All In (21 page)

Lane

“I’m so sorry,” Ashley whispers, tears
streaking her face, before she runs down the stairs, leaving me in
the middle of her living room standing slack jawed at what just
transpired.

Andrew claps his hand on my shoulder.
“Hey, man, what do you say we get outta here?”

I turn towards the stairs. “I should
go talk to Ash, make sure she’s okay.”

“Yeah, you may want to do that later,”
Andrew says, glancing in his father’s direction. One look at Mr.
Whitmore’s face and I know Andrew’s right. Ashley and I can talk
when everyone’s calmed down.

I nod. “Good idea.”

“Dude. Can you believe my little
sister just laid out that whole room?” Andrew laughs walking to my
car. The cool night is a welcome relief from the stuffy room we
just left, but the thought of Ashley upset tightens my chest,
making it difficult to take in a deep breath of the fresh air.
“Hey, why don’t we go blow off some steam for a little bit? Ashley
will call soon, I’m sure,” Andrew says as I eye my phone. “I heard
there’s a party at the bluffs tonight. Let’s go, chill out, and
this won’t seem like such a big deal in an hour or two. I
swear.”

I let out a sigh then shove my phone
in my pocket. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” I hope.

There are a few people scattered
around the bluffs when we arrive, but definitely not a party.
Andrew and I lean against the back of my car watching the clusters
of people come and go until the bluffs are officially empty except
for us.

“Wild and crazy party,” I joke. “We
might want to keep it down before someone calls the cops and I get
arrested again.”

“Total bust,” Andrew says, tossing the
twig he’s been fiddling with to the ground. “We could head to the
beach? See if there’s a bonfire?”

I ignore Andrew’s suggestion and pull
out my phone; I’ve waited long enough for everyone to calm down. I
want to talk to my girl. I dial Ashley and let the call ring over
and over until her voicemail finally picks up. I jam the phone back
in my pocket. She’s either still talking to her parents, or she’s
grounded. Again.

“Damn.” I kick the dirt, sending up a
small cloud of dust. “All Ashley was trying to do was help, and now
she’s probably in even more trouble because of me, and I’m not
anywhere closer to Yale. Talk about a bust.”

“I’ve never seen her so upset, but she
really did believe Richard was going to help, so I don’t blame
her,” Andrew says. “That was a serious dick move.”

“You got that right.” I fiddle with my
keys, thinking about how sad Ashley looked right before she
disappeared down the stairs and wishing I would have followed her.
“Dude, you mind if I run you home? I think I’m gonna call it a
night,” I tell Andrew, done with it all.

“Yeah, that’s cool. And hey, Lane, I’m
sorry about the whole school thing. I kinda feel responsible you’re
in this mess in the first place.”

I scrunch my brows. “How’s
that?”

Andrew stares at the ground for a
second before looking back up at me. “I mean, I was the one who
proposed that bet, then practically forced you to race by shoving
money at you.”

I shake my head. “Nah, dude, I
could’ve said no. I wanted to beat him, embarrass him and all,” I
say sheepishly because winning the money was a tempting lure, but I
really just wanted to show him up in front of Ashley. Childish, I
know.

“Thanks, Lane. For being so cool.”
Andrew says, and I can tell he’s being genuine. “I can’t resist a
good bet, you know?” He smiles. “And the look on Greg’s face when
you beat him was totally priceless.”

“Yeah, it was,” I agree with a
laugh.

“And speak of the devil…” Andrew
stares over my shoulder.

“Seriously?” I say as Gregory pulls up
alongside us. You’ve got to be kidding me. Can this night get any
worse?

“Hey, ladies, you two up here all by
yourselves to make out?” Gregory says, stepping out of his car with
a grin on his face, acting like we’re old friends. Is this guy
delusional?

“Come up here to make out with
yourself?” Andrew jokes back, but there’s more than just an
undertone of annoyance in his voice, there is clear
disdain.

