Chapter 32
“Do not say a word to Liz about what happened at the bonfire,” Jay warns us once again. He's said that same thing to us a couple of other times over the past few days since the bonfire party last Friday.
It's Tuesday afternoon, school’s done, and we’re hanging out in the parking lot waiting on Elizabeth to finish talking to Beth and Celeste before we head out to the Fields.
Luckily, Elizabeth doesn’t have to work tonight, and Julien doesn’t have a soccer game or practice, so everyone’s coming to watch me race.
“If you don’t tell her, she’s going to find out eventually, man.”
“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 incident.”
“Don’t you know I know that already? She’s stressed enough as it is with getting ready for her music competition coming up,” Jay replies in frustration. “She hasn’t been sleeping well, and she’s worried Hailey.”
“I hate to say he’s right,” Julien agrees with Jayson.
“What the heck, Jules? You just told him he should tell her.”
“He made a good point. I can change my mind.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “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 she’ll be upset with.
” I stop talking when I see Elizabeth walking over toward us.
Jayson reaches out to grab her, but she spins out of his reach and jumps onto my back piggy-back style
“I can’t wait to see you race tonight!” She squeezes me tightly and then convulsively squirms when Jayson grabs her ribs to pull her off me.
“Hands off my girl, Ry.”
Wanting to mess with him now since Elizabeth is the one climbing all over me, I tell her, “Hold tight,” which is the only warning I give before taking off across the parking lot toward my car.
Elizabeth hugs my neck tight and laughs.
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 and give me my girlfriend back!”
I raise my middle finger and rev the engine. Elizabeth wiggles her fingers in a goodbye wave, blows him a kiss, and we peel out of the lot.
“He is so going to beat you up 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 deserves it.
“Why do you say that?”
I change the subject. “I can’t believe we only have a month left before summer vacation.”
“I know! It all feels so surreal.”
“Looking forward to Hawaii?”
“I can't freaking wait. Hailey and I can't stop talking about it.”
Elizabeth 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 or talked to you about Hailey recently?”
I shake my head, eyes on the road. “Not a word. I talked to her like you asked me to, but she said other than Hailey maybe having a secret boyfriend, she’s been the same old Hailey, just a little more standoffish than usual.”
Loud honking interrupts our conservation. “Wonder what took him so long?” Elizabeth chuckles, looking out the back window at Jayson’s truck coming up behind us fast. I push the gas down and speed away, wagging my middle finger out the driver’s side window.
We pull into the Fields and there are several other cars parked already. Things won’t really get busy until about seven, so we have over an hour to kill. Jayson parks his truck next to us.
“Come here, Liz,” he says as soon as he's out of the truck.
“No,” she sasses back, running around my car to hide behind my back, head poking up over my shoulder.
Julien casually walks over and lifts Elizabeth into his arms. “Stop being so possessive,” he tells his brother.
“Will everyone stop manhandling my girlfriend?”
Elizabeth is enjoying the game of “pass the girlfriend” if her giggles are anything to go by. Elijah shows up and Julien hands Elizabeth over to him. Jayson has had enough and strong arms Elizabeth away from Elijah.
“Hi,” she says, grinning at Jayson when they are nose to nose.
Jayson makes a rumbling noise of exasperation before he attacks her mouth with a kiss. I turn to pop the hood of my car, pretending to check the engine. It gets harder and harder for me to watch Jayson kiss Elizabeth because, truthfully, I want to be in his place.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” Elijah says, walking over to me, “but word is Marshall is racing tonight.”
Julien and I groan.
“I'll be glad when we graduate and won’t have to see that jerk for the rest of our lives.”
“Speaking of Marshall.” Julien jerks his thumb to the side where Marshall and several others are getting out of their cars.
He glares over at our group, and we glare back. Fallon arrives next in a new Porsche 918 Spyder. I swear, the guy goes through cars like he does girls.
“Hey, there’s my man!” Fallon shouts out at me.
