Maddie hid behind a stack of crates, her hand on her chest. Her heart was hammering her rib cage like crazy as she tried to catch her breath. The shouts of the guards were getting closer, and her mind raced, but she was out of options.
"Damn you, Maddie!" She pulled her hair. "You and your impulsiveness! What the hell was I thinking?" Maddie muttered under her breath, unable to keep still. She accidentally kicked a crate, and it made some noise.
"My God!"She covered her mouth hurriedly, her hands shaking.
She peeked around the corner, and her eyes widened when she saw one of the guards walking in her direction but wasn't really looking at her. On his waist, she saw a holstered gun. Her pulse spiked.
"Jesus, these guys are packing heat!"She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to be invisible.
"I'm invisible, I'm invisible..." she muttered to herself with a voice as small as a mosquito.
How could the campus associate itself with people like this? These individuals were dangerous. They have guns, for goodness sake! She thought, biting her lips as the realization hit her. She's definitely... in big trouble.
Probably a catastrophic one.
"I'm so stupid," she groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Why did I think I could just waltz in here like I'm freaking Nancy Drew? What a terrible idea! Maybe I should have stayed behind the bushes and—"
Before she could finish her internal monologue of regret, a strong hand wrapped around her arm. It pulled her up with surprising force.
Maddie yelled, her fight-or-flight instincts kicking in. She trashed and elbowed the person who grabbed her in the ribs. "Let go of me, you psycho criminals! I refused to be—"
A hand covered her mouth, effectively shutting her up.
"Shut up, Maddie!"
She froze, her heart racing in overdrive. Slowly, her brain caught up. The voice was familiar. There was no way she could forget the owner of it.
Maddie looked up, her eyes widening in shock. "Ethan! "
If eyes could kill, Maddie would have died by now. Ethan looked like he was ready to skin her alive. Maddie smiled awkwardly, her body tense.
She didn't know what was worse: Ethan or the guard. But he was probably the least evil. Maddie swallowed visibly.
Ethan didn't say a word and was dragged by the arm, pulling her away from the crowd and deeper into the darkness where the guards wouldn't spot them.
Fear took over, Maddie. What if he did something to her? No one would know!
"Let go!"Maddie hissed, trying to yank her arm free, but Ethan's grip was iron. He didn't stop until they were tucked behind a large truck, hidden from view. Only then did he release her, and she stumbled, scowling at him. "What are you doing?!"
Ethan's jaw clenched, his eyes flashing with frustration as he turned to face her. "What am I doing? What the hell are you doing here, Maddie? Are you out of your mind?"
Maddie's anger flared right back. "Me? What are you doing, dragging me around like I'm some kind of object? I was handling it."
Of course, Maddie would never admit that she wasn't handling it.
Ethan gave her a flat look. "Handling it? You were about two seconds away from getting caught by the guards, and I don't think you realize how bad that would've been."
Maddie crossed her arms, glaring. "I could've gotten away. This wouldn't even happen if one of you council guys answered me!"
Ethan snorted, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. "Yeah, sure. And I'm the king of England."
"Well, maybe if you weren't involved in some shady, illegal racing club, I wouldn't have to be here in the first place!"Maddie shot back, her frustration bubbling over. "I know what you're up to, Ethan. I know about Velocity, and I know about Lila."
Ethan blinked, his expression confused. "Lila? Your friend?"
Maddie stepped closer, her eyes narrowing. "Yeah, Lila. My best friend? The one who's pregnant? The one who mysteriously won't tell me who the father is but somehow got involved with your little racing club? Are you… the baby daddy?"
Ethan's face went blank for a second. "Wait, you think…?"
Maddie didn't let him finish. "I know the father is a member of the Velocity Club. I'm aware he races. So tell me, Ethan—" She jabbed a finger at his chest, her voice dripping with accusation. "Are you the father?"
Ethan's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?! No! I'm not—I'm not the father!"
Maddie raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "How do I know you're not lying? Got any proof? You want to whip out your sperm count or something?"
Ethan stared at her, utterly gobsmacked. "What?"
