The Secret of Ella and Micha Chapter 8

EllaI originalize I beat stake to more issues than I thought. As soon as we turn onto the Back Road, a passion combusts inner me. It only flames hotter when we pull up to The Hitch, an old flea- minuteten restaurant stati aned at the closed admit of the path.Its the perfect set up for roadway racing, with a long straight road tucked between the opulent trees on the mountains. The sky is opprobrious, the moon b proper(a), that thither argon clouds rolling wave in. I cringe, work come to the fore(a)ing of the night on the bridge. Wed been racing origin in ally Id departed there.Micha desexualizes a text message right as we brink the end of the road. He pulls the cable car to the side, maneuvering cargonfully across the gage holes. He pushes the place brake in and checks his ph unrivaled, shutting it mutilate, and determineing torn up.Whats wrong? I ask. You look upset?Nothings wrong. Everythings great. Hes lying, exactly how outhouse I press him to verbalize the truth when Im a liar too?So this is your surprise? I will my voice to sound disappointed, besides it comes out pleased.Micha gives me a lateral glance. Dont smile, moderately young lady. Itll ruin your whole Im-neutral-and-dont-give-a-shit act.I opt to remain impartial. Who are you send murderning to cannonball along tonight?You mean who are we racing? He smiles alluringly through with(predicate) the dark cab of the car. Well, I thought Id leave that up to you.In earlier of the trees is a line of cars with their inquirylights on and their owners standing climb up the front. Theyre a rough crowd, mostly kats except for Shelia, a well-favored girl with arms thicker than my legs. Shes the only girl Ive ever truly pa prissyd.Well, theres Mikey. I encumbrance my forehead with the clog up of my strive. Does he still got that piece of crap 6 cylinder in his Camaro?Yeah, he does. Micha leans grit in the topographic point, examining me amusedly through the dark. You c all fanny thats who I should go for?Its the obvious choice. I dont standardized where my thoughts are heading, but I cant shut off my basic instinct. Ive always been a hanging-out-with-the-guys loving of girl and therefor there is an abundance of knowledge somewhat cars stashed international in my head. Lila is the first girl Ive been friends with. Although, what kind of a win would it be when you contrive this car that can clearly take on much(prenominal) more.You think I should take on someone in my own league?If you extremity the win to mean anything, consequently yeah.We look at each other, same(p) magnets begging to find out imminent. Yet flip one the wrong direction and they will push apart.So which one is it, pretty girl? He drapes an arm everywhere the headrest behind me and his finds clangour my shoulder joint. The to a lower placedog or the big dog.Theres a dare in the air, teasing the real me to come out tonight. I want to give in, just for a few hours, a nd let my inner ropes untie. I want to allow myself to roost again, but I fear the loss of control I fear Ill conduct to feel everything, including my guilt.Micha, I think we should go c overing. I honk my seatbelt rearward on. This isnt my thing anymore.He presses his lips together firmly. Please can we have a night? however you and I. I really need this right now.I pick up on his strange vibe and the heartache in his eyeball. Okay, whats wrong? Youve seemed a miniscule out of it. Was it bad tidings on that text you got?He traces the figure eight tattoo on his forearm. Do you remember when I got this?I absentmindedly touch my turn out-of-door back. How could I forget, since I have the kindred one on my back?Do you remember why we got them?I cant remember anything near that night.Exactly, besides youll remember it forever. No matter what happens, which is completely ironic. He lets his finger bum about on the tattoo that represents eternity.Theres something bugging you. I tug the bottom of my fit out blue to cover up my tattoo. Do you want to talk about it?He shakes his head, still focused on the tattoo. Nah, Im good.To distract him from his thoughts, I point my finger at a smokin hot 1970 Pontiac GTO, blue with white racing stripes. What about benny? Does he still have the 455?Michas eye are pools of black liquid. You think we should take on the big dog?I think you should take on the big dog, I clarify. Ill just watch you smash his ass.His expression darkens. No way. Im not racing unless youre in the car with me. Its tradition.A starvation inside me emerges. Alright, Ill ride with you, just as long as you do one thing for me?Say it and its yours, he says without blinking.My hunger urges me closer to him. I prop my elbows on the console, and my arms are trembling. He doesnt move, glacial like a statue as I put my lips next to his ear. exculpate sure you win, I breathe and my body arches into him on its own accord, before I sit back in the seat.His organization is indecipherable, his breathing fierce, his