Odessa’s POV
I got home and sighed, cramps were the worst, I just want to lay on the ground and take a cup of hot water.
The house quiet when I walked in.
Usually, Dean had the television blaring in the living room while Havana complained that he was watching the same football highlights for the tenth time.
I slipped off my shoes and walked further inside.
“Dean?”
“I’m in the kitchen.” He said
His voice sounded… different.
I frowned and walked toward him.
He was sitting at the dining table with his laptop open, a mug of coffee beside him.
Several documents were scattered across the table.
He looked up when he saw me.
“Hey kiddo.”
“Hey.”
I dropped my backpack beside the chair and immediately noticed the serious expression on his face.
“What happened?”
He closed the laptop.
“I got a call today.”
My stomach tightened.
“A call from who?”
“Our lawyer.”
Everything inside me seemed to stop working.
“Why?”
He was quiet for a second before answering.
“They’ve finally scheduled it.”
I stared at him blankly.
“Scheduled what?”
He looked me straight in the eyes.
“The first court hearing.”
Okay I wasn’t expecting that.
I slowly sat down opposite him.
“Already?”
He nodded.
“Three weeks from now.”
Three weeks, after all this time it was finally happening.
I lowered my gaze to my hands.
Dean slid a folder across the table.
“The lawyer emailed these over.”
I didn’t touch it.
“You don’t have to read it now.” He said
“I don’t even know if I want to.”
He sighed softly.
“I know.”
I sighed, I remembered how the scandal blew up in our faces and all the endless questions from reporters.
People whispering every time I walked past.
I closed my eyes.
“I thought I’d be happy.”
Dean looked at me.
“I wanted this day to come for so long.” He said
“So did I but I’m scared.”
He didn’t interrupt me while i continued my rant.
“I’m scared they’ll get away with it and they’ll blame Mom and Dad.”
“I’m scared we’ll have to hear everything all over again.”
The words spilled out before I could stop them.
Dean reached across the table and squeezed my hand.
“They won’t face this alone.”
I looked up.
“We’ll be there.” He said and smiled faintly.
“You and me.”
I laughed weakly.
“The terrible twins.”
He snorted.
“We’re not twins kiddo, have some respect for me.”
I laughed and he kicked my foot.
After a while, Dean stood and walked to the kitchen.
“What do you want for dinner?”
“I’m not hungry.”
“I wasn’t asking.”
I rolled my eyes.
“You sound like Landon.” I blurted out and immediately regretted it.
He looked back at me.
“Who?”
My cheeks warmed.
“N-Nobody.”
Dean narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“A boyfriend?”
I nearly choked.
“What?!”
“I’m just asking.”
“I don’t have a boyfriend!”
“So defensive.”
“I am not defensive.”
He grinned.
“You’ve definitely met someone.”
I grabbed the nearest cushion and threw it at him and he caught it effortlessly.
My phone buzzed before I could throw something else at him again, it was Naomi.
I answered immediately.
“Hello?”
“Get dressed girl.”
“Hello to you too.” I said
“There’s no time.”
“What?”
“We’re taking you out.”
I frowned.
“I’m really not in the mood.”
“Too bad but we are.”
“Naomi I’m really stressed”
“No excuses.”
Naomi continued.
“So you have exactly forty-five minutes.”
“For what?”
“To get ready.”
“Ready to go where?”
“You’ll see.”
I sighed.
“I honestly just want to stay home.”
“Maya!
Did you hear that?” Naomi yelled
A muffled voice answered on the other end.
“I did!
She’s definitely coming now.”
The call ended before I could protest.
I stared at my phone for a long moment then looked toward Dean.
He was smiling.
“You should go.”
“I don’t feel like going anywhere.”
“I know.” He walked over and ruffled my hair.
“But Mom wouldn’t let you stay in this house feeling sorry for yourself.”
I sighed.
Exactly forty-five minutes later a car horn echoed outside our house.
“They’re here!” Dean called from the living room.
I looked at myself one last time in the mirror.
After arguing with Naomi for almost ten minutes over the phone, she’d finally let me wear jeans instead of forcing me into another dress.
I had on a pair of high-waisted black skinny jeans that hugged my legs perfectly, a fitted white long-sleeved crop top with a V neckline that showed just a hint of my boobs, and white sneakers.
I left my pink hair down in soft waves that fell past my shoulders, and I kept my makeup simple as usual, glossy lips, mascara and a touch of blush.
It wasn’t glamorous but it was perfect.
I grabbed my small crossbody bag and headed downstairs.
Dean looked up from the couch.
“Too much?” I asked him
“Too little.” He said
I rolled my eyes at him “You’re so cheesy.”
“I’m your older brother.”
He glared at me and opened the front door for me.
