AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The electricity running up my arm from touching her has me frozen. I'll fucking lose my mind if she gets on that bike. She looks up from where I've grabbed her with a pensive look in her eyes before pulling out of my grip.
"August, you can't ask me that."
And just like that, she grabs a helmet from the biker boy, hikes her leg over, and gets on. As if that wasn't enough of a blow to my ego, she wraps her arms around his waist, and they drive off.
I'm left staring at her car dumbfounded, trying to figure out what just happened. I know I affect her. I saw it in her face when I grabbed her wrist. She knew I was upset, and I can tell that it bothered her, but she did it anyway. If she wants to cross me, that's fine. I'll show her exactly what happens when you play with fire.
Gianna
Seven
Bryce picked me up for lunch today. He texted me last night before I went to bed and asked if I had riding boots. I didn't, but my friend Ashton had a pair. So, this morning, I swung by her place on my way in and picked them up. She's dating one of the guys in the group, and we've become somewhat close over the years. I can't believe Bryce bought a bike. That just seems so crazy to me.
He was raised by a single mother, and I know they never had a lot of money, so seeing him spend frivolously hurts my heart. I'd rather see him putting his money towards going back to school. Ever since he graduated, he's done lawn work. I know some people make a living doing that type of work, but he doesn't strike me as the type that would ever branch out and try to make a name for himself. No, he likes to party and live in the moment.
So here we are, taking a ride on his new bike, and I'm trying to live in the moment with him. There is something absolutely cathartic about being on a motorcycle.
We make it to our destination Spanky's Frozen Yogurt, with the biggest smiles on our faces.
"Well, what do you think? Isn't great? I can't believe I finally have a motorcycle. I've wanted one for so long."
"I love it. Do you still have your truck? Or is this your new mode of transportation?"
"Of course, I still have my truck, Gigi. You'll never believe it. I won thirty grand on a scratch-off ticket, so I used some of it to buy this baby."
I mean, not what I would have done with thirty grand, but hey, he said only some of it was used for the motorcycle. So maybe that means he saved the rest.
"Bryce, I can't believe you won that much money. That's amazing! What are you going to do with the rest?"
He looks down and kicks a few pebbles around. "Well, I'm thinking about moving to Florida."
"Florida! What the heck is in Florida? Why do you want to leave Missouri? Actually, never mind, don't answer that but seriously, what's in Florida?" I'm completely shocked. I can't believe he's leaving.
"Well, actually, I'm not going alone. Aiden's coming with me. I'm going to use my remaining winnings to open a board shop."
Shrugging, he puts his hands in his pockets like it's no big deal. Aiden going, however, is a double whammy straight to my heart. I guess I'll never get my chance with my mystery man.
"Board shop, like skateboards or surfboards? I don't want to assume skateboards because I never pegged you for a motorcycle guy, yet here you are riding one. Who knows, maybe you have secret surfer ambitions as well." He throws his head back, laughing.
"Well, that's not what I expected you to say but yes, a skateboard shop."
He shoulders me as we start to walk towards the counter to order our frozen yogurts.
"What were you expecting me to say?"
"Honestly, I thought you would care more about Aiden taking off with me than me actually leaving."
Wow, that comment really stings. We've been friends for so long. The fact that he thinks I would care more about Aiden makes me feel like a shitty friend.
"Bryce, me having a crush on Aiden has nothing to do with my feelings towards you, and apparently, my crush is all that it will ever be. How can I be heartbroken over a guy I've only spoken to a handful of times? You, on the other hand, are one of my best friends. Just because you're leaving doesn't mean you get to skip out on that title."
We sit down on a bench with our yogurts and eat in silence for a few moments. "Any chance you'd tag along?"
Now it's my turn to throw my head back laughing.
"Yeah right! With what money? Even if I could afford to go, you know I wouldn't leave Elio."
I've grown more and more protective of him over the years as my parents struggled with their drug addiction. I started working at age fifteen so that I could buy things I wanted and needed. But for the past three years, I’ve spent my paychecks on back-to-school shopping, hot lunches, and whatever other necessities we needed. In the beginning, I would help my parents make ends meet when they fell short, but I quickly stopped that when I realized the funds weren’t going towards anything but drugs. There is no way I'd leave my brother now, especially with everything we just went through.
