2 Chase
I watched her drive away, pissed at myself for not just being an asshole, but putting myself out there. Rejection and groveling wasn’t anything I was used to. Even though I knew I probably deserved everything she was dishing out, my pride was starting to feel the burn.
Sighing, I got back into my car and waited for Jason, Bruce, and Sonny to arrive. Although I knew Mackenzie had been scheduled to work, it wasn’t the only reason I was there. I’d made plans to meet the guys at Herschel’s for dinner. I would have gladly canceled with them if she’d have agreed to grab some coffee. But it appeared that there was no reasoning with her. She wasn’t about to give me another chance.
Fuck it.
I’d tried.
They pulled into the parking lot at seven-thirty; I got out of my Mustang and greeted them.
“So, is she working tonight?” Sonny asked me, still unaware of the bet with Gus.
I shoved my hands into the pockets of my leather jacket and silently hoped nobody would grill me about her. “Mackenzie? Nah.”
“Hey, dude, pop your hood. I wanna take a look at that 428 you’ve got hiding under there,” Jason said, admiring my car. “I haven’t seen it since you had the engine rebuilt.”
Grateful that the subject was changed so quickly, I did what he asked.
Jason smiled as he stared down at the engine. “What’s the horsepower?”
“It’s been rated at 335 horsepower at 5600 RPMs but some claim that it’s really higher. More like 400.”
Jason whistled. “Can I take it for a spin?”
Before I could answer, Sonny snorted. “Yeah, good luck with that one. I’ve already asked a million times.”
I nudged him. “Don’t worry, Sonny. If I let anyone else drive it, you’re at the top of the list.”
“I hope so,” he replied. “I’ve only hounded you about it since you got it.”
“What if I gave you a hundred bucks?” Jason said, reaching for his wallet.
Right. Jason was a madman. Even more of a showoff than I was. I wasn’t taking any chances. Not even for a cool hundred. “Sorry, man. I make it a point not to let anyone drive it but me. It’s my baby.”
“Yeah, I get it. I’d probably be the same way. It’s definitely a sweet ride.” Jason smirked. “No wonder you get all the tail. Maybe I should invest in a classic myself and see where it gets me.”
Bruce lit a cigarette. “What about Breanna? She not giving you enough action?”
“We’re not together anymore. I can’t do long-distance relationships. Not when there’s this much p***y around town,” Jason said, eyeballing a car that had just pulled into the parking lot. Two chicks were inside, both from Diamond Lake High School. Juniors. “I’m sure she’s f*****g around up there anyway. She’s a nympho.”
“Breanna didn’t seem the type,” Sonny replied. “I thought she was totally in love with you, dude.”
“So did I. Anyway, enough about her.” Jason’s eyes shifted back to the car. “So, this car’s been good for you, bro?”
I nodded. “Yeah. It definitely gets up and goes.” Especially now that I’d minted it out and rebuilt the engine.
“I know it’s fast. I saw you race. I’m just asking if the ladies are flocking,” he replied.
“Yeah. They won’t leave me alone. As you see, I can’t go anywhere without chicks throwing their panties at me,” I joked.
“He’s full of s**t,” Sonny said, laughing. “The honeys dig this ride and I can vouch that he sees more a*s than the toilet seats at White Castle.”
I shook my head. “Dude, gross.”
“Don’t deny it. Last summer you had a couple of gorgeous babes eyeballing your car and flashing you their t**s at stoplights,” Sonny replied.
Jason scratched his chin and smiled. “Seriously?”
I shrugged. “It was late and they were pretty lit.”
“I take it Mattie wasn’t there?” Jason asked.
“Hell no. It was just us two,” Sonny replied.
“Hey, you racing again soon?” Bruce asked, changing the subject.
“Friday. In Lancaster,” I said.
Sonny’s face turned serious. “s**t, man, you didn’t tell me that. Who’s it this time?”
“Gus again.” We’d talked earlier, which was how I’d learned about Mackenzie stealing his wallet and giving away his money to charity. To say he was pissed was an understatement. I’d admitted to spilling the beans and now he said I owed him a race.
“Good. I hope you kick his a*s,” Sonny replied. “He needs to be taken down a few notches.”
I agreed.
“Why are you racing in Lancaster?” Bruce asked. “Because of Mattie’s old man?”
“Yeah.” Her father was a cop and had threatened us the last time we’d tried street racing. I couldn’t afford to get busted again and winter was coming soon. There wasn’t a lot of time left for racing.
“Let’s go in and eat. I’m starving,” Sonny said.
I shut the hood and we began walking toward the restaurant.
“What’s going on with you and the new chick?” Bruce asked. He gave me a sly grin. “Have you smashed that p***y yet?”
“No. I told you before, we’re just friends,” I replied.
“That’s not what it looked like Friday,” he said. “Didn’t you drive her home?”
“Yeah. Someone had to. She was scared as s**t about the asshole who attacked her.” My eyes burned into his. “Speaking of which, you sure you didn’t know anything about it?”
Bruce glared at me. “Seriously? We’ve been through this. I wasn’t involved. What’s crawled up your a*s today?”
I ignored the comment. “What’s going on with you and Mattie then?”
He stopped abruptly. “Nothing. What the f**k, man? Why are you coming down on me like this?”
Sonny answered before I could. “We heard Mattie asked you to help ruin Mackenzie.”
“Who told you that?” he asked. “Let me guess, Tyler?”
“Yeah,” Sonny and I replied in unison.
He let out an aggravated sigh. “Fine. Yeah, she asked me to help but I told her that it was her f*****g feud and not mine. I’ve got better things to do than play games like that.”
I wanted to believe him, but Mackenzie had complained about Bruce threatening her in the hallway at school. He’d brushed it off, but something told me he wasn’t being completely honest about anything.
I glared at him. “I still want to know who the fucker in the mask was. It has to be someone close to Mattie.”
“Maybe, but don’t go accusing me of that crazy s**t. Besides, I wasn’t anywhere near Mackenzie when it happened.”
Even so, I had a feeling he knew more than he let on.
“Chill out, guys,” Jason said. “We’re here to eat.”
“No s**t. If I wanted to get nagged and lectured, I’d have stayed at home,” Bruce muttered.
Jason put his hand on his shoulder. “You’re fine, dude.” He looked at me and Sonny. “Can we all just get along and not talk about the chicks at school? From what it sounds like, we’re all single at the moment. There shouldn’t be any females f*****g things up between us. Right?”
I sighed. He had a point.
“True,” Sonny said. “Bros before hoes.”
Bruce nodded. “Exactly.”
Jason dropped his hand. “Good. Let’s go inside, chow, and forget about this bullshit.”
We all agreed.