5:00
"Kavinsky." Ronan growled.
"Lynch." Kavinsky smiled, his lips like glass shards and eyes just as sharp.
Adam had a very bad feeling about this. He couldn't tell if it was Cabeswater tugging at his thoughts or just past experience. He fiddled a loose thread on his jacket. He wondered if it was too late to talk Ronan out of it. Nothing he said before had worked, but Adam felt his silence now made him culpable. He was suddenly glad that Blue was working that night.
Beside him, Gansey had slipped on the mask of a responsible man. He watched the exchange with well hidden worry behind a layer of mild disdain and impatience. He had spent over an hour trying to talk Ronan down from the challenge, but it was to no avail. Adam watched him lean on the hood of the replica camaro. Bright and shiny, other than the missing engine it was a perfect match. He knew Gansey was more impressed than he was willing to let on after he heard what Ronan planned to do with it.
"I see you brought Daddy Dick." Kavinsky said, tipping his sunglasses in Gansey's direction, His gold chains glittered in the fading sunlight.
"It's his car." Ronan said simply.
"But it isn't, right? Not really. I could help you, show you how to make it better. How to make it real."
"I'm with them."
"I told you before Lynch, you're either with me or against me." Kavinsky said.
Ronan crossed his arms. Adam felt a twitch of satisfaction. Kavinsky made a low whistling, arcing his hand down until it hit the car. "Pow!" He mimicked an explosion. Ronan didn't react.
"Buzzkill. Anyway, you know the deal. To the cliff's edge and back. If I win, you have to let me into yours dreams, one pill at a time." The way Kavinsky smirked sent a shudder down Adam's spine. "And you come hang out with me. If you win, I'll leave you alone."
"No, you don't talk to me, you don't look at me, you don't come within ten feet of me. You don't even think about my brothers, and if you take one step towards them—" Ronan jerked his thumb at Gansey and Adam. "I'll pummel you. Deal?"
"Done."
3:00
Kavinsky held his hand out and Ronan took it. They shook on it. Ronan pulled his hand away and Kavinsky let his fingers linger on his skin. Adams stomach turned and he glanced away.
Those were high stakes. He knew that Ronan would keep his word no matter what. A promise was a type of truth, solidified by someone like Ronan. He would not lie, not even to Kavinsky. It drove Adam nuts sometimes, that of all the moral things Ronan chose to hold himself to, it was honesty. The truth was not malleable to him, it was black and white steel.
Either it was, or it wasn't. Ronan said he would, and so he would.
"Let's do this."
Kavinsky threw open his door and slipped inside. With a resigned glance at Adam, Gansey climbed into the passenger seat of the fake camaro. Adam looked at the white car beside them. Kavinsky's gaunt face was shrouded by the semi tinted windows, but Adam felt as though he knew where his gaze lay.
The anxiety he tried to bury forced its way up his throat, nearly choking him. His mind whirled with possibilities, scenarios that ended in Ronan losing or getting hurt; scenes of Kavinsky's tainted, mirthful laughter. Ronan ducked to get into the camaro, but Adam grabbed his arm.
2:00
"I think I should ride with Kavinsky." He said softly.
Ronan flinched. "Why the hell would you do that?" He snapped.
"Do you really trust him alone in there? He'll find a way to cheat the moment you hit the gas."
"And you think you're gonna stop him?"
Adam shrugged. "It's worth a try."
Ronan groaned and looked like he was going to argue more, but Kavinsky shot down his window and raised an eyebrow.
"Are you chickening out already?" He sneered. 'We shook on it Lynch, it's too late to back out now."
Ronan started to say something, but Adam jumped in.
"I want to ride with you." He said.
Adam could hear Ronan cursing behind him, but didn't turn. Kavinsky eyed him, not warily so much as curiously. Unasked questions seemed to bubble at the edge of his lips. Then he flipped his shades down and waved his hand dismissively.
"Why not? Let's go Parrish."
1:00
Ronan let out another curse. Kavinsky tutted and leaned back into the car. As Adam went around to the other side of the car, he caught a glimpse of Gansey peering through the window. His face was puzzled and on the cusp of disapproval, like he knew he wouldn't agree with whatever Adam was doing, but wasn't sure exactly what that would be. Adam turned away and leaned into the car.
The interior was sleek and black all the way through. Buttons dotted the console and a pair of die hung from the mirror, all the divots scratched out. He slipped into the passenger seat, ignoring every one of his senses that screamed for him to get out. He knew it was a bad idea, but it was also the best one he had.
Story of Adam's life.
He kept his gaze on the dirt path in front of them. He didn't want to look at Kavinsky's face, cruelty and contempt etched into his every feature. He didn't want to look past him either, and see Ronan explaining in a tense voice what Adam had did, didn't want to see Ganseys eyes flash with outrage and distress. Gansey would understand why he did it, but he would still disapprove.
"K."
Kavinsky turned and Adam saw Ronan leaning out of the open camaro window.
"Don't wreck him."
It was a warning and as much as a plea as he'd ever heard Ronan issue.
Kavinsky didn't answer. He pointed to the digital clock that sat, stacked up on wooden boxes until it was a few feet off the ground. It flashed menacing red numbers against the back screen.
0:10
Adam wondered if it had been taken from his dreams, or if Kavinsky just had an old digital clock laying around. It was probably the first.
0:05
"You're about to get the ride of a lifetime Parrish."
Kavinsky flashed him a smile, all bared teeth. Adams nearly winced. Kavinsky revved the engine and Adam marveled at how much louder it was inside the car. He snuck a glance at Ronan, taking in his tense posture, white knuckles, cruel smile, and felt a little better. Ronan couldn't lose. He promised.
0:01
Kavinsky locked the doors. Adam sucked in a breath.
0:00
The wheels burned.