Page 2 of Broken Track
As we approach the entrance, Mia suddenly stops, humming under her breath. I glance at her, confused, then follow her gaze.
Xavier pulls into the parking lot in his black, lifted Dodge Ram, flings the door open, then cuts the engine. He steps out, tossing me a wink. My heart skips a beat as his eyes lock with mine. He’s wearing a dark blue shirt that hugs his chest perfectly and denim jeans that fit just right. Sunlight catches his jet-black hair, giving it a soft glow. A tattoo peeks out from under his sleeve, and I can’t stop staring. The girls around him are practically throwing themselves at him, but his focus never wavers from me.
Nolan climbs out of the passenger seat and stands beside Xavier, trying to keep the growing crowd at bay.
“Watch it, bitch,” Tara Lawson, the biggest slut in the school, sneers, shoving me in the shoulder and breaking my moment with Xavier.
Before I can say anything, Mia steps between us. “Watch it, bitch,” she retorts, flicking a glare at Tara. “You'd better keep moving before you accidentally slip and get your slut all over the sidewalk.”
Tara sneers, her eyes flashing with contempt. But before she can respond, Xavier steps forward, concern evident on his face.
“Are you okay?” His voice is gentle, but Tara presses herself against him, trying to steal his attention. He ignores her completely, keeping his eyes fixed on me. Nolan, amused, shoves Tara aside.
“Run along, little slut,” Nolan says dismissively, waving her away. I can’t help but laugh.
Tara glares at him. “That’s not what you said the other night, Nolan,” she snaps.
Nolan’s face shifts to mild disgust. “A moment of weakness. You were the one willing to spread your legs. Now go put your panties back on, all right?”
I can’t contain my laughter. I turn back to Xavier, and he slides his arm around my shoulder, guiding me into the school. Nolan tries to put his arm around Mia, but she pushes him away.
“Eww, don’t touch me after you touched that skank. Gross,” Mia says, shoving him away. Nolan laughs it off.
“Don’t worry, I wrapped it up,” he says, “and showered right after.”
I shake my head, smiling as we head toward our lockers. Xavier whispers in my ear, his warm breath against my skin. “You look beautiful today.”
My heart races at the sincerity in his voice. Goosebumps break out across my body. “Thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself,” I reply, trying to keep my cool, but my cheeks betray me as they heat.
“I’ve gotta run to class, but can I see you at lunch?” His gaze is intense, and I nod, suddenly at a loss for words. Before I can say anything else, he softly kisses my cheek, making my heart flutter, then walks away with Nolan. I watch him go, still feeling the warmth of his touch.
I turn toward my locker when another body slams into me from behind. I’m knocked hard into the lockers, and I whip around to see Tara standing with her cronies, including Lisa from the track. The air feels charged with hostility.
“You’ll never be good enough for him. He needs a real woman, not some shy virgin who doesn’t even know what a cock looks like,” Tara spits, her voice laced with venom.
I shove my way past them without a word, the insult sinking into my chest. Is this what senior year’s going to be like? Maybe I should fast-forward to graduation.
Chapter Two
Xavier
It’s Friday night. Race night. The kind of night that crackles with electricity in the air. The crowd's roar, the engines revving, the sound of rubber meeting dirt. It’s everything I’ve ever loved. But tonight, all I can think about is Izzy.
She’s been avoiding me all week. The silence between us grows heavier with every passing minute. What happened to us? We were in a good place, or so I thought. But now she’s pulling away, and I’m scrambling to figure out why. It eats at me, gnawing at the back of my mind.
I slam the truck into park, harder than necessary, my fingers gripping the wheel until my knuckles turn white. My pulse thunders in my ears, louder than the engine I just killed. I sit there for a moment, staring at the makeshift pits where the other racers are prepping their cars. The sound of engines revving, people laughing, and distant chatter fills the lot, but none of it reaches me. None of it matters. Only Izzy.
I need a plan. A way to get her to talk, to tell me what’s wrong, without pushing her further away. I try to steady my breathing, forcing the tightness in my chest to ease. But it doesn’t. The uncertainty gnaws at me, making it harder to focus.
I grip the door handle and push it open with more force than needed. The door slams shut behind me, the sound sharp in the otherwise quiet lot. Boots crunching on gravel, I step toward the pit area, my eyes scanning the crowd for her. I try to shake off the weight of my thoughts, but my eyes are drawn to her like a magnet.
And there she is.
Izzy.
She’s getting out of the passenger seat of her dad’s pickup, her arms stretching above her head, the motion highlighting her curves in that tight white T-shirt that hugs her like it was made just for her. My throat goes dry as I watch her. I can’t look away. But when her gaze meets mine, my breath stalls. It’s as if she can see right through me, like she knows everything I’m thinking without me saying a word. She smiles, but it’s not a smile that reaches her eyes. There’s a distance in her stare, a coldness.
“Hey, fucker,” Nolan greets me, his voice cutting through the quiet. “What’s up?”