“Nice car,” I comment.
The guys have walked off and are talking with a group of people from our school, but I notice Elizabeth lingers behind, her gaze watchful as Fallon approaches me.
“No kidding. That car is awesome. Want to give it a spin?”
“You serious?”
“You’re the only one I would trust with it.”
“Well, then heck yeah. When and where?”
I’m one of the first drivers up tonight to race, so I don’t have time for a test drive. I’m also not stupid 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.”
“Sounds good.”
“So…” He leans lazily against my car, as I continue to look at my engine under the hood. “You’re racing Marshall tonight.”
My head jerks up, and I almost smack it against the underside of the hood.
“What idiot set that up?”
Fallon takes out a cigarette from his back pocket but immediately hides it again when he sees Elijah’s dad.
“Me. Why? You worried?”
“No. I can drive circles around that douchebag with my eyes closed.”
And I can’t really complain about it. Fallon did get Marshall to back off and not press charges against Jay after the fight.
Or the fact that Fallon was able to get the video taken down so quickly and made Marshall quit the Highland High soccer team.
And Fallon made sure that Jacinda stayed away from Elizabeth.
A lot of people think Fallon is a rich, spoiled a-hole who only cares about himself.
I know better. That's why we're friends.
“That’s what I figured.” He chuckles.
Fallon tilts his head and stares at Elizabeth. She’s still watching us, and she cocks her head to the side, imitating Fallon, and stares right back.
I frown at him. “You keep staring at Elizabeth, you and I are going to have a problem.”
“She’s a fascination, is all. Hot, too.”
“Fallon,” I warn, my voice low and serious.
“Chill out, Ry. I know she’s hands off.” He slaps me on the back and walks off. “You’re up in ten, my man.”
I close the hood of my car. Fallon stops in front of Elizabeth and leans in to whisper something in her ear. I see her tense up and then he walks off whistling.
She and I meet halfway. “Want to tell me what that was all about?”
“That was Fallon just being Fallon. Is it time?”
“Looks like it.”
She wishes me good luck and walks away to Jayson and Julien.
I don’t think my nerves can take it. Why is Ryder racing against Marshall?
Julien is just as confounded as I am. Jayson doesn't seem to care. I watch as Ryder drives his car up to the start line, Marshall coming up next to him in his Mustang. I’m chewing my nails down as I watch.
Julien grabs my hand and holds it to help calm my jitters.
Fallon already has me worked up with his “secret for a secret” nonsense again that he whispered to me earlier.
I refuse, however, to let Fallon know he intimidates me. He stares and I stare right back.
Fallon walks out on the track, but he doesn’t do his usual performance of pumping up the crowd to announce the start of the race. Instead, he stands in front of the cars. He lifts his arms up and the engines rev loudly like rolling thunder. He aims a finger at Ryder.
“Ready!” He repeats the same pose, pointing his opposite hand toward Marshall’s car. “Get set.”
I can see Ryder’s left hand clench the steering wheel, amber eyes hard and focused.
Fallon throws both arms down. “Go!”
Dirt flies up as the tires of both cars spin, and then they are off like rockets.
It’s a two-lap race and I am jumping up and down, holding on to Julien’s hand, hollering to Ryder to go faster.
I watch as Marshall clips the back end of Ryder’s Dodge at the driver’s side back corner, denting and scraping it.
I may have screamed when Ryder spins out into a 180, but he recovers quickly and catches back up to Marshall.
Ryder goes wide to pass him on the straightaway, but Marshall tries to sideswipe him.
That dirty cheat. I’m shouting and so livid with anger at the crap Marshall is pulling.
He could seriously hurt Ryder, crash his car, or worse.
What would I do if anything happened to Ryder?
The only thought tunneling into my brain is I can’t lose him.
As Ryder flies past the finish line well ahead of Marshall, all I see is red.
