Broken Hill High (Broken Hill High #1)(51)

I stand up before Jesse and put my hands on my hips. “Was I supposed to just read your mind and automatically know that I was supposed to be going out?”

“No,” he grunts. “You’re seventeen. You’re supposed to just assume you’re going out and be ready at all times.”

“Are you ready at all times?”

He grins at me as he digs into his pocket and pulls out four condoms. “I’m always ready to go,” he laughs.

“Ugh,” I groan as I walk past him and head for the stairs. “You’re a pig.”

“So you keep telling me,” he calls after me.

I start stripping off my shirt halfway up the stairs and the second I step into my closet, I’m already ready to pull a dress over my head. Within the space of two seconds, I pull out a pair of knee-high boots and pull them on before grabbing a jacket to throw over the top. I whip the elastic out of my hair, give it a little shake and walk back down the stairs thirty seconds later.

I walk into the kitchen to find the boys diving through the fridge. They hear me coming and naturally, Jesse doesn’t even look up. “Get your ass up there and get ready,” he groans into the fridge.

Nate grins at me and I can’t help but laugh. “What do you say we leave without him?”

Jesse’s head whips out of the fridge and he looks at me over the top of the open door. “Fuck me,” he says looking down at his watch. “How’d you get ready so fast?”

“Call it a gift,” I tell him before grabbing my phone from the den. “Alright, douche bags, let’s go.”

They follow me out the door and I walk straight down to Nate’s Camaro. “Aren’t you coming?” I ask Jesse who walks towards his Escalade.

“Nope,” he says with a wink as he pulls out one of the many condoms in his pockets. “Change of plans. I’ve got a date with one of these first.”

I scrunch up my face at him as Nate chuckles to himself before unlocking his car and getting in. I walk around to the other side and climb in beside him before getting comfortable.

Nate peels out of the driveway behind Jesse and pulls off to the right as Jesse goes to the left. He reaches forward and hits a few buttons before music comes blaring out of the speakers.

I sit back and listen to the song as I get lost inside my head. I’ve been dreading tonight all week. Not that I knew we were going anywhere, but I knew eventually, we’d be at a party together and I have no idea how it’s going to go. I mean, is he going to be hooking up with other girls or is it going to be me? I can’t help but wonder who’s going to be in his bed tonight.

The thought of it not being me kind of kills me, but it’s a reality I have to be prepared for. I’m not his girlfriend. I don’t think that’s a step either one of us ready for, hell, I don’t even know if that’s something that will ever happen. With our past being so rocky, it’s probably something that I won’t be able to move on from.

I can’t help but look across and find myself drooling. He looks so damn good, especially when he drives and works the gear stick like a professional. He looks across at me and smirks when he catches me checking him out. “You about done?” he questions with fire in his eyes.

“Not even close,” I grin.

He pulls down the same dirt road he had come down last week and I find myself sitting up a little straighter. “Is this even legal?” I question. He scoffs and I can’t help but look across at him as a grin rips across his face. “I’ll take that as a ‘no’,” I laugh. “Aren’t you worried about getting caught?”

He shakes his head as he focuses on the dirt road. “Do you think I’m the kind of guy who’s worried about getting caught?”

“You should be,” I tell him. “You’re eighteen. You could get in all kinds of serious trouble. Not to mention, it could screw up your chances of getting into a good college.”

He shrugs his shoulders and I find myself looking away. Clearly, it’s not something he’s going to be easily swayed on. Besides, this is Nate Ryder. He’s going to do whatever the hell he wants to do, no matter how much trouble he could get in. “Jesse said you did a lot of work on your car,” I say.

He nods his head as a proud smile crosses his lips. “Yep,” he says. “There’s still a few more things I want to add though.”

“I never knew you were into building cars.”

“It’s what I want to do,” he says, reminding me of the drawings Brooke had found in his room. “Restore cars.”

“Huh,” I grunt to myself. “I guess that explains why you’re not too worried about college.”

“Nope,” he grins. “A business degree isn’t really going to help me rebuild an engine.”

“I guess not, but it would help you to run a successful business,” I say as he passes the rock I had sat on while waiting for Brooke to rescue me last week. He turns the corner and I see all the same lights and people that were here last week. “You don’t want to get into racing?” I question.

“Nah,” he says. “This is just for fun.”

“Who are you against tonight?” I ask.

We drive a little closer and he points out a green car that looks like it’s had a bit of work done to it. “Damien Kelly,” he says. “He was a senior last year.”