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“You’re right. You have never been anything but yourself this entire time. I’m the one who needed to adjust. Good night, Harley.”
“Good night, Harley.”
“See you around, Harley.”
He might as well just say, “Kiss my ass, Harley.”
Is that how every conversation would end? I stared after him as he turned and walked out of the restaurant and was torn between running after him and bursting into tears.
Chapter Seventeen
“Hey, wanna hang out with me tonight?” Blake asked when I got into the car a few minutes later.
“What do you mean? Don’t we usually hang out?” I grumbled as I buckled myself into the seat. Blake and I had developed a habit of drinking a couple of beers together at home each night before he headed back into the garage and I went upstairs to bed. Tayia never joined us; she spent most of her time in her room when I was home. Blake talked about his ex-girlfr
iend Lucy once after we’d had several beers. He shared that she’d moved away from the island a few months prior, following their break up. I didn’t push him for too many details, but I could tell that he wasn’t over her. He would never say it aloud, but I felt part of him was hoping that she would come back to him in time. Since he’d shared that painful part of his life, I’d also told him all about Fox. Everything starting from the diner until the argument at his house. Blake didn’t know Fox very well but suggested that I give the situation time to either progress or move on. If it’s meant to be, it will be. I think it was easier for him to give the advice than follow it himself. I guess having feelings for people we couldn’t be with helped our bond.
“Wow. What’s with the shitty mood?” Blake said as he called me out immediately on my attitude. I was still a bit sore over Fox’s dismissal of me.
“Sorry, Blake. Bad night. I could use some fun. What do you have in mind?” His eyes immediately softened, and I knew that I was forgiven. I wished everyone was like Blake. He was one of those people who made you feel instantly accepted and would bend over backwards for you. What you saw is what you got with him. Plain and simple.
“You’ll see. Let’s get out of here.” He winked and put the car in gear.
We drove to the place I shared my first kiss with Fox weeks prior, but the area looked different at night. There were several cars parked alongside of an old paved road and on the grass in the middle of the clearing. Loud music could be heard blaring from all directions while people were standing in groups laughing and drinking beer. It looked like fun, something I was so ready for.
Blake drove up to a group of his friends and introduced them all to me, however, Judge was the only person I’d seen before. Someone handed me a beer and I felt the tension from the past few days lift. The men all talked about cars and none of it made any sense to me, but I was fascinated by their passion for racing. I learned that most racers had a racing name they went by. Judge’s real name was Martin, but he called his car Judgment Day and somehow Judge became his name. There were several other men who had names like Nitro, Stomp, and Showtime. Blake wasn’t a racer yet, but I wondered what his name would be. It seemed, however, that the name was something you had to earn. After some trash talking between groups, guys were placing bets and racing their cars along the path, not their actual race cars because those were only brought out during legitimate races. Their everyday cars ran just as good as the ones they race without the special enhancements and was usually a representation of their race cars. For example, Blake is a Chevy man. His race car is a Chevy Nova and he drives a Camaro every day.
Blake and Nitro placed a bet for one hundred dollars and everyone cleared the area to give them room. It was exhilarating to watch them gear up. Nitro’s girlfriend stood in front of the cars like the stereotypical race girl on the starting line, she turned on a flashlight and immediately both men were off. There was a lot of dust as both men made their way down the road as fast as they could. They circled the perimeter of the clearing and didn’t go into the woods since it was too dark to safely maneuver through there. Everyone was cheering and screaming as the pair made a complete lap and it was Blake who won. Both men exited and instead of there being any hard feelings, they laughed and shook hands. Nitro handed over the money and Blake accepted. When he reached me, he had the biggest grin on his face and I threw my arms around him excitedly.
“That was so much fun!” I said as Blake spun me around, laughing.
“Hell yeah, it was. I need a beer, want one?” he asked, and I nodded. When he placed my feet on the ground and stepped away, my eyes immediately locked on Fox. He was sitting on the hood of his car several yards away, glaring back at me. There was a leggy blonde I instantly recognized as Kayla beside him clinging to his arm as she tried her best to get his attention focused back on her. Finally, she grabbed his chin and turned his face back in her direction. My heart sank just a bit, but I knew I had no claim on him. It was still tough to see him with the same girl twice. When Blake returned with my beer I finally tore my gaze from his and turned my back. I was still able to feel Fox’s eyes on me and it was as if he were calling me to him. I couldn’t explain why but I felt the overwhelming urge to run to him; however, I did my best to resist it. As Blake and Nitro talked about their recent race I heard a voice from behind me.
“Wanna double that bet?” I whirled around to stare directly into Fox’s agitated face. Wait, was he jealous?
“What do you say, Blake?” he probed as his mouth drew into a tight line and his eyes narrowed while he waited for an answer.
“Uh,” Blake looked indecisive for a second as he stared at me and then back at Fox. “Sure, man.”
“Two hundred?” Fox confirmed, and I glared at him while Blake agreed. Both men went to their cars and pulled up to the starting line. Anger rose to my cheeks as Kayla strutted forward with an exaggerated sway of her hips wearing a miniskirt and cleavage dangerously close to popping out of her tight top. I looked around to see that Fox and Blake’s eyes were focused on the road ahead. Fox’s expression was full of anger and determination while Blake wore a look of bewilderment. Kayla clicked the flashlight on and both men took off. I held my breath as I ran forward into the cloud of dust to watch, and I hoped with my whole heart that Blake won. The bet was made out of jealousy and poor Blake got caught in the middle. They were about even until they reached the right turn. Blake was on the inside, so he hugged the edge while Fox swung out wide. They met again, neck and neck on the straight way, Fox took the lead on the next turn and increased his speed enough to slingshot past Blake while keeping one car length between them and winning the race.
I watched as he and Blake got out of their cars, shook hands and Blake handed over two hundred dollars. When Kayla threw her arms around Fox’s neck, I lost it. I was so angry with him for taking Blake’s money and beyond jealous that I stormed forward instantly. I couldn’t resist shoulder checking the girl, hard, as I went by.
“Ouch! Hey!” she squeaked, but I knew she didn’t have the nerve to do anything about it. When I was several paces away from the group, I felt Fox right behind me.
“Harley, wait.” He ran up to walk beside me.
“Fuck off, Fox,” I said, but he grabbed my arm, stopping me. “Let me go!” I yelled and yanked my arm.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Away from you.” I continued to walk a few more steps and then I whirled around and charged at him. “You’re an asshole, you know that? You took Blake’s money for no reason. Your problem is with me, not him.”
“Blake didn’t have to agree to it.”
“Right, should he have backed down in front of everyone? Would you have done that? You knew it was a pissing contest. Congratulations! You are the biggest dick!”
“Why are you protecting him? He’s a big boy.”
