This chapter is dedicated to Kesharin5 Your support means the world. Thank you for always supporting me!

Steff chats with me about school and Christmas shopping while we head to Route-9. I try to keep up with the conversation, but I'm mostly distracted by my thoughts. Steff says I'm being dramatic. And maybe I am, but that nightmare still gives me chills to this day.

When we get there, it takes us a while to park because space is scarce, and we don't want to park too far out. As we make our way over, I am taken aback by the number of people here.

There are all sorts of teenagers and older folks here. Ranging from tattooed and pierced gothic kids to downright Barbie dolls. Most people seem to have either a cigarette or a beer can in their hands, pulling them out of their coolers wherever they can. One hillbilly eyes me from head to toe in a way that makes my skin crawl, and he flashes me a crooked grin.

"Liam said only a few people showed up to this thing," I say, crossing my arms across my chest. "There are at least like a hundred people here."

Probably more.

Steff keeps typing on her phone, not paying any attention to me or her surroundings.

"Hey!" I snap my fingers. "Can you please get off your phone?"

She looks up at me with a raised brow.

"Relax! I'm just texting Ry to let him know we're here."

I drop my shoulders.

"Right! I should probably do the same."

I type a short text letting Liam know we're here. It's already getting dark, so the race should start sometime in the next thirty minutes. I look beyond the safety barriers and see a bunch of motorbikes lined up behind the finish line.

"What's with the long face?" Steff taps my chin. "You're so on edge. Breathe!"

I let out a long breath and catch Jane and Kendra, making their way towards us from the corner of my eyes. It kind of eases my nerves to see familiar faces, and I greet them with a smile.

"Jesssss!" Jane exclaims when they reach us, throwing her arms around me. "I'm so happy to see you." She slurs.

I pull back to look at her beaming face and turn to Kendra with a frown.

"Is she-?"

"Yup! She had a few shots of Tequila to calm her nerves." Kendra rolls her eyes.

"And it worked! I feel great." Jane grins at me, and I can't help but grin back at her. Good to know there is someone as nervous as I am.

"Kendra, Jane, this is Steff, my best friend." I gesture to Steff, who has an amused look on her face.

"Oh, Ryan's girl. Nice to meet you." Kendra shoots her a kind smile, and Jane pulls her in for a hug.

Steff gives them both a reserved smile. She is on her, "Let me decide if I like you or not before I grace you with a conversation." stage.

I'm a little surprised Ryan never brought her to the bike shop before.

"Hey there, hoes!" I hear that husky, seductive voice before I see her.

"Lola!" Jane cheers loudly. "Lolita! It's been so long."

Lola raises a single brow and then grins broadly. I can't help but appreciate her features, her high cheekbones, catty eyes, slender figure, and the sheer sexual energy radiating off her. She's quite the temptress.

"We were together this morning, my little firecracker." She says to Jane and turns to me.

"Hey, there. Long time no see." She grins at me as if we're good friends.

Is she demented?

Then she turns around and extends her hand towards Steff.

"Lola. And you are?"

Steff looks over at me, her eyes darkening. She knows Lola is the girl I talked to that night on Liam's phone when I was at her place.

"Stefani."

She shakes her hand firmly, and Lola quickly catches on to Steff's tone.

"Nice to meet you, Stephanie." She says with a little smirk.

"It's Ste-faaani," Steff says in her no-nonsense tone.

"Oww, like Gwen Stefani." Jane nods with fascination. Then she groans. "Shit! I need to pee real bad."

"Come on!" Kendra grabs her hand. "And you, behave yourself!" She says to Lola before they walk away.

"Liam took the final Round," Lola informs me as soon as Kendra and Jane step away. "I agreed with it. We should save the best for last."

Even though I wanna reach over and strangle the living daylight out of her, I control the urge.

"You're right. I'll have to make sure to give him a good luck kiss." I tell her.

