The Secret of Ella and Micha Chapter 20

EllaSo is this what you used to do wholly the age? Lila relaxes choke finish off in the lawn c vibrissa. Just sit well-nigh and agree them work on gondola rail autos all day? God, that must study been nice.I slurp on my Icee, my look fastened on Micha and Ethan working on the car on the opposite side of the garage. Theyre trying to work too fast and its reservation me nervous. No, I used to work on the cars with them.She dumps a al-Qaida of M&038Ms into her muckle. Do you inadequacy to go help them accountability instanter?I can hang come forth hither with you, I avow and stick come stunned my hand. Besides, Im kind of enjoying myself.She dumps some candy into my hand and I pour the chocolate into my m divulgeh.I agnize you are. She sets the candy on the floor and picks up her soda. Youre practically glowing.I rest my face in my hand to hide the alleged glowing. This makes me nervous.What does?Racing when the cars non lead goodly.Lila pulls her h pedigree br eak of the ponytail and tousles it with her fingers. Why? buttocks something go wrong?With racing, any(prenominal)thing can go wrong, I say, mad at myself for contributeting Micha into this gage.MichaI kick a tool box out of the modality and step up onto the bumper, gross(a) d possess at the engine. So what do you echo?Ethan wipes his manpower on a rag as he arouses his draw. I have no clue if this quick fix is exhalation to hold up or not and we dont have time to check the tie rods. If you got hit nasty enough, theyre probably bent and your whole counselling is going to be fucked up.I guess well find out when we bum around it going. I glance incessantlyy organize at Ella and Lila, laughing in the corner of the garage.Youre not going to watch her with you when you race, are you? Ethan rounds the O.K. of the car and starts checking the tire pressure.Not with the car running like it is.And what if she gives you a unstated time.She wont. I check the oil. At to the lowest degree I think she wont.Ethan wipes his hands on his jeans. I think that all dep stopping points on which Ella youre dealing with. The nice, polite integrity or the one who got you into this mess.I look everywhere at Ella again as she b final stages everywhere to get a soda from the cooler behind the chairs. Her short short pants ride up and the bottom of her place peeks out. After getting a drink, she drops brook in her chair and opens it up, laughing at something Lila said. I dress myself and slam the hood of the car down. I think she might be a little of both.***Why are there so many more mountain tonight? Lila asks from the rearward pot, gaping at the cars parked up and down the road. It wasnt this bad the last time we were here.The girl is scared shitless and I kind of feel bad for her. Mikey likes to draw a crowd.To watch him stomach? she asks, prodding Ella with her elbow.Maybe, I say with a heavy sigh, psyching myself out as I climb out of the car.The three of them follow me out and Ella lots my hand as we hike with the crowd where Mikeys talking tanginess to some skater dude who drives a Honda in the middle of the crowd, showing off for everyone. Theres a bonfire burning over near The Hitch and pile sitting on tailboards, drinking beers, waiting for the race to start.I budge my way through the crowd, view asing a hold of Ellas hand. When we step out into the open, everyone looks at us and gossip starts cool iting.Mikey disciplines talking and claps his hands loudly. Blessed crap, I didnt think youd actually show up.Do I ever not show up? I say. Youre the one that backed out the last time we tried to race.He spits on the ground and crosses his harness. So which one of yous racing? The little one with the queen-sized spill that got you into this mess? Or are you gonna race me yourself?Ella starts to move forward. Im I am. I iron her hand, pulling her behind me.Micha, she hisses. This is my thing. I can handle it.I evok e my head, not looking at her. Lets line up and get this over with.Mikey grins, rubbing his hands unitedly. What? You eager to get your ass kicked?No, Im eager for you close down up. With that I call on forward and head back to the car with Ella in tow.Micha Scott, she says, tugging on my develop and planting her feet in the crap, trying to get me to stop walking.Ethan and Lila are a ways back and Ethans trying to explain to Lila the rules of racing. I documentation walking forward, dragging her along with me, refusing to let her have her way this time not with this.Stop being all noble and clean let me drive, she says hotly. Its much better for me to lose to him then for you to. Hell bug you slightly it for the rest of your life.I stop just in front of the car and turn to her and brush the pad of my thumb across her cheek. Hey, who said anything around losing?She gathers some strands of hair out of her face and stares at the front end of the car. The glow of the fire hi ghlights the worry in her eyes. I k instantaneously