Page 44 of Disobedient Pawn

I flicked my gaze around the car. “I can see that.”

I waited until we were outside the city limits before asking, “So, what did you want to talk to me about?”

Myles drummed his fingers on the top of the steering wheel. “I wanted to apologize for missing our tutoring session and class this morning. I was working late last night after the swim meet and crashed at my Da’s place and forgot to set my alarm.” He looked over at me, and even in the shadowed car, I could see the hint of gold in his amber eyes. My instincts were telling me he was sincere. It was only one tutoring session, not the end of the world, and it wouldn’t kill anyone. But could I trust that? Could I trust him?

“You’re forgiven. But Myles, I take my classes seriously. I want to have my pick of any university in the world. So, if you start missing all the time or don’t put in any effort….”

“Naw, I swear. I will do better.” He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat like he was nervous. “There is something else I want to talk to you about.”

“Okay.”

“I wanted to ask ya out on a proper date. Not a friend outing, but a real date. I want to get dressed up and take ya someplace nice.”

“I don’t know, Myles. I’m not looking to date anyone.” I crossed my arms and stared out the window, but I could still see his reflection in the glass.

“Okay, let’s call it a getting to know ya, and I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.” He held up his hand like he was swearing on a bible, and I smirked.

I knew what he was like, and what I told Blake was true, but it had been so long since I laughed like I did with Myles. It was difficult to remember smiling over the last five years, let alone laughing and feeling like everything would be okay again somehow. What would be the harm in one outing?

Blake tapped his brakes, the bright glow flashing at us. “What is he doing?”

“Oh, ya think so, do ya?” Myles said. Before I could ask what he meant, he pulled out into the oncoming lane and pulled up beside Blake.

“What…what are you doing?”

Myles looked over, but he wasn’t looking at me. He was staring at Blake. I looked out the window as Blake held up three fingers. Fear swept through my body as he folded one down.

“Don’t you—”

I didn’t get the rest of my sentence out before Myles stomped on the gas. The sports car leaped forward like we’d been shot out of a cannon, and my head slammed back into the headrest.

“Oh my god, oh my god.” I kept saying over and over as we flew along the two-lane road. We crested a slight hill, and I screamed, closing my eyes at the sight of the car coming at us. Myles swerved, and my eyes snapped open to see we’d slipped in behind Blake again.

“What the fuck, man! Can’t ya see I’m racing here?” Myles yelled at his rearview mirror before pulling back out and whipping up beside Blake once more.

“Myles, can we slow down?” If he heard me, he ignored me as we streaked around a corner at speeds I’d never dreamed of traveling in a car, let alone at night on a winding road. My heart hammered like a scared animal, and my adrenaline spiked.

“Myles, please,” I said, pushing my feet into the floor and gasping as a pickup truck pulled out of a driveway. We would’ve hit it if the person hadn’t swerved onto the gravel shoulder.

Suddenly images flooded my mind. I was in a car when it swerved off the road and crashed. I gasped and shook my head with the sudden flash that seemed real and like a dream at the same time. I’d never been in an accident, so it had to be my fear screaming what could happen. My nails dug harder into the leather.

“Woohoo!” Myles yelled as we edged in front of Blake. Glancing out my window, it didn’t look like Ivy was having any more fun than I was. Her face was as white as a sheet of paper. “I’m gonna kick your fucking ass,” Myles growled.

I sucked in a sharp breath as the car somehow found another gear, and we blew by Blake, cutting him off just as red and blue lights pulled out of a sideroad. The siren was loud as the police car raced after us.

“Ah fuck,” Myles groaned and let his foot off the gas. He pulled over at the same time Blake did behind us. I crossed my arms and glared at the side of Myles's head. I’d never been so happy to see a cop pull someone over before, especially when I was in the car.

My shaking hand gripped the front of my puffy jacket as I tried to calm the panic that had me on the verge of passing out. I wasn’t the type to faint, but it had happened twice in a couple of days, and I was beginning to worry that something more serious was wrong with me.

“Fuck, well, at least it’s Morrison,” Myles mumbled as he stared into his side view mirror. I didn’t know who Morrison was, but he better not let the guys off. They were racing and driving dangerously.

Myles's window lowered as the officer walked up to the car, and a middle-aged man leaned down and stared in at us.

“Myles McCoy. I should’ve known you’d be the other idiot,” Morrison said.

“Aye, ya know how it goes when ya take a new girl out on a date. Ya gotta show off just a little,” Myles said, and my teeth clenched for ten different reasons. At the top of the list was being lumped in with all the other new girls that had gotten into his car. In one sentence, he managed to undo all the work he had put in and crush my spark of hope by making me feel like I meant nothing more than the next notch on his belt. Knowing it and hearing it were two totally different things.

The Sheriff chuckled which further set my teeth on edge.“Yeah I get it but, Myles, no more racing. Just because the car can go that fast doesn’t mean it should. Don’t you want more dates with other girls?”