Fighter {Completed}

Chapter Thirteen: I Shouldn't {Cole}

Chapter Thirteen: I Shouldn't {Cole}

"That's everything. Everyone ready?" Sebastian asks, looking around as Ellie nods to him, making her way to the other side of the car. I slip into the backseat next to her as Sebastian and Scarlet get into the front seats.

Scarlet props her feet up on the dash, reclining her seat back. Smiling, Ellie grabs her hair, playing with it as we begin the drive.

"Hey, will you braid my hair for me?" Scarlet asks.

"Yeah. You'll have to sit your seat up a little." Just as we turn onto the main highway leaving town, Ellie scoots up to the edge of her seat, reaching around and beginning to braid Scarlet's hair.

For a moment, I'm captivated.

The way her fingers move so effortlessly, so softly through Scarlet's long, straight dark hair.

My eyes move back slightly, looking at Ellie's golden waves falling down her back. Long strands curled into soft waves that cascade almost to the small of her back as she sits straight up, still toying with Scarlet's hair.

My hands itch to touch her blonde locks, but I force them still.

Sebastian merges into the interstate, the small swerve into the lanes jostling Ellie, her green eyes flashing wide as she grabs onto the seat with one hand, the other still holding Scar's hair.

A brief bout of uneasiness comes over me and I lean over, so that Ellie can hear me better.

"You should sit back, blondie."

"I'm fine. I will when I finish this."

"Hang on, guys. This stupid bastard is on my ass," Sebastian says, getting into another lane and letting the sports car behind us speed ahead, the engine loud as it flies past us.

As he gets back into the other lane, Ellie's jolted around again.

Instincts grab her before I even have the chance to realize what I'm doing. My hand grips her opposite side, her waist held steady as I lean over slightly, keeping her from hitting the door again.

Instantly, shocks burn where I touch her.

Her emerald eyes are alight with shock and embarrassment as she glances at me.

God, I can feel her heart beat... It's pounding.

"All done," she says after a few more moments, her voice breathy and hesitant.

I retract my hand as she leans back, sitting in the seat properly.

Despite her shirt keeping my hand from her skin, my own flesh still burns as if I've touched a live wire. I force my eyes to watch the cars around us, ignoring the nervous girl next to me.

The first couple of hours pass like a kidney stone, long and boring and painful as Sebastian sings loudly to us all.

"For fuck's sake, how long is this trip again?"

"Ten hours filled with me, you whiny little bitches. Cheer up." Sebastian's smug voice is followed by him singing louder, screaming the words as I struggle to keep myself from opening the door and letting the semi behind us take care of me.

"How about we play a game?" Scar suggests, turning the radio off.

"ABC's," Ellie grins.

"ABC's?" I ask.

What the fuck kind of car game is that?

"It's easy. You go in alphabetical order and point out each letter you see on a billboard we pass. It can be on someone's license plate, too. Or a building, anywhere really. Like there, on that guy's sticker. The letter A. Now you find a B." Her soft eyes lock onto mine as she explains, smiling slightly. I raise a brow.