Hope's Chance(12)

“I recognize the dress because it used to be my sisters, not because of who is wearing it.”

Her beautiful light blue eyes stared into mine. “Chance, you have to help me find my friend. I can’t be here. He can’t see me.”

I grabbed her by the arm gently. “Stay right here. I will be right back. Don’t leave.”

I headed toward the dance floor and found her friend. I had no idea what the girls name was. “Hey, um your friend said she needs to go home.”

She never stopped dancing or leaning on the guy she was dancing with. “I am not ready to leave. Tell her she has to wait.”

“She needs to leave now.”

“Look, I don’t know who you are, but I am in the middle of having a great time. Tell her to go out to the car if she wants to pout and act like a baby.”

Hearing her talk like that when her friend needed her really pissed me off. As I walked away from her I yelled “Bitch!”.

I found Mark and Buffy in a slow embrace. I kissed my sister on the cheek. “Thanks for dinner, but I think I am going to call it an early night.”

She pulled away from Mark. “No! Why? Did something happen? We weren’t ignoring you. What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, really I am fine. I will see you in the morning. Thanks again.” I said as I walked off the dance floor and headed toward where Hope was hiding. I looked back to make sure they weren’t watching me, as I grabbed her by the hand and led her out of the bar.

Once we made it outside, I stood her in front of my bike and handed her my only helmet. “Put this on.”

“I can’t get on that thing. I hate motorcycles.” She admitted.

I climbed on my bike and put the key into the ignition. “You can get on, or go ask your father for a ride. You choose.”

I watched as she pulled her skirt up in order to climb behind me on my bike. I grabbed her hands and wrapped them around my waist. “Hold on tight.”





Chapter 7


Hope



I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. I was going to kill Rylee tomorrow. Well that was if I made it off of this bike alive.

Chance managed to drive us a few miles away before pulling over at a gas station. He lifted the tinted shield away from my helmet. “Do you want anything inside?”

I shook my head no, realizing how stupid I must look in the helmet. He gave me a quick smile before heading into the store. I sat on the bike. My body was shaking even though I knew I was tipsy. The alcohol was supposed to calm my nerves, but they must have been on overdrive because I couldn’t calm myself down.

When Chance came back he had a brown bag in his hand. “Scoot off for a second so I can put this under my seat. I was shocked that the whole bag fit under the seat of his motorcycle, but he obviously knew what would fit, since this was his bike.

“So where do you live?” He asked.

“Um, I can’t go home.”

“What do you mean? Why can’t you?”

“I told my mother I was staying at Rylee’s house. She is super strict and if she found out I wasn’t where I was supposed to be than I will be punished all summer.”

“Where the Hell am I supposed to take you?” He asked.

“Well, can we just go back to your place?” She held her hand up. “Wait, before you say no…I promise I just need a place to crash. In the morning I will have someone pick me up and you won’t have to even see me. Please Chance. I know that we don’t know each other, but you know my father, and he would want me to be safe.” I hated throwing the dad card in there, but I was panicking. There was no way I could talk my way out of this to my mother, or my father. Not in these clothes…

“I don’t think your father would approve of you staying the night with me Hope.”

“Would you rather I hitchhiked my way somewhere else?” I asked as I started handing him the helmet.

This had to work. Please work. I just can’t go home.

“Please Chance. You won’t even know I am there. I promise.” I added.

“Fine, but you need to be gone before your father wakes up. I can’t afford to be kicked out because I was trying to be a good person. He won’t see it that way. I have too much history for him to be okay with me helping you.”

We both climbed on the bike and once I wrapped my arms back around Chance’s waist we took off. I couldn’t understand what he meant, but I knew shortly I could relax and be safe for the night.

The fifteen minute ride to my father’s community seemed to fly by. The night air felt good, even though I had a problem admitting to myself that I actually enjoyed the ride. I felt safe with Chance, even though I knew nothing about him.

When we finally pulled up to the house, he helped me climb off the bike and removed my helmet. He reached in and got the brown bag and led me to the pool house. When the door opened he headed in front of me and started cleaning a large pile of laundry off of the couch. “Sit here.”

He went into the kitchen and started turning on a bunch of lights. “Want a beer?”

I smiled and folded my hands in my lap. “Sure.”

I heard the caps hitting the countertop, before I saw him coming toward me. He handed me the beer and sat down on the chair across from me.