Chapter 7

UNEDITED

There were few people in the stands and River became one of them. "Stand right there." Landen puts to stand in the front row.

"So, I came here to be your cheerleader?" She jokes.

"Shit." He mutters as he steps into his racing suit. "I can't believe this."

"What is it?" She covers her sensitive heart.

He looks at her seriously as he finishes zipping up his suit. "I forgot your pom-pom's at home."

Her jaw drops. "You think you're so cute Brenner. I thought something was really wrong."

"No seriously. I think we should go back to them." He continues to tease her. "You know any good cheers? Never mind, I think I want you to just scream out my name"

"Shut up." She places her hand on her hips. "Are you ever serious?"

"You don't want to see me serious." He sets his feet on a seat and fixes his shoelaces.

"Why not?"

"You'd have to piss me off. I'm not very nice after that." He lifts the corner of his mouth.

"Okay, well." She moves hair from the side of her cheeks and curls them behind her ear. "I have a serious question to ask. Can you be serious with me without being angry?"

"Depends on the question."

"I knew it. " She drops her but in a seat. "You can't."

"Ask and find out." He shrugs.

"Fine." She bites her lips. "It was you that locked me in the closet, right?"

Landen brows lifted, at first, he was surprised, but then couldn't control the laughter that came rolling out. He picks his helmet off a seat. "I'll be back. I have to check out this car before I take it around the track." He shakes his head in disbelief and walks off onto the track.

"You're not going to answer me!" She yells out. "I sleep alone! Have sympathy for me!"

He kept walking and laughing.

Minutes later, he was circling the track with his black and blue car. "Wow." She watches him take the track like a pro. She had no idea that he was so skilled. He made it look so easy but, as he added to his speed, her hands began to tremble. She was having anxiety for him. She takes shaky breaths in and out. Her mouth began watering from a sudden feeling of nausea. She turns away, closes her eyes, and swallows. When she opens her eyes again, she sees Ryan. Is she now hallucinating or, was that lone man in a dark suit sitting high in the stands, Ryan? She flutters her lashes, and brings forward a clearer picture, and yes; it is Ryan. Her mouth slightly opens as she realizes that he also was watching her. "Hi." She smiles and waves at him subtly.

He gave her a nod and lifted two fingers to acknowledge her.

Then, out the corner of her vision, she sees something dark green, and bright pink, moving in the stands. She narrows her eyes toward it, and is not so surprised to see Anastasia. She wore a long loose-fitting, floral dress that had a slit cut directly in the middle. It was amazing how elegant she could make a racing arena look.

She wasn't graceful though. She was walking almost on her tippy toes, like the whole place filled with spiders she had to dodge. But as slow as she was, she did finally make it to her fiancé. Immediately he stands when she reaches him.

"Hey." Landen interrupts her nosy moment.

"Hey. She stands up. "You're pretty good." She compliments him.

"Wanna go for a ride?"

"Hell no." She replies immediately. "What's your brother doing here?" She quickly changes the subject and points to him and his fiancé moving in between the seats.

Landen glances at them. He didn't seem pleased one bit. He leans back on the metal bars separating the stands from the road. "This is where they met."

"Ryan races too?"

He huffs. "No. Ana's father is the founder of this league. Ryan, mom, and dad came to one of my races a couple of years ago. Actually, the day he came I crashed into the side of the wall right over there." He points out a curve in the track. "While I was being looked after my big brother was in the skybox impressing his fiancé, and her father." He shakes his head.

"Are you alright?" She inquirers as if his accident just happened.

He smiles. "Yeah River, I'm fine. My car was more injured than I was. Took nearly four months to repair. That hurt the most.

"And... you still want to race after that?"

"Shit happens, you can't let it stop you from living your life. Racing is my passion. I could get into six more accidents. I wouldn't stop.

"You could become injured or lose your life." She reasons.

"What's the point of this life, if you're not going to live it?"

"You could live it more carefully. See, you prolong it that way." She answers smartly.

