Page 69 of Ride or Die
“Nah man, you go last so maybe we have a fucking chance at winning this time. Just watch what we do, okay?”
“Hey! Fuck you!” he argues as he positions himself last in line. “Enough of this shit. Let’s do this!” he booms, slamming his hands on the table.
So we begin again. The race is tight…until it gets to Drai, who once again can’t get his cup to flip despite having a good lead, and Gina beats him again.
“What?! No! See? Cheaters!” He points at all four of us.
“Can't handle being beat by the girls? Drink up, Drai!” Krissy shouts, and we laugh as he reluctantly slugs back his drink along with the other boys, shaking their heads at him. These guys are all getting super drunk just because of Drai.
“Man, I’m fucked up. Enough of this. I’m done, I’m done, you win.” He surrenders and moves over to take a seat, belching as he plunks down. Krissy follows him, dropping into his lap and draping her arm around him.
“It’s okay, babe. Even though you’re shit at flip cup, I still love you.” She gives him a kiss, and he wraps his arm around her waist.
“Y’all are just trying to get me fucked up so I pass out before midnight so you can fuck with me,” he mumbles. “I remember waking up with dicks drawn on my face, Adam.” The boys chuckle, surely remembering that night.
“No, you're gettingyourselfso fucked up you might pass out before midnight. Here, take a bottle of water.” Krissy hands him the bottle, which he gladly takes before grabbing a handful of chips. I smirk, watching him.
I look around the room to see everyone partnered up. Adam and Gina, Drai and Krissy, Axel and Daya. Everyone looks so happy and content. It’s amazing what love can do to even the most hardened personalities.
As we near midnight, everyone gathers around the TV. The music is turned down, and we crank up the volume. Colt finds me and wraps his arm around me, his smile beaming as we near the countdown. We all watch in anticipation and start counting down before the ball finally drops.
“3…2…1…Happy New Year!” We all yell out, and Colt wastes no time embracing me, kissing me deeply as we ring in our first new year together.
“I should have been here years ago,” I whisper to him as our mouths separate.
“I know, but you’re here now, babe. Now and forever. I love you, Lay. Happy New Year.” He kisses my lips gently.
“Love you, Colt. Happy New Year.” I kiss him back, and he smiles.
Fireworks and cheerful screams erupt in the distance, everyone else in the suburb ringing in the new year. After the excitement, our party resumes, and we turn the music back up. The girls and I play beer pong, perfecting our game, while the guys look at the cars, discussing upgrades again.
About an hour past midnight, I notice they stop talking, and turn to look down the street. A second later, I hear screeching tires in the distance, which is nothing new, but the rapid popping accompanying it makes me feel sick. The girls also stop chatting once they notice the commotion in the distance.
The harsh roar of racing engines and squealing tires comes closer and closer, the rapid, irregular pops that sound an awful lot like gunfire becoming louder. Still standing in the driveway, Colt’s head whips in my direction, his eyes wide with fear.
“Layla! Get down!!” he yells before I see him drop and disappear. Everyone at our party hits the dirt at the same time. I crawl on my stomach to hide under the shelf against the back wall. The sound is excruciatingly loud as gunfire from some sort of automatic weapon rains down on us.
Bullets zip through the garage, puncturing the wall above me, piercing through objects and shattering glass, sending debris everywhere. Continuous bursts of rapid-fire shots crackle through the air for what feels like forever. Screams echo from the others around me, everyone on their stomachs, covering their heads or lying in the fetal position.
I squeeze my eyes shut, screaming in fear. All I can think about is Colt, wondering if he is hurt.
More bullets ricochet, and my trembling hands fly to my ears, covering them against the piercing ring that assaults my eardrums.
Then everything goes silent.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FOUR
THE AFTERMATH
LAYLA
For a moment, everything is muted. Like I’m trapped underwater. The world feels distant, panic creeping in when I realize I can’t hear anything.
I remove my hands from my ears, hearing a faint hum. I concentrate on it, straining to hear as it gradually grows louder, shifting into recognizable sounds.
Voices, distant and urgent, begin to filter through the fog. The gunfire has finally stopped in the garage, continuing in the distance along with screams of others caught in the crossfire. My chest heaves, my body shaking as silent tears fall down my cheek, landing on the cool cement floor beneath my face.