respect relentless. Okay, then. Lets go win us a race.We climb out of the car and hike across the dirt road toward the row of cars and their owners. I s pitfall my eyes from the headlights and wrap an arm around myself, knowing these guys are liberation to give me crap for how Im bring downed.Micha swings his arm around me protectively. Relax. I got you baby.Well, what do we have here? Mikey, the owner of the Camaro, strides up to us. Hes got black hair, a kink in his nose, and his thick neck is enclosed with a barb-wire tattoo. Is the infamous duo back again to get their asses kicked?I roll my eyes. You beat us formerly and that was by default due to a flat tire.His face pinches as he takes in my shirt, tank top, and curled hair. What the fuck happened to you?Chandra, his young woman, sputters a laugh. Her dress is so tight that her curves bulge out of it and her stilettoes ferment her almost the correspon ding height as me. Holy shit, she like turned into a little princess or something.Micha squeezes my shoulder, trying to keep me calm. So whos up first? Or has no one decided yet.Mikey eyes Michas Chevelle and theres a nervous look in his eyes. You think you can just travel in here and play the game after sitting out for nearly a year?I mouth to Micha, a year?Micha shrugs. What? You were gone. Why the hell would I want to race?Again, you need to move on without I trail off. Mikey will use what I say against Micha, so I have to watch my mouth. We want to race benni.Mikeys laughter echoes the night. You and what army?I point at Michas Chevelle parked near the road. That army right there.Mikey shakes his head and shoos us away. That thing dont stand a chance against the GTO. Now tribulation along and come back when you got something bigger.Hes testing my control. A lot.As opposed to yours? I retort, getting into Mikeys face. Because that things all looks and no go.Micha directs me b ack by the shoulders and a trace of amusement laces his voice. Easy there, tiger. Lets try not to get our asses kicked tonight, o.k.?benny hops off the hood of his car, flicks his cigarette to the ground, and leaves his buddies to join us. Whats up? Did I hear someone wanted to race me? sesames the kind of guy that everyone respects because theyre afraid of him. When he was a freshman he got into a weightlift at school with a senior twice his coat and beat him up pretty badly. No one knows what the fight was over or what happened, but it was plenty that everyone became cautious of Benny.Mikey points a finger crisply at me. Princess right here wants to challenge you to a race in that thing.Bennys eyes wander to the Chevelle as he cocks his shaven head and crosses his stringy arms. Micha, isnt that your car?Micha pats my back and winks at me. Yeah, apparently shes my spokesperson.Benny deliberates this and then turns to Mikey, whos glaring at me. I dont see what the big deal is . I have no problem with Micha racing. In fact, it might be kinda nice to have a challenge for a neuter. Benny slaps Mikey on the back kind of hard and then pounds fists with Micha.Thanks man, Micha says with a respective nod. be you and I going to line up first then?Benny bobs his head up and down, nodding as he watchs at the road pensively. Yeah man, I think thatd work.They chat a little bit more about the rules and what not, while Mikey continues to scowl at me like an irascible dog. Once theyre done talking, Micha and I walk back to the car, while everyone else scatters toward the start line located right in front of The Hitch.So whats your plan? I ask. Because beating him wont be easy.Youre my plan. He decipherables the passenger door for me. With you in the car, theres no way I wont win, otherwise youll never let me start it down.Tucking my head into the car, I drop into the seat and then look up at him. I wont draw off your car go any faster.He grins, slamming the doo r. Sure you will. He slides across the front of the hood and climbs into the drivers seat.Youre such a show off, I remark.He starts up the engine and it thunders to life. Thats like the pot calling the kettle black.I slump back in the seat and fold my arms. I may have been a lot of things, but I was never a show off.He hooks a finger under my chin and angles my head toward him. Taylor Crepners graduation party devil years ago. You were standing on the roof with a snowboard strapped to your feet, telling everyone you could substantiate the jump. I think thats pretty close to showing off.I make an innocent face. But I did make the jump, didnt I?Yeah, but not without breaking your arm, he says. And thats beside the point.Youre right, I admit, touching the small scar on my arm where the bone broke through the skin. I was showing off and you had to drive my dumb ass to the hospital, then sit in the delay room while I had surgery to put my arm back together.His finger traces a line dow n my neck and to my chest bone. I was there because I wanted to be.You missed a performance because of me.I dont care never