Page 24 of Fatal Collision
“That’s just typical Chris,” I reply, shifting to face her. “He has always liked a challenge.”
“Whose fault is that?” Summer asks when I tuck her blonde hair behind her ears and wipe tears from her cheeks. But at least she’s smiling again. “You were always challenging him to a competition.”
We all know Chris is stubborn to a fault. We’re always feeding off each other’s energy. He once challenged me to ride a bike down this steep, grassy hill behind Mr. Perez’s house when I was ten and he was twelve. He said I wouldn’t be able to do it without falling off. We bet twenty bucks.
Turns out he was right. I crashed into a nettle bush and almost broke my arm. Mom was beside herself, and Dad whooped Chris’s ass that night. My brother hobbled past me the following morning, sporting a busted lip anda bruised cheek and said, “You still owe me that twenty bucks.”
I rub the center of my chest where a warmth spreads, and Summer sighs.
“I miss Mom,” she whispers. “I miss her smile and hugs. She always knew what to do.”
“She did,” I agree.
Summer smiles weakly and reaches for my hands again, fidgeting with the best friend bracelet around my wrist, which Mom showed me how to make one summer when I was eight.
I wanted to give it to my friend, Amber, but I never got the chance because we fell out over Logan, a skinny boy who told everyone who would listen that we’d kissed on the lips. It wasn’t true, but it didn’t take long for the word to spread.
Chris and Malice beat him up the following week and forced him to make a public apology in the cafeteria. I wear the bracelet now because it reminds me of my mom.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Ah. Gee. I should confide in her.
“If I tell you something, can you promise not to tell Chris?”
“You know you can trust me.”
Okay. Here it is. Let’s rip off the plaster.
“I was at the race the other night.”
“Okay?” she replies uncertainly, like she isn’t sure where this is going.
I cringe. “I was in Kane Ravenscourt’s car.”
Her eyes bug out. “What?! Why were you in his car?”
Oh shit… There’s no easy way to explain this. I worry she won’t understand. Or that she’ll get mad at me.
“Remember when we broke into the party at his house?”
“Did something happen that you didn’t tell me?”
“Well…” I clear my throat, my cheeks heating. “Kane sort of caught me stealing from his father.”
“No!? He did?” I didn’t think Summer’s eyes could grow any bigger, but I was wrong.
“Yep!” I pop the ‘P’. “He caught me in the act and things got…interesting.”
“Interesting how?” She’s invested now, leaning closer. I expected her to get upset and shout at me, to storm out and phone Chris. But her eyes sparkle with intrigue instead.
I trap my bottom lip between my teeth and wince. This isn’t something I want to admit to my sister. Maybe it’s best if I skirt around the subject? She won’t understand. “Things turned sexual.”
“You had SEX?” she all but shouts, and I slap my hand over her mouth, shushing her, even though Chris isn’t home.
“No!” I glance at the door, as if he’ll pop up like a jack-in-the-box, because that would be my luck. “We didn’t havesex.”
When I remove my hand, she lowers her voice conspiratorially. “So… What did you do?”
