The Road to Us

✨ Chapter Twent-One | Fall

— Hudson —

The mountain road twisted and turned like a snake, each switchback more treacherous than the last. The scent of pine was thick in the air, mingling with the distant roar of the river far below. Wind whipped through my open windows, but I barely noticed. My focus was locked on the road—and the white Honda riding my bumper.

Sara.

She had been on my tail ever since I left the shop, and now she was pushing her luck—literally.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, knuckles aching. The narrow pass was bad enough without her creeping closer with every turn. I couldn't go any faster without risking control, but she didn't seem to care.

A glance in the rearview mirror sent a chill down my spine. Her eyes—wild, locked on me like a predator sizing up prey. This wasn't the Sara I knew. The soft-spoken librarian, the quiet girl who always recommended poetry books. No, the person behind me was someone else entirely.

What the hell was she trying to do? Kill me?!

My pulse pounded in my ears as I hit the gas, desperate to put distance between us, but Sara wasn't backing down. If anything, she was getting bolder. Her headlights practically kissed my bumper, the glare bouncing off my mirrors.

Then—movement. My stomach dropped as she veered left, pulling up alongside me.

No. No, no, no.

I risked a glance and found her window rolling down. Her lips moved, but the wind swallowed her words. Then—honk! A sharp, angry blast.

Twice.

I gritted my teeth, forcing my eyes forward. If I ignored her, maybe she'd stop. Maybe she'd realize how insane this was.

But Sara didn't stop.

"Hudson!" she screamed, her hair whipping around her face. "Pull over!"

I shook my head, mouthing No.

Sara's expression twisted, her grip tightening on the wheel. And then—she swerved.

A sharp, deliberate nudge toward my car.

Panic slammed into my chest.

She wasn't just messing around. She was trying to force me off the damn road.

"Hudson!" she shrieked again, her voice cutting through the wind like a blade. "Pull over, or I swear I'll make you!"

My hands were slick on the wheel. My mind scrambled for solutions, for anything Colton had ever taught me about staying calm under pressure.

But this wasn't just pressure.

This was a nightmare.

I tried to yell back, to tell her to leave me the hell alone, but my voice was lost in the roar of the wind.

And Sara?

She just kept coming.

Sara's car suddenly veered closer—too close.

My breath caught as metal nearly kissed metal, and instinct took over. I yanked the wheel right, heart slamming into my throat. My tires wobbled over the narrow shoulder, gravel spitting out beneath me, and for one terrifying second, I thought I'd lost control. But I gritted my teeth, steadying the car, forcing it back into the lane.

What the hell was she doing?!

"Hudson!" Sara screamed, her voice cracking under the force of it. "You don't get it, do you? You think you can just leave me behind? That you can run away with him and everything will be fine?"