Mason was standing too close to her, and I didn’t like the way she looked up at him. I revved my bike, and her eyes met mine through my visor. Her smile was genuine. I peeled out, and my tires crunched over the rocks and gravel onto the sand and dirt track to the starting line.
Was I finally losing my girl?
The race was about to start and my heart thudded hard in my chest. They had some freshman I never saw before waving the flag to start us off. We never raced for money or anything; we just raced for fun and did lots of daredevil freestyle jumps and stuff.
The second the flag was down, I popped a wheelie and took off like a rocket.
I flew past Joey, who leaned against his dirt bike with his arms crossed, scowling toward Mason. I mean,damn it, I didn’t even know she liked Mason like that. And, she never once mentioned it to either of us that she wanted to go to adance.
Other riders, who joined the track with me, tried to catch up, and I just tore ass and blew them all away. Five laps later, I crossed the finish line and didn’t stop. Racing up the ramp to the beach, I sailed through the air and landed perfectly on the sand, blowing dust up everywhere. I heard the kids behind me screaming and whooping, but all I could think about was Mason standing next tomy girl.
Wanting just a few minutes alone, I sped down the beach.
I was staring out over the water at the setting sun when Charlie and Joey tapped my helmet.Masonwas with them, too. The little butt-munch.
I took my helmet off to talk to them, not thinking about how they’d react when they saw my face…I felt the swelling of my eye. I tasted the blood from my lips. I knew how bad I looked.
“Holy crap, Jase! What happened to your face?” Charlie yelled, shoving Mason out of the way to get to me. Joey was right behind her. She had her hands (God, those hands I dreamt about touching me) on my face, so soft and gentle against my skin. I had no choice but to lean into her and rub my cheek against the palm of the hand.
I shrugged my shoulders like I didn’t look like I went for a round with a heavyweight champion, and lost. “Had a little tussle, that’s all.”
Charlie’s eyes watered and her face twisted into a grimace as she ran her thumb over the cut on my lip. It took everything in me not to dart my tongue out and lick her. MasonLa Douchewalked up right beside her. “Whoa, Delaney. Who beat your ass?” Then helaughed. See howLa Douchefits him better that LaDoux?
I ignored him and just kept my eyes on Charlie’s. Her soft fingertips were doing a number on my insides. And, I sure as heck wanted them on other parts of my body. “Hey, Charlie. You wanna go for a ride?” I whispered, fiddling with the gearshift, revving my engine after my question.
“Charlie came here withme, Delaney.”
I leveled my eyes on him, “Did I ask you who she came here with, Peckerbreath?” I had to hand it to the idiot; he only flinched a little. Most guys get one look at my eyes and back off. I was impressed, but I was still jealous as all hell. I was actively plotting out ways to bury his body so no one would find all the pieces.
“Jase,” Charlie whispered, stepping back and squinting her eyes at me.
“Fine, fuck off then,” I croaked, and I peeled out, kicking up dust and sand in my wake as I sped away.
Ah, crap. What the hell did I just do?I never spoke to Charlie like that, well, not since I moved next door to her, and she stared at me with those impossibly beautiful green eyes and I threatened her life. I wasnine; I didn’t have a clue about how to act when I saw a pretty girl. All I knew then is that she made my heart race.
Skidding down along the beach, I rode through the wet sand, probably ruining my tires, but I didn’t give a flying monkey’s uncle about that. Everything inside of me felt twisted and wrong. The wind blowing past my face felt thick and pasty, making it harder and harder to breathe. My heart started beating out of control and my skin felt weird; all tingly and raw.
After a few minutes of pushing the limits of my bike, I saw a lone headlight behind me. In the twilight that had settled over the beach, the bright light came up from behind me, fast and steady. I heard the rev of the engine over mine as the rider tried to gain on me. I shifted into a lower gear and pressed my bike to move faster.
The pursuer continued after me, matching every jump I took and met my speed. Holy Hell, it was like the damnGhostrider. From the corner of my eye, I could see the shiny white skull and crossbones that only decorated Joey’s bike and mine. When I realized it was my best friend, I skidded to a stop, with the bike sliding out from underneath me.
Joey swerved, sliding his bike in a circle to face me and stopped in a spray of dirt and water. Jumping off his bike, he yanked off his helmet and threw it to the ground. The silhouette of long, gorgeous hair bounced free, and I couldn’t catch my breath.
Pulling the helmet slowly from my head, I watched her form walk toward me. “What the hell wasthat? You could have killed yourself driving like that! What are you, nuts?” I yelled, falling to my knees on the cold, wet sand.
“You’re the one who’s freaking nuts, Jase Delaney! Why did you ride off like that?” she yelled, kneeling in front of me.
“Yeah, well I asked if you wanted to go for a ride,” I mumbled.
“Yeah, Jase, then you told me toEFFoff. You needanotherbutt kicking? Because I think the one you got handed today, from God only knows who, looks bad enough,” Then, before I could say another word, her fingers were on my lips again and skating softly across my cheeks to survey the damage.
“Is he your boyfriend now, Charlie?” my voice croaked.
Her eyes shined with tears, “You got the crap beat out of you, your face is covered with blood, and you’re asking me if Mason is myboyfriend?”
“Yep. Now you know where my priorities lie.”
“Jase. Come on, tell me what happened to you,” she pleaded.
