Play With Me: A High School Bully Romance (Diamond In The Rough Book 1)(43)

“Come on,” I growled.

As I soared over the Adderscape Bridge, I breathed a sigh of relief. The Riverbend outer city limits ended about a mile up the road. Which meant nothing but clear, straight roads for miles. I looked down at my gas tank and smiled. I still had three-fourths of a tank. And there was no way in hell those idiots would outdrive me in the gas-guzzling low-rider they had. If anything, I could keep traveling from city to city. Heading nothing but north until they ran out of gas or pulled over for some.

So, with that plan in mind, I set my cruise control to eighty-five.

Because even if I’m clocked for speeding, those fuckers will be, too.

I shook my head. “You never should have picked that fight, Clarke.”

It never should have happened. The second we hit my bike, we should have been on it and headed somewhere else. I made us sitting ducks with my inability to do anything but devour Rae’s body. Rae’s presence. Rae’s giggles and her curves. By sitting out there in an empty parking lot, I made us vulnerable to attacks. Attacks I was all too familiar with.

I sighed. “You’re a fucking idiot.”

And truthfully? The last thing I needed right now were more enemies. I had Roy and that asshole ex-posse back at the school. Because I knew damn good and well they weren’t friends of mine anymore after my outburst. And while I didn’t mind ditching those little bitches for something better, it’d make the rest of my senior year a pile of steaming shit. They’d torture me. Roy would take my place, so to speak, puff out his chest, and target me just to look like the big man on campus.

The question was, would I let him attack me? Or would I retaliate?

And outside of all that, Rae’s friends hated me. Allison and Michael. Hell, my own father hated me. The only person right now other than Rae who put up with my presence was Cecilia. And that’s only because she had to. My life was fucked, and I knew it. All because of some girl. Because of some night where my mouth started running and some girl started opening up and then my dick slipped and fell between the sweetest pair of legs to ever wrap around me.

Because you love her.

The thought startled me so badly I felt my bike wobbling. The motion snapped me from my trance, and I heard the car of idiots behind me laughing. I turned off the cruise control and swerved off the road, giving myself a second to catch my balance. Catch my breath.

Love?

Had I really fallen for Rae Cleaver?

“Get him, boys!”

I heard car doors open and I pushed off the grass. I got my bike back onto the road and took off, only I wasn’t going in the right direction. I didn’t care anymore, though. I’d stayed stationary long enough for those assholes to get out of their fucking car. That was something I could capitalize on.

“See you later, dickweeds.”

I flew back in the opposite direction, approaching the bridge again. I forced my mind to concentrate, but it still had a tendency to wander. I mean, when the fuck was I going to catch a breath with people? When were the people in my life going to stop beating me up and start enjoying me? All I wanted was for my father to stop being such an asshole and my stepmother to actually give more a shit, instead of stepping in when she thought my father was hitting me a little too hard.

When would the school stop giving up on me and start trying to help me?

Gotta start helping yourself, Clarke.

I sighed as I felt the rumbling patches underneath my tires signaling the expanse of the bridge in front of me. I took a look in my rearview mirror, keeping an ear out for the sound of the car. But it was nowhere to be found. I didn’t hear the guys yelling. I didn’t feel them throwing bottles and cans at me. I even let off the gas, trying to see if I could hear them off in the distance.

There was nothing.

I sighed. “Holy shit, I think I actually lost them.”

Relief washed over my body. I shook my head as the rumbling patches gave way to the reddened concrete that signaled bridges in our area. I slowed my pace down, giving my bike a chance to breathe as I drew in the nighttime air through my nose. Everything was silent. Everything felt peaceful. I pulled over on the side of the bridge, turning off my engine as the trees around us shaded me.

“Silence,” I whispered.

There was nothing but the sound of the wind rustling the trees. Nothing but the sound of water rushing underneath the bridge. I peeked over the edge, seeing a great expanse of black with small caps of dark blue where the water rushed over smooth rocks at the bottom of the river. I’d completely forgotten this place existed. This small slice of country paradise on the outskirts of one of the biggest cities in the country.

