"Who's got time to wait for you? Just hold it in. We'll be there soon!"
The second those words left Kyle's mouth, something snapped inside me.
I jabbed a finger in his face and said sharply, "Is this your car? You even got the right to talk to me like that?"
His eyes went bloodshot.
He jerked toward Samantha, his voice hard. "Sam, tell me. Do I have the right to say that or not?"
She hesitated just for a second, and then turned to me, her expression tightening with irritation. "Kyle and I grew up together. What's mine is his. Of course, he has the right to say that!"
Even though I'd already given up on her in my heart, watching her take another man's side right in front of me still stung.
All the sacrifices I made for her and every time I put myself in danger of protecting her on camping trips, risking my life from wild animals, didn't mean anything. All it took was a few gentle words from Kyle, and she was his again, just like that.
Right then, all I felt for the years I'd wasted on her was regret.
I shook my head, keeping my tone steady as I stared her right in the eye. "If that's how it is, don't wait for me. I'll find my own way back."
At that, Samantha's lips trembled. Panic flickered across her face. "Henry… I'm sorry. Please don't be mad, I—"
I didn't want to hear another word.
I reached for the handle, ready to open the door and get out.
"Don't move!"
Before I could open the door, Kyle grabbed my arm and snapped at his two sleazy friends, "Watch him. Don't let him get out."
That was the last straw. I yanked my arm free and glared at him. "What the hell is your problem? I can't even get out of the damn car now?"
He sneered, his tone dripping with arrogance. "Don't play dumb. I know exactly what you're thinking. You get out, and the first thing you'll do is call the highway patrol. The second they show up, we're screwed."
I was furious, but I knew picking a fight wouldn't help, so I forced myself to breathe and turned to Samantha.
"Samantha, talk to your friend. Tell him to let me out. I swear I won't call the cops."
Before she could say anything, Kyle jumped back in.
"Don't even think about it. Who's gonna stop you once you're out there? You'll make a call and throw all of us under the bus."
Seeing how stubborn he was, Samantha started trying to smooth things over.
"Henry… I get it. You're mad I didn't take your side. I'm sorry. I really am." She gave me a pleading look. "But can you just let it go? For Kyle's sake? He has to make it to the music festival on time."
Before I could respond, she turned the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life. With a forceful yank of the steering wheel, she spun the car around and drove straight onto the highway, which was the wrong way.
The doors locked automatically.
Even if I wanted to get out now, I couldn't.
Outside, the white directional arrows on the pavement blurred past in reverse. Cold sweat formed on my forehead, and a chill ran up my spine.
These idiots were actually doing it and driving backward on a highway.
Thankfully, this stretch of road wasn't too busy. At first, everything seemed fine.
And that made Kyle even bolder.
"Faster!" he shouted from the passenger seat. "There's no one out here. Floor it! The sooner we get off this road, the better. I'm getting Sweetie's autograph today, no matter what!"
I tried to get a word in, told Samantha that if she was really going to pull this stunt, she should at least stick to the emergency lane and stay out of the main flow of traffic.
But before I could say much more, Kyle and his two friends lunged forward and covered my mouth with their hands, silencing me by force.
"Shut up," one hissed. "You'll jinx us."
We then sped down the road, and a few minutes later, cars began appearing ahead, coming straight toward us. Luckily, those drivers had quick reflexes, swerving at the last second and just narrowly avoiding head-on crashes.
Each time we made it through without crashing, Kyle's confidence ballooned.
"See?" he yelled. "Didn't I tell you it'd be fine? Even if someone's coming, they move out of the way!"
But before he could finish gloating, a black sedan shot out from around a bend up ahead, barreling straight toward us at full speed.
