“I don’t live at home anymore. Why are you acting like I have to follow your rules?”

“Because I still pay for where you do live. And it isn’t cheap. Have your grades gone down? Are you even still in school?”

“No, Dad, I started dating Kye and thought it would be better to drop out,” I mocked. “Of course, I’m still in school. Stop being ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous? That’s the farthest thing from ridiculous. That’s exactly what happens with guys like him. You need someone more mature, someone who has their life on track.”

“I swear, if you tell me again that I should go on a date with your sheriff friend’s son, I’m going to scream. I do not need to be set up on a blind date.”

“It would make me pretty happy to see you give it a shot, at least. Maybe see the difference between boys like him compared to Kye. Maybe you would even be happy with what you learn.”

I turned back to the track, watching as Kye lined up and then was off. His car veered around the track, sliding around the corners. My fist clenched into my dress at each curve, worry gnawing at me that he was about to run into a wall, but he didn’t. He would make it around each curve with ease until he hit a straighter part of the track and would take off again. It looked like he was going full speed at a wall each time, and each second was making me realize how dangerous this career would be.

And how much I loved sitting here watching him.

He was amazing. I didn’t know anything about racing, and it was clear that he was good at this. I couldn’t imagine why Holt wouldn’t be signing him on as a driver immediately. He moved past the other cars with ease and drifted around the last corner. It was apparently only one of a few race events that would be happening today, and Kye would be doing more of these drifting events along with one on a dirt track that Holt had. All of it was to show off, and Kye was doing amazing at showing off his skills. I thought back to the picture Kye sent me. The one that was currently the lock screen on my phone, and I nearly laughed. It was so dumb that we made each other’s photos our lock screens like anyone would notice, but I noticed every time I opened my phone.

And I loved it.

I wanted to go down there and see him smile like that in person after winning a race.

But I could feel my dad’s glare on me, and my heart sank more.

Between knowing this relationship was always fake, to my dad never letting it be real, I knew it was over.

TWENTY-FOURKYE

The thought of Daisy meeting me at the end of the race spurred me faster toward the finish line.

I was fucked, honestly.

There was no part of me that wasn’t looking forward to kissing her after this.

I passed over the finish line, knowing I won but not caring.

Today was for Holt to see I was serious and to show off that I could be a good driver for him. Whether I won or not barely mattered to me.

Getting back to Daisy to find out what was happening with her dad was a lot more interesting right this second.

By the time I pulled around and parked, Daisy was standing alone by Jax and Carly’s blacked-out Charger.

She definitely looked more pissed off than when I left her.

“What happened?” I asked.

“My dad is pissed. Thanks so much for helping with that, by the way. So, I guess it’s time for our public breakup.”

“Why? Because of your dad?”

“Because it’s over? What reason do we have to keep the facade up? You’re good with Holt now, and I came to the realization that I have friends that I like, and I don’t need to keep up this stupid show.”

The words hit me harder than I expected, my chest nearly caving in. It wasn’t like I ever thought it was a real relationship, but I still liked spending time with her.

I gave a harsh laugh, my chest tightening, turning it all into anger. “So, you’re just going from pleasing your friends to pleasing your dad? I’m useful when your friends need something to gossip about, and now that he’s pissed about this, I’m useless again.”

“No, Kye. That’s not it at all.”

“No?”

Her face fell, and she stepped closer, but I stepped back. “I mean, we agreed to fake the whole relationship for two things. Now we have those things, so wouldn’t this be done?”

The entire rest of the day I had planned for dropped out from under me. The week, the month, everything I had wanted to do with her vanished.

A sheriff’s car crept down the side of the track towards us. I knew her dad would be out driving around, meeting with people, and apparently ruining my life some more.

“Fine. I think that’s your ride,” I said, nodding towards it.

“I rode with you.”

“Like I said, I think that’s your ride.” I pulled out my keys again. I still had more races to get to, but there was no reason to drag this out. I wasn’t sure if I would even find the words to drag this out more. I was about eighty percent sure we just broke up, which meant I had no obligation to take her home.

I had no obligation to do anything.

I could feel my heartbeat picking up with each step. I would lose myself to racing today. I would get so lost in going faster that I would forget about her.

I turned the car over, not looking back as I pulled on the small marked road, passing Sheriff Wells and flipping him off as I went.

It had been six days since Daisy decided to tell me it was all still fake for her.

Six nights that I had barely slept. Six days, I had barely gotten through without texting her. And each day that passed was pissing me off more. I threw the wrench I had been using on a bolt that was refusing to come off, not caring as it bounced off the tire of the car Fox was working on.

“What the fuck, Kye? Knock it off.”

“It slipped.”

“And nearly hit me. Don’t come around me starting shit because you’re mad at the sheriff, or maybe it’s Holt. Who fucking knows because you won’t tell us anything.”

“Maybe I don’t want to tell you anything because all you like to do is run your fucking mouth and gossip about shit.”

He turned back to me now. If he was shocked, he barely showed it. “You think I’m running my mouth? It’s not like I’m talking and gossiping just to be a dick. Unlike you, I care about what’s happening in my friends’ lives.”

“Oh, you can fuck off with that,” I said. “You think I don’t care because I don’t want to hear all of you whining over your fucking girlfriends? They whine less than you guys do.” He stepped up to me now. Fox was a few inches taller than me, but I didn’t care. I also didn’t care that he was one of my best friends.

I was about to hit him.

“Just because you’re mad that you want to whine over a girl now because she ended the stupid charade you had going on doesn’t mean you can come around and start shit with me.”