All I know is that we're driving into the city in Kade's convertible. The rain stopped sometime last night but there's still a bit of a chill in the air as the wind whips through my hair.
I'm in the back and Grayson is riding shotgun. Glad You Came by The Wanted is blasting through the convertible's speakers and Kade is currently singing it at the top of his lungs.
"His parents are loaded," Grayson yells back to me so I can hear him over the music and Kade's screaming. "They buy him pretty much whatever he wants."
I look at the leather seats around me. "Lucky guy."
Kade is oblivious to our conversation and continues to sing. Somehow he knows every word to Where Them Girls At, going over the speed limit with one hand on the wheel. Every. Single. Word. Without a stutter or a slip-up. I'm impressed.
I unbuckle my seat belt and rest my head on the driver's seat. "What's this playlist called?" I ask. "Going into the city vibes?"
"It's actually called I'm going to be an asshole on the road and bother everyone with my obnoxiously loud music."
Kade laughs. "I'm doing them all a favor, trust me, brother."
"Slow down before we get pulled over," Grayson demands.
"Nah, man. On big roads like this you're allowed to go at least twenty over."
Grayson chuckles, the sound moving through my body because of how close I am to him. "Do you make up these rules as you go through life?"
Kade shrugs, keeping his focus ahead. "Maybe."
And, as if fate has been preying on us, a car turns its sirens on behind us.
"Shit." Kade groans, pulling over to the side of the last lane.
Grayson mumbles, "I told you so."
"It's not over yet, watch me charm this motherfucker."
Grayson lets out a laugh. "O-kay."
I watch the cop approach us from behind, a hand on his belt and the other holding his flashlight as he hums what sounds like Billie Jean.
"Evening fellas." The stout cop flashes the light in our eyes. "And lady. Apologies. Have we been drinking tonight?"
Kade shakes his head. "No, sir."
Then the cop flashes the light in Grayson's face and stares at him, inspecting his face.
"Is that you, Wallace?" He's squinting with his eyebrows raised in question.
"Yeah, it's me, officer donut," Grayson answers, waving at the cop.
"Well, I'll be damned." The cop chortles, throwing his head back. "Look at you all grown up." Then his attention turns back to Kade, all serious. "And what the hell are you doing, boy, going fifteen over the speed limit?"
I'm sure Kade is giving the officer his best smile when he says, "Having fun?"
"I'm only letting you go because you're riding with little Gray." He slams his fist on the door lightly. "Drive slow and safe. Somebody loves you."
"You got it, officer ... donut?"
The man scowls. "Officer Gibson to you, boy."
Kade puts his hands up in surrender.
"Get going," Officer Gibson says, flicking his head towards the the traffic passing by.
I can see Kade beaming from the rear-view mirror as he pulls back onto the road. "Little Gray?"
"Don't ask questions because you won't get answers," Grayson says.
Kade turns the music back up. "I wasn't going to, brother. You had a love affair with a cop, who cares? We don't judge, right, Layla?"
I snort. "Never."
Grayson reaches back and flicks me on my knee. I can't stop smiling for the rest of the car ride. It's nice to finally have a fun summer night. I'm also hoping that maybe coming out tonight will help me forget about last night's disaster. Although to be fair, I have no idea what Kade plans to do.
Summer has been decent so far. I haven't really ventured out and tried to have any fun.
"So, are you taking him back?" Grayson asks as we sit down in our booth. A waitress hands us our menus and walks off. We're in a bar and burger place called Bigs. None of us are old enough to drink legally so we stick to the food.
It's packed inside with all the Saturday night traffic, but we're lucky enough to have found a booth available. Some kind of band is playing up front and the music is honestly not bad. Neon lights are everywhere, lighting up the place in all different shades of glow.
I scan my eyes over the menu but I already know what I want. A cheeseburger with a side of fries, I'm too hungry to decide on anything else. "Who? Liam? I don't know, I haven't decided."
Grayson sits back and crosses his arms over his chest. "I can't believe you let that thing cheat on you."
I don't really want to talk about Liam tonight. I just want to forget about the whole thing and have some fun so I hope my silence indicates that I don't want to continue the conversation.
Kade slaps his menu down on the table making me jump in my seat. "I got cheated on, too. I'm in the same boat as you. She also wants me back and in my head, I know I shouldn't but my heart is like ... Kade, what if she's the one and you're letting her go? But she's not, that's stupid right?"
So I guess Grayson and his friend Kade know my secret. This is odd to me because I haven't even told anyone in my family yet, and the thing is, I don't really plan to. But somehow I'm okay with these strangers knowing.
Not that Grayson is a stranger but I barely know him.
I nod, feeling like someone understands me for once. "Totally stupid."
"We make a pact, we promise to never take them back. Ever." Kade extends his hand out for me to shake. I honestly didn't plan on taking Liam back. Once a cheater always a cheater. But I shake Kade's hand anyway.
"Deal."
As he lets my hand go I feel a bit lighter. Sometimes it's nice to know that bad things don't only happen to you, but they happen to literally everyone. Sometimes it's nice to know that you're not alone in the challenges you face.
"Y'all ready to order?" I know that voice. I'd recognize that Southern accent anywhere. When I look up I wish I hadn't.
