Chapter 5 Lewis #2
“That’s so sweet of you to ask!” I beam. “I got up at five thirty, ran a couple of miles. Then breakfast of champions before class.” I’m getting into the swing of this. “I went back to my place, grabbed a coffee with my roomies, and then met up with you.”
“Wow, for real?”
“Come on, Firebird. You can do better than that.”
“That’s amazing!” she squeals.
“Perfect. So—how about you? How was your morning?”
She shoots me a side-eye. “Do we have to tell the truth, or can we bullshit?”
“Honesty is always the best policy.”
“Okay.”
Yet another question she’s left unanswered, I realize.
Disgrace, dude.
Her driving, meanwhile… It’s interesting, to say the least.
I lean into the dashboard. “Notice anything that should concern you?”
“Nope,” she trills.
“You sure about that?”
“Why don’t you tell me,” she replies, louder now.
“You just turned the wrong way down a one-way street.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. I mean, see how that car is coming straight toward us?”
She slams down on the brakes and yanks on the gear stick, desperately trying to reverse and failing hard.
“You know how I was saying about Google Maps?”
“Shit!” she yells.
I open my mouth to offer up a few words of encouragement, but she rips off her seat belt and leaps out of the car before I even have time to think. Okaaay…
I sit there in silence as she paces back and forth in front of the Pontiac, and I have no idea what she’s muttering to herself right now, but it sounds intense. This girl is weird as hell.
We’re still just parked here in the middle of the road when the car that almost crashed into us crawls to a stop.
The driver yells something at Amy through the window, and though I can’t make out the words, he’s pissed, I can tell.
She rakes her hands through her hair and turns, slowly stepping closer, edging toward him, her shoulders rolling.
I fling open my door, placing a foot on the ground, readying myself to spring into action as she presses her palms to the guy’s window ledge.
He shrinks back in his seat, and I relax.
Looks like she’s handling this. While she’s busy with her showdown, I take in her curves.
The way she’s standing there like that with her back arched is pretty damn mouthwatering.
Don said not to go there, I remind myself. Even if she is looking insanely f— DON SAID NOT TO GO THERE!
This is business—I need to remember that.
And besides, there are plenty of other SHU girls to keep me busy.
Though considering just how bad her driving is, it doesn’t look like she’ll be making the Campus Drivers team any time soon, which means I’ll probably be able to dive right in guilt-free. I mean, a one-way street? For real?
I keep my eyes on her. I can’t figure her out. It feels like every session stresses her out, when she usually oozes confidence. And the weirder thing is that I’m feeling inclined to go easy on her instead of just writing her off.
As I pull my door shut, I watch her give the Honda’s trunk a solid thump before marching back over and sliding behind the wheel.
“You sure know how to keep a guy on his toes, Amy.”
“Well, I’m glad someone’s having a good time.”
“What’d you say to him?”
She shrugs. “I just followed your advice, that’s all. You said small talk’s important… So, I asked him how his morning was.”
“I’d say his morning was shitty.”
“Well, let’s just say I may have brightened up his day.”
With that, she hits reverse, and soon we’re back on the road again, this time heading in the right direction.
It’s a smooth ride to Cardinal Village, and though she’s still giving that same uptight vibe, at least we’re not meeting traffic head-on.
We swing a loop, taking in a good chunk of Sycamore as we cruise, before drifting over to campus.
Once we arrive back where we started, she just sits there staring into space, letting the engine run.
I shift in my seat to try to catch her eye, and she shoots me a sideways look.
“Amy?”
“What?”
“What do you think of our second training session?”
“Ladies first,” she mutters.
I sigh. “Well, you didn’t stall. That’s something, right? I guess you’re improving. How was it for you?”
“The urge to slam your head into the glove box wasn’t as strong this time, so I’d say I’m getting there.”
“I agree. It feels like we’re really connecting.”
She shoots me a glance.
“You need to get some practice in before our next session,” I add. “Try to do some more city driving. I’ve got a home game tomorrow and an away game on Monday; I’ll get in touch once I’m back. Let me grab your number.”
She stabs in the digits, and just when I go to take her photo, she shoots me a dirty look. I check the screen. Her new profile pic is definitely true to life.
“You have a great day, Amy!”
“Thanks.”
“This is the part where you say, ‘You too, Lewis.’ ”
“Right.”