I don’t remember running out to the track. I don’t hear Jayson or Julien calling my name. I don’t hear Ryder yelling at me as he gets out of his car. I don’t remember much of anything until I’m at Marshall’s car when he gets out.
“You son of a bitch!” I shout at him, pulling back my clenched fist and punching him in the face.
The sound of a crunch like when someone snaps a piece of celery in half is audible above all the noise of the crowd, but I have no clue if it belongs to him or me because, holy smokes, that hurt.
I yelp, shaking my hand out as Marshall yells, “Are you crazy?” while cupping his nose, blood dripping between his fingers.
Did I break his nose? Part of me is really impressed at myself.
Then my eyes widen in fear as Marshall lunges for me.
To my downright shock, Fallon is the person who jumps between us and pushes Marshall away from me.
“Don’t you dare touch her,” Fallon threatens him.
I’m yanked backward by several pairs of strong arms.
“Jesus, Liz,” Jayson pants, breathing hard. He folds me into his body and holds me tight, hand gripping the back of my head.
Julien takes my injured hand to inspect it. My knuckles are already swollen and bruised, but I don’t care. I would break every bone in my hand and do it all again. He lets go of me and wraps around me from behind. I’m now sandwiched between him and Jayson.
“Why did you do that, Liz? What were you thinking?” Jayson asks me, clearly upset.
I can’t answer. My anger is too vibrant right now and I know I need to calm down before I do something else crazy like attack Marshall again. The urge to do so is very strong. I want to give him two black eyes to go with his bloody nose.
Ryder angrily shouts, “You come anywhere near her again, and I will pound you into the ground."
Elijah’s dad and the other deputy sheriff who are here tonight make their way over to our chaos to figure out what’s going on.
“Everything okay here?” Elijah’s dad asks me, Jayson, and Julien, then looks at Ryder, Fallon, and Marshall.
No one says a word other than yes, everything’s fine. We know to keep our mouths shut. If the adults and parents in town think fights and trouble are happening at the Fields, they may shut it down, and that’s something we will not allow to happen. This place means too much to all of us.
“That’s what I thought you’d all say.” He looks at me. “Do you need medical attention?” I shake my head no. He then looks at Marshall. “What about you, son? Looks like you broke your nose.”
“I’m good. I’m leaving anyway.”
Fallon shoves Marshall back into the car.
“Alright, then. I think that’s enough excitement for tonight, kids.
Pack up and head home. Races are over for the evening.
” The crowd groans and mumbles, but everyone turns around and heads to their vehicles to leave.
“I’ve got an ice pack in the first aid kit of my car.
Elijah will bring it,” Elijah’s dad says to me.
“Got a mean right hook, kitten,” Fallon remarks as he walks by. Ryder grabs ahold of his arm and stops him.
“Did you know he was going to pull that stuff tonight?”
“No. But I can promise you, Marshall will pay for it. He’s used up all his good graces with me. Send me a bill for the damages to your Hellcat.”
I start to shake from the adrenaline crash.
“Liz, let’s get you home and get that hand looked at. Julien, can you grab the blanket from the back of the truck?” Jayson asks.
“Yep. Be right back.” Julien kisses the side of my head and leaves to get the blanket.
Elijah jogs over, holding the ice pack from his dad’s car. “That was the most awesome thing I have ever seen. You are such a badass, Liz.”
Jayson responds to that in exasperation. “If I wasn’t so mad at you right now for taking thirty years off my life by scaring the shit out of me, I would agree.”
I lift my head up to peer up at Jayson. “I don’t regret it one bit. He tried to hurt Ryder.”
Ryder interjects, “Elizabeth, I’d rather he hurt me than you. If Fallon hadn’t been there, Marshall would have hit you.”
Turning around in Jayson’s arms, I step away from him. As I near Ryder, I jump up and hug his neck. “No one will ever hurt you or take you from me. Ever,” I tell him vehemently before releasing him and grabbing hold of Jayson’s outstretched hand to make the walk back to his truck and head home.