Page 23 of Vicious Punks
Up ahead, railroad lights start flashing and the gates start coming down, but Tillie and the Porsche go flying over the tracks just in time. Their front tires leave the asphalt for a split second before coming back down, her car jerks heavily to the right, but once again she straightens the wheel before she can lose control. Where the hell did she learn to drive like this?
The train blares, the light coming up faster the closer I get. With the Audi right next to me, everything else passes in a blur, but I can see the frightened gaze of the frat guy as he makes eye contact with me. I lay on the throttle and wonder just how much I am willing to risk to feel this alive.
Fucking everything.
The Audi pulls back, his tires squealing as he stomps on his brakes, but I just clench the wheel for dear life.
“Fuckkkkk!” I shout and start laughing, my heart racing a mile a minute.
Breaking through the crossing gate, I’m blinded by the single train light and catch air as my tires leave the tracks. My back bumper is centimeters away from the oncoming train but my foot never leaves the gas as I slam back down to the road. Swerving, I straighten the wheel and come up fast behind the Porsche. Lights of red, blue, and white flash behind me, their sirens are loud, but I can still hear their voices yelling over the PA.
“Pull over! Pull over now!” The officer shouts through his microphone.
It just causes me to grin over the irony of being chased by the cops, and an idea comes as I stare at the back of the Porsche, knowing how I’m going to get rid of them. Logan said no cops so I have to listen to him, don’t I? Shifting into sixth, I keep on the gas as I fast approach the back corner of the Porsche’s bumper. Slamming into him at the right angle, I whip my car to the left into oncoming traffic just as his car starts spinning out of control. He takes out two cop cars, causing them to flip. I weave between oncoming cars, ignoring the honking and flashing high beams. Seeing an opening, I swerve back into the right side of the road and come up right behind Tillie. That won’t do.
“Come on, come on!” My lip curls as I try to pull up right beside her, knowing we only have two more miles to the finish line.
Her window comes back down once I’m even with the Dodge Demon, and she’s laughing as she swerves around a car and comes right back next to me with ease. She’s crazy, but her face is glowing as she winks at me. She’s loving this.
I can relate and catch myself at the last second, just as I start to chuckle under my breath. I’m starting to wonder if I’ve lost my mind, too.
Neck and neck with her, our last turn is up ahead, then back towards the finish line. No rules, no Jin, no standing so tall that my spine feels like it’s going to crack in half. It’s just me, the streets…and this fucking girl that’s literally stealing my breath away with the power she’s radiating. I squint through my window shield, seeing a sign in bright orange.
Closed road.
Glancing left and right as we get closer and closer, I spot a construction site to the right ahead, and see the chained fence locked. Speeding up, I make eye contact with Tillie and jerk my head for her to follow me. She raises a brow at me in question but nods her head firmly.
Good girl.
Shifting down a gear, my car slows and I turn the wheel hard to the right to make it at the last second with Tillie right beside me. The lock on the chain fence breaks easily as we crash through and instantly we split up. She goes to the left, to avoid the metal frame of the building under construction, as I go right. I lose sight of her, not being able to see her in the dark, but see glimpses of the purple streaks of her car lights.
“Fuck. Shit. Fucking hell,” I curse on a growl as a line of orange cones get in my way.
I hit every single one of them to avoid all the metal pieces stacked on pallets around the site. Seeing an exit at the back that’s going to only fit one of our cars at a time, it’s either crashing into her or driving right up the pile of dirt to jump the fence. I’m sure as fuck not slowing down, so it’s going to have to be her. I hear her engine rev, speeding up, and see her race towards the exit with cement all over the roof of the car as she pops out of the other side.
“Not happening. Slow down. This is my race.” My heart starts pounding because she’s not slowing down but speeding up.
If I could take a picture of this moment, I would. She’s smiling without a care in the world, her hair whipping around her face as she sticks her head halfway out the window to yell, but I can’t hear her. I shift my gaze back towards the exit that’s fast approaching and glance back over to see her mouthing something at me.
“You lose.” She laughs with her head thrown back and speeds up until her car is lined right next to mine, so close that I can see her brown, wide eyes in the dark.
Glancing back and forth at her then at the exit in panic, it suddenly becomes crystal clear she’s not going to slow down. At the last second, I slam on my breaks and the car bumps against her tail end. Controlling the wheel, I jerk it left then right until it straightens but not without the side of my head smacking against my driver side window. She bolts through the gate and skids across the street as she turns, waving at me out the window as she takes off. Shifting gears in a white knuckle grip and stomping on the gas, I take off after her again with a sharp turn. I keep shifting until I’m right behind her, the purple light of the underbody lighting up the front of my white Nissan.
“Not today, Tillie. I own your ass,” I mutter out loud and place my thumb on the nitrous button, waiting for the right moment.
She blocks me by swerving the car left and right, keeping me behind her, but I see my opening just as I spot the crowd up ahead at the finish line. Pretending to go towards her right side, she swerves that way too, but at the last second I press the button and come out from behind her left side. My body presses into the seat as I grip the wheel to remain in control even at this speed. Cars on either side of the road line up with their headlights on, acting as a runway, and I can practically taste my victory. Only a few cars from the finish point, purple lights flash out of the corner of my eye and I watch in shock as Tillie passes by me. She passes a jumping Nicola on the finish point, who’s shaking Evan in excitement as she bounces around. By the time I’m slowing down and throwing the car into park, Tillie is getting out of the car. Nicola runs for her with Evan hot on her heels and hugs her while jumping around at the same time. I quickly get out of the car and slam the door, which draws the attention of Evan who was about to go in for a hug but thinks better about it as he sees my glare.
“That was fucking amazing, chica! It’s about time someone smoked his ass!” Lorenzo laughs and passes a smiling Tillie her winnings.
“It was nothing, pretty easy,” she replies back, grinning cheekily and tosses Evan the keys to the Dodge Demon. “She’s a beauty and a dream. Here, take the money. It needs some TLC.” She hands over the money still smiling, her chest heaving from all the excitement still.
So that’s whose car it is. I’m going to have to look into the nerd’s background because I didn’t know he came from money. I’m a little shocked she handed over the cash so easily, I know she could have used it.
I walk through the crowd surrounding her, ignoring them as they part like the red sea and I grab her wrist without saying a word. She draws up closer to my back, her breasts grazing my bicep as the crowd tries to squeeze in closer to talk to her. I squeeze her wrist and walk her around to the passenger side of my car, opening the door with a nod to get in.
“You're bleeding,” she says as she bites her bottom lip and reaches up to touch the cut on the side of my temple.
“Get in, Tillie.” I keep my face blank so she can’t get a read on my thoughts.
