Romeo and Juliet

57 -J-

Stranger Danger

"What did I do?" I ask, confusion and alarm flooding my voice as I struggle to remove the helmet, only to find it stuck stubbornly to my head. "You were the one racing through those red lights like we're immortals!"

Just then, his phone chimes, and he quickly glances at the screen before revving the motorcycle to life. "Hold on," he demands, and I groan in resignation. There's a long explanation waiting to unfold, yet here he is, opting to ignore me once again.

As he cautiously navigates the remaining alleys, peeking around each corner, I can't shake the surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins. I'm still reeling from the chaos; how did Valentine's Day spiral into this nightmare? If only I hadn't let him persuade me to join him, I'd be at home cuddling with Papito right now. Oh my God! My mom must be frantic with worry.

I rummage through my skirt pocket for my phone but come up empty. Damn it! It must have fallen. My heart races at the thought—Jude will kill me!

Without warning, Romeo accelerates, and the blinding glare of headlights behind us reflects off the motorcycle's mirrors. He expertly swerves through narrow streets, ignoring startled pedestrians who leap to the side. I have no idea where we are, and Jude must be in a panic too; my tracker has likely stopped moving somewhere in this city's maze.

As we hit an open road, the car pursuing us comes dangerously close. It barrels into us, but somehow we escape by a hair's breadth. In a moment of desperation, I close my eyes, praying fervently for our safety, hoping we can just get away from these madmen intent on running us off the road.

Then everything blurs. I feel a sharp pain before I register that I'm on the ground. Groaning, I attempt to rise, but my ankle refuses to cooperate.

"Lena!" Romeo's voice is thick with anguish. "I'm sorry!"

"Romeo!" I call out, realizing in horror that we've both been shoved aside by the car's bumper, our motorcycle now a battered relic nearby.

We come to rest in a dimly lit parking lot. The offending vehicle has smashed into a wall, and I catch the whiff of smoke curling through the air, an ominous stench that twists my stomach.

"I can't move my leg," I tell him, struggling to locate him through the helmet's restricted view, but the pain radiating from my ankle suggests something isn't right. His phone rings again, and I hear him fumbling for it.

"Down here!" he shouts as he partially limps over to me.

The car door slams shut, and a sense of danger washes over me, starkly contrasting the adrenaline-fueled euphoria from moments ago. The realization strikes that this could very well be my last day on Earth, and I never got to say goodbye to my mother.

I finally feel my heartbeat quicken, and it feels like the air gets sucked from the world around me. Desperately, I try to yank off the helmet again, but it clings stubbornly to my head. When Romeo finally helps me remove it, I realize I'm hyperventilating, tears streaming down my face.

This has to be the worst day of my life. Everything has spiraled out of control, slipping further into chaos at every turn.

"Hide behind the car and wait for Holly. She'll come for you," he insists, urgency lacing his voice.

"I want to go home!" I sob, the weight of fear and confusion crashing down on me. Nothing he says makes sense. I glance at my arms and legs, already blossoming bruises that mark the evidence of our ordeal. At least my face seems unscathed this time, but the thought of my games—of not being able to play, drive, or do anything for what feels like an eternity—fills me with dread. And what will my mom say? I shudder at the thought, realizing I might not even make it out of this alive.

With trembling limbs, I scramble to get behind a nearby car just as Romeo positions himself to confront our attacker—who remains faceless and unknown to me, adding to the terror of this entire situation.