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He loved driving the most at night. Out here, there was a stillness that you never got in the city, an eerie suburban hush that silenced things in a way that he found deeply satisfying, bringing deep undercurrents to the surface. He was careful to keep his music low until the residential houses of the Hamptons began to disappear, one by one, and all that was left was a looping footage of shadowy trees, clustered on either side of the road, occasionally parting to reveal glimpses of low, crouched hills and sleeping vineyards. In this dark slipstream, the BMW and its driver moved with quiet confidence. The M5 on cruise control could basically pilot itself, with its interior display aglow and its 600 horsepower engine running soundlessly, so Kas kept one hand at the top of the wheel and steered with slight movements as he navigated the car along the winding back road that he and Trev had scouted out, all those weeks ago. Six glass bottles of Heineken clinked occasionally from the passenger seat. They, like every other aspect of tonight, were part of a bigger ritual by now.Â
Seeing the AMG, its green paint rendered inoffensive in the darkness, Kas rolled to a slow stop. The crook of his elbow hung out the open window. âYou warm her up, Hanson? Get her limber? Give yourself a pep talk about how winning isnât everything?â Trevâs trap-house rap was blasting, and his subsequent reply was half-lost in it; Kas lifted Leeâs requested cherry-flavored Slushie from his cupholder and held it out window for Trev to reach. âHere, Slenderman, pass this along.â The bag of Funyuns, he tossed like a Frisbee; it sailed successfully through the Mercâs open window, narrowly missing the driverâs face. The Hellcatâs yellow eyes were appearing in his rearview mirror. A familiar, guttural roar charged the air. Kas directed his gaze back to the other two, knowing smirk taking shape. âAlways gotta make an entrance.â
Ari was late, but expectedly so (he never sped out of urgency, only for the thrill), and he coasted through the abandoned back roads of the Hamptonâs, cursing at his GPS periodically as if that small act of hostility would keep it in line. Heâd come straight from the bed of a trust fund girl in a stupidly large colonial house, muttering something about an appointment before he pulled out of the drive, leaving dark tire tracks in his wake. Heâd forget the details about her as he drove until she was nothing more than a vacant thought washing away in the pool of yellow light thrown out by the headlights. The Hellcat was aggressive, it snarled with each rev of the engine and bit at the miles, swallowing the road with a hunger that made Ari grin with unabashed delight. He loved this fucking car, from the heavy blunt design, to the smooth leather seats and the flat black finish. Like any wicked cat, it bit the hand of anyone who couldnât tame it. He drove it instinctually now, his foot always heavy on the gas and the music cranked upâ he couldnât imagine himself behind the wheel of something sleeker or shinierâ this was a bit of him.
The others were already there as he pulled forward, revving the engine once more for good measure and flashing the headlights. He knew Trev liked to race with his music absolutely maxed, but Ari had his running softerâ a backing track to the feedback the Hellcat delivered, adrenaline pumping with each whine of the engine. He rolled his windows down as he let the car creep just before where the other two were parked, silencing the engine and climbing out. Peeking into Trevâs car he waved at Lee first, who was already busying herself with whatever treats Kas had brought along for her. He nodded towards both the drivers, his face lit with joy he reserved just for racing. âGot your pussies strapped on?â
Hissing out a curse Lee threw her hand on the volume knob, the pounding bass having cut straight through her eardrums, âFuck dude, save it for when the wind is roaring through the car.â Her dirty look was instantly mollified when Trev reached over to hand her the sickeningly neon red slushie. âThanks babe,â she called out happily to Kas, her grin widening when a bag of her favorite snacks came sailing through the car into her lap. Lee had only raced once in her car once alongside them, and she came to the conclusion afterwards that she was far happier riding shotgun in the passenger seat than hurtling her baby around sharp corners at violent speeds.Â
Slouching down in the leather seat, she sipped on the slushie happily, biting down on the straw with a cutting smile when their final missing piece rolled up next to them. âLate as always,â she called out the window without malice, giving Ari a playful upturn of her chin in response to his wave. Got your pussies strapped on?Â
With a dramatic eye roll she slid her drink into the cupholder, slapping the dashboard with her now free hand. âAs the only member of the crew with their pussy permanently ready to rock, I would like to uphold the tradition of me waving the metaphorical racing flag. Objections to this will be over ruled.â
Trevâs nose wrinkled, had he been more immature heâd of stuck out his tongue in Kasâ directionâ (he was in truth, childish enough, but the action was halted by the bag of Funyons being tossed at his face). He reached to give Lee her slushie and treats, muttering something about trying to not get the gross dust all over the interior. All of their heads turned when the Hellcatâs high beams blinded in every reflective surface of the two vehicles, a groan was matched by an impish smile. Everyone was here now, it meant that the night was surely about to begin. This was what he lived for; even despite Kasâ teasing, it wasnât winningâ it was the itch that rolled through them as they idled on a starting line, the sing of his blood as the Merc chewed up a tight turn. They all drove wicked machines, there was joy in simply competing, but it seemed to help that this mindset was paired with the fact that he was the least sore loser in the bunch.
He reached over, putting the music up one more notch before looking through the windows at the neat line up that they had created. Their silhouettes in the dim glow of the streetlights was almost menacing. Kasâ straight nose and flippant smirk and Ariâs scowl were dark marks against the asphalt behind them, both of them had their fingers curled tight around their steering wheels. He nodded before tipping his head back to grin at Lee. âGive us a countdown then, babe.â