The click signaling that the car doors had been unlocked sounded, and I climbed into Lauren's warm car, the passenger side this time. My hands were shaking from my encounter with Nate, so I struggled as I tried to take off Lauren's shirt.
"Leave it on." She didn't even spare me a glance before turning the ignition.
I hesitated. Her anger was visible as the muscles in her jaw clenched. "But I'm not cold anymore."
"And I can't look at your ripped shirt right now."
I shrugged the shirt back over my shoulders, put my belt on, and slammed into the back of the seat as she peeled out of the parking lot.
What the hell was her problem?
Was he mad at me or Nate? Obviously, Lauren didn't want to see me hurt— not physically, anyway. But why was she being so curt with me?
The car fishtailed slightly as it left the gravel lot and pulled onto the paved road of the highway. Lauren weighed down on the gas and shifted forcefully as we picked up speed. No music played, and she didn't speak.
The highway was deserted except for the haunting trees that loomed over us on the sides. Judging by how quickly everything flew past my window, Lauren was way over the speed limit.
Peeking at her through the corner of my eye, I saw that she was seething. She licked her lips and took several heavy breaths, while she tightened and retightened her grip on the steering wheel.
"What's your problem?" I grabbed the bull by the horns and asked.
"My problem?" She raised her eyebrows as if I'd just asked the dumbest question. "You come to the bonfire with that idiot Ben Jamison, who can't stay sober enough to drive you home, and then you traipse off into the woods, in the dark, and get groped by Dietrich. Maybe you're the one with the problem." Her voice was low but bitter and spiteful.
She was mad at me? Oh, hell no.
I turned in my seat and looked straight at her. "If you recall, I had the situation under control." I tried to keep my voice calm. "Whatever favor you think you were doing me only satisfied your own anger. Leave me out of it."
She sucked in her cheeks and continued down the highway.
As I glanced at the speedometer, my eyes bulged when I noticed that Lauren was driving over eighty miles per hour.
"Slow down," I ordered.
She ignored my plea and gripped the steering wheel harder. "There's going to be situations you can't handle, Camz. Nate Dietrich wasn't going to take too kindly to what you did to him tonight. Did you think that was going to be the end of it? He would've come after you again. Do you know how badly Madoc wanted to do something after you broke his nose? He didn't want to hurt you, but he wanted to retaliate."
Why didn't he then?
Madoc had been humiliated, no doubt, at that party more than a year ago when I broke his nose. But he'd just let it roll off him, or so I thought, and hadn't sought any payback. Thanks to Lauren.
I guess Nate Dietrich wouldn't be seeking retribution, either. Not with Lauren involved.
I felt gravity pull my body towards the other side of the car, and my heart thumped wildly when I saw that Lauren wasn't slowing down as we rounded the soft turn.
"You need to slow down."
Lauren snorted. "No, I don't think so, Camz. You wanted the full high school experience, didn't you? Football player boyfriend, casual sex, reckless behavior?" She goaded me with his sarcasm.
What was she talking about? I never wanted that stuff. I just wanted to be normal.
And then she switched off her headlights.
Oh, God.
The road was black, and I couldn't see more than a foot in front of us. Thankfully, there were reflectors that separated our lane from the oncoming traffic, but the country roads were busy with deer and other animals, not just traffic.
What the hell was she doing?
"Lauren, stop it! Turn on the lights!" I braced one hand on the dash as I turned to confront her. We were zooming down the road at a frightening speed, and a
lump formed in my throat.
The tattoo on her arm peeked out of her t-shirt, and it stretched with her
tensing muscles while she gripped the stick shift. My legs were weak, and for the first time in a long time, I was too scared to think.
"Lauren, stop the car now!" I yelled. "Please!"
"Why? This isn't fun?" Lauren's voice was disturbingly calm. None of this scared her, or even excited her. "Do you know how many squealing airheads I've had sitting in that seat? They loved it." Her eyebrows pinched together as he looked at me with mock puzzlement. She was pushing me.
"Stop.The.Car!" I screamed, my heart pounding with dread. She was going to kill us.
Lauren twisted her head to face me. "You know why you don't like this? Because you're not like them, Camz. You never were. Why do you think I kept everyone away from you?" Her voice sounded angry, but clear. She wasn't drunk, at least I didn't think she was, and this was more emotion than I'd experienced from him in years, except for the night of the kiss.
