“Nice try,” she says.
“Actually, I’m secretly dating the most dangerous guy at Monroe after exactly one day there.” I lay on the sarcasm, but I’m also annoyed. “Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
Abel grins. “He must really love his sister.”
I glare at him. “Don’t say a word unless you have a better explanation for why you came down here than ‘I met a girl in class.’”
Video Game Girl stands in front of the cars and raises her arms, and I wait for them to drop.
One.
Two.
Three.
Tires squeal and exhaust fills the air. Lex grabs my hand, and I squeeze hers. Pissed off or not, I still want Marco to win. His Mustang is on the left. Within seconds, his taillights appear smaller than the ones on Sung’s car. Or were they always smaller? Why didn’t I pay closer attention?
“Come on. Stay ahead of him…” Abel whispers.
“Shit!” Turk shouts from the line.
Is it over?
From Turk’s tight-lipped expression, I’m guessing the answer is yes.
Abel lets out a long breath. “I think your friend won.”
“We’re not friends. I barely know him.”
Marco stalks toward us with Cruz ahead of him. Deacon isn’t with them anymore. Marco stops in front of Shawn and holds out his hand. “Keys.”
The tall guy fishes Abel’s keys out of his pocket and tosses them to Marco, who catches them in the air.
Marco slaps the keys against Abel’s palm. “Get out of here before Turk changes his mind.” He gestures at Lex and me. “Take them with you.”
“We came in my car,” Lex says. “I can’t leave it here.”
Marco shakes his head and looks at me. “Let’s go.”
“Thanks,” I snap. “But I don’t need help figuring out when it’s time to move.”
He frowns and opens his mouth to say something, then stops. Lex rushes ahead with Cruz as if she can’t get away from this place fast enough.
Marco points at Abel. “I told you to get out of here.”
“Right.” Abel jogs off in the opposite direction.
As we follow Lex and Cruz, the crowd parts for Marco, and people compliment him on his driving. He’s polite but never stops moving, like I’m a live grenade and he can’t wait to get rid of me.
“Where did you park?” he asks.
“Over there by the streetlight,” I say.
The Fiat comes into view, and Lex exhales.
“Where are your keys?” Cruz asks her.
Lex searches through her bag. Dad would freak if I walked up to my car at night without the keys in my hand, ready to unlock the door. “Found them.” She holds up her Tiffany key chain.
“Come on.” Cruz walks ahead of Lex like a bodyguard.
Marco clears his throat. “Can we talk for a second?”
“Fine.” I hang back and watch as Lex gets in the car. Cruz leans against the passenger side.
Marco steps in front of me so I have no choice but to look at him. “I think you’re pissed at the wrong guy. Your boyfriend is an asshole for asking you to come down here and bail him out.”
My what?
“Abel? He’s not my boyfriend. I’ve known him forever. And no one asked you to get involved and start World War III. I had it worked out.”
“Which part? Sung dragging you around, or what could’ve happened if you got into a car alone with him?” My hands start shaking, and I jam them in my pockets so he won’t notice. “Things could’ve ended differently tonight. The guys who hang out at the races aren’t good guys.”
“You hang out here,” I say.
“Exactly.”
Is he trying to scare me?
Marco rubs the back of his neck. “I grew up in the Downs, so I know how to take care of myself. But a girl like you shouldn’t come here. Ever.”
A girl like you. There it is.
A rich girl from the Heights? A girl who doesn’t do anything when someone beats her boyfriend to death? A girl who can’t even remember who did it?
Anger twists me into knots. Anger at Abel for getting himself into this mess. Anger at myself for coming here alone with Lex. Anger at Marco for acting like I can’t take care of myself.
“A girl like what? A stupid girl? Is that what you were going to say?” I walk away. I’ve taken enough crap for one night.
“Hold up a second. If I thought you were stupid, I’d say so.”
I whip around. “Then what did you mean by ‘a girl like you’? What kind of girl am I, Marco?”
“I’m not sure yet.” His voice sounds the way it did when he spoke to Sofia—gentle and sincere. But it doesn’t matter. It feels like I’m standing on a ledge with the wind blowing, and all it would take is a tiny push to make me fall. Marco could be that push.
This time, I look him in the eye. “Let me know if you figure it out.”
Turning my back on him, I walk to the Fiat, even though what I really want to do is run. Before I close the door I sneak one last glance at him.
He’s staring right at me.
*
Lex doesn’t say a word until we hit the beltway. “What just happened?”