Chapter 3
1104 Words
“Crazy b***h,” Sam's companion, Austin, spat out. Disgust was written all over his face.
“Psycho,” Zephyrine responded by giving them the F finger.
“I'll make sure you regret joining Apex Alpha,” Sam shot at her, angrily.
Zephyrine chuckled slightly at his blind confidence.
“And how would you do that? Apart from being a sore loser at Vanguard, you're just a nobody.”
Her words triggered Sam, who tried to grab her by the neck. Quickly, Zephyrine held his hand before it could land on her.
Without hesitation, she threw him a punch.
“f**k!” Sam’s pained voice echoed through the shop, bringing unnecessary attention to them both from the staff and other shoppers in the gift shop.
“b***h, I'm gonna f*****g kill you,” Sam retaliated with his own punch, but unexpectedly, his fist was blocked by another hand.
Zephyrine looked up to see golden retriever boy towering above her.
“Bullying a girl now, are we?” His eyes had a sharp, dangerous glint.
“Let go of me, you fucker!” Sam struggled to pull away from Cassian's strong grip.
Cassian let go after watching him struggle for a few seconds.
“If you don't want to go to jail, then you'd better get the hell out of here.” He advised Sam, whose face was now red from anger.
“What are you still waiting for, losers!” Zephyrine chipped in almost immediately.
“Let's go,” Austin urged Sam, who looked like he was ready to throw another punch.
“f**k You!” Sam shouted, before storming away, Austin on his tail.
“Are you okay?” Caspian turned to ask Zephyrine, who was now giving him a questioning look.
Sensing her unhappiness, Cassian's frown suddenly switched to a shy, sheepish smile.
“Hi,” he waved shyly, with a bright smile.
Zephyrine frowned, “Next time, mind your f*****g business.” She stepped away from him and made her way out of the shop.
*******
The distance from inside the mall to the parking lot was not too far, but since Zephyrine had left the gift shop angrily, she had reached the parking lot quicker than expected.
The moment she stepped into her car, her phone rang. It was her younger brother, Soren Vance.
Seeing his name show up on the call, Zephyrine wiped the anger off her face and immediately replaced it with a smile.
“I knew you would definitely win the race,” Soren’s excited voice could be heard from the other end of the phone.
“Thank you,” Zephyrine responded.
“You know what, I placed all of my bets on you and I got back ten times the money.”
Zephyrine frowned at her brother's words. “How many times have I told you to stop gambling?”
Soren, not minding his sister’s warning tone, defended his actions with utmost excitement. “Its not gambling, it's just online betting. And I only bet when you race.”
“Stop betting on my races,” Zephyrine interjected.
“But you never lose, how am I supposed to stop now. I've made so much money from betting on you.” Soren complained.
“You know you can ask me for money anytime you want, right?”
“But that's your money, it's not like I can depend on you forever.”
“Soren!”
“Fine, fine, I'll stop betting. I just wanted to be independent like you, that's all.”
Zephyrine was fine with her brother working hard to make his own money, but she didn't want him to do that through betting or gambling on her wins. She had met several people whose lives have been ruined from betting.
How could she stop her sixteen years old brother from forming such a habit that could later become an addiction.
She understood his need to want to be independent of their parents' money, after all, she had been fending for herself since she was fifteen.
“I haven't seen you in six months, when will I get to see you again?” Soren complained in a slightly childish voice.
Zephyrine chuckled slightly at his adorable tone.
“What about Friday, should I bring you lunch?”
“Really, you're gonna come to my school?” Soren couldn't hide his excitement. “All my friends would be so jealous. Are you really going to come?”
“Mhm,” Zephyrine assured him.
“Cool, yes!”
“Are you happy now?” She asked Soren who seemed a little too excited to see her.
“All my friends think I'm cool for having a racer sister, they've always wanted to meet you. You have no idea how happy they'll be once they find out you're coming to my school.”
Average people couldn't understand boys and their obsession with sports and games, but Zephyrine did. She had been obsessed with cars all her life.
When her parents had forced her to choose between racing or being their daughter, she had gladly chosen the former.
“Alright, alright, I'll see you on Friday. I have to go now.”
“Alright,” Soren responded reluctantly, it was obvious he didn't want to end the call. “Bye sis,” his excitement had now been reduced to sadness.
“I'll bring gifts for you and your friends, okay?”
“Hmm, okay!” Soren, who was initially unhappy, ended the call quickly.
Zephyrine frowned.
She couldn't often see her brother because her parents had forbidden him from talking to her. They were literally watching his every move, and would immediately cut off any access he had to her.
But Zephyrine had always been stubborn since she was a kid. If her brother demanded to see her, she would find all possible means to see him.
She simply did not care about offending them.
But she had barely spoken to Soren since a year ago when Vanguard had sued her for intellectual theft.
At that time, all her assets had been frozen by the bank, and no lawyer was willing to offend Vanguard for her.
That had been the darkest time of her life.
Ding Dong.
Zephyrine glanced at her phone to see what Text had just entered.
YOU ARE INVITED TO THE MIDNIGHT RUN.
TIME: 11PM
LOCATION: INTERSTATE 90 TO ROUTE 128 LOOP, BOSTON.
WINNING PRIZE: 5K
Even though Zephyrine had raced this afternoon, she did not mind going another round.
To her, it wasn't just about the money, but the adrenaline. The cash was just a bonus.
- Writer