"Oh, fuck me," I mumble.
"I'm sorry?" Grayson asks, astonished. Kade just snorts.
"LayLay, oh my god, is that you?"
"A cheeseburger with a side of fries, Hayley," I say and go straight back to clenching my jaw. I shouldn't hate Hayley, none of it is her fault. But, dear lord, she pisses me off. Lay-Lay? Who the fuck came up with that?
"Come on, Lay-Lay, don't be like that. Liam told me y'all had broken up, it's not my fault. We girls, we support each other, right?"
If I hear y'all one more time my eye might actually just twitch.
"You want me to support you for sleeping with my boyfriend?"
She waves her hand through the air. "No. No. That's not what I meant. I meant we should stick together. He broke my heart, too, you know?"
I scoff, leaning back in my seat. "He didn't break my heart. He's a pathetic, sorry-ass, mama's boy."
The silence that follows is awkward and unbearable.
"So ... I will also have a cheeseburger and fries and I'll take a Root Beer to drink," Kade says and I could not be more thankful for him interrupting the silence.
Hayley sighs and quickly writes down the order on her notepad. Then her eyes land on Grayson. "And for you?"
"Uh, the same. No Root Beer, I'll take a Coke."
She writes that down, too. "Anything else?"
It's silent again so we all shake our heads. She walks off towards the kitchen.
"Pathetic, sorry-ass, mama's boy?" Kade questions. "I had a feeling I'd like you, Lay-Lay."
I slide all our menus together and set them at the edge of the table. "Please, don't ever call me that," I grimace.
Kade just chuckles. "Too late." Grayson has gone quiet, his attention is turned to the table next to us. "What happened to your knuckles, brother?" Kade's voice turns serious.
"Nothing," Grayson answers, focusing back on our table. He covers his bruised knuckles with his other hand and I glance over at the table that caught his attention.
A guy sits there, alone. He can't be that old, maybe twenty or twenty-one. The stranger's eyes meet mine and I quickly avert my gaze.
"Who is that?" I ask my voice low.
Grayson ignores my question. "Do you guys believe in karma?"
"Uh ... weird question. But, yeah, you reap what you sow," Kade answers, inspecting a salt shaker. He turns it over and some salt falls onto the table, he swipes it off. "Why are you asking?"
No answer. Instead, Grayson pulls the hood of his black hoodie over his head. I can tell his mood has changed since we got here and I don't know why but I have a feeling it's because of the guy next to us.
"What if someone did something really bad, and now they're living well. What would you guys make of that?"
I suddenly feel cold. Who is he talking about? Noah? What an extremely odd question to ask. In that moment it hits me that I truly know nothing about Grayson Wallace.
"I don't know," Kade shrugs, picking up the pepper shaker. "I guess I'd be pretty pissed. But, you know, you gotta trust that they'll get what's coming to them eventually. They always get what's coming for them."
A small smirk slips onto Grayson's face and looking at it gives me goosebumps. It's not playful or funny. Matched with the look in his eyes, it's ominous and eerie.
"What if they don't, though? What if you get tired of waiting? Would you take matters into your own hands?"
Kade raises his eyebrows. "What? Like revenge?"
Something shifts into place in my mind. Is Grayson taking revenge on Noah Anderson for what he did to those girls? Is that why he got him arrested?
Grayson shrugs casually as if this is the most normal conversation you can have with people. Like he's chatting about the weather or a sports team. "Maybe." Then he adds, "Revenge can be a lot of things."
Haley comes out with our food and sets it down in front of each of us. "I'll be back with drinks," she says before walking off again.
Kade digs in immediately, mumbling about how good the food is with his mouth full. He seems to have forgotten all about the prior conversation. But I haven't. And now I've lost my appetite.
Grayson resumes watching the guy next to us with most of his face concealed by his hood. But nothing interesting is really going on. The guy just continues to eat his fries while scrolling through his phone, uninterested in the world around him.
"Do you know him?" I ask, bringing Grayson's attention back to our table.
Grayson shakes his head. "No."
"Well, do you have a crush on him or something? Because you seem to be staring."
"He just looks familiar, that's all. Eat your food so we can get going." Liar.
I pick up the greasy burger and bite into it. It really is amazing and as I'm eating it my appetite returns. By the time I'm halfway, Kade is already done his whole meal, wiping his fingers with a napkin.
Grayson and I finish up at the same time as Kade is texting someone on his phone, his fingers moving rapidly across the screen.
I wipe my hands and mouth clean and wave a hand across Kade's screen. He's sitting across from me in the booth next to Grayson. "Are burgers at Bigs the, as you called it, tainting?"
Kade slides the phone back into his pocket and smiles wickedly. "No. Of course not. The night hasn't even started yet, youngling." Well, at least he didn't say Lay-Lay. I hope he forgot about that. "We're just fuelling up."
"How fast can you guys run?"
"What?"
"Brother, what is going on with you tonight?"
Grayson pulls his hood down. "I'm going to do something, and I need to make sure that we can get away without being seen."
Kade and I shoot each other confused glances. What is he up to?
"Meet me outside in five minutes. And make sure you're ready to make a break for it." He pushes out of the booth and walks swiftly out of the restaurant.
Oh hell no. I get up and follow him.