The Need For Speed

"Goodness gracious, great balls of fire"

Skye POV:

The beach always calms me.

Something about the way the waves crashed against each other and the light reflected off the sparkling water made me feel at ease.

The beach at night was even better than during the day. The stars always seem brighter to me when I'm sitting in the sand than when I'm anywhere else in the world.

The beach is where I find myself sitting right now. The beach just outside of the bar is comforting to me, at least it is before I hear the jukebox cut off. Someone must have pulled the plug out. There's loud groans from everyone in the bar before the piano plays. The familiar tune hits my ears making my breath catch in my throat.

"You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain" Bradley's voice sings in a raspy way. I have no thoughts in my head before I push myself out of the sand and to the back doors of the bar. "Too much love drives a man insane."

I lean against the doorway with my arms crossed over my chest. Despite the heat, I have goosebumps along my whole body.

This song.

This song will forever be engrained in my brain with Goose and my fathers voice's attached to it.

About 30 years ago

Bradley is sitting on top of the piano his dad is sitting at.

"Come Skye! Come up here" he calls out. I look towards my dad and Carole who were sitting together with a pleading look on my face. They look at each other with a smile playing on their lips.

My dad lets out a laugh, "Go baby. Uncle Goose will help you."

My tiny legs take me as fast as they can across the room to Bradley and Goose. As soon as I'm there Goose wraps his arms around me, picking me up and placing me right next to Brad on the piano.

Goose looks between us over his aviator glasses, "What do you guys think I should play?"

Bradley and I call out together, "Great Balls of Fire."

That's all we have to say before he hits the keys of the piano, "You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain" dun, dun, dun, dun, "too much love drives a man insane. You broke my will. But what a thrill."

"Goodness gracious, great balls of fire" we all come together and sing.

We continue on with the song before I call out to my father, "Daddy, come sing!"

He smiles before leaving the table, "Alright, thank you Carole. I'm uh- gonna go embarrass myself with Goose for a while" he walks to me and Bradley tickling our bellies, "you shake my nerves and you rattle my brain."

My giggles never stop leaving my mouth. I can't help it. I love my family.

Flashback ends.

I don't notice the tears leaking out of my eyes until the song is over. I don't notice the stares from my friends until I snap out of the trance I was in, I couldn't help getting stuck in my happiest childhood memory.

One of the only happy memories I can recall so clearly.

Natasha and Jake are looking at me. They might not understand what's wrong, but they know I can't stay here any longer.

Nat rushes to the backdoor with Jake hot on her tail, "Let's go. Now." She grabs my elbow along and pulls me out of the bar with her.

I can still hear the music playing as all three of us speed walk to the parking lot. She stops walking as we get to my car and I can't seem to get out of my thoughts so I end up walking into the door of my Jeep. This causes me to kick at it.

I kick so hard and so many times that I'm sure I might just end up breaking my foot or worse, dent my door.

I'm just so angry. At myself, at Rooster, at Goose for not being here to see us all grown up, and most of all at my dad for being able to know Goose better than his own son ever did. I'm angry for Bradley.

I'm angry, but most of all I'm hurt.

I'm hurt no one seems to care that there's something wrong with me but what can I expect, I'm broken. Nothing can fix me. No one can fix me. My issues run so deep that no one will ever be able to repair me.

This realization causes me to stop kicking and just slide down the side of the car with my hands on my face, sobbing so hard I can barely breathe. My cries are so loud that someone in the bar would be able to hear them.

"Oh Angel," is all I hear from Phoenix, "talk to me."

Jake hasn't said a thing. Hasn't tried to stop me. Hasn't make one peep. That's not like him.

I look up only to see him gone.

"Where is Hangman? Where did he go?" I'm frantic to stand, but my legs are weak and I wobble back to the dirt. Phoenix can't meet my eyes. She can't look me in the face when she says something incoherent. "Speak up. I can't hear you."

"He went to get Rooster."

My tears immediately stop, "No. No way. Let me go home. Let me leave right now Phoenix, or I swear I'll scream." I didn't mean to sound so harsh, but if Bradley sees me like this he'll know what's wrong. He'll have something to hold against me and that's the last thing I want at this moment.

It's too late though seeing as Bradley is already a few feet away from me with Hangman. Stealth pilots much? "No screaming is going to be done tonight Angel. Unless it's in the good way, if you know what I mean." I turn immediately after the words leave his mouth. He's trying to be funny. He's not.

"You've never made me scream in the good way so just shut the fuck up" the lie tumbles from my lips before I can stop it.

"What about the time in the broom closet, or your dad's bed? Give me a second I'll keep thinking. Oh yeah, Hangman's bed-" after the last two words he's interrupted.

"My bed? You're kidding me right?" I glance towards Hangman who looks desperate for someone to say he's being pranked or something. I couldn't even say it was a lie. It did happen. More than once if I'm being honest.

"That's all besides the point. I'm leaving." I take my keys from my pocket before jumping into the drivers seat.

I put the keys in the ignition but then the passenger door opens, "I'll be coming then. Hopefully in two different ways if I'm lucky." The cheekiness can be heard from miles away when Bradley says this to me. He's still trying to be funny. He's still not.

"You won't be" is all I say before slamming my foot on the gas and hightailing it out of the parking lot.

This is gonna be a long few weeks.

Authors note

The flashback kind of made me want to sob. I seriously love how close there relationship is when they're kids.

There will be plenty of flashbacks and history between Rooster and Angel coming in the future.

Have a good day guys!

p.s. LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! THANK YOU FOR THE READS!