I need to bring Rae here sometime. Have a picnic.

I smiled at the thought. The idea of bringing Rae here and sitting on the bank of the river. Our feet in the water. Our eyes, watching fish swim upstream, trying to fight the current. Our hands, interlaced as we looked out over the nature that surrounded us with full stomachs and a peaceful presence.

I let myself dream about it for a second before my mind took the helm again.

Sitting duck, Clarke.

Adrenaline rushed through my veins again. I cursed myself as I struck my bike’s engine back up. It was happening again. Me letting the thought of Rae distract me. I had to keep moving. I had to get home. I had to get back to the school and the grocery store and see if Rae was all right. I needed to go by her house to make sure she’d gotten home. And if she wasn’t home, I had to go out on a search for—

“Look who’s the sucker now!”

My head whipped around as the blaring headlight of the car filled my vision. Their horn blared over the sound of their disgusting laughter. I felt a glass beer bottle slam directly between my eyes. And as my head fell back, the sound of screeching tires filled my ears. The smell of burning rubber wafted underneath my nostrils. I heard metal crunching against metal, alerting me to the imminent threat.

Get off the bike. Get off your fucking bike.

I moved my leg just before it got pinned. I lunged for the hood of the car, trying my best to avoid what was happening. I heard my bike slam against the metal railing of the bridge before the car backed up. I took off running, leaving my bike behind, darting for the trees. They were thick around these parts. No way in hell that car could navigate woods like that without being totaled.

But the throbbing in my forehead was too great.

“Geromino!”

It was the last thing I heard before I felt a searing pain waft up my side. I stumbled off my feet, hearing the laughter from those boys fill my ears. The car slammed into my side, shoving me toward the metal railing. And as I lost my balance, I felt myself teetering over the edge. Flailing my arms. Crying out for help. With tears threatening to burst from my eyes as the sky quickly came into view.

Before fading away into nothingness as my body slammed into the river.





41





Raelynn





Michael white-knuckled his steering wheel. “Do you have any idea where the fuck they are?”

I shook my head. “No. Just keep driving.”

“For all we know, he’s back home. Safe and sound. While we’re out here—”

“Just drive, damn it!”

I slid to the edge of the seat as Michael put on his high beams. We’d only just crossed the railroad tracks, and I already saw burnout marks on the asphalt of the road. There were patches of grass that had one-tire and two-tire streaks in them. I had Michael pull over on the side of the road. I hopped out and started looking around. I ran to the bridge, fearful that the worst had happened. I bent over the edge, looking for his bike. Looking for him. Looking for any signs of wreckage.

To my relief, there was none.

“Ready to keep going?”

I hopped back into his car. “Yes. Sorry. Thank you for stopping.”

“Not a problem. Didn’t think I’d actually see tire tracks out here.”

“Do you believe me now?”

And when I shot him a look, all he did was purse his lips.

“How far out do you think they drove?”

I shrugged. “I figured we’d follow the tire tracks until they stop.”

“Fine by me.”

Every half-mile, we came upon them. Some of the tire tracks led into abandoned neighborhoods I’d only heard rumors about. But I kept my focus, not wanting to get off track. We had to find Clint before these guys did. Otherwise, he’d be in a lot of trouble.

Michael sighed. “You know the police won’t find us all the way out here.”

I nodded. “I know. If Clint and those boys are back there, they’ll find them. Which is why we have to search back here. If there’s any sign of them, I’ll have to call 9-1-1 and update them. Or something.”

“Yeah. Or something.”

I ignored his remark. I was growing tired of Michael’s attitude anyway. I mean, I wasn’t pissed off at the fact that he wanted to fuck around with my best friend. The girl I’d known since elementary school. If anything, that should have pissed someone like me off. But it didn’t. Because I wanted their happiness.

Why didn’t they want mine?

Michael throttled it out of the neighborhood. “We’re almost to the city limits.”

I paused. “Adderscape Bridge?”

“That’s the one, I think.”

“Head there.”

“Why?”

Worry filled my gut. “Please, just head there. I just… want to make sure.”