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Yeah, this guy wouldn’t hurt a gnat.
Dylan clicks her tongue, shaking her head at my nonsense, clearly understanding more than Retriever over here.
“Ash, you remember Lake. Lake, Ash,” she says, reintroducing us.
If this is indeed her good friend, then I need to respect that like I respect her.
I gently remove her arm from my side, and she looks at me nervously. I approach Ashton, standing directly in front of him, before gripping him into a hug. He stills for a moment, until realizing I’m not attempting to beat his ass, and he returns the embrace as we pat each other on the back.
“Thank you, man. For being there when I couldn’t,” I whisper so only he can hear.
“I’m sorry about your mom, Lake,” he begins in a low voice with a firm pat. “Dylan knew you needed time. But she needs you in a way her friend can’t fill. They need you, and you need them.”
My heart pinches in my chest, the emotions again, nearly impossible to handle.
“I need someone,” Kat interrupts us with a slight slur to her tone that has me cocking my head. I pull apart from Ashton and he holds his hand out to shake up as Kat continues, “To get this bitch another refill! It’s taco Tuesday, and after this drink, this senorita is getting me a big ol’ burrito tonight!”
She wiggles her eyebrows at Ashton and his face flushes.
“Is she drunk?” I mouth to Ashton.
He nods with wide eyes.
“Kat, it’s Sunday. Not Tuesday,” Dylan says, clearly not catching the meaning behind the crude joke. “And speaking of which, why aren’t you at the game? This is a playoff game, Lake! You’re gonna get fined!”
Damn, I missed her scolding me.
Smirking, I grip her hips, pulling her into me. “I don’t care to be anywhere but here. I’ll pay the fucking fine.”
“But, Lake—”
I pause her thoughts by capturing her lips in a quick kiss. “The onlybutI’m worried about are these asses we are about to kick.”
We switch into race mode as Ashton and I side up along Colin’s car at the starting line.
“Alright, so when they wave the flag, you just have to pedal your heart out,” Dylan tells him from the front of the hood as he buckles himself in.
“I’d rather not,” Colin responds in his monotone voice, making Dylan frown and gaze at me questionably.
“Oh, shit!” I yell, standing abruptly. “Wait one sec!” I jog down the racetrack, weaving through the other racers with their families to the pit crew area.
“Lake, it’s about to start!” Dylan calls out after me.
Making it back to our initial station, I quickly grab the jacket from Colin’s backpack that I tucked in there before we left. Holding it against my chest, my eyes water again as I grit my back teeth together. An announcer on the loudspeaker lets the crowd know the race is about to begin, pulling me back to the present.
Approaching the race car that’s conveniently painted the same color as Colin’s favorite shirt, Dylan’s anxious eyes find mine. With a serene smile, I hold up the Rainbow Warrior jacket.
Her throat bobs and her eyes immediately fill with tears as she straightens. She mouths,the jacket.
“This should fit, yeah?” I say, holding it before Colin.
His eyes light up like fireworks as he touches the fabric, running his fingers across the different colors and textures.
“I want it on. Want it on. Heard it makes you faster. She said it makes you faster,” he says, unbuckling his belt and standing up out of the car. “She told me.”
Smiling at his mention of my mother, I help him into the jacket that runs up on his arms a little, but still fits around the back. Dylan’s got a hand over her mouth as tears spill down her cheeks. She knows the meaning behind this. The significance of such a moment.
“Racers to the starting line!” a loud booming voice announces over the speakers.
