extortion || h.s

chapter eight:

update; 30 votes & 10 comments!! :)

i know its not long and there are probably errors but i wanted to finally update :)

happy readings xx

**

My mouth was dry, maybe too dry. It felt almost like someone had shoves cotton balls in it. As I chewed on the inside of my lip, memories of my older brothers street racing habits ran through my mind and in one instant I was at my feet, slipping shoes on and grabbing my coat.

"Can you bring me there?" I asked, picking my phone up off of the bed and sliding it into my pants pocket.

"Um, well I don't know if Harry woul–"

"Aspen, I need you to bring me there." I say sternly, each word that fell from my mouth was slow but sharp.

After a few moments of hesitation she got up off of Harry's bed and slipped her shoes on, gesturing me with her hand to follow after her. My stomach was doing so many flips and I could barely get the lump out of my throat. I had no idea how Harry was going to react to seeing me there or how he was going to act towards me for the rest of the trip. It was all a shot in the dark, if I was to be completely honest.

I climbed into her car, shutting the door with ease before buckling myself in and taking calm deep breaths. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Aspen staring at me as she started the car up and the engine roared to life.

"You alright?" She asked, her face serious.

I nodded without verbally saying I'm alright because I was afraid that if I was to open my mouth a verbal diarrhea of how I'm really feeling at the moment would flood out. She nodded back without saying anything. I fiddled with the strings that were fraying from my jeans more than I looked out at the road that was only lit up by the headlights of cars that were out at 11:33 at night.

Turns out the street race actually wasn't taking place too far from where the hotel was conveniently located, maybe a total of fifteen minutes away. I got out of the car, zipping my jacket up due to the cold winds and closed my door before jogging up to where everybody else that was watching was crowded. Pushing my way through the mob of people, I finally made it up to the front. I looked at the cars that were parked across the street, skimming them to find Harry but I had no such luck.

A moment later two cars were speeding by the crowd, making extremely loud noises and causing me to cringe as I covered my ears. Not even ten seconds later the sound of someone talking through a megaphone was ringing through my ears.

"Your winner everybody! Cole Holden!" I spotted the man the voice belonged to, he was young and handsome.

I bit the inside of my lip, just on the verge of giving up on my small search for Harry as I see him get out of the car parked next to the sidewalk and slam his door. The term mad probably didn't even begin to explain how infuriated he looked. He stood next to the kid who's name I learned to be Cole and scrunched his fists together as the crowd cheered for the winner.

As Harry looks up from the ground, he catches my eye contact and somehow something that simple makes me regret ever coming here in the first place. The look on his face is now ten times worse and he doesn't stay in place, he starts walking in exactly my direction. He was walking in a beeline straight to me, and I couldn't move. It was almost like my feet had been crazy glued to the ground. As he clenched his jaw, he forcefully grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him. You'd think with how intimidating he look at the very moment I would shut up, but of course my mind doesn't work like that.

"Let go of me." I grunted, trying to pull my arm free.

"Shut up." Is all he said in return, not even turning to look at me.

"Let go of me." I repeated, this time around pronouncing my words slowly and sharply so he heard each one.

He stopped mid walk, causing me to be a mere five inches away from him. As he turns slowly to look at me, my heart starts beating fast enough to probably beat right out of my chest and the lump in my throat is back.

"I said shut up." He growls, his face only inches away from mine.

This time around I listen, he goes back to walking and my mouth continues to feel like its full of cotton balls once again. He pulls me in between two buildings which have created some sort of alleyway. Its dark enough that I can barely make out the pattern of bricks across from me.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" He yells at me for the second time today. I almost cower, but I don't.

"Why the fuck are you street racing?!" I don't even answer his question with an answer but with a question of my own as I cross my arms over my chest.

"Its what I fucking do, Carissa!" The anger in his voice is as clear as day. "I asked you to pretend to be my girlfriend not watch every fucking little thing I do!" In one quick moment his fist is hitting the brick wall about a foot away from my face. I don't flinch.

"I'm sorry that I worry about you, Harry! I'm sorry that you've dragged me into this mess and I can't help but worry for you when your sister tells me you street race!" I scream this time, my throat is already raw and I don't care if anyone else can hear us, which they more than likely can.

"Thats my business! I didn't ask you to babysit me! I've been street racing far longer than when I ran into you in that stupid bathroom!" He yells back at me, he is now a foot away from me and all I want to do is punch him but I know I'll look stupid.

"I don't care if you didn't ask me to babysit you!" I begin, whaling my arms everywhere. "I worry, Harry, just like any other human being."

"I don't want you to." His yells have now calmed down to a breathless pant, and his hands are on either side of my head as he stares down at me.

"Tough luck, sugar plum, thats not going to make me not worry about you." I roll my eyes.

"Just give me a break Carissa, I've been doing this forever, get over it." His close proximity is now making my palms sweat and my cheeks are probably a vibrant shade of pink.

"I don't care, I just don't want to see you get hurt." I say, exasperated.

A smirk is evident on his lips and he steps closer to me so that the only thing you could probably place between us is a piece of paper.

"You care about me, Adams? Shocking, I thought the famous Carissa Adams cared about nobody."

"I don't care about you, I just don't like seeing losers get hurt." I look away.

He dips his head so his cheek is against mine and his lips are near my ear and whispers, "Gotchya."

He backs up while clearing his throat and glances to the end of the alley, "We should get back to the hotel, Adams. Big day ahead of us."

I nod and follow behind him, I can still feel his cheek against mine, like it'd never left. As we walk down the alley way all I can think about is how thats probably the most we've gotten along, and how I didn't hate it all that much, not that I'd ever let him in on that.

Getting into his car and turning the heater up, he drives off after waving to Aspen and honking.