Outside, Naomi leaned dramatically against Maya’s car.
The moment she saw me, she gasped.
“I knew she’d look cute!”
I laughed.
Naomi looked stunning as always.
She wore a burgundy fitted tank top tucked into a black leather mini skirt, sheer black tights and chunky ankle boots.
Gold hoop earrings framed her face, and her long dark hair was tied into a sleek high ponytail that swung behind her every time she moved.
Beside her, Maya looked effortlessly pretty.
She wore light blue ripped jeans, a loose cream knit sweater tucked slightly into the front, white trainers and a simple silver necklace.
Her shoulder-length brown hair curled softly around her face.
“You clean up nicely,” Maya said with a smile.
“I always do.”
Naomi snorted.
“The confidence.”
“It’s called self-love.”
“I call it delusion.”
I laughed and Dean folded his arms.
“Take care of my sister.”
Naomi saluted dramatically.
“With my life.”
“I mean it.”
“So do I.”
His expression softened before he looked at me.
“Call me if you need anything.”
“I will.”
He smiled.
“Have fun.”
“I’ll try.”
Almost forty minutes later Maya slowed the car.
The further we drove from the city, the louder everything became.
I could hear music and engines and cheering form inside.
Bright lights reflected against the night sky.
I frowned.
“Where are we?”
“You’re about to find out.”
Cars filled every available space around an abandoned industrial warehouse.
Not ordinary cars but sports cars.
People crowded around them, taking pictures and placing bets.
Some wore leather jackets and others wore racing suits.
The smell of petrol mixed with smoke filled the air.
I stepped out of the car slowly.
“What is this place?”
“The underground racing circuit,” Maya answered.
I stared.
“This exists is it legal?”
Naomi laughed.
“You’ve been living under a rock.”
“I genuinely have.”
Music blasted from giant speakers.
“This is insane,” I whispered.
A group of guys walked past us.
“I’ve got five grand on Landon tonight.”
“You’re crazy,” another replied.
“Paxton’s been unbeaten for months.”
“So has Landon.”
I frowned, did he just say… Landon?
Another voice came through the crowd.
“Tonight’s going to be brutal.”
“First time those two are racing each other.”
“The whole city’s here.”
My heart skipped and I looked at Naomi.
“Did they say Landon?”
She exchanged a quick glance with Maya.
“Maybe.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“What do you mean maybe?”
“You’ll see.”
I folded my arms.
“I hate it when you two do that.”
Naomi only smiled and a loudspeaker suddenly crackled to life.
“Ladies and gentlemen” The crowd erupted into cheers.
“It’s almost time!”
Everyone surged toward the barriers surrounding the track.
Maya grabbed my wrist before I got swept away.
“Stay close.”
“I wasn’t planning on getting lost.”
We squeezed through the crowd until we reached the front.
The track lay endlessly ahead beneath the bright floodlights.
Luxury cars lined up near the starting line.
Mechanics moved quickly around them.
Then my eyes landed on a familiar figure.
Everything else disappeared around me.
Standing beside a sleek matte-black Nissan GT-R was…
Landon.
He wasn’t wearing his usual black hoodie either.
Instead, he wore a fitted black racing suit with thin silver stripes running down the sleeves and legs.
The zipper was pulled halfway down, revealing a fitted black compression shirt underneath that clung to every line of his broad shoulders and toned chest.
Black racing gloves covered his hands.
His dark hair was slightly messy, as though he’d just removed his helmet, and the floodlights caught the sharp angles of his face.
He looked so hot.
He leaned casually against the driver’s door with one hand in his pocket while speaking to a mechanic, completely at ease in the chaotic atmosphere around him.
Girls nearby openly stared at him.
“I swear he’s even hotter outside school.”
“I’d let him ruin my life.”
“I’d thank him for it.”
Naomi coughed into her fist and I quickly looked away.
“I wasn’t staring.”
“You absolutely were,” Maya whispered.
“I was just…”
“What?”
“Surprised.”
Naomi smirked.
“Mhmm.”
Before I could defend myself, another car rolled toward the starting line.
It was a metallic blue Ferrari.
The driver’s door lifted and Paxton stepped out.
The crowd erupted into more cheers.
Cheers echoed from every direction as he adjusted the collar of his racing jacket and confidently walked toward his car.
He looked across the track and Landon looked up at exactly the same moment.
Their eyes met and I could feel the tension from here.
I frowned.
“Are they competing?”
Naomi nodded.
“They’ve hated each other for years because Landon won ome race and Paxton is a sore loser.”
Before I could ask another question Landon’s gaze shifted straight toward the crowd and then his piercing gaze locked on mine.
My heart began pounding in my chest.
Why was he looking at me like that?