“You need to get fitter, little rebel. If you’re going to be a good criminal then you need to be able to make a quicker getaway than that,” he teased, raising one eyebrow at me.

I laughed and stood up, clutching at my ribs as they burned from the effort of breathing. I honestly did need to get fitter, he wasn’t even breathing hard yet I was sweating like a turkey just before thanksgiving. “I think I’ll stick to that one act. I’ve never done anything even remotely bad in my life,” I replied, grinning like a mad woman. I was actually still on a high that I had done that to Luke’s car; payback certainly was going to be a bitch on this occasion.

He grinned and shook his head, obviously amused. “Well then I’m glad I was there to witness your demise,” he teased, winking at me. “Come on then, let’s get you home so you can puke then sober up.” Before I could even answer, he turned and started walking back the way we came, not even bothering to wait for me.

“I’m Maisie,” I said, trying to keep up with him as he walked quickly down the road. I stumbled every other step because I had no shoes on and was still feeling the effects of the alcohol. It was harder to keep in a straight line at this slower pace, with him not holding my hand and dragging me along.

He turned his head and looked at me over his shoulder, as if he was deciding if he wanted to tell me his name or not. After a couple of seconds he obviously decided he did want to. “Zach,” he muttered, shrugging.

I followed him down the road, wondering if I was about to be killed. This was a classic thing you should never do, go off with a stranger for a ride; this was what my parents had drummed into me since I could remember. ‘Never accept a ride from a stranger, no matter what they promise you’ but here I was, following a guy I had only just met to some unknown place. I really was stupid.

Chapter 6

As we walked down the street he tossed the rock I’d thrown at Luke’s car into the shrubs. “Why did you bring that?” I asked curiously as I jogged to catch him up.

He smirked at me. “You wanted me to leave your fingerprints all over the rock that smashed his window? If you want we can just go back and slip a confession on there with your name and address, telling the cops where to find you,” he suggested, laughing quietly to himself.

“I didn’t think about fingerprints. Oh my God, am I going to get into trouble for doing that?” My eyes widened as I started to feel nauseous. I’d just broken the law and vandalised someone else’s property and that fact was only just sinking in. My heart was racing in my chest as I stopped walking and started to panic.

Zach laughed and grabbed my elbow, shaking his head. “Nah, no one was around, there’s no CCTV on that street, and I removed the evidence. As far as you’re concerned, the car was in perfect condition when you got out and left it.” He looked at me sternly as he started to drag me along again.

I thought about what he said. No one else but him saw me do it, and after tonight I wouldn’t even see him again anyway, so there was no chance I was getting into trouble for this, at least, I hoped not anyway. The worry was starting to kill the buzz a little but deep down I was still glad I did it. That small payback did make me feel marginally better.

He stopped after another couple of minutes and smiled at me. “Ever ridden on a bike before?” His voice held an amused twang to it.

A bike? I looked at what he was standing next to, a huge black motorbike. Holy crap, is this his ‘ride’? Is he seriously expecting me to get on this death-trap? It didn’t even look like it was roadworthy, it was rusted and scratched up, the seat was a little torn and the stuffing was leaking out.

“No way,” I whispered, shaking my head. There was no way I was getting on this bike with him at all. I had been in a car accident a couple of years ago with Alex, I knew how much it hurt, and that crash had been fully protected and encased in metal, this, this was pure exposure to the road if you fell off. There was not a chance in hell I was getting on this thing.

“Yes way,” he countered, laughing at me as he swung his leg over it and fumbled in his pockets for his keys.

I stood there with my mouth agape, just watching as he started the engine, well attempted to start the engine anyway because it took at least five tries before it roared to life. Even the sound of the engine screamed danger. It didn’t sound at all healthy; it was loud and whiney and threatened to give out at any minute.

