The Devil's Smile - Editing

𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡

Suddenly Charlie looks nervous.

He stutters before answering "oh yeah, um my race tonight with Connor"

"Sorry did you just say Connor?" I ask, slightly both frustrated and anxious.

"Yeah its tonight at nine" Noah says casually as if he can't feel the now tense atmosphere.

"See you there" and with that being said i grab my bag and leave the cafeteria, a slight stomp to my walk.

Was i shocked Charlie finally gave in and agreed to race Connor again? No absolutely not, Connor insulted him and he has far to much of a male ego to let that slide over and over again.

But i was shocked that he hadn't told me about it and by the looks of it, he never planned on telling me.

There was no other way to describe Connor other than a conniving, degenerate, shameful, abhorrent little being.

Did I mention vile?

That being said, the thought of Charlie racing him made me anxious and knowing i had to be there to see it made my stomach knot with worry and tension.

With my hands shaking, I couldn't be in school any longer, I'll just have to speak to Charlie tonight at nine.

•••

I knew tonight would be busy.

Why wouldn't it be?

The notorious Charlie King vs Connor Mcclain.

Anybody who knows anything about these races knows the feud between the two of them, it goes back to when my relationship with Connor started.

In some sick and twisted, fuck up way,  it all comes full circle, ending with me.

The races operate like a well oiled machine on nights like this.

Harvey will make sure Charlies car is in the best condition possible, Noah will use his gift of the gab to con people into betting more and more money and well I usually sit there looking pretty.

Not tonight though, tonight I'm standing here looking lost because I can't see Charlie, Harvey or even Noah for that matter.

From afar I see John, an old mechanic friend who usually deals here.

I'm sure he even babysat me once as a kid.

"John!" I call out, jogging over to him slightly.

"Little Ross! I haven't seen you in some months, how's its going?" He says, waving off a customer so he could talk with me.

"It'd be going a lot better if i could find Charlie, have you seen him yet?" I ask.

John points his index finger to the far left of the area, "I'm sure thats him who's just pulled up now"

I look in the area he's pointing at and low and behold i see Charlie sliding out his car and Harvey opening the hood of it.

"You're a life saver" i smile at him graciously.

"No problem little Ross, stay safe tonight yeah?"