Amor Rebelde

Chapter Ten (unedited)

"My biggest fear is putting my effort into you and then you end up leaving."

~Unknown~

Nathan's burp filled the car's interior, and I crinkled my nose in disgust as a small laugh pushed past my lips. Next to him, Jonathan waved his hand and rolled the window down as he yelled at his cousin in another language, which I immediately picked up as Spanish. Rolling his eyes, Nathan snapped right back, jabbing his finger into Jonathan's bicep. The bad boy slapped him away and then muttered another phrase. Nathan shot right back, his voice teasing, as a smirk overtook his lips. I watched shyly.

"Don't," Jonathan growled, gripping the steering wheel. Nathan crossed his arms. Eyes flickering to his cousin, Jonathan pushed him down onto the seat before focusing on the road. I squeaked with Nathan immediately leaned forward and started to crawl between the two front seats. "Nathan, get your as--"

"Language!" Nathan screamed, grasping the seat cushion to the left of my body. I instantly reeled back and curled into the side of the car, the door digging into my rib painfully. Little pricks of pain shot through my nerves, but it was nothing compared to the shakes that threatened to course through my veins if I was touched.

"Nathan, I swear, sto--" Jonathan was cut off again as Nathan tumbled, his butt hitting the side of his cousin's face. Shutting my eyes tight, I released a scream as Jonathan lost his grip on the wheel and the car turned toward the other lane. A shrieking horn filled our eardrums as bright headlights blinded me, and Jonathan swore, took the wheel, and violently brought the car back into the right lane. In that time, my heart nearly soared out of my chest, Nathan was thrown forward, and I was pressed against the window, temple throbbing from the impact. My ragged breaths filled the interior as Jonathan quickly pulled over. He turned, resting his arm on the opposite headrest. "Are you crazy?"

I cowered at his dark tone. While I knew Jonathan was capable of showing anger, I still wasn't accustomed to the furious tone he snapped at Nathan with. It only brought flashbacks of my mother's beatings whenever she disapproved of what I did, which was basically everything. If she could hit me for breathing, I bet she would.

Nathan currently had his head on the seat, legs flailing toward the car's roof. He huffed, crossed his arms, and said, "Nope. I did give you a warning."

I glanced between the bickering two. Out of my peripheral view, I saw Jonathan's jaw clench and then tick from the pressure. Nathan was calmly adjusting his position as his cousin fumed. Instinctively, I pulled my legs against my body and tried to occupy the smallest space available. Dropping my gaze, I took careful breaths to calm my racing heart, which was currently about to burst through my chest. My head threatened to burst with the loud bickering to my left. Then, it stopped, and a door was being shut.

I glanced around to see Jonathan walking in front of the vehicle. Turning, I saw Nathan grinning victoriously. Frowning, I opened my mouth to question him when my back lost all support. Eyes wide, I fell backwards, my legs flying forward to try and gain some type of balance. Something hard connected with my left ankle, and I bit my lip against the little twitch of pain as my arms flew out. Again, my heart flew and then stopped when I felt two warm hands gently catch me.

"You alright?" Jonathan's deep, concerned voice trickled into my ears. Feeling the burn of his touch, I found my balance and moved away, turning to face him as he stood on the side of the road, chest still heaving from the exertion he had earlier with Nathan. Numbly, I nodded, and Jonathan offered a soft smile. "Come on."

Confused, I unclipped and slipped out of the car. My left ankle protested for a fraction of a second, but I pushed through and walked toward Jonathan. Smiling brightly, he opened the front passenger seat, motioning me in. I quickly slipped inside, happy to be away from the light breeze that was overtaking the night. Jonathan shut the doors and rounded the front to get back in the driver's seat.