here for him – we all were – but he did that shit alone.

‘So you’d rather see Gianna with someone else?’

‘Fuck no.’ He frowns. ‘There’s just … been so much change. I want to keep one thing the same for a bit longer. Which is not having to worry about her.’

‘You know Renny’s right, though? If it were me, we’d be actual brothers one day.’

A small smile teases at the corners of his lips, but he bites it back. ‘That’d be fucking cool. One day. Just not today.’

Coach blows his whistle. ‘Edwards. Brooks. In line.’

Lining up behind some of my teammates, I look back at Jace, who’s still got this look of worry.

He shakes his head in disbelief, but there’s a smile coming back. ‘I can’t believe you have the hots for my sister. I shouldn’t be so surprised, you look at her like you’d take a bullet for her. I just thought it was more … brotherly.’

The queue is moving fast. I’m up next. I need to lighten the mood. ‘You forgot to say you’ll kill me if I hurt her.’

‘I don’t have to say that. You won’t.’

It’s not a threat or a question. It’s just the truth.

When Coach throws a ball my way, I catch it, dribbling it along the maple floor. I run up to the rim and jump, twisting in the air to make the slam dunk. The swish of the net is music to my ears.

‘Just because you’ve been drafted doesn’t mean you can avoid working on your three-pointers, Edwards,’ Coach says.

Shrugging off his comment, I slap Jace a high five before wiping the sweat off my brow with the hem of my shirt. I look over to the bleachers for my girl, frowning when she’s not in her usual spot. In fact, she’s not anywhere.

I turn my attention back to practice. We play for an hour until the buzzer sounds. Everyone’s on their game and we’ll be ready for qualifiers.

I shower and change back into my grey sweats and white tee before heading out with Jace and Renny. Ty is already waiting at the exit in his hockey uniform, tossing a hockey puck in the air like it’s a coin.

‘What’s up, Ty? Did you kick some ass?’ I nod in his direction and, as always, get only a nod and a fist bump in return.

He pulls a red cap from his bag and places it on, bending the bill. It doesn’t hide the new bruise plastered across his cheek.

‘You take that hit just now?’ I ask.

Tyler’s known for spending more time in the penalty box than on the ice, but he’s come from practice with his own teammates, the guys he protects with his life. He wouldn’t be dropping the gloves on one of them.

‘Something like that.’ He’s got a permanently bored expression, indifferent to the world, but his attention snaps upright when he sees two girls walk past the building. Or rather, a certain girl.

I jut my chin toward the head of long black hair that’s got him snared. ‘Who’s she?’

Tyler remains completely fixated, and there’s a moment when the girl catches it, giving him a small wave before looking away. He doesn’t wave back. He just keeps watching like she’s the only one he can see.

Then he says, ‘My future wife.’

Renny and I burst out in laughter, but Tyler just trades his puck for a Ziploc bag filled with … kale chips … I think.

‘I’ve seen her taking photos at some of the games we have with ECU.’ Renny nudges Tyler. ‘She’s kinda like you, doesn’t talk much and has a stick up her ass.’

Tyler pushes Renny away with a hand on his face.

‘Well, aren’t you a ray of fucking sunshine?’ I beam, hooking Tyler’s neck in my arms. He grunts and I give him a playful wrestle before releasing him.

Renny’s phone chimes and he pulls it out, scrutinising the screen. He looks at Jace. ‘Pai’s said the Camino’s ready and he needs it out of the bay before tonight. You should bring little G, see if she wants to drive her own ride home.’

Jace nods. ‘Yeah, I’ll see if she’s up for it.’

His phone chimes again, but it’s not the only one. Mine vibrates in my back pocket, while Jace and Ty get a text too. The text is from X. The Tropics is on tonight.

‘Hell yeah,’ Jace says, bringing us together. ‘The Prank and The Tropics! Tonight is gonna be epic.’

‘What about Lucifer’s Dream?’ I ask.

‘Fuck the carnival.’ Jace frowns. ‘This is our last prank and it lines up with The Tropics. It’s like the universe wants us to make it count and do something memorable.’

I want to argue, I want to say that Gianna is expecting us all to go to the carnival, but the smile on his face is too big and I don’t want to dampen it. We’ll do the prank … have a quick race at The Tropics … then I’ll convince the guys to come to Lucifer’s Dream and pick up Gianna.

‘Would you relax? We always make it memorable. People still turn up for the open home.’ I beam as memories of listing the Dean of ECU’s home for sale on Craigslist, and turning the sports centre hallways into a giant slip-and-slide flash through my mind.

Earlier in the year, we siphoned the gas from the ECU bus before a big game, the game that got Jace and me drafted.

The ECU Hawks never made it and had to forfeit.

Rumour has it that because their top players missed the scouting op, they’re planning some big payback – but we’ll be ready for it.

‘What do you have in mind?’ Renny asks, pulling a cigarette from his back pocket.

Coach rounds the corner, right as Renny runs his lips along the filter and shoves it in his mouth.

‘Mr Fernando,’ he booms. Renny groans in response and turns to face him.

‘What?’ He glowers with the cigarette hanging from his lips.

‘Take that shit off campus.’ Coach gestures toward Jace. ‘Brooks! Come and look at the run sheets before tryouts.’

Jace nods. ‘I’ll be right back,’ he says to us. ‘I’ve got a good feeling about tonight.’

Renny rolls his eyes and waits for Coach and Jace to disappear before turning back to us like nothing ever happened and lighting up.

‘Fuck Coach, man,’ he says as he takes a long drag before exhaling the smoke into the air above him. I scrunch my nose at the smell, but what bothers me more is wondering what’s driven him to kill his lungs like this.

We’re cutting across the quad when I spot Monique making a beeline for the textiles labs.

‘Monique!’ I call out. ‘Do you know where Gianna is?’

‘She’s in the art building again,’ Monique calls back. She diverts from her path, coming over with a knowing smile before she tacks on, ‘Alone.’

I like this girl.

I glance over at the guys, who both have the same smile. ‘Shut up.’

Renny lifts a shoulder, saying nothing as he grabs my backpack and keys. ‘I’ll take these. Go get your girl.’ His attention switches to Monique. ‘Minha Vermelhinha,’ he says under his breath.

‘What?’ She cocks her head, leaning in to hear.

‘Nothing.’ He smiles wide at her before looking back at me. ‘I’ve gotta head to the garage to see Pai. Catch ya tonight.’

Renny and Tyler head off, leaving me with Monz, who gives them a small wave.

‘What’s she doing in the art building?’ I ask. ‘She usually waits for us after practice.’

‘She’s making something for you guys to go with this.’ She winks and shoves a bunch of black fabric into my arms.

I unravel the pieces. ‘What’s Gianna making to go with a hoodie and track pants?’

Monique hums as she pops a shoulder. ‘While I go clean up the sewing lab … why don’t you go to the art room and find out?’

The biggest smile I’ve ever had stretches across my face. This is why Monique is a fucking good friend.