Page 16 of Racing Hearts

Blackmail, I tell myself.

Groaning, I throw my phone away and cover my face. What the fuck is wrong with me?

Why did I kiss that asshole?

I blame my emotions. I am never good at controlling them when I get carried away. That has to be it. I wanted to shut him up. Yes, that’s it. No other reason.

It won’t happen again, that’s for sure.

Rich boy doesn’t get to come in here and fuck with my life. It’s perfect the way it is.

I don’t need the complication he would provide, and that’s exactly what he is—a complication.

I don’t even like men, I like women, and I’ll prove that to him and everyone who says differently.

Rolling to my side, I scrunch my duvet and bury my head in it.

Why do my dreams center around ducks and frills?

EIGHT

I’m only taking her to school so she doesn’t have to walk. That’s the only reason.

It’s definitely not to catch a glimpse of the icy-haired menace who keeps texting me no matter how much I ignore him.

“I need to work tonight,” I tell her. I have a big race. It’s worth a lot of money, and if I win, I will finally be able to put a down payment on a garage. I don’t want to get her hopes up though. “I’ll be home late, so get someone to walk with you. Not Evan.”

“You didn’t call him rich boy. Okay, bye!” she calls as she slams her door and runs off.

Brat.

I hesitate. Evan is like clockwork, always on time for class, but I don’t see him anywhere. Good, that’s good, I didn’t want to see him. I pull out my phone to check the time. I have no notifications, and his last text was yesterday at dinner—a picture of him eating a burger with it smeared all over his face like a fucking idiot.

Frowning, I notice his red eyes and pale skin that I didn’t before.

I hesitate before I turn my engine off and get out. I only need to confront him and tell him to leave me alone. I grab a blue-haired guy as he moves past. “You know Evan Shaw?” I ask.

He looks me over before nodding. “He isn’t here though.”

“Why?” I demand.

“He’s sick. He missed his first lecture too.” He takes off, and I stare after him.

Fine, it’s none of my business. Besides, at least he might leave me alone. He’s sick . . . It isn’t because I hit him, is it? He had a bruise, but he didn’t seem to care. No, he is sick, and it has nothing to do with me.

Nothing at all.

I managed to work all day without thinking of Evan Shaw or that fucking kiss, but when I finish and pack up to go to the race, I check my phone. Still nothing from him.

Is he really sick?

Alice said he had no family anymore, no one to look after him, but his friends will check on him, right?

For fuck’s sake, Alice will be pissed if I let him die. She’ll blame me.

That’s the only reason I do what I do next. He needs to get better so I can kick his ass and warn him away.

There’s a store next door. I don’t know what’s wrong with him, so I just clear the shelves of anything he could need. On the way out, I spot a bistro across the way, and despite the looks I get for going in there, I get a soup to go and then climb into my car, freezing. I don’t know where he lives.

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