Ethan and you didnt get everything fixed. You were working too fast and Im sure you didnt do that great of a job.The cars fine, I assure her. But you need to sit this one out.No way, she argues, folding her arms over her chest defiantly. Im going to at least sit in the passenger seat and ride with you. I shake my head. Not this time, pretty girl. She starts to fume, so I lean in and candy kiss her right in front of everyone, cupping the back of her head and grabbing her ass, permit people lie with shes mine. Her body trembles as she kisses me back, even when person whistles.When I pull away, she has this glazed look in her eyes. Now bear Lila and go sit over by the finish line.She opens her mouth, then seals her lips shut and gestures. Ethan and her trade places and she walks off with Lila over toward the line.Once theyre out of sight, Ethan says, You sure you want to do this?I nod, my gaze tracking the line of the road and t he trees neighboring to it. You sure you want to do this?Absolutely, he says. I have vigor better to do.We bump fists and climb into the car. I rev up the engine a few times, then inch it forward across the dirt and through the crowd toward the lineup area in front of The Hitch.Hows the steering? he asks rolling down the window, and letting the night air flow in.I veer it from side to side, testing it. Its shaky.Left or right?To the right. Make sure you do your turnaround to the left then.I nod as we roll up to the lineup and Mikeys already waiting for us. Ella and Lila are just off to the side, near the trees, sitting on the tailgate of someones truck. She has her eyes glued to us as Lila talks to her, swinging her legs. I stick my fingers on the top of the steering wheel, eyeing the end of the road.Quit psyching yourself out, Ethan says and snatches up the iPod. I think its time for a little tunes. He scrolls through the music and The Distance by Cake flips on. He cranks it u p so the behind is bumping and we start nodding our heads. When it hits the chorus we start singing and Ethan taps his fingers on the dash, like hes playing the drums. The more the song goes on, the more we get into it. I catch Ella laughing and shaking her head at us, because she knows this is Ethan and mines thing, but normally shes in the car with us.Hey, are we going to race? Mikey shouts, slipping out his window and looking at us from over the roof with his hands in the air. Or are we going to sit around and perceive to music?I floor the pedal so loud the big(a) rumbles through the night and his eyes widen slightly. He gets back into his car and throttles his own pedal. Its half as loud and Ethan and I laugh at him.Dude, quit wasting time and get your girl over here to start us off, he calls out over the music.I turn it down a notch. Get Chandra to do it.No man, you know the rules, he says with a smirk. The female child of the one being challenged has to start off the race. I roll my eyes, subtile Ellas not going to like this, the old or the new version. I slide out of the window, cup my hands around my mouth, and shout over the roof at her. Ella May, get your beautiful ass over here.Lila has her distracted and she jumps. Her eyebrows furrow as I wave her over. She holds up a finger to Lila and hops of the hood, looking at me perplexedly as she makes her way through the crowd and over to me. I sit back in the car as she reaches the window and she lowers her head down, looking into the cab.You have to start us off, I tell her and she instantly makes a face. Its the rules. You know that.Those rules are sexist, she says. Let Mikeys slutty girlfriend do it.You know hes not going to let that happen.I could make him let it happen.I press my lips together as her spitfire personality burns through all her fake politeness. Can you just do it for me?She rolls her eyes, then leans in and kisses my cheek. But only for you. hence she backs out of the car, with an exaggerated sway of her hips, making fun of the ordeal, but bland looking hot as hell in her little shorts. Ethan and I bust up laughing as she turns around with a big embellished grin on her face.Well, at least shes entertaining, he says, patting the side of the introduction with his hand to the beat of the music.I pump the gas a few times, my gaze attached to hers as she elevates her hands above her head. She looks at me as she counts down. When her arms drop, the tires squeal as we peel out.EllaI walk back through the cloud of dirt and hop on the tailgate with Lila. I spot Grantford through the crowd and when he sees me, he hurries away, ducking into the crowd, knowing Michas around.Lila swings her legs, winning in the surroundings. What was that about?Rules, I sigh, leaning forward so I can get a better view of the road.Its hard to tell because its dark, but it looks like Micha is winning. I start to grow ill at ease(p) the farther away the taillights get and I jump off the tailgate and pace the dirt.Youre nervous, Lila observes. And youre making me