The Game

Weeks passed after that first conversation with Madeline at the lake. Not only did it seem she was everywhere I turned now, infuriatingly, she invaded my every fucking thought. I managed to keep her off my mind while I was busy working, but anytime I was in town, all I could think of was the next time I'd see her. More frustrating, who I'd see her with.

Before she could make good on her threat—because there were no two bones about it, I'd since decided it'd been a purposeful threat—I made good on my promise. That same night at the lake, first chance I got Nolan alone, I made a few things clear.

"Stop laying it on so thick with that Hellman twin."

As expected, he'd been surprised when I explained about Madeline's request. "Why didn't she come talk to me?" he'd asked, already looking around for them.

"Because I told her I'd take care of it. You can flirt with Maggie. Just tone that shit down. It makes her uncomfortable. But you stay the hell away from Madeline altogether."

"What?" he'd started to laugh but then misunderstood. "Did she tell you to tell me that too?"

"No. I'm telling you to stay away from her."

Little did I know this was only the beginning of what would become our game. Because of her "big bad Cortez brothers" comment, I knew she was aware of the reputation we'd earned around town. It was no secret any girl on the back of any of our bikes was not a girlfriend but someone who was just getting a ride. None of us had ever done the serious girlfriend thing, or even casual girlfriend for that matter. Between the girls from Huntsville and the ones from neighboring towns, there'd been plenty of different girls Madeline had seen on my bike in or around town.

If she had before, I'd never noticed, but just like that air of energy she carried so candidly, the disgust whenever she saw me with yet another new girl hadn't been missed. Worst of all, many of those times her mother had witnessed it too. Sometimes when Madeline wasn't even around.

A few new things had been spinning in my head ever since the encounter at the lake. I'd begun to feel like a fucking creeper for constantly keeping an eye out for her and being incapable of keeping my eyes off her once I had her in sight. Yet, her comment about my motorcycles getting bigger made me think maybe she'd been keeping tabs on me as well. Right?

I mean what girl would notice something as insignificant as my upgrading my used motorcycles? I could see if I had a new badass hog I might have shown up at the lake with. But so far, all my rides had been refurbished bikes. Even the one she'd noticed was bigger was in dire need of a paint job. Most motorcycle novices, as I imagined most sixteen-year-old girls would have been, wouldn't even have noticed the difference between the one I was on that night and the previous one I had.

Yet she had.

She mentioned the size, but in hindsight now it seemed she may've had that line prepared. Only it'd been my first night out on that refurbished bike. So she couldn't have had too much time to prepare. And yet all the times I'd observed her from afar, except for the day at the cafe with Ama, I'd never noticed her notice me. Just when I'd decided I was being delusional, that she hadn't actually been watching me that close, I had another run-in with her that changed that.

I'd walked in to pay for my gas at the gas station convenience store when I spotted her and her sister on the other side of the store by the fountain-drink dispensers. For the first time in the last several times I'd seen them, I couldn't immediately tell who was who since both were facing the other way and were busy filling their cups and not doing any talking.

For a moment, my wuss ass considered ducking out. I didn't see Loretta anywhere, so I assumed they came in her friend Shelby's car since I also spotted her an aisle away from the twins. I started to inch my way back when something Shelby said suddenly got my attention.

"Ooh, Maddie, you're gonna love this."

Shelby was holding a magazine in her hand as she walked over to show Maddie something. Suddenly, I was beyond curious to see or hear about what she was going to love. Slinking behind the doughnut case display, I waited, peeking around, glad none of them were facing me. Both sisters huddled around Shelby and the magazine.

"Remind you of someone?" Shelby asked as the girls leaned in.

"Nice," one of the twins said, but I still couldn't see their faces, and apparently they also sounded exactly the same.

"Eh," the other twin said, not sounding as impressed, and I was pretty sure this was Madeline. "That guy's hot, but he's way hotter than that."

"Oh c'mon," Shelby protested, lifting the magazine closer to her. "Look at those eyes."

