What is he trying to tell me?I shrug my shoulders and keep driving.
Thinking he’s flashing his lights only so I slow down tames my thoughts as I keep speeding away. My heart drops, and dread fills my stomach as red and blue lights flash behind me.
He was warning me about a cop.
Shit.
I was practically street racing. Isn’t that illegal? Am I going to go to jail?
The palms of my hands clam up as I pull over to the side of the curb.
“Shit,” I mutter, frustrated with myself.
The cop car stops behind me as Leo drives on. As he passes, I’m surprised to see a look of concern on his handsome face. I thought he would jump in joy at the sight of me getting a ticket. Instead, he looks displeased.
I shake off the weird feeling when the cop comes up to my window. Rolling it down fully, I give him a small smile. Maybe I can use my charm to get out of this one. He’s young … probably around his late twenties.
“Ma’am, do you know why I pulled you over?” He places a hand on the roof of my car and peers in at me.
I shrug my shoulders and glance up at him. “Hi, Officer. I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize I was speeding,” I explain, trying to sound confused without sounding fake.
“You were going thirty above the speed limit when I caught you. Do you know how dangerous that is? Not only for yourself, but also for others.”
“I’m sorry. My mind isn’t in the right mental state right now. I was just on my way to the bookstore in town to ask for a job. My mom is a single parent, and she works horrible hours to keep us afloat.” I stop mid-sentence. This is my terrible way of getting out of a ticket. It might work because I see sympathy cloud his eyes. “I promise I won’t do it again, Officer.”
He nods his head at me and sighs, “I need to see your license, please.”
It didn’t work. Mom is literally going to kill me with her bare hands.
Reaching over, I take my license that has a horrible photo of me. Handing it over to him, I internally groan.Damn you, Leo.Of course I’m the one who gets caught.
The officer looks down at the photo and up at me. “Give me a couple of minutes.” He says before walking off.
This is not how I wanted to start my day. I’m going to have to pay for a speeding ticket for God knows how much. I wasn’t joking about the money part. My mom struggles every day with money. She wasn’t used to paying the bills all by herself. Telling her the money I could have put toward the electricity bill, property taxes, or our mortgage will for sure cause her unnecessary stress I wanted to avoid in the first place.
Leaning my head back against the headrest, I close my eyes and curse into my silent car. I always have to fuck up. But I haven’t recently, not for a long time. However, since Leo came to town, I feel like I’m messing up all the time. Is it because I try hard to impress him but fail? I have to admit, I’m attracted to him. I mean, what girl isn’t attracted to a hot, mysterious guy? But there’s something different about him.
He acts like he’s stone-cold, but I know he’s soft on the inside.
He’s hurting. I can see the forced smile he puts on his face. I can see the confusion and sadness in his eyes. Maybe we’re not so different after all. Maybe he actually cares about me. And even though he makes my blood boil, I love the way he makes me feel.
I love the excitement I feel when he’s around. I enjoy the fact that I never expect what he’s going to do. Whenever our gazes meet, it’s like an electric current is running through my body, shocking me until I’m speechless and flustered.
Leo makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. I try to see the best in people. Even though he pisses me off until I feel like punching him in the face, I see right through him. The cockiness and rudeness are just a cover-up.
I blush at the thought of him and immediately jump in the air when I hear the cop’s voice near my ear.
“Looking at your history, I see you don’t have a past with us.” He pauses and stares me down. “I’m going to let you off the hook, just this once. If I find you speeding again, it will not be the same result. Please be safe and don’t speed. You can’t help your mom pay the bills if you’re dead.” He hands me back my license and walks off toward his car.
Oh my God. No way.
Rolling up my window quickly, wanting to get the hell out of here, I start my car and drive off, making sure I stay under the speed limit. A laugh bursts past my lips as I drive. I can’t believe that just worked. I for sure thought it wouldn’t work. Yet I surprise myself every day.
One point for Trinity and zero for the cop.
As I drive farther down the road, my stupid smile doesn’t leave my face. In the distance, I spot the car I’ve grown used to seeing on the driveway beside mine. The guy of the hour leans on the side of it with his arms crossed against his chest.
My heart skips a beat at the sight. Spotting my car, the closer I get, he gestures for me to pull over.
