A flood of people fills the university hallways, each heading to their first class of the morning. The girls and I chat about unimportant things on one side of the wide hallway, waiting. While my friends go over the plan for the tenth time, I look at my nails, thoughtful.

It's been three days since I agreed to the plan to get revenge on Travis, three days since I have been ignoring all his attempts to talk to me, and three days of planning our revenge. It's not a very complex plan, nothing that anyone couldn't come up with, but we need everything to go perfectly for it to be a success. If we mess up even one step, there's a wide range of possibilities for it all to fall apart, and the consequences could go from simple humiliation to potentially ending up at the police station, but we're willing to take the risk, especially because the police always let rich kids with power and connections go right away.

"There he is, let's go!" Faye alerts us, and we all turn our heads at once, like possessed dolls.

Cher wastes no time getting into action; she discreetly approaches Nate and Ace, who are walking together down the hallway, while we spread out just close enough to eavesdrop on the conversation, but not so close that anyone would notice what we're doing.

"Nate!" Cher calls, quickly walking up to stand in front of him. "How are you? Ready for the race?"

"You know I'm always ready to humiliate anyone who dares to race against me, doll."

My friend rolls her eyes at our friend's usual display of ego, walking alongside them while we move parallel to the group, trying to look casual. As we had predicted, Ace takes the bait and raises an eyebrow at Cher.

"Race? I didn't know you were on the track team."

"What track team, what are you talking about, dude? I'm not on any team! These are car races, kind of illegal, but nothing to worry about," Nate explains like he's talking about something as innocent as a walk in the park.

"Oh, I get it, that makes more sense. Are the participants already decided, or can someone join at the last minute?"

If anyone had been paying attention, they could have heard four whispers of victory in unison from the depths of our hearts. The four of us have a brief moment of excitement, dancing in the middle of the hallway before continuing with our task of following them.

"No, anyone can participate if they want, but there are certain conditions," Nate explains, obviously unaware that he's just the useful idiot in the first phase of our plan. "First, you have to pay fifty grand for the prize. Whoever wins, obviously takes home what everyone else put in."

"Okay, sounds perfect."

"Second, you have to race with your own car, and it has to have certain modifications to be able to race properly. No junkers or slow cars, only the elite can participate in a Hayden race."

"Done, second condition met."

"And third, even though the other participants are your rivals, there's a code you have to respect if something goes wrong. If the police show up, you have to cover for everyone else and try to minimize the damage. If you get caught, you pay your own bail and don't give up anyone else's names. We don't like snitches," Nate lists seriously before shrugging indifferently. "Actually, this last one isn't very important because the police don't dare to give us severe penalties. After all, it wouldn't be profitable for them to be against the elite of a city like New York. The worst you'd get is a fine."

"Logical and done. I never get caught," Ace smirks maliciously.

"So, are you in for this Thursday's race?"

We all hold our breath as we watch Nate offer his hand to Ace. Cher exchanges a brief hopeful look with us before smiling as she watches them shake hands.

"I'm going to crush you all."

•

"You still haven't left this class? I didn't know my beloved neighbor was such a masochist."

Ace's voice doesn't even surprise me anymore, so I don't lift my gaze from my computer screen when he sits next to me and stay indifferent.

"I don't give up that easily, and I don't think this class is completely impossible. I just have to put in more hours than for the others."

"A real fighter, I like that," he says, flashing that smirk of his that I hate so much. "By the way, your victory dance is kind of ridiculous."

"What are you talking about?"

"What a coincidence that Cher asked Nate, one of your best friends, about the race just when I was there. Especially since I know perfectly well that everyone here knows who's always in and who's out as soon as a race is announced."

Alarms immediately go off in my head, and a giant sign urging me to lie starts flashing like a neon billboard. I don't know how the hell he figured out our little plan, but for its sake and my own, I have to get that idea out of his head.

"What? How do you know about the race?"

Ace rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, making his inked biceps stand out, a sight I avoid looking at so I don't blush.

"Well, fine, if you want us to play this stupid game where you think I'm an idiot, just tell me directly, but don't try to dodge my question. Do us both a favor and save us time by getting to the point. I doubt neither of us are that dumb."

"The fact you're not an idiot is still up for debate," I grumble, giving up since I don't see a way out. "Okay, you caught us. We wanted you to join the race."

"I can guess why, but I'll ask out of politeness: Alexa, why on earth do you and your friends want me to join the races?"

