003

Ryan POV

Ethan. He really knew how to press my buttons. He is so sly, always looking for ways to get to my nerves.

This wasn’t the first time he was struggling something with me. He had always done that since high school. He had confessed to our cheerleader in high school after knowing my crush on her. He had confessed to my crush at an all-girls school, after finding out I was pursuing her, and now it’s Jessica.

Must he always snatch everything from me? He knew I grew up without having a family, he knew it was always hard for me to fall in love, but why the fuck did he keep wanting to beat me?

“Are you visiting the club this evening?” Champ, my best friend asked, taking the seat beside me. “I heard Jessica is showing up there too.” He patted my back teasingly.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, she is. But don’t cry your ass out when you get rejected, because I’m sure as hell that Ethan’s gonna be there and he’ll taunt you.” His lips twisted into that smug grin that always meant he was fucking with me.

“I won’t.” I rolled my eyes at him. He and Ethan were friends but not as close as he was to me. Anytime I had a fight with Ethan, he always ended up supporting him and scolding me. The thought made me smack him at the back of his head.

“What was that for?” He asked, rubbing his head.

“Let’s go for the party.”

****

By evening, the streets were buzzing, I tunned my bike to live as I cut through traffic, the engine vibrating against my legs like a second heartbeat.

I knew Jessica was going to be there, and Ethan, fuck him, that asshole was going to be lurking around, smirking and waiting for me to lose my cool.

The neon sign of the café bar flickered ahead. The place was crowded just like other nights, lights spilling out onto the pavement, music playing so hard I could feel it in my chest before I even parked.

Champ shoved me with his shoulder when we got off the bikes. “Don’t act desperate, fool. Girls don't like desperate guys, they love guys who plays hard to get."

“Shut the fuck up,” I muttered, tugging at my jacket. “I’m not desperate.” instead of him to be encouraging me, he was actually teasing me.

I entered the club, the bounces already knew I and champ as regulars, I was already scanning the crowd for Jessica. That girl had something that crawled under my skin and refused to leave. And it pissed me off that Ethan had noticed it too.

Inside, the air smelled like beer and cigars. The music was loud enough to get to my ear drums. Some group of girls shrieked near the bar, and my heart raced when I caught sight of her—Jessica.

She was at the corner table sipping a drink, looking so damn good I almost forgot to breathe. But did you know the problem? She wasn’t alone.

That son of a bitch was with her.

Ethan sat across from her, leaning in, his stupid smirk plastered on his face, the one that always meant he thought he had already won. Tsk, he should await till I beat him. Jessica laughed at something he said, and I swear, the sound cut through me like a knife.

“Goddamn it,” I muttered.

Champ followed my gaze. “Oh shit,” he whispered. “Don’t lose it, Ryan, not here.”

But I was already fuming. My fists were clenched my sides, my jaw locked so hard I thought my teeth would crack.

Of course Ethan was here first. Of course he would always swoop in like a fucking vulture. He was always two steps ahead, like he could always read my mind.

I stalked toward their table before Champ could stop me. My boots making squeaky noises against the floor, each step I took fueled my rage and caffeine from earlier.

Jessica’s eyes widened when she saw me, she smiled at me with a wave while I just smiled at her and nodded. Ethan just leaned back, calm as ever, like he had been expecting me.

“Well, look who decided to crawl out of his cave,” Ethan drawled.

“Fuck you Ethan,” I snapped. “You just can’t help yourself, can you?” I said I'm a hushed whisper to avoid Jessica from hearing.

"Well, Jessica invited me, deal with it." Ryan answered with a smug smile that made me grab his shirt collar in a fight. Jessica looked at us with a frown on her cute face. “Ryan—” she called in a sweet voice.

I smiled at her, my hand loosening from Ethan's collar. I could hear Jessica whispering things to me but I wasn't listening. My glare was locked on Ethan.

“You know I liked her, so back off,” I said, my voice low only Ethan could pick up what I said. “You always fucking know, and yet, here you are again, can't you refuse to come with her?.”

Ethan tilted his head, his smirk deepening. “What, you think the world revolves around you? That every girl you look at is suddenly off-limits? Newsflash asshole Ryan, Jessica isn’t your property.”

My blood boiled at how he shouted, I'm sure Jessica might have heard that. “You piece of shit.....”

Champ’s hand landed on my shoulder, holding me back. “Ryan, chill. Don't cause trouble here, man. You know Ethan is trying to rile you.” he whispered in my ear.

Jessica’s voice came after Champ's warning, cutting through us. “Enough! What the hell is wrong with you two? I’m not some trophy for you guys to fight over.”

I swallowed hard, her words prickling in my skin. She was right, but that didn’t erase the rage that built up in me. It didn’t erase the betrayal I felt every damn time Ethan wormed his way into my life.

Ethan stood slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. “Tell you what, Ryan. The next race, if you beat me, I’ll walk away from Jessica," The room seemed to shrink around us, my heart thundered in my chest, I felt joy that I could actually have a reason to beat Ethan.

“Fine,” I spat. “But when I beat your smug ass, don’t come crawling back with excuses.”

Ethan smirked again, that cocky curve of his lips making my fists itch. “We’ll see.”

Jessica looked between us, clearly annoyed, but I couldn’t focus on her anymore. My veins were already pumping with adrenaline, with the thought of racing and the thought of finally crushing him.

Champ sighed beside me. “You two are fucking insane. But damn it, I’m here for it.”

*****

Later that night, back at the garage, I couldn’t sit still. My hands shook as I tightened the bolts that didn’t need tightening in my bike. My bike looked neat under the moonlight, dark and polished just for the race.

I caught my reflection in the glass mirror if my bike. My eyes looked wild and dark circles surrounded them like I haven't slept for days.

“Why do you let him get to you so much?” Champ asked quietly, leaning against the wall with a can of beer.

I didn’t answer right away because I didn’t know how to explain it. How Ethan had been the ghost in every corner of my life, stealing every light that should’ve been mine.

Finally, I muttered, “Because I can’t stand losing to him. I loosed to him in highschool many times but not this time.”

Champ shook his head. “Are you sure, this is all about Jessica? You look like, you just want to win him for once." He sighed, sipping on his beer.

“Maybe,” I admitted, my voice cracked. Was it true? “But fuck it. I would rather loose Jessica with him, than let him get her."

"Tsk, good luck doing that." Champ said still sipping on his beer. Stupid friend!