Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Ican tell Constance is trying her best to act like everything she’s seeing isn’t over the top and extravagant.
And I really appreciate her for that. I don’t know much about Constance’s home life.
I can tell she doesn’t come from wealth, though.
Not that I care. I don’t judge people by how much money they have.
Also, we can’t choose our family. I didn’t do anything special to be born into generational wealth. It’s literally like winning the lottery in the parent department, I guess.
“Do you ever get lonely being in all this space by yourself?” Constance is walking around.
My suite in the house has four rooms: a study, a bedroom, the living room that also has a tiny kitchenette, and the bathroom with an attached wardrobe. I haven’t shown that part of the suite to Constance yet.
Her question throws me off, because if I were to tell her the truth, I would say yes. I am lonely. But it doesn’t matter how many people I’m surrounded by, I’d still be lonely.
“My parents don’t leave me alone for long.” I laugh, and it’s at this moment that my mum knocks before she opens the door.
“Hey, sweetheart. Dad said you had a friend over. I’ve had the guestroom made up in case you want to use it,” Mum says.
“Thanks, Mum. This is Constance. Constance, my mum, Lucy,” I introduce them.
“Welcome, Constance. It’s a pleasure to have you here.” Mum smiles.
“Thank you, Mrs McKinley. You have a lovely home, but of course you probably know that. I mean, how could you not, right?” Constance says.
“Thank you. But please call me Lucy. We aren’t that formal around here.” Mum then walks up to me. She wraps her arm around my shoulder, pressing a kiss to the side of my head. “How was school?”
“It was fine,” I say.
“Just fine? Found where all the cute boys are hiding yet?” Mum asks.
Constant laughs. “I don’t think any boys at school would be brave enough to go near Zara.”
“Oh, why’s that? She doesn’t look that scary to me.”
My eyes go wide as saucers, quietly pleading with Constance not to say anything else. My pleas go unnoticed, though.
“Because they’re all too scared of Ares, and he’s made it very clear that she’s off-limits.”
“Ares De Bellis?” Mum looks at me, her gaze full of questions.
“Uncle Marcel ordered him to watch out for me. It’s nothing. You know how those De Bellis boys like to follow orders like good little soldiers.” I roll my eyes.
“Sure,” Mum says, but I can tell she’s not buying it. “Want me to have a word with Marcel? Get him to tell Ares to back off?”
“It’s fine. I’m handling it,” I lie. I’m not handling it, but Ares backing off right now is the last thing I need. I broke down worse than I have in weeks because he wasn’t at school for half the day. I might not like him, but I need him.
“I’m making chicken casserole. Do you girls want dinner?” Mum asks.
I look to Constance. “We can order something and eat up here?” I offer.
“I could eat casserole,” Constance says. “If you want to.”
“Sure. We’ll be down soon,” I tell Mum. “Thanks.”
“No worries.”
I wait until my mum leaves the room and then I collapse onto the sofa.
“Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t know the Ares thing was a secret,” Constance says.
“There is no Ares thing,” I groan.
“Does he know that?” Constance sits next to me.
“Yes.” The truth is… I’m not even sure that I know that there is nothing between Ares and me. “I kissed him today,” I blurt out.
“But there’s no Ares thing?” Constance smiles.
“Shut up. I hate him.”
“Sure, I go around kissing all the girls I hate,” she says.
“Argh, life would be easier if I liked girls.”
“It really wouldn’t be.” Constance lets out a humourless laugh.
“I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that,” I tell her. I know it’s not easy for her. People judge her for her sexuality and that’s not okay. She can love whomever she wants to love.
“It’s cool,” she says.
My phone buzzes and when I look at it, I see a message from Ares asking if I’m okay. I send him a thumbs-up emoji.
“He’s texting you already?” Constance asks. “He must really like you if he’s texting you now.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s at a race with Spence, and usually the only thing those boys focus on at those races is Spencer’s car and making sure he wins.”
“A race? Like a street race?”
“Yep, that kind. Spencer races, not Ares,” Constance clarifies.
“Do you know where it is?”
“I have Find My Phone on Spencer’s phone. I always know where my brother is.”
“Let’s go.”
“To the race?” Constance looks at me sceptically.
“Yeah, it’ll be fun. Right?” It’s pathetic, but I’m using any excuse to go and see him.
“Okay, but can we eat first? Chicken casserole sounds really good.”
“Sure, let’s go. My mum’s cooking is good,” I tell her.
