𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℝ𝕠𝕒𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕌𝕤

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕋𝕨𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕪-𝕆𝕟𝕖 | ꜰᴀʟʟ

Hudson

The mountain road twisted and turned like a snake, each switchback more treacherous than the last. My windows were down, and the air was thick with the scent of pine and the distant roar of the river far below.

My hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white as I tried to keep my focus on the road ahead.

The narrow mountain pass was challenging enough without the added pressure of the white Honda tailing me, edging closer with every turn.

I couldn't go any faster without losing control.

Sara had been on my tail ever since I left the shop, and now she was pushing her luck-literally pushing me to my limits.

I glanced in the rearview mirror, seeing her crazed eyes stilled locked onto me. She was determined, furious, and someone I entirely didn't recognize as my demure friend from the library...

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

I hit the gas, trying to put some distance between us, but Sara wasn't backing down. She was right on me, dangerously close, her headlights practically kissing my bumper.

I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles white as I tried to keep my focus on the road. My mind raced almost as fast as the car, trying to figure out what the hell Sara was doing. I glanced to my left and there she was, in that white Honda, pulling up right beside me. My heart pounded even harder.

She honked her horn, once, twice, and then rolled down her window, yelling something I couldn't hear over the roar of the wind and the hum of tires against asphalt.

My eyes darted back to the road, trying to stay calm and ignore her, but it was no use-she was relentless.

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

I shook my head, mouthing "No" as I kept my eyes forward, pressing a little harder on the gas pedal. But Sara wasn't backing down. She sped up to match my pace, swerving slightly toward me as if she was trying to edge me off the road. My heart raced even faster, panic beginning to set in as I realized she wasn't just playing games. She was serious.

"Hudson!" Sara shouted again, her voice shrill and desperate. "Pull over, or I swear I'll make you!"

My mind spun. This couldn't be happening-it was like something out of a nightmare. I tried to think, tried to remember everything Colton had taught me about staying calm under pressure, but it was hard with Sara so close and so unpredictable.

"Just leave me alone, Sara!" I yelled back, but my voice was lost in the wind.

Sara's car suddenly veered even closer, the two vehicles nearly touching. My heart leaped into my throat as I yanked the wheel to the right, narrowly avoiding a collision. My car swerved slightly, and I had to fight to regain control.

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

"What are you talking about?!" I yelled back, but she ignored me.

Her face twisted with anger and something darker, something that sent a chill down my spine. "You're ruining everything! You're ruining my life, Hudson!"

Sara's car suddenly sped up, pulling ahead of mine. She cut me off, forcing me to slam on the brakes. My tires screeched as I barely managed to avoid rear-ending her. My pulse pounded in my ears, my breath coming in short, panicked gasps.