It Started With Hello

Chap. 24

Emma quickly turned her head, looking up at Blake. Thomas turned his attention back to the blonde, and Blake let go of her hand as he pulled a cigarette and lighter out of his pocket.
"Blake, are you serious right now?" she asked.He lifted a simple brow, looking down at her. "What?" Chris was holding back his laugh, watching them.

She crossed her arms. "That's dangerous. You could really get hurt." It was obvious she didn't want him to go out there.
He lit his cigarette, putting it in his mouth. "Don't worry, Emma, he's one of the best. Everyone is going to love seeing him race again," Chris said while patting Blake's back. His statement did little to calm Emma's racing heart.
"Did I just hear Blake's racing again?" A tanned girl walked over to join the conversation. She was wearing a short black dress with heels, her hair a black, shoulder-length choppy bob, and adorable dimples. She looked somewhat familiar.

Chris wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Blake raised an eyebrow, looking between them. "Are you two finally together? How were you able to trick her into that?" he laughed sarcastically while trying to smoothly change the subject.
Chris rolled his eyes as the girl gave Blake a short hug, then turned to Emma. "Hey, they call me Kandy 'cause I'm so sweet," she said, poking her cheek sweetly.

Chris pulled her hand away, pointing a finger toward her. "Her name's really Clementine Rogers. You may recognize her from the 10:00 news; she's one of the news anchors." So that's where Emma knew her. She looked a little different than on TV but was still recognizable.
Kandy glared at him before looking back at Emma. "But that name doesn't fit my style, so you can call me Kandy outside professional settings." She grinned, and Emma shook her hand.

"I like to say I'm the beauty, and she's the brains of our relationship," Chris said, striking a pose with his hands on his hips, making Emma and Kandy laugh.
Somehow, Blake had managed to turn the conversation away from himself without Emma really noticing. She looked up, watching him walk back from the race sign-up table. She frowned as he made his way back by her side. Noticing her intense gaze, he finally spoke up. "You're not my mom, Emma. I'm in this race now," he said while taking a hit from his cigarette, shrugging.
"A few minutes ago, you were sure about not doing it. What changed?" she asked curiously about his sudden shift in mood.

Blake glared over in Thomas's direction. "No reason," he muttered.
Kandy tapped Emma on the shoulder, whispering, "He's doing it to prove a point... it's a guy thing."
She looked over at him as he threw his cigarette to the ground. "What point?"
He looked at her before rolling his eyes. "There's no point." He stomped out the cigarette.

Chris wrapped an arm around his shoulder, messing up his hair. "When Lake did race, he always came in first with Thomas always coming second. I'm guessing he wants to prove the point that he still runs this place, whether he's been gone two years or not."
Blake pushed him off, fixing his hair before making his way over to his bike. They followed behind him, seeing Thomas standing by Blake's bike. Blake stopped right in front of him.

"I heard you're joining the race... good luck out there," Thomas grinned, holding out his hand for Blake to shake. "May the best man win?" Blake slapped his hand out of the way, glaring. He pushed past Thomas, climbing on his bike. "Don't worry, I will."

Thomas held up his hands in surrender, grinning cockily, turning his head to look at Emma up and down. "Who's your new friend, Lake? Haven't seen her around before." Emma looked down, her bangs hiding her eyes.

Kandy stood in front of Emma, seeing her discomfort. "You don't need to worry about that, asshole. Get out of here."
Thomas let out a fake laugh, looking at her before backing up slightly. Emma's brown eyes finally met his. "I'll see you around, pretty girl?"

Blake's hands tightened around his handlebars. "No. You. Will. Not."
Thomas continued to smile as he walked away, waving a hand. A tall blonde woman in a ridiculously short dress, high heels, and fishnets walked past them into the middle of the room with a megaphone. "You wanna race!?" she yelled into the megaphone. The crowd cheered. "I don't know? Do you really wanna race!?" The crowd yelled louder, and the girl clapped her hands, grinning. "Alright, motorcycle race starts in five minutes! All racers, make your way to the opening of the garage!" The crowd yelled, and people started to make their way to the garage entrance.

Blake started his bike, about to follow, before Emma stopped him with a hand on his arm. "If you go, I go."
He looked into her brown eyes as if searching for something. "That's too dangerous, Emma," he whispered.
She tightened her hand on his arm. "You. Go. I. Go." Blake looked conflicted, looking over at his friends for help. Chris shrugged, and Kandy nodded as if telling him to go for it.

"Fine," he said, holding out a hand to help her up. She grinned, grabbing onto it tightly, climbing onto the back of his bike. He blasted the engine, moving toward the entrance, following the crowd.