RUN!

24. Summertime

Song: Summertime sadness by LDR & Cedric Gervais

   The other half of the game is filled with tension, we don't even scream for Declan the way we were earlier. That's fine with me though, my voice was beginning to fade. When the game ends Jessica disappears into the crowd, leaving just the three of us walking towards the car park. I should probably congratulate the boys on their win but the last thing I need is Kavinsky planting it on Jordan's mind that I like her.

"Did Lee never call back?" Damien asks, breaking our silence. I shake my head, checking my phone again. Both Lee and Reyna haven't replied and I'm getting worried, the probability that they took a detour to go make out is extremely low so something must have happened.

"We're gonna go now? You good?" I turn to Damien once my car is in sight. He looks emotionally drained and exhausted but I know he can't tell me exactly how he's feeling, that's something he tells Yara.

"I'll be fine. I should go talk to her though, clear everything up."

"Yeah you should but hey, don't beat yourself up about it." After one last handshake I walk up to meet Jordan, who's planted herself next to the car.

"This was an eventful outing," she jokes the moment I'm in earshot.

"The night's not over. I've gotta go look for Lee and Reyna but I have no idea where they could be."

We get in the car and she immediately bring out a bag of Cheetos from the compartment.

"I didn't know you kept those there," I eye her.

"Well you don't really focus, now do you?"

"What? I'm very observant Jordan, like 9 out of 10."

She snorts immediately. "Yeah, and you didn't see me putting a bag of Cheetos in your compartment."

"I was distracted. Wow, we're probably gonna get home late today," I whistle. She raises her head and frowns at the long queue of traffic ahead of us.

"Isn't there a short cut? To my place?"

"How selfless of you," I roll my eyes but I'm already turning around so we can take another route.

"It's a pretty lonely place though, how good are you at kickboxing?"

"I'm more of a fencer."

"That's great."

"I know right."

"I was being sarcastic, how valuable are your fighting skills without the fence?"

"Excuse you, I'm a very good fighter. The principles are all the same. Got any gum?"

"You're literally eating Cheetos, Jordan." I give her an exasperated look.

"Yeah well do you?" She sends me a blank look in reply.

I nod towards the compartment again and she proceeds to get it. I turn on the radio to fill the silence and a soft, melodic voice fills my car.

"Great taste," Jordan smiles at me. She brings out two pieces of gum and a sticky note.

"You know the song?" I ask her, glancing at the sticky note. I don't think that's mine.

"Yeah, Lana Del Rey."

"You listen to her too?" I look at Jordan now, immediately recalling the first day I met Avery.

"Well not exactly. Just some songs, who else listens to her?"

"Av–"

"Was this note here before?" She cuts me off. I look away from the dim road and focus on her. Is it just the lighting or has she gotten a bit paler.

"What does it say?"

She raises it up in reply for me to see.

Stay away from her.

"No, it wasn't there before," I look away from the note. There are only a handful of other cars on the road and I suddenly want to get the hell out of here and on to the main road.

"Adonis, what is this about?"

"I don't know," I lie. Something's wrong. Lee and Reyna are missing, now this note. Who got into my car?

"You're a terrific liar. It's about Avery isn't it? There aren't many females in your life."

"Avery isn't in my life." I crane my neck to look at the side mirror. Is that bike... following us?

"A threat. You're receiving threats. What are you doing Adonis?"

"I'm driving." It is following us!

"Adonis!"

"Fasten your seatbelts and raise the windows."

"What?" She stares at me.

"Quick. There's a bike following us."

"What!?" She whips her head around to see it for herself. "Fuckfuckfuck." She mutters continuously as she fastens her seatbelt and raises the window.

"I'm gonna try to beat them okay?"

"Okay," she gulps. Without much delay, I press the gas and watch as the houses and cars around us soon fade away. I regularly swerve and change lanes in hopes that the bike rider will get confused but it's just a straight road so there isn't much I can do about that.

"How long till we get to the bridge?" Jordan asks, adjusting herself so she's constantly looking behind.

"I don't know, 2 or 3 minutes?"

"What is he trying to do?" She sneers.

"Drive us to our death?"

"Kidnap us?"

"Shoot– does he have a gun?"

"I can't see– hey! Are you trying to kill us before he does!?"

"Sorry!"  I yell to both Jordan and the other driver whose car I nearly hit. We're about to enter the bridge, I can see the sign boards.

"He's gaining on us!" Jordan warns. I want to accelerate but then I'd probably get us killed either way, we're reaching a junction.

"I'm gonna go the other way."

"Which other way?"

"Against traffic. It's the only way we'll lose him for some time."

"Against traffic!?"

"Just trust me okay?" I take her silence as her answer and press the gas. When the junction becomes more clearer I blow my horn once, twice, thrice.

"A.D," Jordan's voice is practically a whisper amidst the horn. "Adonis stop, stop, turn around."

"What?" I snap my head in her direction. .

"He's got a gun! He's going to shoot–"

"I can't stop now, I've–"

Pow!

The impact is immediate. My control over the steering fades into thin air as it swerves right and nearly slams into an incoming car. There's a screech coming from the shot tire that seems to be bothering Jordan more than the fact that we're literally heading towards our death. She places a hand over one ear and tries to remove her seatbelt with the other.

"Don't do that!" I yell at her while trying to regain control over the wheel. She doesn't get to yell back because the sound of another shot drowns both of our thoughts.

Fuck.

The car speeds head on into the bridge. I frantically blow the horn one last time before I raise my hands to block my face from the impact. What impact, I'm not sure. All I know is that something hits us from the side before the hit from the front. Despite the seatbelt the force is too strong to keep me from jolting toward and the instant my head hits the steering wheel all I see is black.

I haven't edited this chapter and frankly I think it's quite short and fast paced and I will definitely be revisiting it but for now please bear with me❤️