The Life I'm Running From

33\ The Sharp Sting of Shock

After school, I followed Neha out to the parking lot. She owned a red Toyota Prius that outshone the rusty old Ford parked next to it. Neha unlocked the car with a chirping noise and I slid into the passenger seat, eager to be out of the cold.

Through the front mirror, I watched students running through the parking lot, trying to get into their warm vehicles as soon as possible. Neha blasted the heat as I reclined my seat. An Indian radio station came through the stereo, and she lowered the volume before she put the car into reverse.

Suddenly there was three knocks on the driver's side window. "Hey. Neha, you better not be leaving without me."

I turned to see who it was. With his face scrunched up outside the glass, his back bent over, and his hair tousling in the wind, I almost thought he was someone I didn't know. But alas, it was none other than Bradley Quinton.

Before I could place his name amongst curse words coming from my mouth, Neha rolled down her window. "Sorry! I was so distracted I forgot. The backdoor's unlocked."

He gave a thumbs up before—to my horror—opening the door and buckling himself up. Bradley caught my gaze from where I was turned around in the front seat.

"Hey, Bradden's here." He smiled, showing his pearly whites. "I thought you went on the bus."

I studied him warily. This was the boy who had destroyed Charlie and Adriana's relationship, and had gotten away with it. If I had my way, we'd dump him in the nearest trash compacter.

"Why are we taking him?" I asked Neha, not bothering to keep my angered tones quiet.

She put the car into the reverse, her eyes blinking in surprise at my obvious hatred. "I always give him a ride home. We live just down the street from each other."

"Well today Neha's not going to her house." I gave Bradley a harsh, pointed look. "So you can get out and walk. Preferably get frostbite."

"McKinnley!" Neha sounded horrified.

"I don't want him here!"

Bradley held up his hands in a calming gesture. "Chill Bradden. Don't get your panties in a twist. Harley's not here to fix them for you."

I whipped around in my seat, my face burning with rage. "You son of a—"

"Okay!" Neha said quickly, swinging the car out of the parking lot. "We're all friends here, let's be nice, alright?"

I turned back around in my seat, my vision still red. I would never be friends with that jerk. He was cocky, he was a player, and he didn't care who he hurt. Too bad Neha had to be friends with him.

Bradley looked out the window, casually observing the scenery of buildings and sidewalks. "I was only teasing. It's all fun and games."

Until someone gets hurt. And if I have my way, that person will be him.

The ride to Bradley's house only took ten minutes but felt like an eternity. Throughout it all, he constantly flirted with Neha. Saying she looked ravishing—I formally put it on my list of things I never want a boy to say to me—said they should get to know each other sometime(a wink included), commented on how she was good driver and inquired if she could drive anything else, along with fifty other things I tried to tune out.

Surprisingly, the more Bradley shamelessly flirted, the more Neha's shoulders relaxed and her hands loosened on the steering wheel. Maybe it was so normal it was comforting. In a weird sort of a way, it made sense. I, on the other hand, was gaining a very explainable urge to drop kick him with every passing moment.