“Wait, your mum cooks? I thought she just had your chef make it or something.”
“She likes cooking dinner.” I shrug.
“Hot and she cooks? Your mum is a MILF.” Constance wiggles her eyebrows up and down. “Although your dad’s fucking hot too. No wonder you’re so beautiful. You won out in the gene pool.”
“Thank you.” I feel the blush creep up my cheeks at her compliment.
“Are you sure we’re not going to get in trouble for taking one of your dad’s cars?” Constance seems nervous. This is the tenth time she’s asked that.
“You saw the garage. He’s not going to miss it,” I tell her. “Besides, I take them all the time. There’s only one car that’s off-limits, some old Rolls my mum bought him when they first met.”
I follow Constance’s directions, and when I pull into the street she mentioned, she directs me to a spot to park. The spot just so happens to be right next to Ares’s pretentious, rich-boy car.
Stepping out of my dad’s Lamborghini, I look around and notice that this car, along with Ares’s, is very out of place amongst the souped-up street racers. We get exactly five steps away from my parking spot before a very pissed-off Ares is storming towards me and Constance.
“He looks happy to see you. Maybe you should kiss him again,” Constance whispers from beside me.
“Do not tell anyone,” I hiss at her.
“Pinkie swear I won’t,” she says. “Want me to stick by you for this? Or give you privacy?”
“Um, maybe go and see Spencer. I’ll catch up with you.” I appreciate that she asked and didn’t just leave me. I think Constance could turn out to be a really good friend to have.
“What are you doing here?” Ares stops just a few feet in front of me.
I tilt my head to the side. “Racing. It’s a street race, right? I have a car.”
Ares laughs, but it’s not a funny, humorous laugh. No, it’s an you’re out of your mind kind of laugh. “Over my dead fucking body are you racing.”
“I don’t know what gave you the impression that you’re the boss of me, Ares De Bellis, but newsflash… you’re not. I can do whatever I want. And I will do whatever I want.” I storm past him, making my way up to Spencer. “How do I get to race?”
“You don’t,” Spencer says. Constance elbows him. “What? She can’t race.”
“Do you want to put your money on that fact?” I raise a brow at him.
“I’m not racing you in your daddy’s car, princess,” Spencer says.
“Fine, if you don’t want to race me, I’ll go find someone else who will.” As I turn, I hit a brick wall. Otherwise known as Ares.
“Take my car, race her,” he tells Spencer, throwing a set of keys out.
“You sure?” Spencer asks.
“Yep.” Ares wraps his hand around my elbow. “I’m riding with you.”
I try to pull it away, but he doesn’t ease up. “Why?”
“Because you’re going to do this with or without me, and I’m not letting you go and race some asshole who will run you off the fucking road,” he says as he guides me back to the car. “I also know you’re going to wipe that smart-ass smile from Spencer’s face when you beat him.”
“What makes you think I’m going to beat him?”
“I know you and your sister did the same defensive driving courses Cara and I had to do.” Ares opens the driver’s side door. I get into the car, start it up, and wait for Ares to slide into the passenger seat. “Ready, P?”
“Yep. This will be fun.” I smile, and I genuinely mean it.
“Do me a favour and don’t become some adrenaline-chasing bunny. I can’t handle that.”
“Okay.” I don’t think it’s the adrenaline that has excitement coursing through me, but it’s something, and I like it.
Ares guides me over to the starting point, and then Spencer pulls up right beside me. He has Constance in his car with him. She waves and gives me a thumbs-up. I smile back at her. This is not how I saw tonight going, but I’m not disappointed.
Watching the very scantily-clad girl in front of us hold up a flag, I concentrate. As soon as the flag drops, I take off. The wheels spin, and everything around me becomes a blur as I shift gears. The only thing I focus on is the road and making sure I’m in front of Spencer.
After the first few turns, something in my mood shifts.
I don’t even have time to prepare for it.
There’s a tree around the bend. I know we have to go back around that bend one more time, and a vision of this car slammed into it hits me.
I can see myself slumped over the steering wheel. Lifeless. Painless.
As I pull us around to the stretch of road right before the turn, the vision becomes clearer. I could end it all right here. It wouldn’t take much, just a little swerve and it could all be over. It would be an accident. No one would even know I chose it.
“Zara, snap out of it and stop this fucking car now!” A hand touches my shoulder, and I look across at Ares. He’s shaking my arm, yelling at me.