His blue eyes lock onto my green ones, and suddenly, our entire plan seems like something a bunch of thirteen-year-olds would come up with, not women in their early twenties. Nothing in his expression or gaze gives me a clue about what he thinks of all this, so I have no idea how he'll react to what I say or what he is thinking of us right now.

"Well, after I told the girls everything that happened with Travis at the party, they suggested... Well, they suggested the possibility of getting revenge on him, humiliating him and making him feel ashamed in one of his favorite displays of stupid manliness: the races. Our intention is to mess with his car somehow: slash the tires, mess his gas pedal... anything that's not lethal, of course. And you would come in during the second part of the plan, once the race starts. Honestly, we have put a lot of blind faith in you because we don't even know how good you are at racing. Hence, our plan has two phases, just in case one isn't enough."

Ace listens to my explanation with his eyebrow permanently raised, occasionally letting out a mocking snicker, which doesn't help make me feel less ridiculous. I'm fully aware we're acting like teenagers, but the reason seems significant enough to go through with it. Now I just hope that, having discovered everything, Ace doesn't leave us hanging or mess up the plan.

"So, you've decided to go back to high school and pull off a Disney Channel-style revenge. You really are full of surprises, Arden."

"Okay, enough with you laughing at me; I've already mocked myself before agreeing to the plan. Do you have any constructive criticism, or are you just going to keep bullying me?"

Ace lets out a dramatic sigh and gestures with his hands, as if wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead.

"Fine, I'll stoop to the level of vengeful teenagers and also give you some key advice, all in exchange for a future favor of my choice. Besides, I'm deeply offended that you think I won't win. You should know who you're dealing with by now."

"If you're so amazing, then you shouldn't have any problem with winning and helping us," I respond, rolling my eyes at his theatrics. "So, what advice do you have for the first part of the plan?"

At that moment, the professor enters the classroom, so we have to lower our voices to avoid disturbing him. I reluctantly force myself to miss this class and make it up at home, eager to finalize the whole Travis situation before Thursday.

"Look, slashing Huxley's tires would be pretty obvious and would prevent him from racing, so I wouldn't be able to beat him. I'd sabotage his NOS, the nitrous."

"Do I look like I know how the hell to do that? Do you think I'm a NASA engineer or something? I can race and all, but my mechanic handles all the engineering stuff. I just know what each thing is, not how it works."

"Maybe you don't know how, but I do. I just need access to the car and to keep Travis away long enough to do it without him noticing. Plus, it has to be right before the race. Huxley's an idiot, but I don't think he's so stupid that he wouldn't check everything is fine the day before."

"Okay, let me think," I sigh, trying to figure out a way to execute the plan he just suggested. "Racers have to gather two hours beforehand to pay the money. Maybe if he gets a notice that someone tried to break into his house or something, he'll have to rush off to deal with it. Will you have enough time?"

"Yeah, that'd be perfect. You girls handle that, but it's crucial that you don't look suspicious or nervous or anything that could link you to this. Also, you need to keep the racers and other potential onlookers away so no one sees me."

"That'll be easy. We'll just start drinking earlier, right when Travis leaves. As long as a racer isn't present, the race can't start, so it'll be a good excuse to keep everyone distracted. The racers don't drink, of course, but the rest throw a good party."

Ace and I look at each other, and for the first time since we met, I smile when my eyes meet his beautiful blue ones. He extends a tattooed hand.

"So, do we have a deal?"

I don't hesitate to shake his hand, feeling my smile widen.

"We have a deal."

•

As soon as the clock on my phone shows seven o'clock, I lock eyes with Faye and Cher. The plan is officially in motion, and there's no time to waste.

We're on the outskirts of New York, in an abandoned area we always use for the races. Everyone is here, except for Brooke and Gigi, of course. They're miles away from us, waiting for just this hour to start their part of the plan.

My gaze instantly shifts to where the racers are standing with their flashy cars. A pair of blue eyes catch my attention immediately when they meet mine for just a second, enough to send a silent but clear message: it's time.

Seven-five.

I start to get nervous, even though I know my friends can't take so little time to pretend they're breaking into Travis's house, especially when they're trying not to be seen.

Seven-fifteen.

Ace's eyes meet mine again, as if trying to tell me everything will be fine, that my friends are not taking too long, and soon Travis will be running to his house.

Seven-thirty.

My mind is already coming up with a thousand ways to orchestrate another distraction strategy when I finally see Travis pick up his phone, going from relaxed to visibly nervous and angry. I watch as he exchanges a few words with the other racers and judges before running off with his friends, a sight that makes me breathe a sigh of relief.

"The race is going to be delayed due to a problem with one of the racers that's completely out of our control!" one of the judges finally announces.

