After Chris finished talking to some guys about boring stuff, he lead me back to the guys cars, where Mike and Matt were talking to more guys.
"Did you have fun?" I asked Chris randomly.
He looked at me as we got to Mike's truck. "Yeah, I did" he opened the tailgate of Mike's truck and turned to face me.
"I guess it would be fun to take four grand from Justin"
He smiled at me, something I was becoming addicted to. "That wasn't my favourite part though"
Just when I start to blush, he put his hand on my hips and lifted me up to sit on the tailgate with my legs dangling down. He stepped closer to me, resting his hands on either side of the open tailgate.
"You're amazing" I admitted, trying to distract him for my racing pulse. "But why did it look like you were holding back in your first race compared to the second one?"
"Because I was"
"Why?"
"He makes my life hell. He harasses you, and he threatened my brothers. In my head, two grand isn't enough for him to suffer"
"I get it. Once the bet was made, you couldn't raise it, so you needed a rematch for more money. But, why didn't you win the first time instead of going through all the effort of losing?"
"See that tantrum he threw when he lost? And how he walked off after? He would've done that if he lost the first time too, and I wouldn't have been able to challenge him for more money"
I nodded, agreeing with what he was saying, even if it was hard to focus with our current intimate position, and how he's so close to me.
"It was either that or take Madison up on her offer to break his knees"
"Shit. Where's Madison?" I asked, looking around.
"What's wrong?"
"I ran into this guy when I went into the bathroom-"
"You went alone?" He cut me off quickly, looking at how far away the bathroom is from where we are
"No, Nate took me" I added quickly. "Anyway, he told me his name was Luke and he was looking for Madison. I don't know, I just thought she should know someone was looking for her"
Chris narrowed his eyes. "That's not good"
"Why? Who is he?"
He looked around, like he was looking for Luke. "No one she wants to see"
"Where is she? Why isn't she with Mike?"
Chris looked over to where Matt and Mike were talking to some guys. "Hey, Mike!" Chris called. "Where's Madison?"
Mike looked at us, doing a double take at our intimate position. Matt wiggled his eyebrows at us, and if I wasn't so worried about Madison, I would've been more embarrassed.
"Nate and Jack took her and Callie to the bathroom. They drove to a cafe nearby, the girls didn't want to use the bathroom here" Mike called back laughing, and they turned back to the other guys.
"Should we go get her?"
Chris shook his head. "When they get back, we'll leave"
I nodded, relived I told someone, especially Chris. "Hey" I started. "Why didn't you tell me Justin was your stepbrother?" Chris sighed and moved from where he was in front of me, making me regret asking about his personal life.
He ran his hand through his hair. "It was a bad time of my life, and it's not something I can talk about easily"
"I'm not just anyone"
He looked at me like he was making a big decision in his head. "No, you're not"
That's it. Prepare the awkward death certificate because Chris just stopped my heart.
"It's hard for me to open up to people"
Trust me, I know. I reach out and place my hand on the back of his neck, my arm resting on his back as I rubbed it in a circle motion.
"You know, you can talk to me if you need to"
He sighed and looked into the distance. "You remember what I told you about my Dad?"
"Your real Dad?" The guy who walked out on his son and pregnant wife who had cancer because she refused to abort the soon to be born twins and he refused to deal with the bills?
He nodded. "Yeah, I remember"
"When he left, my Mom was desperate. There's only so much a single mom with a young kid and two newborns can do. You know, with her cancer coming back and being able to afford medical bills"
I sat in silence, captured by Chris and his words.
"I know that she married my stepdad for support more than anything else. He was awful, and so was his son"
"Do you blame her?"
"No" he looked at me, and the back to the distance. "She did what she had to for her kids. She knew she was dying and when she did, we would've went into the system. I would've been separated from my brothers and that would have been worse"
My crush on Chris increased. He loved his brothers so much that he chose an abusive guardian over never seeing them again.
"Did he- was he-" abusive? I can't ask him that. "Was he mean to the twins?"
"Never. I'd kill him before I'd let him near them"
I nodded and stroked his neck, feeling him calm down.
"He's in jail now, right?"
He nodded. "And in a perfect world, he'll rot in there"
"Why is he in there?"