“I’m not getting on that thing. I’ll just, um,” I trailed off, thinking and weighing my options. I could call Alex and see if anyone at the party was sober enough to come and get me. Or maybe I could call a cab - but if I did that I wasn’t sure how I would pay for it because I didn’t have my purse. I could call my parents, but then how would I explain everything to them? I could walk home, but it was well over half an hour to walk to my house from here and I had no shoes…

He grinned and shook his head. “Pussy,” he teased, cocking his head to the side, looking at me mockingly.

I scowled at him. I didn’t like him calling me that, for some reason I felt like I wanted to prove myself to this stranger that I’d met less than twenty minutes ago. “I’m not, it’s just that thing doesn’t even look like it could hold my weight as well as yours, its wheels would probably fall off!” I answered. Then I flinched when I realised that I’d just made a bitchy comment about his bike when he was being nice and offering me a lift home. I opened my mouth to apologise, but he spoke first.

“We can’t all ride around in our cheating boyfriend’s sports car!” He frowned and looked away from me, obviously annoyed.

I chewed on my lip and felt a wave of guilt wash over me. I was being so horrible to him, and all he was doing was being nice to me. This wasn’t me, I wasn’t like this usually, I was Maisie Preston, sweet and kind to everyone, but Luke had turned me into this bitter, nasty person. This was another thing that was his fault.

“Sorry, Zach. I was out of order saying that. I’d like a ride if you’re still offering it, but I understand if you want to tell me to jog on,” I said, looking at him apologetically.

He chuckled quietly. “I’ve never said the words ‘jog on’ in my life, I’d usually go for something stronger,” he said, a grin stretching across his face. I smiled apologetically and he rolled his eyes, “Come on then, little miss DUI, let’s get you home, huh?” He patted the seat behind him for me to get on.

I winced and looked longingly back up the road, contemplating my options again.

“Get on, Maisie!” he ordered, grabbing the front of my playsuit and pulling me towards him. I squealed as my clothes moved. Where he pulled me, the top came away from my body, so I quickly clutched it to my chest again so he didn’t get an eyeful. He laughed and let go. “Almost got a flash then. Maybe next time.” He winked at me and I gasped. Maybe I really should walk home. “Get on the bike before I run out of gas from sitting here idle for so freaking long. I do have places to get to you know, I don’t just hang out on the streets waiting for random drunken girls to run me down!” I winced thinking about almost killing him and stepped closer, gripping his shoulders for support as I climbed, in an exceptionally unladylike fashion, onto the seat behind him. He laughed and stood up with his legs either side of the bike, and pulled off his hoodie, passing it to me. “It’ll be cold when we get going and you’re only in that slutty little outfit,” he said, nodding down at the flimsy clothes I was wearing.

“I’m not a slut.” I frowned in protest but pulled on the offered sweater at the same time.

He smirked at me and shrugged. “Tell that to your legs that are exposed almost to the pleasure zone which, coincidently, is pressed against a stranger’s ass,” he commented, laughing as I slapped his back.

“Are you gonna drive me home or stand there making assumptions about me all night?” I asked, trying to sound stern but failing miserably, he was actually pretty funny.

“Sure. Where to?” he asked, looking at me curiously over his shoulder. I told him my address, giving a few directions when he didn’t quite know where it was. “Yeah, I think I know it. If I go past it or miss a turn then just tell me and I’ll turn around.” He took my hands and put them on his sides, signalling for me to hold on.

I nodded and gripped his T-shirt. I could feel his toned muscles under my hands; I knew he would be in good shape because of the whole freerunning and jumping over a moving car thing. “Where’s my helmet anyway?” I asked, looking around for it hanging somewhere.

“Don’t have one,” he answered as he pulled out. I jerked back in the seat from the take-off and screamed, throwing my arms around his waist and pressing my face into his back. My heart was beating out of my chest from the fear of it. This is such a stupid idea; I’m so going to die. Hopefully it’ll be quick and painless!

When we didn’t immediately die, I pulled my face away from his back and looked over his shoulder. Then, before I knew what was happening, it started to feel nice. The wind was blowing across my face again like when we were running from Luke’s car. It was almost like flying. My heart slowed down as my stomach got a little fluttery as the adrenalin started to flow through my veins.

