Page 56 of I Hate You More

Chase put his hands in his pockets as he looked down at me. “I just wanted to see if you need a ride home. Your car was still in the drive when I left.”

“Oh.” Tessa had driven me here because Shane needed the car for training. I had planned to walk home, but it took almost an hour. “You don’t have to do that. I can walk.”

“I don’t mind,” he said. “It’s not like it’s out of my way.”

“Right,” I mumbled. “Aren’t you staying here with your grandpa?”

Chase shook his head. “Nah, I’ve already spent an hour with him, and he likes eating lunch with his friends.”

I stayed silent, uncertain what to do. Chase had been so rude to me last night, but then he’d left the book outside my door like some kind of peace offering. One minute, he would do something that only spurred me on in my quest to get him kicked out of the house, but the next minute, he’d make me question whether I wanted to go through with it at all.

“So, do you want me to drop you home, Ally?”

I cleared my throat. “Yeah, sure, that would be great.” I couldn’t think of any reason to say no, and Tessa would kill me if I missed a chance to keep working on step two of the plan. Surely, I could survive a ten-minute car ride with him.

I followed Chase out to the parking lot, not saying a word. There weren’t many cars around, and I couldn’t see Chase’s anywhere.

“Where’s your car?”

He raised his arm and pointed to an old pickup truck I didn’t recognize. It had faded blue paint and spots of rust near the rims. The car Chase normally drove was expensive and slick. It had a powerful engine that revved so loudly you could always hear it coming from a few blocks away and a distinctive stripe of red paint down the side so you could never mistake it for anyone else’s. The truck we were walking toward looked like it was one trip away from dying.

“Why are you driving such a beat-up old truck?” I asked.

Chase didn’t look at me, instead giving the truck an indulgent smile before he answered. “It belongs to my gramps. He no longer has his license, but I always bring it to the home when I come to visit and take him out for a spin. It might look a little old, but it has character.”

He was looking at it with such affection that I suspected he really loved the old thing. I felt like I was seeing a completely different side to Chase today. He seemed so at ease here, and there was a kindness behind his actions I’d never witnessed before. The way he treated his gramps was so sweet my heart couldn’t help but melt a little toward him.

I couldn’t really understand his affection toward the truck though. I didn’t care how much character the truck had; it looked like a death trap. “Your parents don’t mind you driving it?” I asked as I turned my attention on him again.

Chase’s expression darkened. “Wouldn’t matter if they did,” he muttered. His smile dropped, and he strode toward the truck. My comment had clearly brought out his prickly personality once more, and I wondered why the mere mention of his mom and dad made him tense up. Was he simply angry with them for ditching him here? Or was there something more to it?

Since Chase had started living with us, I’d been so consumed with worrying about how it affected my life that I had never stopped to consider how it affected him. It couldn’t be easy having your parents leave you during your senior year. I knew they had planned trips to visit as much as they could, but it wasn’t the same as living with them.

I had to jog to catch up with him. “Why don’t you drive the truck to school every day if you like it so much?” I asked, hoping to get his mind off his parents.

“It needs some work, as you can probably see.” His voice lightened slightly as the subject returned to his grandpa’s truck. “It’s okay to take it out once in a while, but it’s not really a good idea to be driving it every day.”

He actually sounded like he wished it were an option. “But your regular car is so nice…”

“Doesn’t stop me hating it.”

I was surprised by the venom in his voice. “Why do you hate it?”

“That car was a bribe from my dad to get me to keep playing football. I wish he’d just taken it away like he threatened when I quit playing last year. I think he lets me keep it as a reminder I let him down.”

“Oh,” I murmured. Chase’s family had always seemed so picture-perfect. His mom was always dressed impeccably, and his dad had a smile for everyone. They had nice cars, extravagant holidays, and a house so big it put ours to shame. I had no idea that his home life wasn’t quite as perfect as it seemed.

Chase stopped by the passenger door and opened it for me, but I hesitated to get in. He let out a long breath. “Sorry, I get a little worked up when talking about my dad.”

My shoulders relaxed slightly, and I nodded. “It’s no problem.” I climbed into the truck and uttered my thanks. I didn’t need his chivalry or his apologies. What I needed was for him to return to the jerk I despised so much. I was used to hating him. I had it down to an exact science, and I didn’t like the strange new territory we’d entered.

As Chase closed the door behind me, I caught the subtle scent of exhaust fumes and leather seats. It was an old smell, but somewhat comforting, and it mingled pleasantly with the scent of Chase’s deodorant.

As Chase got in and sat behind the wheel, he paused before starting the engine and turned to me. “I was rude to you last night,” he said, his voice low and filled with regret. “I freaked out when Shane burst into the room, and I know that the way I reacted wasn’t very truceful, so I want to apologize.”

“You do?”

He nodded, and I was shocked to find I actually believed the sincerity in his eyes. He truly seemed remorseful for hurting my feelings, and I didn’t know what to make of it. I knew that because of the plan I needed to accept his apology whether I liked it or not, but I actually found I wanted to.

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