Broken Hill High (Broken Hill High #1)(20)

Josh – Challenge accepted, baby!

Josh – Bush party tonight at Maxen’s. Come with me.

I roll my eyes at his last text. I mean, that’s more of a demand rather than a question. I turn my phone around and show the girls. “Apparently, there’s a party on Maxen’s property tonight,” I explain. “And we just got our invitation.”

“Hell yeah,” Brooke says, jumping to her feet as Courtney walks in with her sandwich, completely lost as to what’s going on.

Their excitement is contagious, but I don’t know if I’m going. I mean, it’s at Maxen’s place and being Nate’s cousin, I’m sure both the Ryder boys will be there. No thanks. That’s a hard pass. I’ve had enough of those boys to last me a lifetime. The last thing I need is to be partying with them.

Though, with the boys out for the night, that would give me a chance to go over there and get all my crap back without being interrupted.

Brooke practically bounds out of my house with a promise to meet me tonight so she can get home and decide on what she wants to wear. I shake my head at her excitement. Brooke is the wild one and she’s had a thing for Maxen since we started going to school together.

I get it, he’s devilishly cute and has the same dark eyes as Nate and Jesse. He’s a bad boy through and through and I don’t doubt that given the chance, he would take Brooke for the ride of her life, only it’s her heart I’m worried about. Don’t get me wrong, Brooke has had plenty of one night stands and random hook-ups, but she’s never once had feelings for the guy. It was always just fun.

But Maxen… I don’t know. He has the power to hurt her and I don’t like it one bit.

Courtney and Bec eventually disappear to get themselves ready as well and I find myself sitting here alone. I consider myself a bit of an introvert. I love being alone, especially as it gives me uninterrupted hours of reading time, though, right now, I’m not feeling it.

Maybe it’s empty nest syndrome. Mom and dad are gone and over the past week, there’s been a lot of me time. Maybe too much me time.

The rest of the afternoon drags by and I even manage to force myself to eat a bread roll.

It’s well past nine at night when I find myself sitting in the driver’s seat of my Audi, looking over all the gadgets while I google how to drive this thing. I read step by step and slowly take myself up and down the driveway. I mean, I’m going to have to learn how to drive it at some point, and besides, I want my clothes back.

I consider myself a good driver… usually, but right now, I feel completely out of my depth, but practice makes perfect and what better time than the present. It’s late and most of the traffic has already cleared off the roads anyway.

There are two separate ways I can get to Nate’s place and one includes the main road which will be busy, otherwise, I can add a few extra minutes to my drive and take the back streets. So, with my plan in place, I slowly bring the car to a stop at the top gate.

I lean over and enter the code, and before I know it, I’m swallowing back my fear and pulling my baby out onto the road.

The car practically jumps when I shift which has me constantly hovering over the brake while trying not to take my eyes off the road to focus on the gear stick. I feel like a complete fraud driving this thing. I mean, it’s my first time in my car and I’m not even enjoying it.

I get a few beeps from annoyed drivers who eventually go around me, but after an agonizingly long twenty minutes, I pull into Nate’s driveway, pleased his gate is already wide open.

As I get further down the driveway, I cringe to myself. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Nate isn’t out. He’s standing right in the middle of his open garage, leaning over the hood of his car and fiddling around with the engine.

As I get closer, he straightens himself out and I realize that, once again, the guy has lost his shirt. I mean, what is this? Do the Ryder brothers not own any clothes? Nate stands tall to watch the show and I find myself cringing again. This is going to be embarrassing.

I try to downshift and slow down but only manage to make the car jolt forward again. I see the laughter in his eyes yet he stands like a statue, acting as though nothing gets to him.

I bring the car to a stop and leave the keys in it with the engine running. Though, I can’t quite remember if I’m supposed to leave the car in neutral or in first. Not wanting to pull up google and embarrass myself further, I think it over and come to the conclusion that first gear is for moving slowly, so I push down the clutch and pop the car in neutral before putting on the hand brake and getting out.

I walk down to the garage, mostly proud of myself for getting here without scratching my car. I studiously ignore Nate as I aim for the internal door of the garage and have to stop when he sidesteps and places himself right before me. “What do you think you’re doing?” he questions as his stare seems to look right through me.

“I’m getting my stuff,” I tell him as I cross my arms over my chest and look up at him as though I don’t have a spare second to waste, especially not on him.

“What do you need it for?” he asks as he looks down at me with a knowing grin. “Getting ready for a date with Henderson?”

I quirk an eyebrow as I watch him. “What’s it to you?” I question as I raise up on my tippy toes and put myself impossibly closer. “Jealous?”