“I feel the same.” My mouth twitches to the side. “I did the same thing in my relationship. I thought quitting was the easy way out when I could stay and work on it. But sometimes it is not about the easy way out but simply just a way out.”
“Yeah, it is.” He grins. “Let’s take a shower and get you settled into my room.”
We quickly move all my things and I settle in his room. It looks like mine, obviously, minus the scattered toys on the floor that crack me up every time he steps on them and givesthe dogs an unappreciative look. We get them out of the way and stuff them in a box.
“You can have my key for now,” he hands it to me.
“Thanks.” I shove it into my pocket.
He clears his voice to say, “Don’t forget there’s some racing tonight. I’ll be back later to get a shower but the room is yours for the rest of the day. I need to help my dad get everything ready.”
Tonight is the first event atThe Garageand I’m super excited.
“Okay.” I nod, playing with my rings. “Let me know if you need help.”
“Sure,” he shoots me a small grin before he exits the room.
The blaring music encases us inside an oval they created into a makeshift racetrack. The extensive parking lot is the size of a little city that accommodates us all and has extra free space for the racing laps, I assume.
The air is coated with thick smoke that smells of cigarettes, barbecues, and gasoline.
Blakely
Where are you?
Three dots appear on the screen.
Lai
I’m next to a yellow car. Hard to miss.
There are like a couple hundred cars out here, I scan the area as I push the phone inside the pocket of my jacket.
As I surf through the crowd more pungent scents of perfume flood my nostrils while I’m paving my way to Lai who’s supposedly standing next to a yellow car that hides somewhere amongst the chaos.
Tail lights flash from every corner against the dark skies encompassing us.
I pass food and drink tables, along with a dance floor area. There’s a game zone, and even a sleeping zone—how fucking crazy is that? But it’s a relief to see they have a drinking and driving policy here and they do everything they possibly can to prevent that from happening.
I spin around myself, taking the colorful neon lights that are scattered everywhere and the cloud of smoke that rolls as some cars and bikes continue to burn their tires.
It’s hard to miss the reverberating sound of Meadow’s red bike and the way it steals everyone’s attention. He races with another bike, lappingThe Garageand leaving the other guy to choke on his dust. People cheering, filming the race on their phones as they make another lap around.
Meadow revs a few times before he crosses the finish line and other bikers that stand by rev back.
He’s got an aura of a champion glowing around him that noone recognizes except me.
“I foundyou, bitch.“ Lai’s voice booms in my eardrums. She’s stealing my attention away and dragging me by the wrist toward my bike. “Let’s go for a ride, and race with the guys and some muscle cars.”
I chuckle knowing she wants to ride with a specific biker.
Brook’s sculpted frame catches my eyes and I grab Lai’s hand, steering her toward him.
“Hey, boys.” I earn their attention. “Think you want to race and show them how it’s done?” I challenge him and his friends.
“You got big balls.” Brook jokes, giving me a friendly hug and I shove Lai in his arms right after. I’ve come to the point that I will do anything for this girl, including showing him what he is missing.
It is new to me but it also feels natural.Have you done something like that, Mom? I feel a sense of pride.