I grinned and pressed my mouth and nose into his shoulder to make it easier to breathe, but I kept my eyes firmly forward as I wrapped my arms tighter around his waist. This was my first time on a motorbike, and I had to admit, I loved it. The fluid way that he mastered the bike and leant into the corners, it was almost sexual, and for some reason I felt a little weird to be doing this with him. This innocent ride home was actually sexy as hell.

Way too soon, he pulled into my street, slowing down and eventually came to a stop outside of my house. I took a couple of deep breaths as I pushed myself off of the bike. My legs were a little wobbly from the vibrations of the journey, but even that was a gratifying feeling. I smiled and pulled off his hoodie, handing it back to him, trying not to grin like an idiot because the feeling riding on the bike caused in me. I didn’t want him to know how much I enjoyed it because then he’d be smirking at me again.

“Thanks for the ride. Sorry again for almost killing you earlier,” I said, wincing sheepishly.

He laughed and shook his head dismissively. “What’s a little car accident between friends?” he joked. “You got keys, right?” He nodded towards the house in prompt.

I nodded, knowing there was a spare key hidden under a rock around the back of the house. “Yeah, thanks.” I looked at him, unsure what else to say to this stranger than had just shown me an act of kindness and saved me from a whole heap of trouble.

“No problem. Maybe I’ll see you around.” He gunned the engine and his bike took off, roaring off up the road, leaving me standing there in the cold, watching him ride off in a puff of black exhaust fumes.

As soon as I was on my own I started to think about Luke again. Zach had taken my mind off of it for a little while, but as soon as he rode off all I could think about was the betrayal that I felt in the pit of my stomach and how my heart felt like it was physically aching. The thing that got to me the most was the fact that I was actually worried about Luke. I’d left him at the party, unable to stand, throwing up and alone. I hated myself for still caring, but I did.

I gulped and forced myself to walk inside the house before I broke down on the front lawn. Once in the solitude of my bedroom I closed my door silently behind me. I didn’t want my parents to know I was home; I just didn’t want to see anyone right now. I slumped down onto my bed, ignoring how my bare feet put dirt smudges over the sheets. I pulled the covers up over my head to muffle the sound, and then I sobbed my heart out for the guy who I thought would love me forever. I sobbed for my lost future with him, I sobbed for the time that I’d already wasted with him, I sobbed for the special things that I gave him of myself, things I could never give anyone else: my first kiss, my virginity. I just sobbed until the tears dried up and my chest hurt from the effort.

I wanted sleep to come and take me so I could stop thinking about it, but that didn’t happen. Instead, I laid there awake all night, replaying everything good that happened between us, our plans, our memories. I just laid there wondering when the exact moment was that I ceased to be enough for him.

By the time morning came I felt a little dead inside. I didn’t know what to think or feel. I’d had to turn my cell phone off during the night because the constant ringing and buzzing had driven me crazy. I reached over and grabbed it, turning it on again. The texts started coming through immediately. Twenty-six in total, all from Luke. I deleted them all without reading them, I didn’t want to know what he said, I didn’t want to hear his apologies, they weren’t enough.

I unclasped my hand, stretching out my stiff fingers from where they had been in the same position all night - wrapped tightly around my locket that Luke had bought me. I couldn’t let go of it. During the night I’d just laid there reading the inscription on the back over and over again. ‘True love lasts for always. Yours forever, Luke’. Yours forever. The words brought a sad smile to my face every time I read them. Obviously his idea of forever and my idea of it were miles apart.

At just after ten in the morning there was a loud knocking on the front door. I already knew it would be him. I looked around my room for some sort of escape or somewhere to hide. I didn’t want to see him, not yet, I couldn’t face it. Voices drifted up the stairs, belonging to my dad and Luke. My dad was telling him that I wasn’t here, that I stayed at Charlotte’s, so obviously I was quiet enough that they didn’t hear me come in last night.