He rolls his eyes as he pulls the keys for the Camaro out of his pocket and starts heading for the driver’s door. “For the record,” he says. “I stepped in front of it because your aim sucked and the ball was going straight for the windscreen.”
“Uh huh,” I murmur, rolling my eyes. I mean, he’s just saying that out of respect for the Mustang. My aim was perfect and we both know it, but I let it go. Today isn’t about teasing his favorite child syndrome, it’s about making the most of being close with him until our two different worlds tear us apart again.
Nate pulls out of the shop parking lot and onto the road before he reaches over and weaves his fingers through mine. I look across at him to find his sparkling eyes staring back at me. “Just so you know, I’m still pissed you allowed Jackson to take you to another party.”
Shit. I should have known this was bound to come up.
Chapter 10
We pull up at the races on Friday night and I have to smile to myself. We’re in the Camaro… again. I mean, Nate can deny it all he wants, be he certainly has a favorite, and if I have to be honest, I’m glad it’s the Camaro. It holds so many memories for us, both good and bad. I still can’t believe Jesse had it rebuilt for him.
But I want it stated for the record that if in a few years when Nate and I have little dark-haired children running around, causing havoc, and he chooses a favorite, I’m going to be pissed.
I push my way out of Nate’s car and walk around the front to meet him. We haven’t been coming here as often as we used to. We used to come every Friday night for Nate to race, but after school finished and summer happened, it became more of a ‘for fun’ kind of thing, which just happens to be the reason we’re here tonight.
Nate finished everything he wanted to finish for the week, giving him the night and the whole weekend off. And I, well, as usual, I still have a shitload of studying to get through, but Nate convinced me to live a little, so here we are.
The sound of two cars on the track echoes throughout the whole property but I don’t bother looking down at them. Racing isn’t really my thing. It doesn’t get me hot the way it does for all the boys. I’m just here for Nate. Now, watching him on the racetrack is definitely something that gets me hot. Being in the car with him when he’s driving is even better, though it’s scary as hell.
Nate takes my hand and we walk towards our group of friends who have probably been here all night. Jesse catches me out the corner of his eye as we approach, and that eye becomes dangerously mischievous.
Crap.
He breaks away from the group and starts towards us with his eyes locked on mine as I try to work out his game plan. He steps up before us and if already knowing what he’s going to do, my bastard boyfriend releases my hand.
Jesse bends and my eyes widen in fear. I start to backtrack, but the kid is too quick. “Noooo,” I scream for everyone to hear as Jesse’s shoulder rams into my hips and lifts. His piercing cackle vibrates his whole body as I slam my fists down into his back. “Put me down, you big turd.”
“No way,” he laughs before slapping my ass and jogging back to the group. He spins me around while everyone else ignores my pleas for help, knowing just as well as I do that when Jesse is in one of these annoying moods, it’s best to just let him go. Even Nate steps up beside Puck and starts up a conversation while his beloved girlfriend is desperate for a way out.
That prick.
Jesse finally puts me down, but only because he’s laughing too hard that he literally has no choice or he risks dropping me. Jesse knows exactly what Nate would do to him if he actually dropped me, and let me tell you, it would not be pretty. It’s not a risk anyone in their right mind would be dumb enough to take.
I say hi to all the guys and wrap my arms around Courtney and Elle. These two have become a lot closer over the past few weeks with Brylee away at Yale. It’s clear in Courtney’s eyes that she’s still devastated over her not being here, but she’s torn because a part of her is so damn happy that Brylee is doing what she wants to be doing.
God, even though Brooke’s being a super moron at the moment, I’m so damn happy she applied to the same college as me. I don’t know what I would do without her. Through all the shit I’ve been through with Nate and the fire, she was my rock. Always has been and always will be. I swear, I’ll never find another best friend who knows me the way she does.