Emma didn't really know where they were going, but they'd been driving a few minutes now. She didn't question him; she just held on tightly and enjoyed the ride. They drove pretty far, deep into the sketchy part of town, passing by broken-down buildings, liquor stores, and nightclubs. Her blue dress whipped around behind them, and her hair probably looked a mess, but she didn't have a care in the world. Driving off like this made her feel completely free from her little caged existence.
Suddenly, she heard the low thrum of bass music growing closer. She peeked over his shoulder: they were heading into an old, not-so-abandoned underground parking garage. The only reason Emma knew it wasn't abandoned was the flickering of bright, multicolored lights streaming out along with the loud music. She instantly tightened her arms around his middle.
They rode through the entrance. Inside, it was dimly lit, save for the flashing multicolored lights. A few people greeted Blake as he rode past; apparently, this wasn't his first time here, and that gave her a little comfort. The interior was bustling with tattooed people, some with brightly dyed hair, dancing, talking, and drinking what she assumed was alcohol. She didn't recognize anyone here from her school; in fact, most people looked older than her. The music was even louder inside, with flashy motorcycles and cars lined up against the walls, headlights blaring.
Blake parked alongside them. "Lake, is that you?" a male voice called out.
Blake heard it as he helped her off the bike. He turned, a smile hinting on his lips as he saw a white male with brightly dyed red hair walking over. To Emma, he looked twenty, maybe twenty-one. As he got closer, she noticed he had a full sleeve of tattoos, mostly of different video game characters. She recognized Mario, Link, and the God of War logo. The mysterious guy had a wide grin on his lips.
"I knew it, I fucking knew it! I'd recognize that bike anywhere," he exclaimed, grabbing Blake's hand and pulling him into one of those guy hugs where they patted each other on the back. They finally pulled apart, and he noticed Emma at Blake's side, winking at Blake. "Ohhh, and you brought a friend with you after two years! I'm honored, for real," he said, pretending to wipe away a tear before opening his arms for another hug.
Blake laughed, punching him in the arm while pushing him away. Emma smiled behind her hand; they had an adorable bond. It was kind of like they were brothers. "She's dressed up and everything! I'm fucking touched!" he said dramatically, crossing his arms.
Blake rolled his eyes as if this were a normal situation for him. "Shut up, man. She's not dressed up to meet your ass. This is Emma, my um... friend from school. She needed an escape, so I brought her here. Emma, this is my oldest friend, Chris." Emma tried not to feel offended about Blake calling her just a friend. After all, that's all they really were. Chris smiled, sticking out a hand. "Pleasure to meet you." They shook hands for a moment before he pulled away.
He held one hand up, whispering to her, "I'm just fucking happy this guy was finally able to make friends with the opposite sex. For a while, I was convinced he would die alone." He literally wasn't even whispering; Blake could clearly hear every word he was saying. That made Emma laugh, especially when she looked over at Blake, who was just cringing beside her. She definitely could get used to this Chris guy; he was funny.
"If you don't mind me asking, what is this place?" Emma asked curiously, taking a moment to look around.
Chris raised his eyebrow, looking over at Blake. "You brought her here and didn't even let the girl know what this place is? Wooow, that's wild." He shook his head as if disappointed, then grinned, throwing an arm around her shoulder. He gestured around them with his wide-open hand. "This, young lady, is The Underground, an illegal racing club."
Her eyes widened, gasping slightly. Illegal! This place was illegal, and he brought her here? What was he thinking? She took a moment to subtly glare at Blake. To think, just a few months ago, she would have never thought of coming to a place like this. Meeting Blake had really shaken up her world.
"And that guy right there," he said, pointing at Blake, who gave an awkward wave towards her, finally noticing her heated stare. "Used to be the best racer here." Her eyes scanned over Blake as he walked over to them, pushing Chris's arm off her. She raised a brow, looking at him. Street racing definitely looked like his aesthetic.
"You race cars?"
Blake was about to reply, but Chris cut him off. "Motorcycle racing was more his thing back in the day."
Blake glared at his friend. "Thank you for telling her my life story, Chris." His voice was full of annoyance and sarcasm. But Chris didn't seem to pick up on that, smiling cutely.
"No problem, buddy. We are actually having a race tonight. You should join!"
Blake immediately shook his head, turning down his friend coldly. "No way, dude."
Emma looked between them. She couldn't help but wonder why he was so against it when he used to be so good. Chris looked in every direction as if trying to come up with a reason for his friend to race. Someone walked past through the crowd, catching his attention. He grinned mischievously but played it off for a moment. "Well, I guess Thomas is going to win again tonight." He shrugged as if it were no big deal, but the way Blake instantly tensed up beside her told her there was a story behind his discomfort relating to Thomas.
Blake glared at him. "You should kick his ass out of here before someone else gets hurt. I told you before, he messed with my brakes before a race! I almost rode into the fucking river! I crashed just to survive!" he said quickly, throwing his hands in the air in disbelief.
Emma's mind was blown. There was a whole world down here that she never knew about. Was this Thomas guy really that bad? Did he really almost kill Blake?
"Now, Blake, there was no proof that he really did that, and we can't just kick him out for nothing," Chris said, shrugging, watching a guy across the crowd talk to a blonde girl.
Blake followed his gaze to who Emma guessed was Thomas. He was a dark-skinned man, buff as anything, wearing a baseball cap and a t-shirt. "I'm still out... I'm not racing. Me and Emma just came here to chill."
Thomas must have felt her looking at him because he quickly turned his eyes to meet hers. He ran his eyes over her dress, making her want to cover up immediately. His gaze then moved to Blake beside her. As their eyes met, Thomas smiled wickedly, waving a hand loosely.
They held eye contact for a moment. The way he was looking at Emma was pissing Blake off, probably more than it should have. He locked his and Emma's hands as if to state his claim on her. Thomas continued to smile as if he didn't care. Emma's heart was pounding in her chest from him holding her hand. She barely heard him say strongly, "I'm in."
YOU ARE READING
It Started With Hello
Romance***** Emma Pear knew she wasn't the most popular girl in high school. Her nose was usually buried in a textbook, and her grades were as spotless as her reputation for always following the rules. "Nerd" was a label she'd long since embraced. Her pare...
