5. Emma

Chapter 5

Emma

A s we cross into Heartlands territory, I can't help but feel nervous, but I know I shouldn't. Yeah, I have some guilt for not coming home as much throughout the years, but I shouldn't be nervous about it. The club is my family, and I know that they love me no matter what. And even if I am a little scared about tonight, I'm still excited to see everyone. It blows my mind to think that in two months I'll be home for good. I'll spend the summer applying for jobs at different schools, and I hope that I'll get to stay in Heartlands. That's the goal, anyway.

The trip seems to go by fast. Carson talks nonstop about Candace. "She's just so pretty, you know?" Carson says.

I roll my eyes and laugh, because it's funny to me that he just can't stop talking about her. I promise myself that once I get back to school, I'm going sit down and talk to her, because she really should give him a chance. My phone rings, and it's connected to the speakers of my car. The caller ID shows up on the radio screen, and I point at it. "Speak of the devil."

I hit the answer button, and before I can even say hello, Candace is laughing. "Did you make it?"

"Nope. We are 30 minutes out," I tell her.

She sounds surprised. "We? Who's we?"

I look over at Carson in my passenger seat, and he's staring at the radio as if he's actually looking at Candace. I roll my eyes at him. "I asked Carson to come home with me. His plans got canceled, and I didn't want him to stay on campus by himself."

Candace lets out a little gasp, starts to say something and then stops.

Confused, I ask her. "Candace, are you there?"

She starts to stutter again. "Uh, yeah. So I didn't know ..." Her voice trails off, and I wonder what she's going to say. Instead of finishing her train of thought, she says, "You guys have fun. I'll talk to you later." She hangs up quickly, and it disconnects before I can ask her anything.

Surprised, I look over at Carson and shrug my shoulders. For an instant, I wonder if maybe she was jealous, but I know that's not it. She literally shows no interest in Carson whatsoever. I point to the turn off in front of us. "This is us," I tell him as I take the turn and drive into the gravel lot of the Ride or Die. All the bikes are lined up outside, and I park at the first available parking spot.

He leans forward, looking through the front windshield. "What's this?"

I take the keys out of the ignition. "The party's here."

His mouth falls open. "This is a biker's club."

I start to laugh. "Yeah, my father ... Well, technically stepfather is a member. It's not a big deal. They're really cool. You'll love them."

I get out of the car a lot quicker than he does. He seems a little stumped by the whole idea of going to a party at a biker bar. He walks towards me, flexing his hands in front of him. "So the boy, you know, I'm supposed to be a buffer for, he a member of this gang?"

I roll my eyes at him. "Club. They're a club, not a gang. And yeah, he's a member. But I promise you, it's not a big deal. He avoids me, so it won't be an issue. I just don't want him to think I'm still hung up on him, you know?"

He looks at me skeptically. "But you are still hung up on him."

I avoid answering him and instead take the few steps up onto the front porch of the Ride or Die bar. "You ready?" I ask him over my shoulder.

Carson seems to take a big deep breath and lets it out. He follows behind me. "I swear, Emma, I don't know about this stuff that you get me into."

I laugh and put my hand on his shoulder to calm him. "It's going to be fine, I promise."

He opens the door and music is glaring from the jukebox. His eyes get even bigger in his face but he holds his hand out for me to go on through in front of him.

I squeeze his shoulder. "Promise you're going to have a good time," I tell him before walking through the door.