Already my breath hitched as my mind started to jump to conclusions, and then Madeline replied, "God no. I don't think anyone will ever touch the Cortez green eyes, not even some model on the cover of a magazine."

She walked back to the fountain-drink dispenser and added a little more of whatever she was drinking into her cup. I stood there, debating whether to make a run for it before she saw me and knew I heard what she just said. But something had me staying. She mentioned the Cortez brothers, just as she had at the lake, the night she also made it clear that she might have more in common with Nolan before so unceremoniously walking away. So my curiosity now about who she meant when she said he's way hotter was through the roof.

Then she clarified even more than I could've asked for. "Besides, let me see?" She walked back to get a closer look again. "Yep. That's a Bolt. Poor man's 883. I doubt Nico would ever own one of those. His might all be older models, but I've never seen him on anything but a Harley."

Why I was floored I wasn't sure, but a mix of something was going on in my gut. I felt like a fucking giddy chick, but at the same time, I was panicking. I needed to get out before she saw me, especially now. Only there was no way I'd make it out without any of them seeing me. The moment their attention was on the sandwich area I beelined it to the opposite side of the store with the refrigerators and pretended I was looking for something to drink from there. Something on the lower shelves.

At least if they saw me now, I'd have been far enough away, and they'd be left to wonder if I'd heard, not know for sure I did. Okay, so she thought I was hot, and she even knew more about motorcycles than I would've imagined. Specifically that I rode an 883. But as stupid as it may have sounded, I loved that she knew I'd never ride a fucking Bolt.

"That's 'cause you never listen!"

My thoughts were momentarily interrupted when a couple who looked a little older than I started to argue near the front of the store. After the man's loud outburst, she hushed him, and their arguing continued too low for me to hear. Still, they'd gotten everyone's attention in the store, including the girls, and it was obvious the woman was embarrassed and angry.

It was only noon, but the town got pretty touristy in the warmer months with big city folks driving in to the lake and riverside campsites. So it wasn't too rare to have a few run-ins with drunks this early in the day. Except neither of these two looked or sounded drunk.

I caught bits of their conversation, but when the woman left whatever she was holding on the counter and stormed out, I went back to pretending to search the refrigerators, especially when I saw Madeline and her crew start toward the counter.

Until I heard what sounded like Madeline say something, and then that same man who was arguing responded to her, but I couldn't make out what either of them said. As curious as I was, I dared not look their way until the man's voice was suddenly loud again. " . . . maybe if she'd listen—"

"If she wanted to listen to an asshole," Madeline retorted just as loudly, and instantly they had my full attention. "She could just fart!"

Shelby giggled, but Margaret looked nervous. A few others, including the attendant at the counter, chuckled as well, even though Madeline seemed livid. Did she know these people? The guy who was stunned silent, glared at her as she and the other two paid for their things and walked out of the store.

I watched as he paid at the counter then stalked out with a purpose, and I was off. When I got out there, it was clear Madeline did know them because she was standing out there talking to the woman who'd stormed off. They were standing at the back of a car with an open trunk The man charged toward them, and I wasn't far behind, if nothing more than to make sure his ass didn't say or do anything stupid.

"Road trip to Fayette," Madeline announced as she took one of the bags the woman pulled out of the trunk.

"Where you going?" the guy asked as he neared them.

"We're taking her the rest of the way."

Madeline didn't even look at him when she said it as Shelby quickly opened the trunk of her car and they put the woman's bags in. The man started to argue, but Madeline turned to him as the others quickly climbed into the car. "Ah, ah, ah." Madeline lifted her finger at him with a raised brow. "She doesn't listen to assholes, remember?"

The only moment she slowed was when our eyes met and her expression softened. She seemed to take a deep breath almost as if she had something to say to me. But the moment was short-lived because just as quickly she was in the car with the others.

"You're gonna regret this, Rachel," the man yelled out as they started the car.

In the next moment, they were off. As if whisking his girl off like they did and calling him an asshole more than once wasn't insulting enough, all four lifted their hands out of their windows and flipped him off.