"Oh, believe me, he doesn't need it. He was born to do this. I should know. I was there for every single one of his races last summer." She gives me a little smirk.

"You seem like a smart girl. I'm sure you know when he isn't riding a motorcycle, he is being ridden by this beautiful girl right here." Steff gestures to me. "So what I'm trying to say is, fuck off!"

I am happy that she is defending my honor, but I'm mortified by her words. Before any of us can say anything, her ringtone blares.

"It's Ryan." She says to me before picking it up.

She says hello a couple times and starts to walk away in search of reception.

"She's feisty! I like her." Lola smiles, totally unfazed by Steff's words. "I can see why Ryan likes her. It's you I don't get. I mean, don't get me wrong, you are a beautiful girl. But you're not his type at all."

Her words momentarily leave me stunned. Not just her words but the way she said them. So calm and confident like she is stating a simple fact.

"You don't know anything about me or our relationship," I say, trying but failing to sound confident.

"I may not know you, but I know him. The Liam you and I know are completely different people. He is trying to be something he is not with you. Soon he'll get tired of all the pretending. Bad boys will always be bad boys, sweetheart. I know how exciting it is to think you've changed one for the better. I hate to break it to you, but no one ever changes. Not for long, anyway. So when he finally gets tired of playing house with you, I'll still be here. Till then, we can share him."

The hatred I feel towards her at this moment is indescribable. She may not know it, but she hit the nail right on the head with that one. Deep inside, I always fear that Liam will eventually get tired of me, of us. He is someone who went from not believing in love to being the most loving person in a short amount of time. Sometimes I fear it's all too good to be true.

"I don't know what twisted little fantasy you're indulging in, but you will never in a million years have him. So stop your nonsense and leave us the hell alone!" I snap, and then I literally take a step back to compose myself.

"What did I miss?" Steff steps in, looking back and forth at us.

"Not much. It was nice to meet you, Ste-faani. I'm gonna go find Snake." She flashes us a smile before turning around.

"Find Snake? You're the Snake, honey." Steff says, earning a small chuckle from me.

If I didn't feel like shit before, I definitely do now.

"Who is this Snake fellow anyway?" Steff asks.

"He's in charge of the race, I guess. Liam told me he owns the bike shop."

"Oh!" She nods.

"What did Ryan say?" I ask, hoping she can't sense my foul mood.

"He's going on the First Round." She shrugs.

Kendra and Jane show up just then. Kendra tells us we should move closer to the safety barriers because the race could start at any moment.

***

In a few minutes, everyone is huddled together by the sideline betting on the racers and chattering. Liam shows up with Ryder to watch the first two Rounds with us because they are both on the last one. Ryan and Dawson are on the First Round, so we nervously wait for it to begin.

About twenty bikes line up, waiting to get the go. Not so surprisingly, it's Lola who steps in front of them in skimpy shorts and a cropped black puffer jacket. She moves seductively, earning a Holler from the crowd before raising the starter's pistol and firing up. The motorbikes fly past her in a blur of headlights, followed by the cheering of the crowd.

The race is shorter than I thought it would be. It takes maybe about ten minutes for the racers to make it back. Dawson comes first place, followed by some kid named Rowley and Ryan gets third place. But since it's winner takes all, Dawson gets the five grand.

"You lost! I want my hundred bucks." Ryder says to Liam.

"You bet on it?" I ask him.

I know it's silly, but I have a general hate for bets. Call it a trigger, if you will. Elliot started dating me because of a dare, and Brittany used to remind me of it whenever she could.

"It's more fun that way." He shrugs. "You enjoying this?" He asks me.

To be honest, I am. But I know that's only because he is next to me.

"Yeah, it's fun," I tell him, earning a broad smile.

The Second Round ends even quicker than the first one, with an older guy named Xavier winning first place.

"We should get going," Ryder tells Liam. "I'm so ready to kick your ass."

Liam laughs.

