Razor Sharp | ✓

Twenty-Five

♡♡♡

It feels weird leaving. I can't say that I'm disappointed, but it definitely feels weird. I can't seem to comprehend that this awful summer is finally coming to an end. I'm finally returning home in less than an hour.

I'm dragged to the car after spending the day just sitting around the farm, doing absolutely nothing of importance. My hands are forcefully pinned behind my back, but I don't even care. Nothing can stop the smile from spreading across my face.

"I'll take it from here," Marcos says, standing in front of me and talking to the man who has my arms held together in a death grip. I want to kick him in the balls for being an ass, but he lets go before I get the chance.

"It's arrived," Marcos beams and I frown, quizzically studying his expression.

"What has?"

"The day you've been waiting for all summer, of course. You're a free woman again."

"Yes, a free woman again after having that right taken from me by you, of course."

"Touché," he replies, opening the back door of the old black BMW I'm returning home in.

Why is he being so weird all of a sudden? It's not like his behaviour hasn't been suspicious before, like when he let me see Hunter against Andy's orders, but this is particularly strange to me. He almost seems...nice.

I narrow my eyes at him suspiciously as I hop into the car. He even goes as far as shutting the door behind me. How gentlemanly of him.

My phone has finally been given back to me, but I'm not allowed to use it. It's sitting on the dashboard and I can almost reach out for it if I lean forward all the way in my seat. Problem is, Ridge decides to open the door at the exact moment I'm leaning forward. I know he wouldn't appreciate me doing something risky when I'm finally being allowed to go home.

Marcos sits in the driver's seat and turns around to wink at me.

Wink? At me?

The world really has gone crazy. What is that all about?

"Where's Hunter?" I ask, casually, pretending not to be interested as I pick at my nails.

"He's in another car. He's going to follow us."

"So who else is joining us in this—"

Before I can even finish, Andy opens the passenger side door and I groan quietly, rolling my eyes. I should have known he'd be in this car, watching over me.

"Drive," he commands and Marcos turns the key in the ignition. Before I know it, gravel is spraying up the sides of the car and I look out the back window, watching as the farm becomes smaller and smaller in the distance.

I smile when I spot Hunter, one hand on the wheel of his car, the other in his dishevelled, but amazingly gorgeous hair, as he rakes a hand through it. He notices me staring and takes two fingers of the wheel to give me a small wave.

I turn around before I do something crazy, like waving excitedly back. I'm going home today. Everything is going to end.

"Can someone turn the radio on or something?" I mumble, but no one listens. I'm starting to get nervous. What if Andy sees dad and drags me back to the farm? What if he finds out before we even arrive?

My hands start to shake in my lap. I entwine them together but it doesn't help. I look out the window, taking long breaths as empty, rolling land flies past us.

I feel a hand rest on top of mine and when I look down, I see that Ridge is reassuring me. When I look over at him, he's looking straight ahead but he gives my thumb a gentle caress and I'm grateful.

I'm seeing the side that I'm sure Stacey fell in love with. This version of Ridge is the one I like seeing the most.

Thinking of Stacey makes my stomach flip. I still have two more amazing weeks with my friends before I have to worry about school. We'd forget all about this and move forward. Instead of worrying about Andy hurting me and waking up frightened in the night with Hunter's arm wrapped around mine, I'll worry about impressing cute boys at the beach and applying for universities.

I'll get to laugh at Carmen's dry jokes again and I'd whinge when Stacey applies too much mascara before parties. I'll get to ride my motorbike around with Noah, racing each other to get home in time for dinner. I'll get to see dad again, even if our relationship needs repairing. I'll sneak out at night and sit on my roof as the sun rises like I've done every summer on my own for the past seven years without mum.

Even though I know I don't want to check out any cute boys at the beach when there is only one boy I'll be thinking about, and even though I don't feel emotionally ready for school or applying for universities, I know that I'll be ready to forget this ever happened.

I just want to go home. And luckily, with only twenty minutes of this torturous car ride to go, that's where I'll be.

Meterpoint, here I come.