Page 61 of Wildcat
“Do I even want to know how much those cars cost?” I ask
“More than my first real car,” Tyler says.
Leo grins. “We tried racing on foot a couple of times, but people were puking left and right. We improvised. Jack loves these things.”
“Gross.” The visual is not pretty. “Don’t you guys have practice tomorrow?”
“Spoken like the coach’s daughter,” Leo teases me.
“Spoken like anyone with an ounce of logic.”
“Aw, Miller, don’t bring your logic and reason to the party.” Ash boos and then all the other guys join in.
“Okay. Okay.” I laugh “Let’s do this.”
We’re in teams of four. Ash and Johnny are the first to go. Johnny finishes his drink faster but is slower to get the remote car going. The guys that have done this more have an obvious advantage, and Ash catches him about halfway down to the turnaround point. The silver and red cars nearly avoid crashing into one another when Johnny swerves in front of him, taking the lead.
Next up is a guy they call Morris and Declan. Then it’s Tyler and a girl that’s been hanging on Morris.
“Sorry in advance for kicking your butt.” Leo winks. He’s hovering over his cup of beer, waiting for the car to return.
“Dream on, Leo Lohan.”
The second Tyler moves our car past the finish line, I chug the lukewarm beer. It sits heavy in my stomach as I hurry to grab the remote from him. Yeah, running right now would be bad.
Leo fumbles the remote, but I think he might be letting me catch up. Oh, how sweet, he’s trying to take it easy on me. Unfortunately for him, I’m playing to win.
“Hey, Lohan,” I say as his car races after mine.
He glances up from the road, and I flash him. I have on a bra, so it isn’t like he’s seeing my boobs, but it’s enough to distract him and send his car off into someone’s yard.
The guys are cheering behind us. Someone yells, “Nice rack!”
“Oh, you’re so going to pay for that,” Leo says. He steps closer and maneuvers his car back onto the road. He’s gaining on me and I’m grinning like an idiot as this small silver car races toward the turnaround mark. I cut the wheel early, giving myself a bigger lead.
It’s close, but my car crosses the finish line first, and Ash hugs me and lifts me off the ground.
“Miller! Miller!” he chants.
The guys lift their beers to me, and a few chant along with Ash.
I wait for Leo to call me on not going past the turnaround point, but he doesn’t. Ash puts me on the ground in front of Leo. “Your girl is awesome.”
“She’s also a cheater,” Leo says so only I can hear.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Mhmm.” He takes my hand. Warmth spreads up my arm. “Take a ride with me.”
“Sure you don’t want me to drive?” I ask as he hops into his golf cart.
He laughs and pulls out of the driveway, hops the curb and drives down the grass. There’s a path where I can see others have come this way before. He guides us behind Jack’s property. There’s a lake and several other golf carts are already parked near the bank. A few people are sitting on blankets, others stand. Someone’s playing music, but it’s quieter than at the house.
I’m surprised when Jack is among those here. He’s sitting on the blanket with a pretty girl perched between his legs, her back resting on his chest.
“Is this all Jack’s?” As far as I can see, it’s an open field and the lake is a decent size.
Leo chuckles and leans back in his seat. We’re close enough I can hear the quite murmur of others talking, but far enough away, it feels like we have a little privacy.
