Double Clutch (35 page)

He laughed. “Love you!”

“
Love you, too!” I called. When I turned to go into the stands, I saw it was dirt-bike-groupie central. There were girls all over, talking on cell phones, reading magazines, watching the track, chatting and laughing. I sat just on the perimeter. No one talked to me, but I was fine just watching.

“
Hey!” called a girl with really white blonde hair and a shirt that looked exactly like a corset. It was a little shocking and I thought it might just be a frilly tube top, but when I looked closer it was definitely a corset. Like a Victoria’s Secret black and red lace corset that’s usually worn under clothing or just in a bedroom, I guess. But this girl had it on as a shirt, with tight jeans. “You Jake Kelly’s girlfriend?” She laughed behind her hand and some of the other hoochie-looking girls laughed along.

“
Yeah,” I said. “I am.”

“
Well, enjoy it while it lasts.” She snapped her gum loudly. “He goes through them pretty quick.” She made a nasty face at me. I was being taunted by a corset-wearing, gum-cracking hoe with straw for hair.

“
Thanks,” I said with a big, fake smile, then I opened my eyes really wide. “I think one of the girls just got out.” I pointed to her chest.

She pressed both hands over her scantily covered boobs and looked down frantically. I had already turned back to the race, but I did hear her call ‘bitch’ in my direction. I sighed. It would be nice if everyone here wasn’t a leering idiot or a backstabbing hooker-want-to-be.

To top it off, I had no idea how it worked. I didn’t know how many laps they raced, I didn’t know what the classes were, I didn’t know what the different divisions meant. Honestly, I never imagined it would be this complicated.

Just as that thought went through my head, I noticed the girls turn into a giggling, preening pack of hyenas. There had to be a guy coming over.

There sure was.

“
Saxon!” My heart leapt into my throat.

Not this, not now, not when Jake was so nervous and excited.

He had a cardboard box balanced on one hand. He wore dark aviator sunglasses and his usual tight thermal top and worn jeans with a studded belt.

“
Hey Blix.” He walked up to me.

I was practically deafened by the combined hissing of a dozen rejected hussies.

“
You need to leave.” I put my hands up and shook my head.

He ignored me and sat down by my side. He looked pale, his lips were dry, cracked, and busted in two places and a long bruise purpled his cheek. “I brought something. A peace offering.”

“
What happened to your face?” It looked painful.

“
Forget it. Here.” He pushed the box in my direction.

Hot dogs all the way and icy Cokes. Salted fries with…

“
Is that vinegar on the fries?” I asked eagerly. What was I thinking? This was Saxon, the guy who had almost ruined what I had with Jake.

“
Yeah.” He put the box in my lap. “I had a feeling you’d be the kind of girl who liked her fries doused in something gross.”

It was…nice. He looked like he felt guilty. But I had fallen hard and deep into his bullshit before. I wasn’t that stupid.

“
Thanks, but I’m not hungry,” I said over my growling stomach. “You just need to leave.” I picked the box up and passed it back to him.

“
I need to talk to Jake. I need to apologize.” He looked in my direction, but I couldn’t see his eyes behind his mirrored sunglasses.

“
Not now. I’m sitting where he can see me. He’s about to race. If he sees you, you’re going to throw him off.”

Saxon shoved the carton of food on my lap again. He was looking at Jake, who had already seen him and stalked over.

“
I told him,” I whispered in Saxon’s ear before Jake got close enough to notice. I still cared about Saxon too much to throw him to the wolves completely.

“
What happened to keeping some things between you and me?” he growled through his teeth.

“
There wasn’t enough room for everyone. I had to throw you overboard.”

He smiled painfully around his split lip. “Like I said; hottest at your bitchy best. Score one, Brenna.”

Jake was at the stands by now, his eyes bulging with rage.

“
You come for more dental work, Saxon?” He hoisted himself over the gate and into the stands.

Saxon held up his hands. “Down, killer. I’m here to say that I am a huge asshole. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the shit with Brenna. I’m sorry for what I said about your mom. That’s it. I’m just sorry.”

“
Fine.” Jake shrugged and pointed out of the stands. “Now get the hell out of here and stay away from her.”

I felt a tad like a piece of meat, but also, somehow, touched. I didn’t exactly like that Jake had reduced me to a single pronoun, but I also knew his anger came from an urge to defend me and prove his trust in me.

“
I thought I’d stick around for the race,” Saxon said. “For old times’ sake.”

Jake and I looked at each other for a long minute.

“
Did you get Brenna food?” He looked at the box I held. I felt like I should put it down or drop it.

“
Yeah. I didn’t think she would realize how long it could take.” Saxon smiled a little at Jake. Jake sneered back.

Jake looked directly at me. “Eat, Bren. I’ll be racing in another ten minutes, okay?”

I laid the box on the bench next to me and put my arms around him. “You can trust me, Jake,” I whispered.

“
I know that,” he whispered back. Then he kissed me, extra long for Saxon’s benefit. He jumped the gate and headed back to the track.

The pack of girls behind me was practically clawing and hissing.

Saxon gave them a glance that was pure disgust. A few of them got up and moved farther down the bleachers.

“
So you two laid it all out?” He picked up a fry, looked at it sickly and put it back.

I felt less guilty eating his food once I realized how much it grossed him out. Based on his phone conversation from the previous night, I could safely assume he had a major hangover.

“
Jake already bared his guts. I was the one who had to quit taking the chicken shit way out.” I chowed down on one of the hotdogs. Saxon looked a little green, which only convinced me to eat with more relish. Pun intended.

“
What did you tell him?” Saxon looked straight ahead, probably to avoid the sickeningly good smell of chili sauce and onion.

“
I told him every little thing, Saxon,” I admitted. “Every look and conversation and kiss and even what I felt.”

