Calm. Keep calm.

I repeated that sentence to myself as I weaved my way through the crowd of people, my heart hammering in my chest, my phone vibrating so much in my back pocket that my butt was beginning to feel numb. I contemplated reaching into my pocket and turning it off completely, but I knew it was in my better interest to keep it on in case I needed to text one of my brother's to come rescue me.

I gritted my teeth, my fingers running over the top edge of my phone, my resolve strengthening. I shouldn't have to have my older brothers come sweeping in and rescue me, especially when this was what I wanted.

One night out. That was all I desired, and somehow, it had lead me somewhere I never thought I would ever be, and yet, as anxiety filtered through my body, excitement did too.

The revs of engines reverberated through my bones, the lingering scent of exhaust drifted through my nostrils, and laughter and voices overwhelmed me, giving me heart palpitations. My brother would kill me if they knew, my mom would definitely kill me if she knew, my dad would shake me silly. Yet, somehow, the knowledge of the fact that my family would have my head made it all the more exhilarating.

A body collided with my own and I tumbled to the ground, my hip scraping against the concrete as my shirt rode up. I winced and began to push myself up into a sitting position, but before I could, a hand was shoved into my face. I flinched away on instinct but then let out a slow sigh, accepting the hand.

The hand was connected to a rather sweet looking girl. She had brown hair cut into a pixie cut, a friendly smile, and doe brown eyes. She released my hand almost as soon as I stood, mostly because I wrenched my hand away the moment I was steady on my feet. The action didn't seem to dim her mood one bit, or turn her attitude towards me sour.

"Hi," she exclaimed, just as friendly as her smile.

"Hello..." I replied, though somewhat hesitantly, one hand utilized to press a finger against my bottom lip, the other being used to brush my fingers against my phone again. The phone was my safety line, the one thing anchoring me down to who I really was. No one here knew me, and that was relieving while somewhat disconcerting as well.

"You're new," the friendly girl announced, motioning with her hand for me to follow her as she began to weave her way through the tons of people. "I've never seen you at the races. Is this your first time?"

I pressed harder at my bottom lip. "Yes..."

"Oh! How exciting!" The girl exclaimed, shooting a grin over her shoulder at me. "What's your name, newbie?"

"Uh... Sang..." I told her, honestly.

"Nice to meet you, Sang," said the girl. "I'm Karen. Are you alone here?"

I nodded then realized she couldn't see me, so I quietly said, "Yes. I'm alone."

Karen gripped my wrist loosely, pulling me off to the side on the grass, where several cars were parked and it was less packed. Once she had me placed, she released my wrist, and a slight smile overcame my face, admiring the fact that she took notice of how I was too nervous to be touched currently. Karen turned to me, a frown on her face.

"Sang," she said, her voice soft. "A girl like you shouldn't be out here on your own. I would really appreciate it if you stuck by my side tonight."

My phone vibrated again and I winced slightly. "Okay... I guess I could stay with you."

"Good!" Karen's face brightened once again. "Oh look! The race's are beginning!"

I turned to face the road, as did Karen. Two cars were lining up at what looked to be a makeshift starting line. The car closest to our side was hot shot red, and looked to be a Chevy Chevelle. My mouth watered at the sight of it and momentarily I had the urge to run my hands all over it. Next to it was an obsidian black 1973 Camaro. It was mouth watering, as well.

"I think you're drooling," Karen teased me, nudging me in the side gently with her elbow. I blushed at being caught and dropped my eyes to the ground. "Hey, don't do that. You'll miss the race, and trust me, you won't want to miss this race. The one in the black Camaro? He's the best racer around."

My eyebrows shot up at her words, and immediately, my eyes were drawn back to the Camaro. My curiosity was piqued knowing that he was considered the best. I had a lot of siblings who were supposedly the best at things, and I didn't exactly believe it, making me slightly suspicious of this unknown racer.

A girl with a waterfall of jet black hair stepped up in front of the cars, waving a slip of cloth that looked checkered though it was hard to distinguish in the darkness. She shouted the typical race words, that I could probably recite in my sleep. I mouthed the words along with her, and then jolted as the engines revved and tires squealed against the asphalt.

My eyes followed the black Camaro, unblinking, unwavering, waiting for it to cross the finish line. It was as if the entire world came to a standstill, then the Camaro crossed the line, and the crowd erupted in cheers and screams. My breath came out in a puff, and a cheer of my own escaped until it cut off at the end and I dissolved into coughs.

When the coughing fit ended, my eyes were drawn back over to the Camaro, and I found that it was now surrounded by a group of boys, most likely congratulating the driver that I couldn't exactly spot in the hordes of people. I felt Karen at my side, and I subconsciously leaned into her, finding comfort in the one person I knew.

"Oh shit," Karen spoke from my side, her expression tightening slightly. "I can't believe he came tonight."

"Who?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing together from confusion. 

