ALL THE RAGE (writer: T.M. Frazier)(38)
“Then get the f*ck in here, Goon!” Scotty said, lifting up the rope so we could cross under it. “You ever been to a truck pull before?” he asked me.
“No, but I’ve heard of them.”
Scotty’s face lit up. “Then Darlin’, you’re in for a real treat,” he said, opening the passenger side door to one of the trucks in the center of the makeshift arena. I was about to climb up when Nolan’s huge hands grabbed me by my waist and lifted me into the cab. He climbed in after me and although he was no longer touching me, my skin tingled where his hands had just been.
“I could have gotten in myself,” I told him.
Nolan lowered his voice and leaned in close. “I know you could have, but I didn’t want you flashing what’s under that little dress to everyone, although I made sure to look.” He ran his nose across my jaw. “Those pink panties you’re wearing are making me rock f*cking hard.”
It was the last thing I expected him to say. His words sounded downright possessive. I didn’t have time to process all the thoughts running through my head because Scotty hopped up into the driver’s seat. Nolan put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me in closer and I didn’t know if he was trying to protect me from what was about to happen or if he didn’t want me touching Scotty.
Scotty closed the door, revving the engine. “Ya’ll want a beer?” he asked, reaching behind the backseat and retrieving us two large cans of PBR from a cooler. He tossed us each one before cracking open his own and guzzling it, holding the can up high and pouring it into his mouth. When he was done he pounded a closed fist on his chest and let out a long belch.
“What exactly is going to happen?” I asked. Nolan only smiled, cracking open his beer and handing it to me before doing the same for his own. He took a long sip before setting it down on the seat between his knees.
“You’ll find out. Hang on to me, baby,” Nolan said, wickedly. Excitement was all around us, flitting through the air like just lit sparklers. Nolan reached up, grabbing onto a sloppily welded handle above the window. With the other arm around my shoulders pulled me even closer, tethering my body to his. The heat in the air nothing compared to the heat radiating off of Nolan. His eyes were downright wild, as the anticipation of what was to happen grew and grew. Nolan’s gaze kept darting to the tops of my thighs where the hem of my dress had ridden up.
Scotty cranked down the window. “Ya’ll pussies ready for the ‘Yota?” he called out. A wave of shouting voices called back with every profanity there ever was. “Yeah, they’re f*cking ready,” Scotty said with a laugh, chugging the rest of his beer in a few large gulps and tossing the can backward out the window where it landed in the bed of the truck with a clank.
A guy with a bullhorn appeared. “ONE, TWO, THREE, GOOOOOOO!” he shouted, followed by a long blast of the horn. He’d barely said three when Scotty shifted the truck into gear and pressed his foot down on the gas pedal, pushing it all the way down to the floor.
“YEEE-FUCKING-HAW, motherf*ckers!” Scotty yelled as the truck we were in only made it a few feet before being yanked backward. “Hang on to your vaginas, bitches!” he added. As the tires spun and we got nowhere fast, we began to spin around the arena, first slow and then faster and faster. Wet sand and mud slashed across every inch of the back windshield, making it impossible to see out of.
Needing to know more, to see more, I sat up on my knees and turned around, leaning over the tiny backseat. I slid open the little back window. “What the f*ck are you doing?” Nolan demanded, reaching out for me, holding on to my thighs before I could get too far.
“I wanna see!” I shouted, but before I could slide the window open, the truck suddenly bolted forward before coming to a complete lopsided stop. I fell into Nolan’s lap. He caught me, stopping me from crashing onto the floorboard. His forearm around my midsection, the other around the back of my neck where he stroked my skin with his thumb causing tingles yet again, not only across my skin but down my spine. The crowd outside erupted in jeers and cheers. “What the f*ck just happened?” I asked, looking up at Nolan and blowing my hair out of my face.
“What just happened, Darlin’, is that we f*cking lost!” Scotty said with a smile and laugh that made me think that he might just be the happiest loser ever or doesn’t understand what losing actually meant. The truck, now sitting askew, had us in a crooked almost launch position, with the nose of the truck in the air. Scotty had to stand on the seat and reach around my head to get to his cooler where he produced three more beers, tossing two of them our way. He reached up and opened the sunroof, standing with half of his body out of the when he shouted, “I need a motherf*cking rematch, pussies! The Yota will rise again!” followed by the sound of him popping open his beer. He lifted himself out of the truck completely and fell to the sand where he ran around and opened the passenger side door, which I hadn’t realized had been latched over with a metal bar after we’d gotten in.
Nolan hopped down in one graceful leap, but I didn’t miss the wince when he landed on his injured leg.
“How exactly did we lose?” I asked. Nolan was about to pull me down when Scotty jumped between us, picking me up and swung swinging me around. Behind us I heard Nolan growl.
“Sorry, man!” Scotty said, although he sounded anything but sorry. “She’s a f*cking hot one.” Nolan took me out of Scotty’s arms. He didn’t set me down, though. Instead, he cupped the backs of my thighs and wrapped my legs around his torso. My arms instinctively went around his neck and for a second I was lost, staring into hazel eyes that appeared greener in the dark of night.