CHAPTER TWO: DREAM RIDE
951 Words
A car swerved onto the sidewalk like it was gunning for me.
I jumped back, heart lurching to my throat as tires screeched inches from my legs.
“GET IN,” came the smug voice from behind the wheel.
And of course, it was Drake Jackson.
I didn’t need to second-guess. I’d recognize that ash-grey 2024 Toyota Prius anywhere.
Damien’s car.
“ARE YOU CRAZY?!” I shrieked like a woman betrayed by both God and gravity. “You almost killed me!”
Drake didn’t flinch. Just sat there, one hand on the wheel, the other resting lazily on the windowsill, fingers drumming against the edge. He had on sunglasses, like he was auditioning for some low-budget model shoot.
Who did he think he was? Fast & Furious: Sibling Rivalry edition?
He tilted his head with a grin. “No need to stare, Lee. I know I’m hot.”
“First of all,” I scoffed, “you need to come back from whatever fantasy land you escaped from, because this—” I gestured at his dramatic posing “—is sad. Second of all, I’d rather ride in a garbage truck full of rats than sit in a car with you after that little murder attempt and your stunt in class.”
“Oh, come on. You’re alive, aren’t you? And don’t act like your feelings got hurt. I was just playing.”
“Right. Like usual,” I muttered.
Drake had been “playing” with me since childhood. Except his version of playing was more like psychological warfare. And yet... back then, he was also the only one who ever really saw me. Until this year. Until Damien.
Damien made me visible.
“Speaking of, what are you even doing with his car? He said he’d pick me up today.”
“Change of plans. You’re coming over.”
I blinked. “To your house?”
“Obviously.”
“But he didn’t tell me anything…” I scrolled through my phone, looking for a missed text. Nothing.
“He doesn’t have to tell you everything. Now get in.”
I hesitated, narrowing my eyes at him.
“We don’t have all day!” he snapped.
Reluctantly, I walked to the passenger side. “Just to be clear,” I said, sliding in and buckling up, “I’m only doing this because of Damien.”
Today was supposed to be special. Damien was finally back. Long-distance hadn’t been easy, especially with an eight-hour time difference, my fashion projects, and Breanna spreading rumors like it was her part-time job.
So yeah, I’d endure Drake’s chaos. Barely.
He started the engine. “And just so you know, Elisa, I’d rather swallow thumbtacks than breathe the same air as you. But unfortunately, I’m stuck in this car. With you. For forty minutes. Because of my brother.”
...
Okay.
...
Ouch.
---
We didn’t speak for a while after that. The car hummed down the road, engine purring through the Cali breeze. At one point, Drake stopped by a friend’s house to grab something, making the trip longer than it had to be.
Still, the day was perfect. Ashoka trees lined both sides of the road, the sun was golden, the wind danced across the windshield. All that was missing was music.
So, I connected to Bluetooth. Drake glanced at me but didn’t say anything.
The opening notes of deja vu by Olivia Rodrigo filled the car, and my soul.
I started singing, quietly at first. Then louder. Then dramatique.
“Watching reruns of Glee, being annoyinggg... singing in harmony–”
Click.
The music cut off.
I blinked. “What’s your problem?”
“You sound like a dying cat.”
“Excuse me?! I’m an amazing singer!”
He scoffed. “Please. Any more and I would’ve started bleeding from the ears.”
I stared at him, offended on behalf of all emotionally dramatic singers everywhere. I turned the music back on.
“Tell her that we did that too–”
Click.
“You have no taste in music,” I snapped. “And this isn’t even your car.”
He shot back, “Well, he’s my brother.”
“He loves me more.”
“I knew him first.”
We kept switching the music on and off like toddlers with a remote, until Drake cheated. He grabbed my wrist mid-reach and pinned it down.
“Drake!” I shrieked, squirming in my seat. “Let go, you cheater!”
I used my free hand to punch at his arm, but he was stronger than he looked. So I went full beast mode, winging, slapping, clawing. until he finally pinned both my wrists with his other hand.
The one that should’ve been on the wheel.
“Drake!!! What are you doing? You’re supposed to be driving!”
He was laughing. Laughing.
“Are you scared, Lee?” he teased, eyes glinting like this was fun for him.
“I swear to God, Drake, please—”
Then, out of nowhere, a truck swerved into view.
“DRIVE!” I screamed, panicking.
I did the only thing I could think of, I bit him.
Hard.
“OW! What the–!”
He let go, cursing, and I yanked the wheel with all the strength I had. The car veered off the road, smashed through a fence, and crashed into a patch of bushes with a loud thud.
My breath came in sharp gasps. I was trembling. I blinked once. Twice.
“…We’re alive,” I whispered, still gripping the steering wheel like my life depended on it.
Drake stared at me.
“You bit me.”
- Writer
