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Ella

I realize I have ht As soon as we turn onto the Back Road, a passion combusts inside me It only flames hotter e pull up to The Hitch, an old abandoned restaurant stationed at the end of the road

It’s the perfect set up for street racing, with a long straight road tucked between the lofty trees on the ht, but there are clouds rolling in I cringe, thinking of the night on the bridge We’d been racing before I’d gone there

Micha gets a text ht as we brink the end of the road He pulls the car to the side,carefully across the pot holes He pushes the parking brake in and checks his phone, shutting it off, and looking torn up

"What’s wrong?" I ask "You look upset?"

"Nothing’s wrong Everything’s great" He’s lying, but how can I press him to tell the truth when I’m a liar too?

"So this is your surprise?" I will my voice to sound disappointed, but it colance "Don’t sirl It’ll ruin your whole I’ive-a-shit act"

I opt to reht?"

"You h the dark cab of the car "Well, I thought I’d leave that up to you"

In front of the trees is a line of cars with their headlights on and their owners standing near the front They’re a rough crowd, irl with arirl I’ve ever truly feared

"Well, there’s Mikey" I rub ot that piece of crap 6 cylinder in his Camaro?"

"Yeah, he does" Micha leans back in the seat, exah the dark "You think that’s who I should go for?"

"It’s the obvious choice" I don’t like where , but I can’t shut off -out-with-the-guys kind of girl and therefor there is an abundance of knowledge about cars stashed away in irl I’ve been friends with "Although, what kind of a ould it be when you have this car that can clearly take on much more"

"You think I should take on soue?"

"If you want the win to , then yeah"

We look at each other, likedirection and they will push apart

"So which one is it, pretty girl?" He drapes an arers brush "

There’s a dare in the air, teasing the real ive in, just for a few hours, and let ain, but I fear the loss of control - I fear I’ll have to feel everything, including o back" I putanyether firht? Just you and I I really need this right now"

I pick up on his strange vibe and the sorrow in his eyes "Okay, what’s wrong? You’ve seeot?"

He traces the figure eight tattoo on his forearot this?"

I absentet, since I have the saot theht"

"Exactly, yet you’ll remember it forever No matter what happens, which is coer on the tattoo that represents eternity

"There’s so the bottom of my shirt down to cover up my tattoo "Do you want to talk about it?"

He shakes his head, still focused on the tattoo "Nah, I’hts, I point er at a s stripes "What about Benny? Does he still have the 455?"

Micha’s eyes are pools of black liquid "You think we should take on the big dog?"

"I think you should take on the big dog," I clarify "I’ll just watch you kick his ass"

His expression darkens "No way I’ unless you’re in the car with me It’s tradition"

A starvation insideas you do one thing for me?"

"Say it and it’s yours," he says without blinking

My hunger urges me closer to hi He doesn’t move, frozen like a statue as I put my lips next to his ear

"Make sure you win," I breathe and my body arches into him on its own accord, before I sit back in the seat

His face is indecipherable, his breathing fierce, his gaze relentless "Okay, then Let’s go win us a race"

We climb out of the car and hike across the dirt road toward the row of cars and their owners I shield hts and wrap an arive s his arot you baby"

"Well, what do we have here?" Mikey, the owner of the Caot black hair, a kink in his nose, and his thick neck is enclosed with a barb-wire tattoo "Is the infaet their asses kicked?"

I roll my eyes "You beat us once and that was by default due to a flat tire"

His face pinches as he takes in my shirt, tank top, and curled hair "What the fuck happened to you?"

Chandra, his girlfriend, sputters a laugh Her dress is so tight that her curves bulge out of it and her stilettoes ht as me "Holy shit, she like turned into a little princess or so to keep me calm "So who’s up first? Or has no one decided yet"

Mikey eyes Micha’s Chevelle and there’s a nervous look in his eyes "You think you can just walk in here and play the ga out for nearly a year?"

I s "What? You were gone Why the hell would I want to race?"

"Again, you need to ainst Micha, so I have to watch my hter echoes the night "You and what army?"

I point at Micha’s Chevelle parked near the road "That arht there"

Mikey shakes his head and shoos us away "That thing don’t stand a chance against the GTO Now run along and coer"

He’s testing my control A lot

"As opposed to yours?" I retort, getting into Mikey’s face "Because that thing’s all looks and no go"

Micha directs me back by the shoulders and a trace of aer Let’s try not to get our asses kicked tonight, okay?"

Benny hops off the hood of his car, flicks his cigarette to the ground, and leaves his buddies to join us "What’s up? Did I hear someone wanted to race uy that everyone respects because they’re afraid of hiht at school with a senior twice his size and beat hiht was over or what happened, but it was enough that everyone becaer sharply at e you to a race in that thing"

Benny’s eyes wander to the Chevelle as he cocks his shaven head and crosses his muscular arms "Micha, isn’t that your car?"

Micha pats my back and winks at me "Yeah, apparently she’s my spokesperson"

Benny deliberates this and then turns to Mikey, who’s glaring atdeal is I have no probleht be kinda nice to have a challenge for a change" Benny slaps Mikey on the back kind of hard and then pounds fists with Micha

"Thanksto line up first then?"

Benny bobs his head up and down, nodding as he stares at the road pensively "Yeah man, I think that’d work"

They chat a little bit more about the rules and what not, while Mikey continues to scowl at , Micha and I walk back to the car, while everyone else scatters toward the starting line located right in front of The Hitch

"So what’s your plan?" I ask "Because beating him won’t be easy"

"You’re er door for me "With you in the car, there’s no way I won’t win, otherwise you’ll never letmy head into the car, I drop into the seat and then look up at hio any faster"

He grins, sla the door "Sure you will" He slides across the front of the hood and climbs into the driver’s seat