Chapter Seventeen
R iver pulls into the makeshift lot at the side of the track, a fire is raging in a barrel next to the beverage table and the moment the engine is stopped, I see Zara pushing through the crowd toward us, her face a mask of concern. She gets my door open long before River ever gets the chance and I step out, only for her to pull me toward the trunk, a red solo cup, half empty with beer in her grasp and Jake watching her every move.
“Are you okay!?” She hisses, looking me over from head to toe. Zara acts more like a big sister than best friend and she always has done. She’s a year or so older than I am but we’ve been friends since we were both still in diapers. She’s the only person that matters to me, more than my own family ever will, but her love can also be suffocating.
“I’m fine,” I tell her, subtly removing myself from her grip and disguising it by pretending to straighten out my clothes even though there isn’t a single wrinkle to be seen.
“It all happened so fast,” She goes on, “First he broke that guy’s arm and then you were in his car!”
“I know.”
“I mean did you see that!?” She whisper hisses, “He broke his arm!”
“I saw it,” I tell her.
“And you still got in his car!?”
At that, I frown, “Why wouldn’t I?”
She blinks slowly, “Um, because he broke some guy’s arm.”
“Because he touched me.” I remind her.
“Well yes, but do you not think that was a little extreme?”
I mean it was, but I don’t say that and shrug instead.
Her brows lower, “Where did you go?”
“To a lookout,” I choose not to lie to her, “We hung out for a bit.”
I look beyond her shoulder to where I can see River waiting with Jake and a blush steals over my cheeks, remembering what he felt like beneath me. It’s not even a big deal, is it? But it was hard and right there, and I could have finally gotten rid of this damn V-card I’m carrying around like it’s some kind of poker chip to be won at a table.
“Oh god, did you–”
“No!” I interrupt her, “No, of course not.”
“But you want to?” She quirks a brow.
“I don’t know,” I answer.
She purses her lips, “Just be careful, okay. I’m not sure I trust him.”
“I’m always careful, Zara.” I sigh, “Can we just go back to them? Jake is watching you like he may come and steal you away if we stay here any longer.”
Her cheeks flame red and I’m thankful for giving her the distraction. She links her arm with mine and spins us to make our way back to the guys, the beer in her cup sloshing over the rim.
“Need a refill?” Jake asks her when we make it over to them. She lets him wrap his arm around her and guides her away, leaving me with River who hands me a can of coke before he takes a swig from his bottle of beer.
“They’re cute,” I comment about Jake and Zara, watching them as he pulls her into him, engulfing her small frame with his much larger one. River only grunts in response, but I don’t get a chance to speak when I see Rach walking toward us, a sway in her step, her gorgeous dark hair flowing around her shoulders.
She stops ahead of us both, fluttering her lashes at River before she moves her focus to me, “How was the hangover, Mary?”
My spine stiffens.
“It’s Marly,” River snaps at her.
“Oops,” She smiles, showing teeth, “My bad. Listen I’m so sorry about that, I thought you knew.”
Liar.
“What do you want, Rachel?” River asks.
“I just wanted to congratulate you on your win of course,” She slides her hand up his chest and onto his shoulder before she pushes onto her toes and kisses his cheek. He remains incredibly stiff, with his arms crossed across his hard chest, the muscles somehow more defined with his skin being kissed by the firelight several feet away. “She stole you away so quickly, no one got to say it.”
I roll my lips together and move to step away from them. Who am I to stop a woman moving in on the man that she wants, even if it is him. She clearly wants him and will bulldoze through me to get there. If my mother taught me anything right, and there’s very little she taught me, is that you don’t fight another woman for a man. If he’s able to be swayed, then he isn’t for you. It’s undignified. Granted she also told me that if he’s looking at other women then I must have done something wrong, but I got the point and I chose to forget that last part.
Because I won’t fight another woman for a man’s attention, especially a man I turned down not even an hour ago.
“She didn’t steal me, Rachel,” He sighs and reaches for me before I can move away further, “I decided I wanted to be alone with her.”
“Oh,” Rach’s eyes cut to me, narrowing, “Her, really ?”
I swear I hear River’s teeth grind, “Is there something else you needed?”
She grins at him, her hand landing back on his chest, “Actually, yes, my car has been making this weird noise, mind looking at it?”
“Your brother works at my garage at least three times a week, get him to look.”
“He’s busy.” She replies quickly. “I need it for work, River, please?”
“Bring it to the shop on Monday,” He grinds out.
“You’re the best,” She licks her bottom lip, “I’ll see you then. See you around, Maria.”
River lurches forward when she spins and walks away but I’m quick to grab him, “Not worth it.”
“It’s fucking disrespectful.” He growls.
“Well, she likes you,” I shrug, stepping out of his arm, “I’m a threat, though I really shouldn’t be.”
He laughs, a throaty deep sound, “If you think I’m interested in any of these girls here, you’re mistaken.”
“We can’t happen, River.” I tell him.
“And I think that’s bullshit.” He snaps. “Step out of the box they’ve put you in, princess. Take what you want, not whatever scraps they give you.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“Like fuck if it isn’t that easy,” He throws his hands up, “And here they say money makes your life easy.”
“It’s not my money.”
“So, what’s the issue?” He counters, “Not your money, not your problem.”
I stay silent as he continues to stare down at me, waiting for me to give him a counter argument but I have none.
“Are you really content living the life you’re currently living?” He asks, “You’ll be happy when they marry you off to some rich prick that’ll treat you like a little doll? I suppose you’ll pop out a couple of perfect little babies and live in a perfect little house with a white picket fence and a dog that never misbehaves.”
“You don’t know me, River,” I snap at him, “This isn’t fair.”
“Life isn’t fair, princess,” He growls back, “Life is never fair!”
“I should leave,” My shoulders sag, “Thank you for the invite.”
I start to move toward where I last saw Zara but a hand on my arm pulls me back, it’s gentle but firm and when I spin around to push him off, his hand captures my chin.
He tilts my face up toward him, “You don’t have to live like that.” He whispers.
“You have no idea what I have to do,” I pull my face from his grip.
“Let me show you,” He continues, dropping the hand that was holding my face, instead he intertwines his fingers with mine, “Let me show you what living really looks like. It’s messy and chaotic and fun .”
My eyes drop to his lips, “I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m not willing to put other people at risk.”