Page 46 of Full Throttle

“Oh.”

The hurt in her sweet voice made my stomach twist.

It’d been weeks since I’d climbed into her window, weeks since I’d laid on her bedroom floor, staring up at her ceiling as I listened to her read softly from her spot on the bed. When I turned fourteen, I stopped getting into her bed with her. It felt…weird. Then as I got older, I decided I shouldn’t be anywhere near the girl who grew up next door to me—not like that anyways.

The sad part about it was she had a crush on me.

I knew it, her parents knew it, the entire fucking school knew it.

I was popular at school for all the wrong reasons. Unlike my older brother, I didn’t choose to take my anger out on sports. I learned how to bury it—most of the time. When I needed to let loose, I usually let my fist fly into the sorry motherfucker who pissed me off in the first place. I was the bad kid. I hung out with the wrong crowd, I drank on the weekends, and I let the head cheerleader suck my cock every Friday night after she got done kissing her precious quarterback. However, lately, our little arrangement had come to screeching halt.

More accurately, it came to halt after I saw Nik at the football game two weeks ago, dressed up and wearing blush. I didn’t understand why she needed make-up. Before, I could go to school, be who I needed to be before seeing her in the evenings. She was my escape from the shit show of my life, a comfort. Now, things were changing, and I needed to do the right thing.

I was in hell, unable to escape the fucking green-eyed girl with the goofy smile.

“Cain?”

Shaking my head, I muttered a curse under my breath and set the wrench down. Snatching the towel, I began wiping my hands as I turned around to face her. I needed to cut the cord. Nik had no place in my life. In a few months, I’d be out of here for good. As soon as my diploma was in hand, I’d be heading off to college on a scholarship I’d busted my ass for. My brain was the only gift I’d gotten from my parents, and because of it, I would have a chance at life.

I was going to leave all of this behind—including Nik.

No matter how much it hurt.

“Look, Nik, I’ve been meaning—” My words stopped short as my eyes landed on the plate of homemade cupcakes in her hands. The center cupcake had a single yellow candle sticking from it, the flame burning bright in the warm September afternoon. I swallowed, my throat bobbing. My eyes flicked up to hers, unable to miss the excitement lingering in her mossy green.

“Happy birthday, Cain,” she said gleefully.

The towel slipped from my hand, falling to the dirt floor by my old Chucks.

“Nik,” I said, my voice thick.

She waved her hand, moving past me to the folding table I found at the junk yard three months ago. She carefully set the plate down and plucked up the center cupcake. She held it out on her palm, a bright, stunning smile stretching over her face. “Happy birthday to you,” she sang jokingly. “Happy birthday, Cain!”

I swallowed, my Adam’s Apple bobbing. “You didn’t have to—”

“What are you talking about?” she cut me off, shaking her head. Then she rolled her eyes. “Cain, it’s your birthday! I always make you something.”

It was true. Every year since she turned ten, she’d been making me something for my birthday and Christmas. Two Christmases ago, I only survived because of all her baked goods.

“Go on,” she urged, stepping towards me. “Take it.”

Her vanilla scent overwhelmed me, and I suppressed a groan. She always smelled so sweet. It was horrible. Shooting her a glare, I snatched the cupcake from her, blowing out the candle. I brought it up to my mouth, pulling down the paper.

“Cain,” she giggled. “Wait—the candle is still in there!” She rushed forward but stumbled.

Suddenly, she was falling, and I moved on instinct.

A second later, she was in my arms, the cupcake forgotten on the dirt floor as I leaned against the Jeep. I didn’t give a shit. She was in my arms. Her body was against mine. Our eyes held each other’s as everything around us faded away. I was surrounded by her. Her hands against my chest, her softness against all the hard parts of me—

Fuck.

Shaking my head, I moved my hands to her upper arms and gently pulled her away. “Careful,” I mumbled.

She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by a horrible sound.

The sound of my mother screaming inside the house.

My head snapped in that direction, and I was moving. Looking over my shoulder to Nik, I held back my hand. “Stay in here, yeah?”

---