“
What
did
you feel?” He leaned back in the stands and gave me a long look.

“
That you were intriguing. That you were at least worth my friendship.” I drank from one of the cups of Coke. Even though there were two, Saxon took the one I was drinking out of my hands and drank from it. I knew exactly why he did it, but I had no idea how I felt about it.

“
You’re using the past tense, Blix. Can I assume that means you don’t find me intriguing or friendship-worthy anymore?”

“
No.” I put the half-eaten hotdog down in the box. “I should have used the present tense. You are those things for someone. Just not me. And more important than all your good qualities put together is your one main bad quality.”

“
Enlighten me.” He shook the cup, took a sip, and crunched some ice between his teeth.

“
You’re toxic.” It sounded awful and nasty, but it was the honest truth. “You poison good things, and I don’t think you even do it on purpose.”

“
You don’t think so?” He was mocking me, but there was a strain in his voice.

“
I hope you don’t. Because otherwise the alternative is that you’re a total sociopath.” I could see the guys on the bikes lining up. I squinted and was pretty sure I could see Jake. The announcer was a mumbler; I couldn’t fathom why anyone would put someone so inarticulate in charge of announcing important things to an entire audience.

“
He’s the fifth in from the outside.” Saxon leaned forward, watching.

“
I thought that was him. So is it one lap?”

Saxon laughed. “No. It’s twenty.”

“
Oh. What’s he doing?” I watched Jake fiddle with his bike. Was it safe?

“
Nervous habit. He’s making sure his fuel switch is on.”

“
But aren’t they all on?” There was a dull roar coming from the gate.

“
They’ll run for a minute or two if they’re switched off. No one wants to be the dipshit who loses the starting advantage because his fuel switch is off. He’s waving at you.” Saxon’s voice was bland around his last words.

But I had seen Jake’s wave before Saxon mentioned it. I already stood on the bench, waving back like an idiot. “Go Jake! Good luck!” I screamed.

Saxon pulled me gently back down. “Alright, Blix. The enthusiasm is admirable, but he can’t hear you.”

“
He knows,” I said confidently. I chewed on some vinegar fries. “You used to race?”

“
Yeah.” Saxon winced and rubbed his temples. “But I got tired of the humiliation of getting my ass handed to me by Jake every time we competed. So I just stopped racing and started going to cheer him on. And make bets on him.”

“
You bet money on Jake?” I had no idea there even were bets made on these races.

“
Always have.” Saxon leaned forward again. “He’s a sure thing on the track. I have close to a grand riding on this race.”

I felt dangerously close to choking on the fry I was in the process of swallowing. “A thousand dollars?”

“
Every one of these hot shots thinks he’s gonna come out the dark horse. Not with Jake Kelly on the track. He should go pro.”

The flag dropped and the bikes roared out of the gate. Jake was a few feet in front of every other bike.

“
That’s my boy.” Saxon’s slow smile widened. “Got his lead early on, and he’ll keep it.”

I stood with my hand over my mouth, willing Jake to go faster and keep ahead of everyone else who wanted to take his lead.

“
Sit back and relax for a few laps,” Saxon advised. He leaned his head back and groaned. “I guess I’m out of the loop for head rubs?”

“
Yeah.” I only took my eyes off Jake for a second. “You really are.”

He laughed. “You’re a stone bitch. I mean that in the most complimentary way possible.”

We watched Jake race around the track. He flew over a jump a few laps in and took both hands off of his handlebars.

“
Jake! You idiot! Jake!” I yelled.

I think Saxon had been napping. He sat up and his glasses slid off of his nose. “What’s wrong?” he asked sleepily.

“
Jake’s just being stupid.” I looked closely. He was holding on again. “He did some kind of stunt.”

“
What kind of stunt?” Saxon yawned.

“
He took his hand off the handlebars while he was jumping,” I said hotly.

Saxon let out a short, harsh laugh. “Calm down. He was changing the film on his goggles.”

“
What?”

“
The goggles he’s wearing. They probably have a good inch of mud on them. So he’s peeling the film off so he can see.” He chuckled again. “Don’t worry. Jake loves to win. He won’t do any stunts.”

“
Oh.” I felt incredibly dumb. “I don’t really know much about dirt bike racing, I guess.”

“
Motocross,” Saxon corrected. “That’s what it’s called. Didn’t you two talk about this before his race?”

I felt a wave of embarrassment when I thought about what we had done so often instead of talking about dirt bikes. Or talking at all.

Instead of answering Saxon, I took a sip of Coke and watched Jake. He was really fast. It was exciting to watch, but a little scary too. It was also really nerve-wracking. I didn’t want him to crash and burn, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of the race because I was afraid that was exactly what would happen the minute I looked away.

“
You guys going to the Folly show tonight?” Saxon rubbed his temples hard, and I could only imagine the pain that was pounding through his head.

“
Yeah. My shirts are going to be selling tonight.” I was proud of that, and thought I should be. I worked hard on them.

“
Well, I’ll make sure I buy one. I like putting my money towards any good charity.”

“
Do you have to work hard at being an asshole, or does it just come naturally?” I asked cheerfully.

He grinned at me and took his sunglasses off.

“
Saxon!” I kept half an eye on the race and tried to look at his face at the same time. “Seriously. What happened to your eye? And, you know, the rest of your face?”

“
I started out being my natural asshole self. Then I worked on it for a few minutes. And this is what I got.” He slid the glasses back on and winced.

“
Who did it?” I felt a surge of anger. I couldn’t help it. Saxon might be a deranged lunatic, but I couldn’t help feeling like he was something damaged that needed my protection.

“
Some senior who wasn’t particularly happy I was making out with his girlfriend.”