Xavier nodded curtly to the group as he removed his helmet.
“Who’s the new toy?” asked the redhead, his eyes sliding over me in a way that made my skin crawl. “Brand new gear.”
I glanced down at my outfit, wondering how obvious it was that we’d just bought all of this.
“Red, this is June,” Milo said, his voice carrying a warning note I’d never heard before. “She’s a friend. June, this jackass is Red. The guy over there with tattoos is Vince, and that’s our friend Dani over there on the Ducati.”
A woman with blue hair gave me a little salute.“It’s a really pretty color,” I said. “The hair, and the bike.”
She smiled a little and nodded. “Friend, huh?” Red snorted. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”
Vince, the tattooed man, approached. “You ride, June?”
“First time today,” I said. “But I’m very interested in motorcycles.”
“You mean you’re interested in the hot guys that ride them,” Dani taunted, crossing her arms over her chest.
I glanced at Milo and Xavier and blushed. Couldn’t really deny that, could I?
“She works for Heleonix,” Milo added. “On the electric motorcycle project.”
Dani’s eyebrows shot up. “No shit?”
I nodded. “I’m an electrical engineer.”
“Good fucking luck with that,” she said. “I hear it’s a piece of shit.”
“She’s trying to make it better,” Xavier said, his voice low but sharp. “And she’s asking the right questions, asking riders what they want.”
“What do they want?” Red laughed. “How would she know? Look at her. Bet she’s never even gotten her hands dirty on an engine.”
I felt my face burn, embarrassment crawling up my neck. He wasn’t wrong. I hadn’t. I was an outsider here, a tourist in their world, and suddenly all I wanted was to disappear.
“I need to go,” I whispered to Milo. “This was a mistake.”
“Shut the fuck up, Red,” Xavier snapped suddenly, his harsh voice making me flinch. He stepped between us. “June’s got more brains in her little finger than you’ve got in your entire meth-addled skull.”
The tension in the air thickened immediately. Red straightened, his face darkening. “What did you just say to me?”
“You heard me,” Xavier replied, his voice deadly calm. “Apologize to her or we’re leaving.”
“Xavier, it’s fine,” I whispered. “Really, I—I’d rather just leave.”“Do you need space?” Milo asked quietly.“I don’t like Xavier yelling like this,” I whispered, reaching for my fidget necklace. “It’s sweet that he’s defending me, but it’s… I don’t want a fight.”
Milo nodded and led me away to a picnic table, where I sat and closed my eyes, holding my hands over my ears for a breath. “Could you hug me?” I whispered, and Milo moved in, creating a safe cocoon around me. When I opened my eyes, Xavier was there, looking worried. “You okay? Shit, June, when I saw you flinch when I yelled.” I smiled. “It’s okay. Everyone is dysregulated sometimes, right?”Dani strolled over and stood next to Xavier, smiling at me. “Ignore Red. He’s just jealous.”
“Jealous?” I asked, frowning.
“It’s dope what you do at work. All that asshole does is change oil for suburban moms at Jiffy Lube. Anyway, I just wanted to say I’d be interested in hearing what changes you’re making to theHelios project. The concept has potential, but the execution was garbage. And it’s cool that you’re listening to riders.”
“Maybe you could do a ride with the test team once we’re in beta?” I asked.
“Yeah. That’d be sick,” she said, grinning. “X and Milo have my number. Call me.” With a little salute, she walked away.
“Look at you, making friends,” Milo said, grinning.
I watched Dani joke with the other guys around her, then looked down at my completely inappropriate outfit, thinking there was no way I could ever possibly be friends with someone that cool. “Not likely. I don’t know why I thought I could fit in with your friends...”
Xavier frowned down at me.
