BooksBarbecue
Back Losers: Part I Save as PDF
Chapters (58)
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Content Note
  3. A Note From The Author
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. Acknowledgements
  57. Also By Harley Laroux
  58. About The Author

Nate slammed his massive foot against the door, busting it open. An alarm screeched and the lights popped on, despite Nate’s best efforts to cut off the electricity. I stood rooted in the doorway, the shovel in my hands, as the others rushed inside. It was spacious, with a stairway to my right leading to an upper level, but they were only interested in the cars. The Mustang, the El Camino, the Nissan, the blue Subaru — and against the far wall, a familiar Ford Bronco on massive tires.

The sound of shattering glass fell harshly on my ears as Matthew slammed a brick through the front windshield of the Mustang. Alex whooped excitedly as he brought his hammer down on the El Camino’s hood, and Veronica swung a metal pole she’d found into the passenger window. Nate was busting out the Subaru’s windows with his bolt cutters and Danielle was laughing as she dragged her keys down the side of the 350Z.

What the hell was I doing here? What was I doing?

Distantly, I could hear dogs barking. The alarms were so painfully loud I couldn’t think.

Veronica leaned into the broken window of the El Camino and spat on the seat, grinning at me all the while. “Not the first time I’ve gotten a little drool on these seats.”

The alarm was a roar in my ears. I didn’t want to think about that. I didn’t want to imagine Veronica sitting where I’d sat, her mouth on Lucas. I didn’t want to think about the things he’d said to me. I didn’t want to feel the disapproval and uncertainty of everyone’s gazes on me as they ran through the broken glass and I had only just managed to shuffle inside.

“We gotta bail!” Nate sprinted for the door with Danielle and Veronica right behind him. Alex swung the wrench at the El Camino again as Matthew jabbed a razorblade into the tires.

“Hurry the fuck up, Jess! I thought you were down!”

And what if I wasn’t? What then? Rejection. Ostracization. I didn’t even know who shouted it, but I guess it didn’t matter. It could have been shouted by the universe itself.

All the fingers I’d ever pointed, all the cruel things I’d ever said, could so easily be turned on me. And they would be.

But this was wrong on so many levels, I never should have come here. My heart hammered, panic making me weak. I sucked in my breath and braced myself to turn and face them, to tell them I was leaving this shitshow. But as I turned, I realized they were gone. All of them. The garage was empty and the roar of the truck’s engine told me they’d abandoned me here.

They’d left me behind and the barking dogs were coming closer.

14

14

Lucas