I laugh and hop out of the car, giving her a quick wave before striding off toward the gym. It took me a while to come around to the idea, but now that I’m training her, maybe—just maybe—I’m enjoying myself.
AFTER PRACTICE, I STROLL ACROSS the parking lot, running through my options for tonight. Since all my friends have girlfriends, the days of big nights out feel like a distant memory.
“Conley!”
I spin around. “Dwayne!” I drop my gym bag, holding out a hand. “What’s up?”
“Nothing much. This weekend couldn’t come soon enough—Coach doubled down on practice, I’m wiped.”
Dwayne is a Cardinals athlete, too—a damn good hockey player.
“How’s the gang? You guys heading out tonight?”
“There is no gang anymore. The Campus Drivers’ party days are behind them now, man—they’re all shacked up.”
“That sucks.”
“Tell me about it. Total disgrace, dude!”
“That mean you’re free?”
“Yup.” I nod. “Got something in mind? Because if so, you can count me in.”
Dwayne nods. “Honestly, it’s perfect for you.”
“Tell me more.”
He grins at me. “What if I told you it involves fast cars and cute asses?”
That’s exactly what I need.
“Where do I sign?”
He laughs. “Amazing. I know you hate riding shotgun, so how about you swing by my place? Pick me up around nine?”
“Sold,” I agree. “Where we going?”
“Not sure of the specifics yet, I’ll let you know. Dress warm, though—apparently it’s gonna snow.”
WHEN I GET HOME, I grab a bite to eat, pull on jeans and a sweater, and head for Dwayne’s dorm with over half an hour to spare.
Yeah, I’m early—but the Wolinskis were play-fighting over their trophy, and I just needed to get the hell out of there.
I’m happy for Don, but seeing him waste time with his girlfriend—time he could be spending on his life goals—makes me sad for him.
While I wait for nine to roll around, I catch up on the latest NBA scout news.
A handful of them have already come sniffing around SHU, and I know they’ll be back in February, when they’ll swoop in to pluck off their favorites.
I’m not complaining or anything. I know I’m up there on their watch list—but there’s no way I’m taking that for granted.
I didn’t bust my balls just to get sloppy near the finish line.
I’m fixing my phone to the dash holder when there’s a knock on my window. I jerk my head up. Dwayne.
“You have no idea how psyched I am that we’re hanging out tonight,” I say as I start the engine.
He pushes his seat back, laughing. “Don’t thank me till we get there. But yeah, I’m pretty sure you’re gonna love it.”
“So, whose dorm are we hitting up?”
“Nobody’s.” He shakes his head. “Head for Worthington.”
“Now you’ve got me curious.”
“You scared?”
I glance at him. “Should I be?”
“Don’t worry, it’s all legit.”
I smile. This isn’t my first underground party, but it’s been a while, and tonight it’s freezing.
We head out of town, and over the next forty-five minutes, Dwayne talks me through his team’s latest stats and games.
“Turn off here.”
I swing a left, and we speed through miles of deserted countryside, until finally I spot a row of cars parked along the side of the road.
There’s a makeshift barrier blocking my way. Dwayne rolls his window down to flash his phone at the guy manning the checkpoint, who nods us through—and just like that, we’re in. The place is heaving, and as I crawl through the crowds, I can feel their eyes on us.
“Keep going, let’s get close to the entrance. That way we’ll get a better view.”
“A better view of what?”
“The run.”
Huh? What the hell is he—
“Wait a minute—is this a drag race?”
“Got it in one!”
I stare at him. “I thought you said it was legit!”
“It is—no laws against watching. And anyway, I haven’t seen a single cop since I started coming to these things. They’ve got the whole place locked down, it’s crawling with lookouts, too. Chill.”
“You could’ve given me a heads-up, dude.” I frown. “If the dean finds out I’m here, my life is basically over.”
“Seriously, relax, Conley!” He plucks off his cap and pulls it low over my head. “Here, take this. Nobody’ll know.”
Am I feeling edgy right now? Sure. But I’m curious all the same, and I know the area like the back of my hand—if I end up needing to make a run for it, I know exactly which way to head. Not like you could rely on Google Maps out here, anyway!
“You better keep quiet about this, you hear me?”
“Sure.” He shrugs. “Right back at you, by the way. What happens at the race, stays at the race. Trust me, once you’ve seen these cars, you’ll be thanking me,” he adds. “You’ll be begging to come back. This is gonna blow your mind.”
We creep a little farther up the hill and park between two cars.