Racing Hearts (Hollows Garage Book 3)
Racing Hearts: Chapter 1

I tried convincing myself that I was out driving for fun, for practice on the turns, for the fresh air…anything but the real reason. That I was only trying to escape my friends.

It’s something I never thought I would say considering how close we all were, and it wasn’t their fault, but I could barely be in the same room as them lately without envy gnawing at me. The irony is that I was the one who had always wanted a relationship, and now I was the only one left currently who was single.

Well, aside from Kye, but I didn’t even know if that counted anymore.

I had tried to replace someone. I was always looking for the person who I could be with long term, but somehow dating had only made my self-esteem worse. The last relationship ended because I wasn’t as much of a jerk as I supposedly led her to believe.

It was as though being decent-looking and having a fast car must mean I’m going to be a constant asshole to whoever I’m dating.

I had spent all summer debating giving up on dating since it was so hard to replace anyone I even wanted to get to know in the first place, much less to know who to trust to take a relationship further.

Now, I was fully giving up. I was done putting myself out there. I kept replaceing the wrong person, and each one knocked me down further until I’d lost hope of ever replaceing someone who would like me for who I really am.

It had gotten so bad that I was constantly anxious and on edge, to the point that I couldn’t feel comfortable around my friends and I could barely sleep anymore.

I thought I was completely fine with the decision to not date. That was until I woke up and realized summer was over. The leaves were slowly changing now, each day getting colder, and soon the crew would want to go do all the dumb couple shit that people do when it’s cold.

Now, here I was, driving aimlessly all night because the thought of being surrounded by couples, lost to being sickeningly in love with each other, felt like my personal hell. It felt like I was an outsider at a party I hadn’t been invited to. Even though I loved the addition of Quinn and Ash, I was starting to hate being surrounded by all the happy couples. Even Scout seemed to be wrapped up in her new boyfriend.

The road wound through dense forest, this part of the area more secluded, untamed, and beautiful. It was the main pass from our town to the next, but at this time of night, not many people were out, so I could speed my way through the hills and back again before I headed home to pointlessly attempt to sleep again.

First, I needed to get my own personal pity party out of the way so I could get back to my life tomorrow and act like nothing was wrong. And really, nothing was aside from not being able to figure out my own life or relationships.

I wasn’t sure why I had to think about wanting more in life, but it was there nagging me. I had what I wanted, the garage, my work, the races, the crew. It was all there for me, but somehow it wasn’t enough. It didn’t seem fair to ask for more when I knew my life wasn’t bad at all.

A flicker of green caught my eye up ahead. I slowed, an old truck coming into view on the other side of the road.

An involuntary groan escaped my lips. Helping a stranger wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but leaving someone stranded here all night with a broken-down truck wasn’t an option either. Especially not when the chances that this was some old farm truck being driven by an equally-old man were pretty high. I pulled across the road to it, to park in front of the truck, my headlights bathing the truck in light as I hopped out.

“Hello?”

The dull light inside the truck was still on, and I could finally make out someone sitting in the passenger seat.

At least, I thought it was a person.

Until it barked, and barreled out of the truck, right at me.

I spun, ready to get out of there, but shock tore through me when I came face to face with a beautiful girl and a baseball bat, pulled back and ready to swing.