"The dumbass was arrested for trying to sell drugs to a police officer"
"I wasn't expecting that" I said, raising my eyebrows. "How long did he get for that?"
Chris shook his head. "He got the charge reduced to possession, so he's only serving three years with the possibility of parole in two"
"How long has he been in there?"
Chris stood in front of me again, placing his hands at either side of me. My hand was still on the back on his neck.
Seeing as he doesn't have an objection with me touching him, and how I really don't want to stop, I decide to bring my other arm around his neck.
"You remember the first day we met?"
"How could I not?"
"You ran into me in the hallway-"
"Hey, I think we established that you ran into me" I cut him off
"Never mind that. The point is I was being a big asshole to you, when I should've just been a small asshole"
"How does this-"
"That morning, I found out he met with the parole board, and there's a good chance he's being let out on good behaviour"
Of course it wasn't an excuse for Chris to be a jerk, but I understood now. He couldn't express his anger at the source, so he jumped at the first thing that pissed him off.
"I'm sorry" I said, not having anything better to say.
"It's just-"
"Hey, Chris!"
My head snapped up as our moment was ruined and my glare turned into panic. Walking towards us, with a smile, was Luke. I drop my arms from Chris, but he didn't look worried. Chris turned to face him and crossed his arms.
"Congratulations on the win, dude!" Luke exclaimed. "I knew I was betting on the right guy!"
"You know she won't want to see you" Chris cut through his bullshit
Luke sighed. "I have to talk to her. I swear I can explain everything"
"That's not a good idea. You should go before Mike sees you"
"I don't want trouble with Mike" Luke said, shaking his head. "Right, Sabrina? You know I don't want trouble"
Luke looked at me, expecting me to jump to his aid like he did for me, and Chris looked back at me with a confused look. I suddenly felt very exposed where I was sitting and right when I went to speak, Mike spotted who we were talking to.
"Son of a bitch" he growled at Luke when he's close enough, and Matt followed behind him.
Luke raised his hands. "I only want to talk to her"
"If she wanted to talk to you, she wouldn't have blocked your number or stayed away from you"
"I want her to know I've changed-"
"She doesn't want to hear it! You need to leave before she sees you"
"Mike? What's wrong?" A curious voice asked
We all turn to Madison, walking with Callie, Nate and Jack. No one noticed Nate's truck coming back from their drive.
"Babe, get in the truck" Mike said, trying to block her view from Luke.
Not one to take orders, Madison approached us. I knew the exact moment she spotted Luke, because she froze to the spot.
"Hey, Madi"
"What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Last I checked, it's a free country and a guy can go to an illegal racetrack to bet money if he wants" Luke joked, trying to break the tension.
Madison's face was a mix of emotions, like she couldn't decide whether to yell or cry. Madison was clearly uncomfortable, and she needs to leave before something that can't be undone happens. I'll pull him out of here, that'll put an end to this.
Jumping off the tailgate, I stepped forward, but I was stopped by a strong hand wrapping around my waist. Chris gently pulled me back to his side and shook his head, like he knew what I was planning.
"Why don't I walk you to your car?" Mike asked Luke in a voice that was more of a command, not an offer.
"I didn't come for trouble. I need Madison to see that I'm different now. I want to be apart of her life"
"I don't want you in my life! You fucked that up when you started all my problems, and then left when I needed you!" Madison yelled at him from behind Mike.
"Madi, please-" Luke moved around Mike to get closer to Madison, but Mike stuck his arm out to prevent that.
Madison moved to stand in front of Luke, with her arms crossed. "You don't get to call me that anymore. You don't get to be part of my life anymore"
Luke didn't bother to fight, he just stood there looking at Madison with a heart broken expression. "I'm your brother"
"Madison?" Mike said, asking if she wants him to remove Luke from her presence. Madison held her hand up to Mike, telling him to wait.
"You're not my brother"
"We may not have the same dad, but we're still blood"
That explains the difference in appearance, he was her half brother. I don't know anything about Madison's home life. She didn't like talking about her life and I didn't push her.