"You heard me!" Maddie snapped, though she could feel her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "Show me the receipts! How do I know you didn't knock her up and then run off to play Fast & Furious in the forest?"
Ethan's expression morphed into something between disbelief and amusement. "You want me to prove I'm not the father by showing you my sperm count? Maddie, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."
"Well, you're a bastard!"Maddie shot back, feeling ridiculously flustered now. "And you're shady, so excuse me if I don't trust you!"
Ethan rolled his eyes and leaned on the truck. "Look, just because I'm part of Velocity doesn't mean I'm the father of your friend's baby. I didn't even know about anyone called Lila until now."
Maddie narrowed her eyes. "Oh, so we're just supposed to believe you, huh? Because clearly you're a trustworthy guy, what with all the secret racing and shady business deals?"
Ethan threw his hands up in frustration. "What do you want me to say? I'm not the father, okay? I've never even hooked up with anyone named Lila. I swear."
Maddie studied him for a moment, searching for any sign of a lie. Ethan, for all his sarcasm and smug attitude, looked genuinely annoyed—and maybe even a little offended.
After what felt like an eternity, Maddie sighed, rubbing her temples. "Okay, fine. You're not the father. But you know who it is, don't you?"
Ethan shook his head. "I don't know. I told you, I haven't even met this girl you're talking about."
Maddie raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure? Maybe you met her but don't know her name?"
Before Ethan could respond, a high-pitched scream pierced the air, making both of them jump.
Maddie's head whipped around, her eyes widening in horror as she spotted Nina sprinting across the racetrack, screaming at the top of her lungs while waving a giant torch in the air.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"Maddie shrieked, her jaw dropping. "Where did she get a freaking torch?!"
Ethan's eyes went wide with disbelief. "What is she doing?"
Maddie groaned, clutching her head. "Oh my god, we're dead."
Across the track, Nina screamed and ran in circles, the torch flailing dangerously in her hands. The crowd of racers and spectators had all turned to watch, some laughing, others clearly confused.
And then, from the other side of the track, George appeared, sprinting after Nina with a look of sheer determination on his face. "Nina, stop running! Give me the torch"
Maddie's eyes widened even more as she watched the commotion. "George is chasing her. Oh no. This is bad!"The guards were also chasing.
Without thinking, Maddie moved, her instinct to help Nina kicking in. But before she could take more than two steps, Ethan grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back.
"Hey!" Maddie yanked her arm back. "Let me go! I need to help her!"
Ethan's grip tightened, his face serious. "You can't go out there, Maddie. They'll discover you."
"I don't care! She's going to get herself killed with that thing!" Maddie struggled against his grip, her frustration boiling over. "Let me go, Ethan! I'm sure she did that to take their attention from me."
"No," Ethan said firmly, pulling her away from the chaos. "You don't understand how dangerous this place is. You can't just walk into the middle of a race like it's some kind of joke."
Maddie's eyes flared with defiance. "I don't care how dangerous it is! That's my best friend out there!"
Ethan's face softened slightly, but he didn't let go. "And I get that. But running out there isn't going to help her. You'll only make things worse."
Maddie gritted her teeth, her frustration mounting. "Why do you care, huh? Why are you even helping me? Shouldn't you be more focused on your stupid race and club?"
Ethan sighed, clearly exasperated. "Because, Maddie, believe it or not, I don't want to see you or your friends get hurt. You're way over your head."
Maddie opened her mouth to argue, but Ethan pulled her faster, and she almost stumbled. His eyes scanned the area for any threats.
"Where are you taking me?" Maddie demanded, trying to dig her heels into the ground, but Ethan was stronger, and he wasn't letting go.
"Somewhere safe," he said, his voice tense.
Maddie's heart raced, her mind spinning with a hundred questions—none of which had good answers.
"Safe?," she echoed, her voice dripping with suspicion. "And what exactly does safety look like in a place like this?"
if you like my writing, please add this book into your collection or send me a powerstone. Love lots~ Also, please don't forget to leave a review to motivate the author. You can also critique it, but make it constructive, okay? Please don't destroy my fragile heart. LOL.