Arian

Arian's pov

“Who would have thought that you would be involved in underground races?” I manage to say after pushing the bitterness in my throat aside.

“Who would have thought that you have never been to an underground race?” Kael retorted.

“I don't do illegal things. I don't like trouble and I do well to stay far from it,” I said through gritted teeth.

I won't want them to hear me call their shit illegal. When I say I don't want trouble, I really don't want it, not even the slightest.

“As you can see, trouble seems to have found you,” he said. “Loosen up, Arian,” he added, winking at me.

“Loosen up?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Before he could reply, a guy came to him and whispered something into his ears. When the guy left, Kael turned to me. “I have a race now,” he said.

I scoffed, disbelief washed over me. “What should I do about that?”

He leaned in, his lips hovering close to my ear. “Scream my name, Arian.” With that, he ran off to the track.

Literally, chill ran down my spine. I felt goosebumps sprouting on my skin. Did he just ask me to scream his name? Kael fucking know how to mess with me.

Throughout the race, I couldn't focus. My mind was racing and Kael was the one with the wheel. It was as if I was the car he was driving. My heart was the engine, pounding like crazy in my chest.

One second, Kael was neck and neck with some other hot-headed racer in a matte red Mustang. The next, he shot ahead like a bullet, dust and noise trailing behind him as he claimed the win.

The roar of the engine echoed in my ears as Kael crossed the finish line. People screamed, cheering his win. The music blasted louder, and I could barely keep up with the chaos.

I didn’t know what impressed me more. Was it his raw driving skill or the way he stepped out of that car like a god returning from battle. I almost thought he was returning to me, to finish what he said to me earlier.

But the crowd rushed toward him,shouting on top of their lungs. I noticed a girl with long blonde hair close to Kael. I know other girls were close but this particular one was different. Her eyes were glittering with obsession.

As she turned, I saw her face and I couldn't miss it. It was Hazel, the beauty of Orleans College. She won the beauty pageant contest three times in a row. She's tall, curvy in the right places and hot. She's the type of girl you won't say no to.

“Kael!” she squealed, throwing herself on him like she owned him. “Congratulations.”

Before I could even blink, her lips were on his. I froze, unblinking. I was shocked more than I should have. I don't know what shocked me more between Hazel kissing Kael or Kael letting her do it.

He didn’t push her away. Something sharp stabbed at my chest. I didn’t want to admit it was jealousy. I turned my face, swallowing whatever emotion was building inside me.

It wasn’t my business who he kissed. I shouldn’t care. He was straight and that was just a fact I had to live with.

When I looked back again, Hazel was clinging to his side, smiling smugly. I didn’t see the part where they stop kissing. All I saw was them together. Like they were a match made from heaven.

I wanted to leave, but I don't know where to go. I don't know my way around and the signal seemed to have disappeared since we got here. I have no choice than to stay and watch Kael make out with his girls.

After a while, the crowd started to scatter and someone suggested drinks. Kael didn’t even look at me when he finished the race. He agreed and he just walked off with Hazel attached to him like a leech.

I followed the group into a tent lit with neon lights and smelling like beer, sweat, and bad decisions.

They called it the Den. A hangout spot for the racers.

The couch was old and stained, the music was softer now, and the lights flickered overhead.

A few people sat on each other's lap in the corner . Others poured drinks into plastic cups. Kael and Hazel sat together on a worn-out two-seater, way too close for my comfort.

I took the seat directly across from them, trying to act unbothered. I sat alone like an invisible being no one cares about.

“Truth or dare!” someone shouted, already tipsy.

I sipped the drink they handed me, something sweet with a bitter aftertaste. I watched the game unfold with anticipation. I know how the game works, dares get riskier, truths get darker, and people get drunk faster than they think.

I watched Kael closely, trying to decode what was going through his mind. Something was off as he poured himself more drink. Clearly, that wasn't a party move, that was an escape.

Ignorant Hazel giggled beside him, her head resting on his shoulder.

I looked down at my drink again and wondered what I was doing here. I was surrounded by strangers, watching a guy I barely understood. And for some stupid reason, all I wanted to do was sit beside him.

“It is your turn Kael,” a voice called from across the room.

I was so lost in thought that I forgot about the game. Now, it was Kael's turn to answer.

Kael didn’t respond right away. Instead, his gaze flicked to me for a second, so brief I almost missed it.

Then he reached forward, grabbed a full bottle of liquor from the center table, and without a word, he tilted his head back. Everyone watched in awe as he chugged half the bottle in one go, no flinch, no break.

“Bro!” someone gasped. “That is not how it works. You have to ask someone truth or dare ”

“Oh,” he said before laughing. Then he looked at me again and for a second, I thought he was going to call my name.

Kael wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his jaw tightened as he turned to Hazel. My heart twisted as he turned to her. He chose her again.

“Hazel,” he said.

Everyone focused on him. Hazel bubbled with excitement as he called her name.

“Yes Kael,” she said.

“Truth or dare?” he asked.

“Truth,” she said, squealing.

Some booed her for her choice but I was so focused on Kael. I can't miss the chance to know what he wanted to ask her.

“Can you leave me the fuck alone?” Kael asked with a tired tone.

Gasps erupted as his question came. But I didn't see what others saw. I saw someone tired. Someone ready to escape something big.

He didn’t say anything after that. He just leaned back and stared into the ceiling like he was trying to forget something.