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He knows that fighting them won’t do anything. Of course, Aiden would most likely win and he’d probably feel better getting some punches in, but then what? Yeah, he would have kicked Ryan’s ass, but is that really an effective way of getting them back? I mean, it’d probably feel fantastic, but handing Ryan’s ass to him in a race in front of his friends and peers and walking away with a shit ton of his money would probably feel a whole lot better.
I can’t wait to see Aiden wipe the floor with Ryan’s smug, arrogant face.
By the time we get to the Tracks—after we all went to a drive-thru for coffees and teas—it’s around ten o’clock. There are crowds of people gathered in groups around different cars that are spaced out on the grass. From what I can tell, the majority of the people here are in their late teens to mid-twenties. The space itself is just as Mason said it was at lunch: deserted country roads. The actual road is still in good shape, but it’s clear that this place is so out of the way that no one would wander onto it unless they knew what it was used for.
Despite being dark, the roads and space are still dimly illuminated by the brightness of the moon and from the headlights of the various cars. It’s obvious that not all cars are used for racing; many people are here with their regular vehicles to support their friends, bet on the racers, and just have somewhere to go on a Friday night.
Aiden parks on a stretch of grass and turns off the car as Mason pulls up beside him. I get out of the Challenger and stretch my legs, seeing Julian pull up beside Mason.
There’s only one run-down building close by that looks like it’s still kind of used, but other than that one, there aren’t any structures around. It’s mainly an open field with roads intersecting and turning for miles. The sound hits us, engines from a blue and an orange car racing each other grinding away.
The distance and speed they’re traveling make it hard to make out the models, but the bright colors make it easy to tell them apart as they travel farther away from the main part of the track. There are some sparse areas of trees in the distance that block the view of the road, but for the most part, if you have good eyesight you can see the racers, even at the farthest point they look like tiny toy cars. People are standing on top of cars and trucks, trying to get a better view of the race. They’re shouting and cheering for the cars, hoping that the person they bet on wins.
As I scan the crowd, my eyes stop on a bright-red Mustang in the distance, a group of people and parked cars around it. Ryan’s leaning against it, his arm draped around Kaitlyn as he talks to a bunch of other guys who I’m assuming are his friends from Commack Silver High. Kaitlyn isn’t the only girl in the group, but she is the only one dressed like she’s ready for a night at a club.
Isn’t she cold? Can people from hell even get cold? I notice that Makayla is the only other one of her friends here; the other girls must be from Commack. Some of the guys with Ryan are the party crashers from Noah’s Halloween party. One of them catches my eye and glares directly at me, sending a shiver down my spine.
Dave.
I subconsciously step closer to Aiden, who’s in the middle of a conversation with Mason and Noah. Dave follows my action and notices Aiden, clearly remembering how he handed him his ass without even breaking a sweat, and he unconsciously brings his hand up to rub his jaw.
“I shouldn’t be here. What if he’s here?”
I look away from Dave to look at Annalisa, who’s speaking to Julian in hushed tones off to my right. I shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but her nervous tone worries me. She’s usually so strong, confident, and fierce—it’s odd to see her so worried and unsure.
“We haven’t seen him here in a while.” Julian comforts her as he wraps his arms around her. “Even if he is, you know I won’t let him anywhere near you.”
I look away, not wanting to intrude on their private moment.
“Amelia.”
I’m brought back to reality when Aiden calls my name, and I look up at him standing beside me. “I’m going to talk to some people. Stay with the group, okay?”
“Friendly people?” I ask, a worried expression on my face, hoping he didn’t notice my stare off with Dave. He has enough to worry about without needing to think about that asshat.
“Yeah, they’re friends,” he says with an entertained smirk, seeming to enjoy that I’m worried about him. “I’ll be back.”
He heads off in a different direction, his dark outfit making it easy to lose sight of him in the crowd. The group of us talk for a while and watch the various races before I start to squirm. Damn it, Amelia. You just had to get the extra-large green tea, didn’t you? I think to myself.
“Hey, Mason?” I ask and he looks down at me. “There isn’t a bathroom I can use around here, is there?”
Noah laughs. “Yeah. It’s called the trees.”
I must look mortified because the guys break out laughing.
“Calm down, k-bear,” Mason says. “There is one, but I’m warning you, it’s kind of gross since no one really takes care of it.”
I contemplate holding it before ultimately deciding that I can’t. “I don’t care. I need to go.”
Mason shakes his head in amusement. “I’ll take you. We’ll be right back.”
He leads me on a two-minute walk through groups of people—nodding hello to some on the way—to that run-down building I saw when we first got here. It’s only one story, and there are cars parked around here too.
Mason opens the door to the dimly lit building and points to the first door on the left. “I’ll be right here when you’re done.”
I nod and hurry inside, gagging from the smell. He was not kidding when he warned
me that it was gross. I lock the door and hurry up.
