All Chapters of Between The Lines: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

“Get out of my fucking face, Sky.” Curtis slurred at me as he tried – and failed – at shoving me out of the way of the stairs. His brown eyes glazed over with the whites of his eyes tinged red, his dark hair ruffled. It was clear to me he had just gotten home from spending the whole night on a bender doing who knows what. “I wasn’t in your face to begin with, you’re wasted. Go to bed.” I quickly shut the door behind me, wanting to avoid any more confrontation with my brother. Mother was slumped on the couch, the yelling didn’t wake her at all. Must’ve taken too many muscle relaxers. I fumbled to get my keys out of my purse as I walked to my car, stray purple strands of hair poking into my eye. Rolling down the windows and turning the stereo to full blast, I began my usual commute to work. I must’ve lost track of the drive because one moment I was leaving my little townhouse and the next I was parked in front of Josie’s Pizzeria & Grill. Once again mentally preparing for the shitsho

A few nights later, I found myself back in the driver’s seat with the windows down and music playing through the speakers. Some things never really change… My phone lit up in the cup holder. Crew (Mia): Where are you? Me: Driving, obviously. Crew (River): That’s not an answer Me: It’s the only one you’re getting Crew (Tiffany): Can you two behave for five minutes? We’re trying to figure out where we’re going. Crew (River): I vote food Crew (Mia): You always vote food I laughed to myself, shaking my head reading their messages at the red light. Me: Since when do we ever know where we’re going? Crew (River): We know where we’re not going. Crew (Tiffany): Which is apparently anywhere with a plan. Crew (Mia): Plans are just spoilers for the night. I pulled into the gas station a few minutes later, spotting their cars before I even made it into the parking lot. Mia’s RX-7 really was hard to miss, the purple underglow casting a glow across the pavement beneath it complimentin

The address River sent took me farther out the city than I expected. By the time I arrived, I could already see a handful of cars gathered in a large, dimly lit parking area. Music drifted through the night air, mixed with the occasional revving engine and bursts of laughter. I slowed down, looking for cars I would recognize. A flash of purple caught my attention. Mia’s RX-7 was parked near the edge of the lot, its underglow illuminating the pavement beneath it. River’s Honda was beside it, missing headlight and all. I pulled into an open space and climbed out. “Look who finally made it!” River called. “Some of us had to work.” I closed the door to my car. “Some of us have priorities.” I glanced at the sun-damaged Civic. “Apparently, working headlights aren’t one of them.” River put a hand over his chest dramatically. “She’s beautiful the way she is.” “She’s missing an eye.” “She’s got character!” Mia let out a giggle as she walked over and gave me a hug, the streetlamps

The engine roared beneath us, loud enough to drown out almost everything else. Almost. “Eyes up, Sky.” “I know.” “Then stop looking at the other driver.” “I’m not looking at him.” “Your entire head just turned toward him.” I shot River a look, gripping the steering wheel tighter. “Do you want to fuckin’ drive then?” “Absolutely not. I like being alive.” We were lined up beneath streetlights once again, surrounded by cars, headlights and people with their phones raised behind us in the middle of the intersection. The makeshift closed-course we had started out with got raided by cops only a few weeks later – so we had to make do with the streets as they are. The dangers and risks multiplied, but at this point the thrill was more addicting than the money that came with winning. Music thumped somewhere behind us, and my heartbeat pulsed in my throat. River leaned back, far more relaxed than anyone had a right to be. “Don’t let the noise get in your head.” “That’s easy for you

The first message from Adrian in three days came while I was standing in front of my bathroom mirror, finishing up my eyeliner for the day. Adrian: You busy this weekend? Three days of silence, and this was how he chose to reappear. I should have felt annoyed. Instead, relief moved through me first, quick and familiar enough that I almost missed the disappointment underneath it. Me: Why? Adrian: Was thinking we could hang out. Lately, getting a conversation out of him felt like pulling teeth, but I smiled anyway. The smile felt automatic, like my face had learned how to respond before I had time to decide whether I wanted to. Me: What do you have in mind? Adrian: Maybe dinner? Or we could just chill at my place. Me: Look at you, making plans. Adrian: Don’t get used to it. There he was. For a moment, it felt like nothing had changed. That was the dangerous part. He could disappear for days, then say one familiar thing and make me feel like I’d imagined the distance. Adria