"You know I can beat you blindfolded." He tells Ryder, who simply scoffs.

"Is that a challenge?" Liam raises a brow.

"Stop it, you two! You can both win." Jane scolds, earning a roar of laughter from us.

Ryder turns to Kendra.

"Good job, getting her drunk." He says and turns to Jane. "Not when it comes to competitions, babe."

Liam turns to me and sees the anxiety brewing behind my eyes.

"Be careful, okay?" I tell him.

"It'll be fine. You trust me, don't you?" He asks, holding my face between his hands.

I nod.

"Then, don't worry." He says, and he kisses me softly before following Ryder.

Ryan and Dawson show up after a few seconds, with Dawson relentlessly teasing Ryan. Everyone starts patting Ryan on the back with sympathy and congratulating Dawson.

"Can't believe I lost to this asshole." He mutters with annoyance gesturing at Dawson. "And who the hell is that Rowley guy anyway?"

Steff gives him a kiss and a grin.

"It's okay, babe. You win some, you lose some. Life!"

***

When the lineup for the Third Round begins, I inhale and exhale deeply, just like they taught us in PE when we felt like vomiting after running the tracks. I watch as Lola fires the pistol, and they take off flying past her.

It feels to me like forever has passed, but in reality, it's only a few minutes till we see two headlights in the far distance.

"They are coming!" Jane yells.

"It's Liam and Ryder," Dawson informs us.

I look over at him with a frown. It's too dark to tell who it is.

"GPS trackers." He tells me, showing me a few blinking red lights on his phone with small initials. "In case someone needs help, or they get lost."

They are neck to neck, and my anxiety is through the roof as I watch. All of a sudden, one headlight goes off.

"Fuck! That's Liam." Dawson says.

My heart literally stops. The crowd goes silent, and I reach for Steff's hand to help me stand upright.

"What the hell happened?" She asks.

"I knew he would pull shit like this. This is so reckless!" Kendra says with disbelief.

"He did this on purpose?" I exclaim.

"He's done it before. And he got into an accident that nearly killed him." She tells me.

The accident in New York. Oh, my God!

"The impulsive idiot! He is trying to prove he can beat Ryder blindfolded. This comes pretty close." Ryan says. "He won't make it! The road is too dangerous in the dark."

He is right. The road has no street lights, and it's a cloudy night, so the moon is in hiding. It's a dirt road people rarely use, so unless you can see where you're going, it's dangerous. There are obstacles, random rocks, and potholes. If he makes a slight mistake-

"I can't watch this!" I close my eyes.

Oh, God! Please, not again! I feel like I might throw up or faint. I hold onto Steff's hand for dear life and hope I don't collapse.

"I can't believe this!" Steff yells in disbelief. "He's actually winning!"

My eyes snap open, and I watch them near the finish line with Liam clearly in the lead.

"I'll be damned!" Dawson exclaims.

It's Kendra who screams first when he crosses the brightly lit finish line. Then everyone else follows, and I nearly weep with relief.

"Oh, my dear God! That was so freaking hot!" The girl next to us says to her friends. "Who is he?"

I'm glad he is okay, but it doesn't matter because I'm gonna kill him! I watch as he takes his helmet off and shakes his hair, a small smug smile playing on his lips. My heart is still beating wildly in my chest. Lola walks over to say something to him, and he nods. Then an older man walks over and pats him on the back before shaking his hand. Liam says something to Ryder, who looks devastated, and the smug smile returns to his lips. I can't believe he actually turned his headlight off, knowing he almost died the last time he did it. I don't know if I am impressed or royally pissed off.

As he makes his way towards us, a girl crowd swallows him up. They are cheering and acting like he is some rock star as they swarm around him. A few girls even ask for pictures. Liam has his façade on as he smiles and converses with them, his eyes darting our way every now and then.

