Chapter 35 The Inner Circle
Stephanie
To be fair, I didn't exactly agree to the bet with Sebastian. He proposed it, but I never said yes.
After the match between both our schools ended in a tie, Sebastian caught up with me when we were leaving the stadium to remind me of our ‘date’.
Of course, I shut him down immediately and told him I was going to choose the other option which was a rematch at the Vault. He responded by saying it was still a date, except more aggressive, and that he liked aggressive. I walked away from him after that.
Since Brooklyn witnessed the whole exchange, I had no choice but to tell her everything. Surprisingly, she didn't have an issue with it. Her only condition was that I beat him at the match. JJ and Cisco had the same conditions. Kendrix, however, was a different story.
“I can't believe you agreed to go on a date with him.” He grumbled as we walked down the dark alley leading to the Vault. We took the car here and parked at the gas station across the street. His motorcycle was already there, courtesy of JJ.
I rolled my eyes. “For the last time, I am not going on a date with him. I don't think what we're walking into count as one.”
“That's not what he said.” He muttered.
In true Sebastian fashion, he had taunted Kendrix after the football match and told him he was taking me on a date. No matter how many times I told Kendrix that wasn't the case, he seems to be hung up on what Sebastian said.
“Are you going to believe him or me?” I folded my arms and glared at him.
I don't even know why he's so worked up about the thought of Sebastian and me going on a date, not that it would ever happen. I still think the guy is annoying. And anyone who constantly messed with my friends, messed with me as well.
“Sorry.” He said and dipped his hand into the pocket of his leather jacket.
I nodded and continued walking. He fell into steps beside me. “I suspect he's going to try to pull something now that he knows I can beat him. Is their any of his tricks I should know about?” I asked.
“Oh, definitely. He has many tricks up his sleeve and he will definitely try to pull them in you. But judging by your skills, you have nothing to worry about. You'd win against him despite his cunning tricks. I believe in you.” he said.
Something tightened in my chest as he said the last words. It was the first time anyone has ever said they believed in me. No one has ever said it before, not my mother and definitely not my father.
Kendrix didn't seem to realize the effect those words had on me as he continued to rattle off Sebastian's weaknesses. I couldn't fight the smile that tugged at the corner of my lips.
“Did we arrive late or did everyone just get here earlier?” Kendrix frowned when we got to Brooklyn and the others stood. He dragged his gaze across the space, taking in the crowd. It seems to rival the huge number at the stadium the day of the match.
“The latter.” Cisco answered. “Everyone is eager to watch another face-off between both schools. We have to win tonight.”
I let myself take in the amount of people that gathered to watch the race, and maybe my failure, a sense of apprehension trickled into me and I swallowed. While I was confident in my ability to beat Sebastian, I couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was about to happen.
Brooklyn dropped her eyes to me, probably sensing my nervousness. “No pressure, Steph. It doesn't matter if you don't win.” She said softly.
“Doesn't matter? Our entire reputation depends on this.” JJ cried.
Brooklyn, Cisco, and Kendrix turned to him and glared at him. He glanced between three of them and winced.
“I'm sorry, Steph. As Brooke said, no pressure.” he said.
“It's okay, guys. I can handle this.” I smiled. I've handled so many people like Sebastian back when I was still very into racing—before my father went crazy into alcohol that he'd forget his own family—and I knew exactly how to deal with him too.
“I'd recommend taking my bike instead of JJ's since you're already familiar with it.” Cisco said as he stretched his helmet towards me. I smiled at him and leaned forward to collect it when Kendrix snatched my hand.
“Take mine instead. It's way faster than Cisco's. His is outdated.” He said.
“Dude! It's only two years old.” Cisco said, obviously offended by the insult on his motorcycle.
“My point exactly.” He clicked his tongue then turned to JJ who was leaning over a motorcycle I've never seen before. Must be Kendrix's.
“Wait, you're serious? You want to give her your motorcycle for the race?” JJ asked, looking genuinely surprised. Kendrix nodded.
“You've never let anyone ride your motorcycle. You didn't even let me ride it when you first bought it. I only rode it today because you wanted me to help you bring it.” JJ said, his lips parted in surprise. Brooklyn and Cisco nodded in agreement.
Brooklyn had a suspicious gleam in her eyes as she glanced between Kendrix and I.
“Quit whining and give me the keys.” Kendrix scoffed.
I fought the small smile at the corner of my lips as he handed me the keys to the shiny motorcycle JJ was leaning on. I recognized the model immediately and knew how pricey it was.
“Thank you.” I muttered. He simply nodded.
JJ suddenly jumped up and snapped his fingers. “Guys, I just realized we don't have a group name for the five of us. Surely, we can't continue to go by Fabulous Four now that Stephanie is part of us. We need a name for five people.”
“F4 means Fabulous Four? I thought it meant Favourite 4.” Brooklyn muttered.
JJ glared at her. “Really, Brooke? Favourite Four? Does that sound like something I would come up with?”
“Well, you always come up with the most ridiculous names. I didn't realize ‘F4’ meant something else.” She shrugged.
“Me too.” Cisco added.
JJ stared at them, eyes widened in mock horror. His expression was hilarious but I kept my amusement to myself. “That is just pure blasphemy.” He concluded.
The couple merely shrugged. JJ ignored them and turned to me.
“As I was saying, we need a new group name. I was going to say ‘Fantastic Five’, but I don't want our couple of the year to mix up the translation again.” he glared pointedly at Cisco and Brooklyn.
“What do you think of the Inner Circle or the Quintessence?”
“Where are you getting these names from? I can't even pronounce the second one.” Brooklyn rolled her eyes.
“I like the ‘inner circle'. It sounds more dangerous.” Cisco grinned.
“Me too.” Kendrix nodded.
JJ turned to me. “Stephanie, what about you?”
“I'll choose the ‘inner circle' too.” I replied.
“Alright then, it is settled. The F4 will now be known as The Inner Circle. Drum roll, please.” He waved his hand in the air like he was beating a drum. No body stopped him, but we didn't join him either.
Soon after JJ announced the new selection of name, the race was about to start. I hopped on Kendrix's bag motorcycle and rode to the starting point. Sebastian was already there and was in the process of putting his helmet on.
I slammed up the cover of my helmet and smirked at him. He didn't seem inclined to give me a few seconds headstart like the last time.
“May the best win.” I said and nodded.
“Oh, I will.” He grinned. The uneasiness I had felt earlier returned in full force. I noticed him staring at my other side and followed his gaze.
There I saw three other bikers getting ready and putting their helmets on. It took me a few seconds to realize, and when I did, my eyes widened in horror.
Tonight race wasn't just between me and Sebastian, it was between me and his whole squad. I was going to race with an entire squad, four against one.
“Good luck. You're gonna need it.” Sebastian started and zoomed off.