"Blood wouldn't have done that to me"
"Madi, I know I've done some things, but we're still blood"
"You're not my blood!" She snapped, clearly at her breaking point. "Nate is my blood, for letting me crash at his house. Matt is my blood for helping me smile and laugh. Jack is my blood, for driving me wherever I needed to go and bringing me lunch everyday. Chris is my blood for organising the funeral and giving me money for the bills"
"Mike is my blood" she continued. "For doing all of the above, for picking up the pieces and for being the only stable person in my life. And you? You killed our Mom. You abandoned me. I was sixteen with no parents and no where to go, and where were you? You went to find your next high! You're nothing but a selfish drug addict and I never want to see your face again!"
"Madi-" Luke's voice cracked
"We're done here" Madison finished, keeping her cool.
She marched over to the passenger side of Mike's truck and got in, slamming the door after her.
"Get out of here before she bashes your face in" Mike tells Luke when he made no move to leave.
Luke looked back at Mike's truck before slowly backing up and walking away.
That was not the family reunion he was hoping for.
~
With Luke gone and a very pissed off Madison in Mike's truck, the rest of us stood awkwardly digesting what just happened. We looked at each other, not knowing what to do, even Matt didn't know what to say. Mike looked torn, like he couldn't decide whether to comfort Madison or give her space.
"I'm just gonna-yeah" he starts walking towards his truck, making up his mind.
He got into the drivers seat of his truck but doesn't start it, just using the privacy of it to talk to his girlfriend.
"So, that happened" Matt started
"This is your fault, Matt" Nate accused him
"What? How is it my fault?"
"Ever since you complained about missing out on drama, it's all we've had" Nate smirked, cutting the tension.
"I guess you're right. At least I'm not missing anymore"
"Hey, Sabrina! Maybe drama can be our thing? We still haven't found one and it seems to love you" Matt suggested.
"Maybe we should keep looking, Matt. I don't want to invite drama into my life"
"Fine, but I'll find something!" Matt trailed off, making the silence awkward again.
"So...that was Madison's half brother" Callie stated
Matt nodded. "That's the first time she's seen him in a long time"
"I don't think she's seen him clean in a long time" Nate added
"What did she mean? When she said he killed their mom?" I asked quietly
Chris sighed from beside me. "It's a long and complicated story"
"But what does-"
I cut myself off when I felt a shift in the air, not just in the group, but at the Tracks. Something is wrong, we can feel it. Chris scanned the track for a potential threat. He tensed up, looked at me, meeting my eyes with his now widened ones.
"Leave. Now" he demanded and closed the distance between us, putting his hands on my shoulders and pushing me towards Nate's car.
Sirens.
"Cops!" A random guy yelled, sending everyone into a panic
They weren't far away either. They probably didn't turn the sirens on until they were on top of us, and there was definitely more than one police car.
My heart raced in my chest. I can't get arrested! The local cops don't know about me- no one does. Only the team on my case know who I really am. Getting arrested isn't an option.
"Go!" Chris yelled and we scatter into action
Everything was crazy. I don't know who got into which car.
The sirens wailed, getting closer by each second. Cars took off in different directions as everyone at the tracks registered what was going on. All that I know is that Chris opened the nearest door of Nate's car and practically throws me in.
"What about you?" I asked frantically
He looked away from me to his car in the distance. "I'll be fine" he said, then looked at Nate. "Get them out, take the back roads and take a lot of turns. I'll meet you at Sabrina's"
He slammed the door closed, leaving me no room for objection, and Nate took off.
He sped through the crowd, dodging people and cop cars alike.
A hand gripped mine and only then I realised Callie is sitting beside me in the back, but the passenger seat beside Nate was empty. Matt and Jack had better jumped into Mike's truck and managed to get out of here. The adrenaline was running through my body.
"Nate!" I yelled as a cop car skids directly in front of where he's driving
He's swerves and swerves, my body jerking on to Callie's, the car narrowly missing the cop car as Nate drove through the fields at top speed. Callie and I turn to look out the back window, watching the scene unfold as we speed away.
"Do you see Mike's truck or Chris' car anywhere?"
"I can't see anything" Callie admitted, trying to see through the chaos.
Nate suddenly turned, sending Callie and I toppling over.
"Sorry" Nate called to us, taking another sharp turn and I felt the familiar smoothness of asphalt instead of bumping grass beneath the tires.
We're on a dark road, lit only by his headlights. No one else is on this road and no one followed us.
We made it.