When he makes his way towards us, everyone cheers him on, and Ryder snorts at every compliment, which earns him the title of a sore loser. After everyone is done congratulating and yelling at him for being reckless, he makes his way to me.

"Hey there, tall, dark and handsome." I grin at him.

He flashes me his private smile and takes my lips in a feverish kiss.

"I'm so happy you're here." He breaths.

"Where else would I be?" I say, tracing his face, and he leans into my touch.

"Ugh! Stop it. You two are too cute!" Kendra says playfully, and we both smile at her.

"We're heading out. See you at Billy's?" She says, and I kind of hesitate. They mentioned earlier that there would be a rave.

"We'll let you know. I'll call if we decide to come." Liam says to her sensing my apprehension.

Kendra nods and walks away.

"That's him!" Some girl squeals and points Liam out to her friends, not bothering to hide her excitement.

"You've got quite the fan club," I nudge him.

He shrugs and shifts in his boots.

I smile and throw my arms around him. When I pull away, his eyes land on mine, looking earnest.

"Jess, I thought about what you said about my mother. And I'm willing to give it a shot."

The sudden topic change totally throws me off. I look at him with wide eyes, wondering if it's the adrenaline talking.

"Where is this coming from? Just last night, you were pissed off because I was looking into her."

"I know. But what you said made sense. I have lived for so long, listening to my own head. Now I want to listen to you. I want to be the kind of guy you're proud of."

I am momentarily rendered silent. This is huge. He hasn't seen his mother since he was nine years old.

"You'd do that for me?"

"I'd do anything for you."

My heart trips over itself and face plants, and I bite my quivering lips.

"Baby, I don't want you to feel like you have to do this for me. I want you to see your mother, yes. But if you make the decision not to, I'd still love you the same. This is something you should do for yourself."

He holds both my hands, and he kisses my knuckles.

"I'll admit I wouldn't have considered it if it wasn't for you. But I have given it a serious thought. I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive her or let her back into my life, but I'm willing to hear her out. You're right. She has been reaching out for years. And if Amanda's letter taught me anything, it's that mental health isn't something to be taken lightly. Maybe she would have been a better mother had my father done the right thing and had her admitted earlier. But he was too concerned about the stigma. How having his wife admitted into a mental facility would tarnish his name. He saw her get worse day by day, and he did absolutely nothing about it."

I step closer, and I nod in understanding before pulling him into a hug. I know how hard it'll be for him to see her and potentially relive all the horrible memories of his childhood. But he is willing to try, and that's the bravest thing I've ever heard.

"I am so proud of you, Liam. I love you so much."

He holds me tighter, and then he pulls away only to grab and kiss me senseless.

"Get a room!" Some guy yells as he walks past us.

Liam and I separate, and we laugh.

"So, do you usually make life decisions while pulling deadly tricks at races?" I ask.

"Pretty much." He says with a shrug. "Now, how about we go and celebrate? I'll introduce you to Snake, and all the crew will be there."

Parties haven't really worked out for us in the past, but maybe this one will be different. And I am so ready to replace the last memory with a better and happier one, sober this time.

"Okay!" I grin. "After all, you did take out Ryder in complete darkness. It was the most terrifying yet incredible thing I have ever seen. Don't do it again."

He smiles smugly at me, which makes me laugh.

"I'm serious. If you do it again and live, I'm breaking up with you." I threaten.

He takes my hand, and we walk towards his car.

"That's the one thing you can't do. Breaking up is off-limits." He says, making me giggle.

The party turns out to be fun. Everyone is there just like Liam said they would be. We sing out loud and dance to Bon Jovi, we watch people play drinking games, and we laugh hysterically. We enjoy being young and carefree. Tomorrow will probably bring its own demons, but for now, everything feels right.

***

Hey, friends. How is it going? I know this chapter was a little long. But I hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to vote, leave a comment and recommend it to a friend who might enjoy it. :) Stay safe, guys! I appreciate you all.

Much love,
Becca