Broken Hill High (Broken Hill High #1)(52)

“Is he good?” I ask as I eye the green car, instantly hoping the guy loses.

“He’s alright,” he tells me. “He blew up his engine a few months ago so this will be his first race with the new one. I’m pretty sure I’ll beat him though. The guy is too cocky.”

“Sounds like somebody else I know,” I laugh.

He grins as he drives through all the people, the same way he had done last week, but he doesn’t drive straight down to the track. Nate stops his car and I reach for the door handle. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

“I’m not about to be in here when you’re racing again. That shit is way too much for me to handle.”

“Tough shit,” he tells me. “Do you have any idea what kind of people are here? If one of the boys were here to stay with you, then sure, but they’re not, which means you get another up close and personal view of the track.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me, right?”

“Trust me,” he says, turning towards me. “I wish I was. It’s not easy concentrating while you’re screaming in my ear like a little bitch.”

“Ahhhhh,” I say with a hard sarcasm. “There’s the good old Nate. I thought I’d lost you for a while.”

He rolls his eyes and focuses all his attention on the race that’s just starting on the track while I find myself completely zoning out and people watching. I see a few familiar faces that I recognize from school, but not many, though they all seem quite young. “Are all these people from the public school?” I question.

“Most of them,” he says. “They’re not a good crowd to be around. Most of them are into some pretty heavy shit, but they’re fun to party with,” he tells me. “Your boyfriend should be here.”

“Boyfriend?” I grunt.

“Jackson,” he says. “The guy who tried to take you home from my place.”

I look around the crowd and sure enough, the arrogant jerk is right there with a beer in his hand and a girl under his arm as he screams out towards the race. “Ugh,” I grunt, glad that I escaped from that one unscathed, though, that’s mainly thanks to Nate.

“We’re up,” he suddenly says, drawing my attention away from the bystanders.

He starts rolling his car down the hill towards the start of the track and my heart starts pounding in my chest. “Do we really have to do this?” I question. “I mean, I’m sure it’s not too late to back out.”

“Stop being such a pussy,” he tells me. “I don’t back out of races. Besides, at least you got a little warning this time.”

I narrow my eyes on him and double check my seatbelt is secure before watching as the girl walks up between the two cars to start the race. “If I have to suffer through this thing, then you better win.”

“I always do,” he tells me before reaching forward and turning the music right up.

I try to relax, but a few seconds later the girl starts the race and Nate takes off. “Holy shit,” I groan to myself making Nate chuckle under his breath. I look across at him because honestly, watching the track is too terrifying.

Just like last time, he races around the track like a boss. I look around him to see where Damien is and find him trying to creep up on the side of Nate, but Nate hits the corner and drifts around it while Damien backs off.

The fear seeps out of me and I realize that if I don’t focus on the track ahead of us, but watch the race as more of a spectator, then I don’t feel like throwing up. “Hold on,” Nate says with a smirk, showing me just how much he enjoys this.

I flick my head around to see another corner creeping up which Nate flies around, sending me falling to the side and reaching for something to grasp on to. It’s a good thing I have my seatbelt on, otherwise, I probably would have gone tumbling around. “Fuck,” I grunt, as I catch myself.

“I told you to hold on,” he says as he hits the gas and shifts up into top gear to speed down the final straight of the track.

I roll my eyes and he looks across at me with a proud, smug grin. We haven’t even crossed the finish line but he knows he’s already won it. “I’m pretty damn good, huh?”

“Eh,” I say with a shrug. “You’re not bad. My R8 could have beat you though.”

“Ha,” he laughs as he crosses the finish line and brings the car to a stop. “Do you want to make a bet?”

“You know, I would,” I grin. “But I think I’m busy that day.”

“Uh huh,” he laughs as the car comes to a complete stop and all the people around the track start running down to congratulate him.

“What is this?” I laugh. “People treat you as though you’re some sort of celebrity around here.”

Again, he looks across at me with that proud, smug smirk. “Because I am,” he says, making me groan. He looks back at the crowd of people and cringes. “Ugh.”

“What?” I ask, trying to look around the crowd for whatever has him cringing.

He nods his head straight forward and I look that way. “It’s Ashley,” he groans. “She won’t leave me alone. I swear, she’s sent me over one hundred text messages over the past week.”

“You’re kidding?” I laugh.