Page 39 of Forgotten Prejudice

Oh, now he chooses to talk?

“We’re not lost.”

“Do you know where we are?”

“No.”

“So we’re lost,” he huffed.

Ignoring him, I focused on the road ahead, which only seemed to get worse. To our left was a cliff, and to our right, a forest.

“Just turn the damn car around, or we’ll get stuck.”

“I can’t turn around here. It’s too narrow.”

He straightened up in his seat and looked around. “You can. Just fucking do it.”

“I can’t… Hey!” I shouted when he yanked the steering wheel from me, forcing us to make a sharp move. The truck jerked and swerved in the road. I slammed on the brakes as hard as I could, trying to get the car under control. We fishtailed for a few nerve-racking seconds, and I was sure we were going to die or, at the very least, overturn. By some miracle, we didn’t. After finally gaining control, the truck stilled.

With eyes wide and hands gripping the wheel so hard my knuckles turned white, I tried taking in some air into my burning lungs. My heart was beating so fast I was sure it would burst out of my chest.

“Have you lost your fucking mind?” I shouted at him once I gathered my breath, annoyed with how unfazed he looked.

“Why are you getting so worked up?” He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and shoved a smoke between his lips.

“You almost killed us.” I snatched the cig away from him and tossed it out the window.

“Hey—”

“Shut up!”

Fucking pissed off, I kicked the gas, ready to get the hell out of here and drop Kai anyplace that wasn’t near me. But when I tried to drive, I found that the truck had got stuck in the mud, and no matter how much I pressed the gas, it didn’t help, and we only sank deeper.

“You gotta be shitting me,” Kai hissed while peeking out of his window at the back of the car. “You got us stuck.”

“Me?” I gaped at him.

“Yes, you,” he snarled, his jaw tense. “You always drove like a bitch.”

Unable to share the same breathing space as him, I pushed aside his insults, turned off the engine, and stepped out of the damn truck. Kai followed me out, but I ignored him as I picked up the flashlight we kept in the bed of the truck and moved to check how badly we were stuck. One glance was enough to tell we were deep in the mud.

Huffing, I ran my fingers through my hair. There was no way I’d be able to get the car out by myself. Meanwhile, as I was trying to find a solution, Kai had found a rock to sit on, smoking his cigarette and digging into a wound he had on his elbow. It didn’t seem like he’d be willing to help.

Taking out my phone, I pressed it to my lips, wondering who I should call. Mom could easily rescue us with her pickup truck, but she’d be heartbroken if she saw Kai right now. And it was the last thing I wanted to do. It was also late, and she was probably asleep. I was ready to call Aiden, who was usually still up around this hour, when my phone rang in my hand, and I saw it was Soren.

Clearing my throat, I took the call. “H-Hey.”

“Where are you?” He sounded bothered.

“Oh, it’s a long story.” I rubbed the back of my neck, noticing Kai’s eyes were on me. “But it’s good that you called because I sort of need your help.”

“What’s wrong? Are you safe? Did you get hurt?”

His worry burdened me with guilt, but it also warmed my heart and brought a slight smile to my lips.

“I’m safe, but my car got stuck in the middle of a dirt road. Can you come and pick me up? I’m here with a friend.”

Soren sighed, and the line went silent for a second. “Why are you stuck on a dirt road in the middle of the night with a friend?” He nearly hissed the last word.