Page 36 of My Fault
Since I’d started racing five years before, my team had always won. Ronnie respected me, but I knew he’d fuck me over if he ever got the chance. I was from a good family, I wasn’t in it for the money, and that got to him. He needed the cash—needed it to buy drugs and keep the guys in his gang in line. It was one thing to throw money around, another to play with the one thing that seemed to matter to him. If he lost his car, I’d need to be ready for trouble.
I ran a hand along the roof of my Ferrari. I loved that damn car; it was perfect, the fastest, the best purchase I’d ever made. I only let people I trusted drive it. My car. My rules. That was the deal. Driving it was a privilege. Everyone in my gang knew that.
“Kyle’s gonna be mad, bro,” Lion said with an awkward expression. After the drawing, we’d decided how to divvy up our guys. The four gangs were equally represented in both brackets. I knew Kyle had been gunning for Greg, the guy I’d be going against, but sorry—I was driving in this race myself.
I looked over at Lion. I was glad he was there that night. He was one of my best friends. I’d met him in one of the worst periods of my life, and we’d been inseparable ever since. I was the one who’d introduced him to his girl Jenna. She was the daughter of oil execs and had grown up in the same development as me, and we’d known each other since we were kids. She was still in high school. She wasn’t like the other daughters of millionaires—she was special, and I cared about her a lot. Lion had been hung up on her from the first moment he saw her.
“Fuck Kyle,” I said. Lion probably thought that was over the line, but he didn’t say anything. He knew when I wasn’t in the mood for bullshit. And just then, I definitely was not in the mood.
“The second curve is tighter than the first, so brake early or you’ll skid off the road,” he told me as I got in the car and put it in gear. From fifteen feet away, people were already shouting euphorically, anxious for the race to begin. Two girls were holding the fluorescent flags, ready to motion for us to take off.
“Got it,” I said. And I couldn’t help but add, “Keep an eye on Noah.” I squeezed the wheel tightly as I realized she was still stuck in my head. I couldn’t help it; I needed to know someone was taking care of her. This kind of party was dangerous for a girl like her, and Lion knew that better than anyone.
“Don’t worry, Jenna’s all over it.” That eased my mind. But then I looked where he was looking. There, with a fluorescent bandana tied around her head, as though she were a member of my gang, was Noah, arms locked with Jenna, smiling radiantly. She was euphoric. Drunk and euphoric.
Dammit.
“See you at the finish line,” I said, the way we always did when we raced.
The flags came down, the engine roared, and the wind in my face made me forget those honey-colored eyes and that scandalous body.
We’d won all the races so far. Elsewhere, on the other sand tracks, all the competition had been eliminated. Just Ronnie was left. No surprise. My guy Kyle was good, but Ronnie was one of the best.
The final was going to be tough, and I was nervous about the outcome.
I still had twenty minutes to go, and I was leaning on my car drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette. Noah was with Jenna. They were living it up, as far as I could tell, dancing, drinking, just having fun. I got it—Noah probably thought she could drink away the memories of her boyfriend. I kept an eye on her every movement.
“You’re being weird tonight,” a familiar voice said from behind my back. I turned to Anna when I felt her warm breath on my neck. Just like me, she had changed. She was wearing a skimpy dress that revealed her huge boobs and thin legs. She was gazing at me with desire. We always looked at each other that way.
“It’s not the best night,” I said, trying to get her to understand she shouldn’t expect any sweet nothings from me.
“I could make it a lot better,” she said, sidling up to me and giving me a view of her cleavage. “All you’ve got to do is come with me,” she added seductively.
I had fifteen minutes left till the last race. And the truth was, I could use a little release with Anna in the back of my ride.
“Make it quick,” I said, dragging her to my car.
Fifteen minutes later, we went back to where everyone was standing, waiting on the finale. Sex with Anna had helped me clear my head. I could have whoever I wanted—there was no need to get all hung up on some seventeen-year-old.
And then I saw her.
Everyone had moved from the starting line to the finish. Normally Lion and Jenna always stayed behind. But there wasn’t a trace of them.
I saw just one thing before my black Ferrari took off without me: the reddish-blond hair of my stepsister in the rearview mirror.
13
Noah
After what had happened with Nick, I decided to stay away from him tonight. That was what he’d asked for, after all. What had happened between us was weird, but it was pleasant. Then he’d opened his mouth and I’d remembered who I was dealing with.
Still, I’d gotten what I wanted. I’d gotten my revenge on Dan, even if deep down I realized that nothing could make me feel better after the two people who mattered most to me had betrayed me behind my back.
The photo Nick had taken had shaken me. I’d never taken photos of Dan and me kissing. For that matter, Dan had never kissed me like that. When I looked at the picture, I got goose bumps. You could see us in it in profile, his lips half-open and pressed into mine, our eyes closed, enjoying the moment. My cheeks were bright red, Nick’s face was hard, cold, irresistible. He really was attractive. Dan would be climbing the walls. I knew it. He was just that egotistical, even if normally he saved his self-centered attitude for other people and didn’t make me a victim of it. I sent him the picture of him cheating, so he’d know I had it.
Then I wrote a text under the photo of Nick and me before sending it.
All I needed was four hours to find a bigger man than you. Thanks for opening my eyes. By the way, in your picture you look like a fish sucking air. Learn to kiss, douchebag!