"You know what matters to me?" He folds his arms. "Happiness. I could live only a few more years but for those few years, I'll be happy, doing what I want. Or, I could choose to be more careful and live longer but be miserable. See my point? Now get in the car." He orders.

"No way." She steps back and falls back in her seat.

He reaches out, grabs her wrist. She pulled back, and it became a tug of war. A losing battle for River.

"You need to live a little." He forces her forward and down some steps.

"My definition of living is binge-watching a great show, and not thinking about my daily responsibilities. This is dying." She whines.

He pulls her near the car door and lets go of her wrist. "Okay, I promise I won't kill you. A few exhilarating laps. It's just what you need."

For a few seconds, she looks around confusingly. She is simply afraid, and it wasn't dying. If she survives, what will living with the memory of this event do to her? Will it haunt her? Will it change her? Just like the other messed up shit in her life did. "I..."

"You can't force her to go." Ryan interrupts. He was now standing beside them, with his hands in his pocket.

River glanced around in search of Anastasia and found her about twenty feet away on the sidewalk with her arms crossed. It was as if she didn't want to touch the road.

"If she is afraid, then let her be. "Ryan's tone wasn't in an argumentative way but either way, his brother didn't appreciate it.

"Why can't you mind your business lately?" Landen edges her teeth. "Go back to your fiancé. She looks cold."

"Landen." River scrounges her brows together. She couldn't believe her eyes. Their brotherly relationship was worse than she thought. There was a resentfulness in the younger's glare and the uncaringness in the older.

Like his normal cool self, Ryan shakes it off. He narrows his eyes toward River. "You don't have to go if you don't want to."

"What's your issue? You want her to be like you and do nothing exciting in her life?' Landen grinds his jaw.

"If she wanted to go, I wouldn't be standing here." Ryan gives his brother a brush overglance. "Do you think this is fun, River?" His tunnel vision landed on her.

'Holy crap' River thinks. What is their underlying issue with each other? "I actually wanna go." She lies to stop the argument from going any further.

"You're lying." Ryan keeps his features neutral. "If you're going to do it, then do it for yourself."

"Who else is she going to do it for? 'We don't need your lecturing." Get in the car River." Landen orders.

Ryan's neck grew tension from a sudden frustration. He composes himself quickly. "Don't get in the car River." He commands.

At this point, she didn't know what to do. "Um.." Were they really arguing about her getting in a car?

"So you come here just to spoil her fun?" Landen's irritation grows.

"I came here to make sure she stays safe, and that you aren't-" Ryan stops.

"I'm not what?" Landen pressures his brother to finish his sentence.

"Look, this is all being blown out of proportion. It's just a ride around the track." Before River knew it, she was jumping into the car and buckling her seatbelt.

Landen didn't hesitate to jump in with her. "You ready." He revs the engine.

She was shaking. "A Huh." As ready as she will ever be.

As the car jerks forward, she closes her eyes. She began to feel the car moving faster and faster and, like a coward, she screams her lungs out. Like a loud, long, ear ringing, scream.

"Whoa whoa whoa. Calm down. I drove here remember." Landen touches her shoulder.

"Keep your hands on the wheel Brenner!" She pushes him. "Ahhhhhhh!" She continues on with her panic.

Landen couldn't help but become amused. He was not going to stop the car until she at least opened her eyes. "Open your eyes." He yells. "I'm not going that fast yet."

"Ahh!" Shakes her head. Her screams were so high pitch and drawn out that it could almost be a song.

He grabs one of her hands and puts it on the gear. He then covers it and continues to shift. As more and more time passes the quieter she becomes. She felt the warmth of his hand over hers as he shifted gears and, somehow it made her feel calmer. Made her feel like she had some sort of control. She forced herself to open her eyes. Although she was petrified, she managed to glance around and experience something really cool, not something she'd likely do again but, cool. She looks over at Landen who was smiling at her roguishly. She didn't want to but noticed anyway how handsome he is. Especially when he smiles. "Can you slow down?"

~~~~~~~~~

Hope you're enjoying.😊