Karen shook her head slightly and sent me a reassuring smile. "No one. Don't worry. The next race is going to start soon. Want to meet some of my friends?"

"Sure..." I replied, feeling hesitant and uncertain once again. Her fingers wrapped around my elbow, and I recognized it as a gesture to keep me from getting lost in the crowd, and my fear of getting separated from her was the only thing preventing me from wrenching myself away from her like my instincts suggested. She expertly guided us through the throngs of bodies, until we reached a small group of people. Standing in a semi circle was two girls and a boy, all three talking quietly with each other.

"Hey!" Karen called out as we approached.

The boy looked up first, and a smile spread across his face. I noted that he had a dark bowl cut, and intense dark eyes, something that had me squirming slightly, but I managed to flash a smile back. I was sure that it looked more like a grimace, but I was attempting to be friendly despite the amount of anxiety buzzing in my veins.

The girls standing beside him also had dark hair, but they didn't look similar. The one standing closest to the boy, had short dark hair with a sharp jaw and a scowl on her face. The girl that stood farther off from the group had longer dark hair, a slightly lighter than the other girl's, and while she had an intense look on her face, she softened it slightly at the sight of me, and gave the slightest of incline of her head as a greeting.

I was completely and absolutely intimidated.

"Guys, this is Sang," Karen introduced me rather cheerfully. She gestured to her friends one by one. "This is Derrick, his sister Danielle, and one of our friend's from the races, Kayli. She's only ever around for the races though." She rolled her eyes playfully at the last sentence, causing Kayli to give her an equally playfully punch in the arm.

"Welcome to the races," Derrick said to me, tilting his head slightly as he observed me. My heart slammed against the confinement of my rib cages, nerves tearing through me. I forced a smile by sheer will.

Discomfort was slithering up my spine, and I was shivering slightly, the vibrations of my phone continuously sending jolts of nerves through my body. It was rather understandable why my brother's were blowing up my phone; I had left the house in somewhat of a state of disarray. I was shifting slightly, chewing on my bottom lip.

"Hey, Karen..." I said, loud enough that she could hear me over the white noise of voices that surrounded us. "I think I should go now..."

Her face fell for just a moment before it lit up again. "Well okay. I hope I see you here again sometime soon."

"Yeah..." I said, forcing a small smile. "I hope so too..."

I turned, swallowing a deep breath of the cool air. I slid my fingers into my pocket, wrapping them around my phone, gripping it for reassurance as I squirmed through many bodies. I wasn't used to being surrounded by so many people, especially people that my family would consider dangerous.

My eyes had landed on the shining white paint of my car, when a body collided with my own for the second time that night and I was thrown into a boy's back. I sucked in a gasp of air, trying to step away from him, but before I could, he had twisted, capturing my wrist in his hand, my other hand clawing at the phone in my pocket. He had a sick kind of looking grin on his face as he scanned my body over, and his breath smelled of menthol as he leaned in close.

"Hey, pretty little thing," he crooned. "Do I know you? I don't think I've seen you around here before."

I squirmed, panic forming a tight ball in my chest. "Let me go. I'm going... I'm leaving. I have to... I should be..." Thoughts and words were incoherent at this point, long gone with the panic that was seizing my heart and spreading ice through my veins.

"Stay for awhile," the boy brought his lips to to almost beneath my ear, pressing against the skin underneath. I winced away. "We haven't even got a chance to plead yet."

"Please," I begged, my knees beginning to grow weak. I frantically tried to draw my phone from my pocket to dial one of my brother's but the smooth metal and glass slipped from my fingers, tumbling to the ground.

He chuckled and I squeezed my eyes shut, accepting my fate.

Fate was intervened.

"Greg," a sharp voice cut through the air, and the boy stepped away. Air filtered through my lungs again, and I gulped it up, gasping and making a break for my car, drawing my keys out. My phone was long forgotten, and I wasn't truly bothered by leaving it behind; I was rich, I could afford to buy a new one or two.

"Wait!"

I stopped at the door of my car, keys in my hand, prepared to slip into my only solace and drive off into the night, but there was something about the voice that had me frozen in place. There was a certain tone to it, a certain amount of desperation that had me breathless, silently wishing to escape.

My eyes were drawn to the man who stood on the other side of my Mustang, his green eyes focused on me behind his black rimmed glasses. I was rendered breathless was once again, but this time it was due to how handsome he was. Behind his glasses I could see the high cheek bones, and his lips were drawn into a concerned frown. His broad shoulders were clad with a deep green shirt, and as much as I wanted to stay and talk, I couldn't.

"I'm sorry," I choked out.

His eyes flashed in the light as I slipped into the Mustang, and floored it, my lungs still empty of air.

I wasn't able to breathe again until the second stop light from home. 

a/n: eeeek. So this is my first fanfiction for the ghost bird series/the academy series, and it's low-key inspired by the book Crash Into You by Katie McGary, so I hope you all enjoy it, and let me know whatcha think.

-ry