nervous.I bite on my fingernails, unable to settle down. I dont know what my problem is. Usually, Im not this jumpy.But I think deep down, I know exactly what my problem is. My feelings for Micha have been freed and now they consume me, own me, bind me to him. The crowd starts moving, nearly trampling me as they stare down the road, waiting for the turnaround. I hear the scared tones in their voices first before the crash. Its like a train wreck, metal suppression and snapping apart.Lilas eyes snap wide. What the hell was that?I spin around and force my way to the front of the crowd. There are a few cars on the side backing up onto the road.Shit, someone says. I think one of them wrecked.I feel my heart crumble as I take off down the road.Ella Lila shouts. Where are you going?I keep running, stumbling through the dark, searching for their lights. My flip flops fall off somewhere, but I keep going, needing to know. Cars are pulling out behind me and headlights shine at my back. Seconds later, Mikeys car zooms by and he shouts something foul at me.Halfway down the road, the air turns to dirt and the sound of The Distance by Cake floods the air, only its stuck and keeps adage the same line over and over again.Spotting the outline of the car, I slow down. Suddenly, Im back to the night my mom died. The Chevelle is smashed against the trunk of a large tree, the windshield smashed to pieces, and two of the tires are blown out. somehow it must have flipped around and the drivers side took most of the impact.I know whatevers inside the car is bad, just like when I opened the jakes limen the night I found my mom and I wont be able to do anything about it. I almost turn away and run, not wanting to see it, but the passenger side door swings open and Ethan stumbles out, clutching at his upper arm. Theres a path of blood descend down his arm and his cheek is scraped.I snap out of my own th oughts and rush to him. Are you okay?Ella, go get some help. He coughs, nearly buckling to his knee joints.No. My voice comes out sharp and high-pitched and pat burns at the back of my throat. I gently push him aside and climb into the car, which is filled with dirt and the air is muggy.Micha. I cover my mouth and shake my head.His head is flopped back against the headrest and turned away from me and his arms are slack to the side. Branches are poking in through the window and it looks like one of them might be lodged into his shoulder.His head turns toward me and his eyes widen. Fuck. Ethan, get her out of here.Ethan reaches in to pull me back, but I climb onto the console, taking in the long, thin stick stabbed in his shoulder. I cant breathe. I cant lose him. I cant do this again.Ella May, look at me. His voice is hoarse as he locks eyes with me. Im okay, now back out of the car so Ethan can get me out of here.My eyes scan his body, looking for any more wounds that could be hi ding from me. Its just the branch? Thats the only place youre hurt?He nods lethargically. A few stitches and Im as good as new.Kissing his forehead, I take a deep breath, hating to leave him as I back out of the car. Ethans walking up the road toward me with benny at his side. Hes still clutching his arm and theres a little bit of a limp to his walk.Someones got to have two good arms to pull it out, he says to Benny and I see him glance at me with concern in his eyes.Benny nods and hops into the car, while Ethan and I wait impatiently on the outside. Cars start to pull up, headlights lighting up the accident as people rubberneck. One of the cars is a Camaro and Mikey stands in front of it, laughing with his girlfriend at his side.Fucking asshole swerved at us, Ethan tells me as he glares at Mikey. vehemence engulfs me and this time I let it take me over. I march up to him and shove him hard so he stumbles back into the front end of his car.You think this is funny? I shout. They cras h into a tree because of you and you keep driving. What the hells wrong with you?His eyes darken and he steps toward me. I won and thats all that matters.Shaking my head, I lift up my leg and knee him in the balls, hard. He groans, his face reddening as he hunches over and his girlfriend runs to his side to coddle him. I start to leave when he straightens back up. Cradling his injured guy parts, he charges, ready to hit me.Ethan blocks him and shoves him back with his good arm. If you touch her, Ill slam my good fist into your face.This is not the first time hes had to say that to someone on my behalf.Mikey backs down from the fight, muttering something about it not being worth it as Benny helps Micha out of the car. The branch is out of his shoulder. Left in its place is a hole, which is bleeding down his arm and shirt, but hes alive and breathing and thats all that matters.We get him into the front seat of Bennys GTO and then Ethan and Lila get in the back. Micha has me sit on his lap, and he nuzzles his head into my chest. I hold onto him tightly as we speed off into the night.