have.My gaze involuntarily flicks to his lips. Suddenly, I want to kiss him, like I did that night on the bridge. It makes me uncomfortable because the signature owns me. I lean away, putting space between us. Sensing my transfer of attitude, he revs up the engine and spins the tires, fishtailing the car to the startup line.He shoots me a self-satisfied look, cocking an eyebrow. Now thats showing off.Shaking my head, I restrain a grin. Benny lines up the front of his GTO with Michas Chevelle and his girlfriend struts up between the devil cars. Shes have on jeans and a short t-shirt that shows her stomach. She flips her dark hair off her shoulder and then raises her workforce above her head. People line up along the road, watching, and placing bets on the winner.I spot Ethan and Lila toward the front, chatting about something, and Lila is doing her flirty hair flip thing. When did they get here?Micha ignores me, eyeing Benny through his rolled down window. To the baseline and back?Bennys arm is resting casually on top of the steering bicycle. Yeah, man. First one back wins.They look away from each other. Benny waves at his girlfriend and she nods her head.On your mark. Get set. Go Her hands shoot down and screeches turn out the air. A trail of dust engulfs us as we race off. The trees on the side of the road are a blur, and the sky is one big streak of stars. I keep silent as Micha shifts the car over and over again, but something inside me awakens from a very deep sleep.Benny pulls ahead and makes a sharp swerve right in front of us. His red tail lights are blinding in the night and his vanquish is puffing out thin clouds of smoke. Micha speeds up, inching the front end toward the rear of the GTO.As we approach the end, Benny pulls farther ahead, but its not over yet. Micha has a thing for flipping the car around, without decrea sing the acceleration. Its scary as hell, but it whole kit and caboodle every season. Besides with the longitudinal body of Bennys GTO it doesnt have quite the bout power.We reach the end and I should probably be nervous. The road cuts off into a steep, rocky hill and the space to turn around is narrow, but Ive never gotten scared, not all the same now. I guess I cant change whats in my blood.The GTO begins to slant sideways as Benny turns it. Micha veers to the side to get around him and shoots for the open gap between the car and the trees. I capture the handle above my head, the brakes squeal, and I brace my feet up on the dashboard. Its like being on a merry-go-round on crack. Everything spins the trees, the sky, Micha. For a second, I shut my eyes and it feels like Im flying. It takes me back to the night on the bridge. She said she could fly.The car straightens out and Micha floors the hit man pedal. Like I predicted, Benny is having a harder time lining back up. By th e time were pep pill up the road again, hes a small distance behind us. Micha punches the gas and shifts the car into a higher(prenominal) gear.The long front end of the GTO materializes through my window and Micha floors it, shooting me a look that lets me know I can tell him to slow down if I want.I dont.People take to the woods to the side, panicking at our dangerous speed as we rip through the swallow up line. It isnt clear who the winner is or whos going to be able to get their car to occluded front in time, before crushing into The Hitch. Brakes exclaim and dust swamps the windows. My body is thrown forward with the cars abrupt halt and I smack my head on the dashboard.Micha works to regain control of the wheel and straightens the car as it skids to a stop. Everything settles and the dust slowly clears. Micha and I stare out the windshield, breathing loudly, our eyes as wide as play balls. The front bumper of the Chevelle is a sliver away from a very full-size tree.Holy shit, Micha whispers and looks at me, his eyes bulging. Are you okay?I cut down my hand from the dashboard, my chest heaving with my breaths. Rubbing the bump on my head, I turn in my seat toward Micha. There is an eerie calm inside me and one of my worst fears becomes a reality. Im an adrenaline junkie. Plain and simple, but I think its how Ive been all along. I just never admitted.Im no longer in control.As I incline toward Micha, my heart flutters to life in my chest. My eyes shut and my lips brush his, gently tasting him. It feeds my hunger vaguely and I edge back, letting my eyes open. Micha is looking at me, his eyes pools of blue like the deep spots of the ocean hidden from the world. His hand comes up behind my head and he entices my lips back to his.Something snaps inside me, like a rubber band. With one swift movement, and the aid of my own willingness, Micha lifts me over the console and I straddle his lap, looping my arms around his neck. His hands burrow into my thi ghs and slip under my abut onto my bare skin. My breath falters at the intimacy of his touch. No one has ever touched me like this before, without me runway away. Usually, being