“Funny, but no. I was actually hoping
I’d find you here,” he says, eyeing me. I can feel my fists clench.
What’s it gonna take to shake this guy?

“What do you want, Gregory?” I ask
annoyed.

“What I’ve wanted from the get go,” he
says, swinging his key ring around his index finger casually.
“Ashley.”

He clearly
is
delusional and his
confidence makes me laugh. “Ashley? And how do you think you’re
gonna manage that?”

“Simple. Another bet,” he answers
without a hint of irony.

“What do you mean, another bet?” I ask
skeptically.

“Well, it’s my understanding,” Gregory
smirks, “you just asked my father for help with a financial problem
you’re facing, and everyone should be entitled to an education, so
I’m here to solve both our problems.”

I roll my eyes. “The only problem I
have right now is you,” I say aggravated that he’s toying with me,
rubbing my failure in my face and making it a game. “Get to the
point.”

“Fine. Fine,” he says,
waving away my irritation. “I bet you another race.
From here, past the fork, and out to Stonewall
pond.”

“What? Getting beat once wasn’t enough
for you?” I laugh, dismissing his offer as I walk away, then like a
puzzle piece falling into place, it all clicks. I spin and face
him. “Wait. You want me to bet Ashley?” I ask
incredulously.

“Precisely.”

I shake my head. So much for Ashley’s
theory that Greg is over her. “You’ve lost your mind,” I say,
turning away again.

“We’ll see.” I hear him say smugly.
“Don’t you want to hear the terms of the bet?” he asks, then
continues when I don’t respond. “If you win, I’ll give you a
hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Surely that’s enough to cover
the cost of school.”

I stop in my tracks then slowly turn
and face him. “And if you win?”

“I get Ashley,” he says simply, like
she’s a commodity to be traded on an open exchange. “You
in?”

I can hardly wrap my mind around what
he’s saying, making it hard to think clearly. One hundred and fifty
thousand dollars? That kind of money would almost cover all four
years of school. I wouldn’t have to burden my family, or go into
debt. I’d be able to go to Yale. Realize my dream.

It’s the easiest decision I’ve ever
had to make.

“No.”

“No?” he repeats in
disbelief.

“Not a chance. Ashley’s the love of my
life and you’re a fool if you think any amount of money would ever
make me choose it over her.”

Gregory takes a step forward, his jaw
tight and his eyes wide. “You would turn down an ivy league
education, practically paid in full, to keep dating a girl who’s
just using you to make her mommy and daddy mad?” Gregory says,
trying to bait me, irritated he’s not getting his way. “You really
should reconsider.”

“Never,” I say without a second
thought. In his world, money might buy everything, but it can’t buy
me. I wouldn’t trade Ashley for anything in the world, not even
Yale.

“But—” Gregory starts, before being
cut off by Andrew.

“I’ll take the bet.”

I whip my head around and stare at
Andrew. “You what?”

“I’ll take the bet,” Andrew says flat
out. “But I have different terms.”

“I’m not going to race you,” Gregory
says. “You can’t give me what I want anyway.”

“Ashley?” Andrew raises his brows.
“Dude, that’s never going to happen, no matter who you race, win or
lose, my sister’s in love with Lane, you have to accept
that.”

“She’ll come to her senses sooner or
later. Lane can’t take care of her the way I can,” Gregory
scoffs.

“Besides being an ass, that’s exactly
why she’d never be with you. She doesn’t need someone to take care
of her. She’s strong, independent, and brave and she can take care
of herself. Jerk,” I say proud of my girl.

“Dude, I’m so tired of this,” Andrew
says, throwing his hands in the air, clearly frustrated. “Five
hundred grand. That’s my bet.”

“Andrew,” I snap, my jaw as tight as
my fists. This is way past out of hand. “Drop this.”

“No. The only thing that matters to
him is money.” He levels Gregory with his eyes. “So let’s do this.
I bet you five hundred thousand dollars. Are you in?”

“And if you win?” Gregory asks,
clarifying the terms, a glimmer of excitement and greed in his
eyes.

