Tales of the Underground: Velocity - 20. Chapter 20

Never in my life have I ever felt so betrayed. Standing side by side were my best friend and boyfriend. Both about to ambush me.

“What the fuck Jacob?” I shouted

“Jamie I’m sorry, but you gave me no other choice.” I could tell he was just as upset as Eli “You have no control of your anger. I can’t just stand by and watch you get hurt.”

“So you go and rat me out to Eli?!” I could feel the anger begin to rise to the surface but I tried my best to keep it down “What next? Are you gonna tell my daddy on me?” I shouted mocking him.

“This is what I’m talking about. Do you even realize what a dick you’re being right now?” Jacob was prepared to go toe to toe with me on everything.

“Jamie…” Eli said finally speaking “So it’s true, you’re the kid or the reaper whatever they’re calling him now?” I could hear the pain in his voice as he spoke.

“Elijah it’s not that simple” I said trying to calm down

“How could it not be?” I could tell how hurt he was “all this time you lied to me, do you even work in that junkyard?”

“No I don’t” I sighed “That’s just where the boss of the leagues operates out of”

Tears slowly began to stream down his face “I…I can’t do this right now” he ran upstairs and I heard his bedroom door slam behind him.

“Are you fucking happy with yourself?” I said turning my attention back to Jacob

“No, I’m not. I wish it didn’t have to come to this but the way you acted in the lunchroom today was insane. I tried to convince myself that the rage you showed in the underground was because of the pressure of racing but now I see it’s something else. You left me with no other choice, Elijah’s the only person you’ll ever listen to.” He sighed growing more and more upset. I turned towards the stairs and started walking up them “Jamie, I’m sorry, I didn’t give him any details about what’s happened, I just told him your anger is--”

“Fucking save it Jacob.” I interrupted with venom in my teeth “You know where the door is, you’ve done enough damage for one day.”

I walked up to Eli’s door and knocked a few times before he finally responded “Go away!” he shouted “I don’t want to even see you right now.”

“Please Eli, can you at least listen to my side of things?” I waited outside his door for a few more minutes before he finally opened it and walked back to his bed. It was obvious he had been crying.

“What can you possibly have to say to me?” he demanded “you’ve been going out and risking your life every night! How could you not think this is something I needed to know?!”

“I’m sorry baby. I knew you would freak out, and I didn’t want you to worry about me.” I said reaching for him, he swatted my hand away.

“How can I even know what’s the truth with you anymore?!” he began to shout

“Fine you want the truth?” I felt tears start to gather in the pit of my eyes. Eli nodded his head yes “The truth is I’m crazy over you, the truth is I’m terrified you’re gonna be taken away from me, the truth is I’ve lost control of myself and I don’t know my way back.”

“Why would I be taken from you?” he asked with wet eyes

Tears began to stream down my face “Because Elijah every time things start to go right for me everything begins to fall apart. It’s like I’m scared to be happy anymore because I have to prepare for the worst to happen. The underground is the one place I can control everything, down there things always go right for me.” I tried to wipe my eyes but it felt like more and more tears just kept falling “and lately I’m just so god damn angry all the time, I don’t know what’s happening anymore.” I looked over at him “You’re the only person I have left in my life that can help me control it, please don’t give up on me.” I pleaded I saw him begin to cry “Please Eli.” I begged

“I won’t Jamie. I could never give up on you.” He waved me over to sit with him in the bed. I sat down and he began to stroke my hair “I’m so mad at you for lying to me, but I won’t give up. When Jacob came to me after lunch he said that recently you’ve been out of control. I didn’t believe it until he showed me your helmet. The way you yelled at that moderator… It was like I didn’t even recognize you.”

I laid my head on his shoulder and just kept crying “I don’t know who I’ve become” I said half crying half talking “When I started racing it was just a fun way to win while making my family money. In fact I didn’t even care about the money that much, I just loved the idea of becoming the best. Now all I want is the money.”

“I get it” Eli said “But all the money in the world can’t bring back what you’ve lost Jamie. Your mom wouldn’t have wanted any of this for you.”

I started to cry even more uncontrollably then before finally realizing what was happening. Eli was right, the drive to be the best and make as much money as possible. I kept thinking that somehow someway it would give me some sense of peace, some sense of making my mom proud. “I know.” I finally confessed “I just miss her so much. Even after the past few years it feels like there’s a hole that can never be filled.”

Eli wiped my tears and pulled my face so I could see him “Then let’s try to fill it okay? The anger and pain inside is you’re way of dealing with it all, but now you have me. The only thing that can fix it is love, and as mad as I am at you right now, I’ll always have an endless supply of it for you.”

Eli let me lay on him and cry for a little longer, with each tear that fell from my eye I could start to feel myself getting back to normal.