It's our moment.

"Well then, who wants some drinks?!" I shout, causing everyone to move to the other end where the feast of alcohol is prepared.

Faye, Cher, and I discreetly check that no one stays near the cars to avoid any unwanted witnesses. Honestly, if I were one of the drivers, I wouldn't want to leave my car alone, but there's usually quite a bit of respect among them despite the competition. They may not drink, but most are guys and won't miss an opportunity to flirt with the girls that came to watch them run.

After finishing our check, I text Ace to let him know he can do his part. According to him, what he's going to do is pretty easy, especially since he managed to get Travis's car key from one of the judges when they came over to drink, so it won't take more than a few minutes. The girls and I keep everyone occupied, moderating our drinking to stay completely sober throughout the night. Every time someone even looks or walks towards the cars, we make sure to distract them as unobtrusively as possible.

Minutes pass like hours, and I try not to check my phone every five seconds. I'm scared Travis will catch Gigi and Brooke, that someone will see Ace, or that everything will fall apart. There's nothing more I can do than what I'm already doing and pray everything goes as planned.

When I finally see Ace approaching, I almost run into his arms out of relief and excitement, especially when he discreetly raises a thumb to signal that everything went perfectly.

"Do we know anything about the other two?" he murmurs in my ear while pouring himself a drink, non-alcoholic of course.

"I haven't checked my phone much; I didn't want to look suspicious or anything. I'm starting to get paranoid," I whisper before checking my screen, smiling as I read the new information. "It looks like everything went well, they're already on their way."

He smiles and offers his fist for a bump, celebrating our little victory in silence.

"You better win today, Mr. Cocky," I warn him with a raised eyebrow.

"Remember, you haven't seen me race yet. Besides, I don't know if you know much about cars, but mine is the best among the scrap heap gathered here today. I used to race in Los Angeles too and I'm still undefeated."

"Won't believe it until I see it," I declare just as I see Travis approaching with his friends, visibly angry.

"We almost gave him a heart attack," I hear a whisper in my ear that makes me jump before turning around and hitting Brooke, who starts laughing.

"I'm glad you two are here safe and sound, but if you scare me like that again, I swear I'll kill you."

"How did it go on your end? Did you have time to do everything?"

"No problem at all. These hands have an incredible talent," Ace smirks in that way that makes most people weak in the knees, well aware of the double meaning behind his words.

"Stop being so gross and get back to your car, the race is about to start," I growl, giving him a playful shove.

Soon all the racers return to their cars, and the crowd gathers at the starting line to watch the race. It's not a very long route and mostly takes place through a dry, abandoned canal where we are now. At the signal from one of the judges, they all get into their respective cars. Ace has a completely black and shiny McLaren P1, a truly spectacular and powerful car. On the other hand, and in the most garish way possible, is Travis's bright yellow Lamborghini Huracán, which I've never liked. It's as if he wants to scream in our faces to look at him, and not in a pretty way.

The judges line up at the starting line, and one of them counts down with a megaphone. The moment he shouts "GO!", ten car engines roar through the abandoned canal. I hold my breath as I watch the start and don't let it out until I finally see the McLaren take the lead with the loudest roar. The Lamborghini, however, falls behind almost immediately, which makes me laugh at how pathetic it looks trying to accelerate as fast as the other cars with nitro.

To my surprise, much of the crowd starts cheering loudly for Ace despite barely knowing him, a sign of the affection he's earned from almost everyone in Hayden in just a few weeks. Barely managing to pass the last car, Travis is far from the top positions.

The few minutes the race lasts are a piece of cake for Ace. We lose sight of them, but soon the sleek McLaren reappears, crossing the finish line and screeching to a halt. I can't help but scream in joy, jumping and clapping. The moment I see Ace get out of the car with a victorious smile on his face, I can't help but run and hug him, not thinking about what I'm doing or who I'm hugging. I feel a flood of emotions, mainly gratitude, for everything he's done for me since the incident with Travis.

His arms barely take a second to wrap around me, and he keeps me close as the rest of the crowd gathers around to congratulate him. Amidst the cheers, compliments, and congratulations, I spot the other cars braking near us, but I ignore them, savoring this delicious feeling of victory.

Unfortunately, it's impossible to ignore a voice that rises above all the others, a voice I know all too well and hate with all my heart. A voice that makes me hug Ace's torso tighter without realizing it.

"That bitch sabotaged my car!"

Hey there!

I really love this chapter. I have it in my heart as one of the cutest written by these two hands 🥹 did you like it?

I'll be reading you! ❤️