Page 151 of Falling in Reverse

“You hustled, Trav?” I ask her as she pulls up her matching black hair in a high ponytail.

She scoffs as if that’s a ridiculous thing to do. “Yeah. He needed something and so did I.”

Levi chuckles and holds a hand up for her to high-five. “I’ve taught you well, Padawan.”

Ellie returns the gesture with a jump and smiles up at him. “You know it.”

“The fuck is a Padawan?” I solicit, watching these two exchange some hidden universe.

“My God, your sister needs to get her life,” Levi stresses as if I’m not here, and it only makes Ellie smirk over at me like a little shithead.

“It’s an apprentice to a Jedi,” Travis fills in for me. “They teach and train?—”

“I got it. When do they get the lightsaber, because I want to play with it and use Levi as the target?”

“If Travis goes on a ride with you,” Levi teases, smacking him a little too hard in the shoulder and causing Travis to bow over a tad. I’m sure he’s still sore as hell and Levi knows damn well that fast-moving vehicles and ships make Travis nauseous.

I learned that the hard way when we were sixteen and he threw up all over my passenger seat. Thank God, it wasn’t my car that I was driving but Layla’s when I was going to drive it off Peer Pressure Pier. It’s where idiots go to be idiots and I heard that’s where The Nameless initiated some of their members. I never thought to ask Levi that.

“No, thanks,” Travis replies, appearing a little green just from the thought. “I’ll watch.”

“Nessa’s ready,” Levi urges. “Beat the fucker, move up the line, and let’s win this hundred K. I got some uses for it when it comes to?—”

“Lev,” I warn because I’m quite aware of where he’s going with his thoughts. He’s probably thinking of all the things he could buy just to torture the Forsaken Crew.

He gives me a weak smile and lightly kisses the top of my head.

“Good luck, Bay.” Ellie comes in to wrap her arms around my waist, and I revel in the fact that she still believes I’m kinda cool.

“Thanks, babe. See you in a few.”

She takes off with Levi while Travis gives me a wave, followed by a thumbs up as they get back so I can set up.

I get inside my car, locating an ’81 Ford Ranger that I’m up against doing the same thing. Setting up, Nessa pulls us both into the line. The moment she flicks on her flashlight for us to go, I push the trans brake and take off. The front tires of my Dad’s Chevy Nova lift but are caught by the roller bars in the back.

With a clear view of the street, I shift mindlessly into gears and never see the guy with the Ranger on my side. But over the loud roar of my engine, an ear-splitting boom reverberates from behind me, shooting through my body like a swift slice of a blade. My eyes directly flick to my rear-view mirror and that’s when my heart ceases to beat.

Yellow flames edged with orange blaze high in the air. Black smoke lingers over it and it doesn’t take an idiot to realize that something blew up.

Something in the direction of Ellie, Travis, Levi, and Nessa.

Pulling my foot from the gas, I tap my brake a few times to slow the car down and when I’m comfortable with the speed, I whip the back end around.

I misjudged, my head racing and my heart slamming unforgivingly in my chest as the Nova skids and bitches at me for still going too fast, sliding horizontally across the cement road.

Straightening out, I gun the gas, peeling out again and kicking debris back down the road. My vision is full of fire and smoke as my car gains feet closer. Within yards, I’m stopping, shoving my door open, and sprinting around the front end, men and women scattering left and right in throngs of chaos.

Entering the abyss of bodies, I’m knocking into and almost tripped. It’s like a stampede of gazelles, trying to find safety but not knowing where to turn. My frame is being elbowed and shoved everywhere as I push through, attempting to see my friends but realistically it’s never going to happen. I’m too short and there are too many bodies.

The crowd breaks into a wide circle, giving me some extra air when I’m met with men and women fighting, throwing punches, and shoving at each other.

It's a complete shitshow.

My eyes quickly scan the disorder of bodies again when they land on Cairo delivering a punch to some bald-headed guy with thick chains around his neck.

It’s Tarzan.

Some crazy fucker who Matteo used to hang out with in high school and who joined his little hood gang, the Pistol Posse, because they liked to pistol whip people for fun.

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