The Past Between Us

~18~

Edited

"Sometimes pain becomes such a huge part of your life that you expect it to always be there, because you can't remember a time in your life when it wasn't. But then one day you feel something else, something that feels wrong, only because it's so unfamiliar." -One Tree Hill  

~~~~~~~~~~~~

|Present|

The air felt colder.

I wrapped my arms around myself as I watched the numerous motorcycles along with their riders lined behind the starting line.

A burly man stepped out from the crowd and came to stand in front of them.

"Good evening gentlemen. I see we have many strong participants today." He briefly glanced at Hunter and then at Ryder. "You know the rules; there are no rules. May the best man win."

With that being said, he slowly withdrew a pistol from his pocket and aimed it towards the sky.

My breath hitched when my eyes locked with Hunter's. He was looking at me with an unreadable expression. His lips drew into a slow smirk when he caught my gaze on him. Slowly, he put on his helmet before turning his attention back in front.

"Ready!" The man shouted.

The sound of revving engines filled the air.

I watched as the man pulled the trigger.

The noise of the gunshot was overshadowed by the roar of engines and screeching tires.

I gasped as I watched the motorcycles whiz by at an impossibly fast speed. The crowd cheered and some people started running after them but of course they couldn't keep up. I watched as the bikes disappeared from sight, leaving a mist of dust and smoke behind.

My heart was in my throat.

Oh God!

What if something goes wrong?

What if Hunter get's hurt?

I could feel myself panicking.

"They have to take a full round so they'll come back here to finish." Jace's voice cut in.

It took me a minute to register his words.

A flare of anger ignited inside me.

"Why the hell did you bring me here Jace?" I demanded. 

He didn't answer me, which angered me even more.

"Did you just assume that I enjoy going to illegal races or is this some sort of sick joke to you?" I seethed.

He didn't even look surprised by my outburst.

His face was completely serious. 

He studied me grimly for a while before speaking. "No Scarlett this isn't a joke. I brought you here because you're the only one who can make a difference." His voice was quiet.

I gave him a confused look.

What was he saying?

Nothing made sense.

My stomach twisted uneasily. 

Minutes ticked by and nothing happened.

Hunter was racing? 

Since when was he into illegal motorcycle racing?

"How long has Hunter been doing this?" I asked Jace.