“You leave my sister and Lane alone.
No more fighting, no more rude remarks at their expense, and no
more stupid bets. Nothing. It’s over and you move on. Got
it?”

Gregory takes a long look at his car
then turns back to Andrew with a smirk. “Deal.”

I see a gleam of excitement in
Andrew’s eyes now too. I pull him off to the side, just out of ear
shot. “Dude, you do not need to do this. Ashley and I can deal with
Gregory just fine. Don’t risk losing that kind of money. That’s
insane.”

Andrew smiles. “You know as well as I
do your car can smoke him. I’m more surprised he’s willing to risk
the embarrassment of losing again, even for that much
cash.”

“Exactly. Don’t you think that’s
weird? Why would he bother?”

“Money. Plain and simple.”

I give Andrew a blank look. “But his
family is loaded?”

“That’s the thing with Gregory, he
wants what he can’t have. And if he has it, he wants more of it.
He’s never satisfied.”

I draw in a breath and release it
slowly. Andrew knows Gregory better than I do, so I’ll have to
trust he knows what he’s talking about. Even though it still seems
off to me. Maybe another dose of reality is just what Gregory needs
because you don’t always get what you want in life. And one thing
is for sure, he can’t have Ashley, and he can’t beat my car, no
matter who’s driving.

“Okay, let’s do this.”

“Yes!” Andrew slaps the hood of my
car, smiling.

“You sure you’re good to
drive?”

“Dude, I got this,” he says, leaning
against my car casually. I shake my head at how calm Andrew seems,
considering he just bet half a million bucks. My palms are sweating
like mad. “Seriously, Lane, I’m good, so don’t worry. When I was in
Atlantic City, a bunch of us went to the track and raced Ferrari’s.
I should be able to handle your car just fine.”

“Alright.” I nod.

“Anytime,” Gregory says, interrupting
us, his sarcasm as obvious as his disdain for me.

“I’m more than ready,” Andrew replies
as I toss him my keys.

“Let’s make this short and sweet. From
here to the fork in the road,” Gregory says, trying to sound
nonchalant but there’s an edge in his voice.

“Why so short now? Afraid your car
won’t perform as well once you’re off the line?” I ask.

“Hardly,” Gregory says but his face
tells a different story. He looks concerned.

Andrew laughs as he jumps into the
driver seat of my car and begins adjusting the mirrors. “Riiight,”
he taunts Gregory.

I lean in so only Andrew can hear me.
“Listen, Greg’s car is fast off the line, but mine’ll build up
speed quick. Last time he boxed me in, so even though I won, he has
no idea I wasn’t even close to pushing the car to its limits. Let
him punch it and beat you off the line.”

Andrew puts his seatbelt on then looks
at me with his brows furrowed. “Really?”

I nod. “Yeah. Move quick into second
gear and ride it all the way to the rev limiter before shifting
into third.” Andrew is zeroed in on my every word. “Hold on tight
to keep control of the car when you lay on the gas and you’ll
catapult past him in the last few seconds right before you reach
the fork, but get into fourth gear right after you win, so my
engine doesn’t burn out,” I say with a grin and a fist
bump.

“Fine. From here to the fork in the
road,” Andrew yells to Gregory over the sound of both cars engines
now purring.

Gregory’s face relaxes with Andrew’s
agreement of the terms and his confidence returns. I shove my hands
in my pockets and try not to smile. I can’t wait to see Gregory’s
face in a few minutes when Andrew wipes the floor with
him.

The road leading from the bluffs to
the fork is straight and open, and I can see clear to the finish
line. I step in front of the cars ready to count them
off.

“On your marks. Get set. GO!” I scream
over the roar of the car engines, dropping my arms to my
sides.

Gregory’s car flies off the line
kicking up dirt. Andrew takes off just a fraction of a second
behind Gregory as instructed. I spin around and have to wave my
hand in front of my face to clear the cloud of red dust swirling
all around me, obstructing my sight.