this close to someone sends me into a room packed with self-doubt, panic, distrust, and unfamiliarity.My legs reach and Micha leans back. Stay here, baby, he whispers, like he can read my thoughts. perpetrate me, okay? Dont run.He waits for me to nod and then crashes his lips into mine, keeping his hands under my skirt. I arch my body into him, urgent my chest against his, and my nipples tingle. His tongue sultrily plays with mine, tracing every spot on my mouth and my lips. My body starts to gorge with a secret longing.Micha moves his mouth away from mine and my legs tremble in objection. He sucks a path of kisses down my jawline, moving to my neck and residing on my chest right above where my breast curves out of the top of my shirt. It sends a shock through my body and my legs uncontrollably tighte n around him, my knees pressure sensation into his sides.He lets out a slow, deep groan and his hand slides higher into my skirt as he guides me closer. I can feel him pressing in between my legs and it scares the shit out of me, but not enough to make me stop. Its like all the sexual tension I ran away from has sprung free all at once. My fingers sneak under the bottom of his shirt and trace along the outline of his lean muscles. I dont know where to stop or how to put the line back up. My mind is racing and I clutch onto his shoulders needing my control back.Someone bangs on the window. Are you two having play in there?I jump back and my cheeks start to hot up at the sight of Ethan and Lila staring at us through the window. In his black tee and jeans, Ethan blends in with the night, but his dark, insinuating smile glows. Lilas eyes are magnified and her jaw is hanging open. Micha does nothing to help the situation. A faineant grin spreads across his face as he watches me throu gh hooded eyes, looking very pleased with himself.The adrenaline washes out of me and leaves a numb feeling in its place. I climb off his lap and straighten my skirt and hair before getting out of the car. I calmly walk around the back of the car and join Ethan and Lila.So who won the race? I ask, smoothing the last of the wrinkles out of my skirt.Ethan smirks at me. Is that what youre really thinking about at the moment?I stare at him blankly. What else would I be thinking about?Micha climbs out of the car, stretching his long legs. We won, Im pretty sure, he says, taking my hand like its the most natural thing in the world. Although, Im betting theres an argument going on about it.Ethan nods agreeably and takes a sip of his soda. Yep, everyone who bet on you is insisting youve won and vice-versa with Benny.Micha interlaces our fingers. So the same old, same old.You know how these things go. Ethan pats Michas shoulder sympathetically. Theyre never going to come to a decision.My han d is sweating in Michas. He just cracked me open and my mind is racing with a billion thoughts. I cant do this with him. I cant crush him. I need to re tormentt the lines somehow.We should just leave, Micha says to me. Lets not even give them the benefit of our argument.You want to drive out of here all suave? I ask. And make a grand exit?Micha smiles and squeezes my hand. A grand statement.Which would be?That we dont give a shit.I let out a shaky breath and nod. That sounds good to me.You want to meet up at the house? he asks Ethan. Im sure were going to have to do some tuning up on The Beast after what I just did.Lila scrunches her nose and pops her gum. The beast? Do I even want to know what that is?Micha taps the car door with his free hand. Yep, thats what I named it. lovely of like how you call your car your baby.Lila laughs. Oh, I get it. Although, I like my name better.Micha traces his thumb along the palm of my hand. Are you ready to go? Or do you want to go pick a fight w ith someone first.I flash a panicked glance at Lila, who knits her eyebrows. Maybe Lila and I should ride together. I havent spent any time with her today.Youve spent time with me every day for the last eight months, she replies. I think were good for a few hours.Ill take care of her. Ethan chucks the exonerate bottle of soda across the parking lot and it lands in the back of his truck. Really, really good care of her.Lila lets her blonde hair fall into her face to hide her blush. Ive never seen her blush like that. What exactly have the two of them been up to tonight?Micha shakes his head at Ethan. Be good.Ethan rolls his eyes and then walks off with Lila toward his truck. Micha and I get into his car and I prepare myself to make a speech.Micha squeezes his eyes shut and holds his hand up. Dont even say it. Just let it go for the night. Please. I need to just feel this.The pain in his voice causes me to fasten my jaw shut. Opening his eyes, he starts up the car and we drive down t he road. Micha waves to Benny as we pass and everyones eyes follow us. Then the darkness takes over as we pull out onto the main road and the headlights light up the night like a tunnel that leads to the unknown.