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“Hey,” I replied, giving him a small smile. “How are you?”

He snorted, giving me a dirty look. “Don’t try to make small talk with me. What the fuck happened between you and Riley? Did she do that to your face?”

“You honestly think Riley would hit me?” I scoffed and watched as his shoulders relaxed, knowing it wasn’t her.

“I had to ask. All she’ll tell me is that she fucked up. Did she cheat on you?”

“No. Can we hang out at yours and talk? I don’t want people here to know anything,” I mumbled. We used to hang out at his house all the time, but in the past year or two, we’d been drifting apart. I hated that.

“Of course. Did you drive here?”

“No. I left the Supra at Riley’s and haven’t organized a new car yet. Mom dropped me off on her way to Stoneleigh this morning.” I shrugged, peeking over my shoulder to find Riley’s car gone. Landon took my bag with a smile, his voice cheerful.

“Mom’s probably at home, but she’ll leave us to talk. C’mon, I’ll take you to mine for the afternoon and I can drop you back home when you’re ready.”

I followed him through the parking lot until we reached his deep blue Corvette, and he filled me in on what he’d been up to while he drove. He’d been working his butt off still, and he said his parents were worried about him being overworked. They gave him days off from working at the bar, but he’d show up anyway to help in the kitchen, or he’d end up at Devil’s Dungeon offering to help wash glasses or run drinks to people if it was busy.

I was starting to think he was avoiding having five seconds alone. He knew he could talk to me if he needed to, so I didn’t question him.

The moment we walked into his house, Jade wrapped me in her arms for a hug. “I’ve been wondering where you’ve been! It’s good to see you. What happened to your pretty face?”

“It’s good to see you too, Aunty Jade. It’s still pretty. Tempest just got a cheap shot in,” I joked as I sank into her embrace, ignoring Landon’s huffing about her being embarrassing, her fire truck red hair tickling my cheek. The house smelled like cookies and coffee, and she gave me a knowing look when I glanced around the kitchen.

“You’re definitely still pretty. Would you two like something to eat? I made cookies a few hours ago.”

“I won’t say no to your baking. Can I make a coffee?” I asked as I stepped towards the machine, but she hooked her arm in mine to pull me back.

“Nonsense. You two go and hang out. I’ll bring you a plate of cookies and coffee when they’re ready,” she fake scolded, shooing us from the room.

Landon led me up to his room, where we both laid back on his bed and stared at the ceiling like we used to as kids.

“You know how Riley’s involved with the racing stuff?” I murmured after a few moments of silence, making him grunt.

“Yeah. What about it?”

“I went with her the other night.”

He rolled over to face me, a glare in place. “She fucking took you to a race?”

“Keep your voice down,” I hissed quietly, glancing at the door to make sure we were still alone before continuing. “It was awful. People crashed, Riley wouldn’t slow down, and they were darting around cars in the dark. It was really dangerous and scared the hell out of me.”

“Why did she take you?” he demanded, making me wince.

“She didn’t want to, but I begged to go. I wanted to see what it was like.”

“So you guys broke up because you didn’t like it?” He frowned at that, his brow creasing. “I don’t understand.”

I sighed, turning to face him. “It took forever to convince her to stop the car, and when I told her I didn’t want her to die and to stop racing, she made excuses. I don’t want to spend my nights wondering if she’s going to come home in a body bag. Since she wouldn't choose me over her death races, I told her I was done. I hadn’t figured out my feelings for her anyway, so it was probably for the best.”

Jade wandered in shortly after with a tray of coffee and cookies, but she didn’t hang around like I thought she would. She used to make excuses to hang around and listen to our conversations. I hoped she couldn’t hear us from outside the bedroom, because she’d tell Rory or Marco everything.

Landon was quiet, but he finally took my hand and gave it a quick squeeze before letting go. “I don’t think you’re into girls, but I’ve seen you with Riley. You definitely see her as more than a friend.”

“I’ve been bullied at school a lot over it,” I mumbled, sympathy filling his eyes.

“I’ve heard a few rumors. Is it just the girls who Riley bailed on?”

“It’s mainly Penny, but others find the whole thing a joke. Riley’s a player, and I’m the good girl. It’s not supposed to work,” I said slowly, but he chuckled, giving me an amused smile.