MY MOM STUDIED ME FROM the other side of the island as I ate my fruit and yogurt. My small frame was stuffed in an old hoodie, pajama shorts and crisp, white socks I hiked above my ankles to ward off the cold floors, but they did nothing to ward off the chill of my mother's frosty gaze.

"What?" I asked though I didn't need to. Nico sent a text warning me that word had spread about the kiss last night. Apparently, Mom and dad were more concerned about my rumoured affiliation with Hunt than his whereabouts, which was great for him, but terrible for me.

Hadley Baker studied me through dark-rimmed glasses, her caramel-dyed hair thrown up in a lopsided bun. She never beat around the bush. She blazed her own way with a machete. "Dad says you and Jace broke up."

I rolled the eyes I inherited from Nick Baker. "Dad needs to mind his own business," I replied, taking a sip of my orange juice. I didn't know who snitched, but I'd hazard a guess and say it was someone from the team. 

She didn't move, so I asked, "Who told him?" Refusing to glance at the room he was currently sleeping behind.

"Everyone's talking about it," she replied. "The boys said Jace lost it after he found you and Hunt kissing at the festival last night."

"The boys talk too much," I assured, deflecting the question.

My mother removed her glasses. "Nadine, I'd never tell you who you can and can't date, but Hunt is...."

I finished that sentence before she had a chance. "Manipulative. Dangerous. Only out for himself."

She frowned at the mock in my tone. "A player."

I grated my teeth, took my bowl and glass, stepped around the island and placed it in the sink, hearing my mother's sigh.

"I just want you to be careful, Nadine," she said, twisting in her seat to face me. "Who you want to see is your business. I just don't want you to get hurt."

I lifted my stare from the oversized sink to the window overlooking the backyard and the mountains outside. She wasn't wrong, Hunt was a bonafide panty dropper, and his reputation wasn't exactly in his favour, but she didn't need to worry. "I'm not with Levi Hunt, mom. He gave me a ride home from school when the truck wouldn't start. We're friends." A lie, but if it got her off my back, I'd gladly pretend as easily as last night.

I turned to face her, finding a dark brow arched in question. "Friends?"

I shook my head. My mother hated Taylor Hunt. She'd been there when he knocked my dad off his sled and was crushed by the racer behind. I didn't blame her. I'd made the mistake of watching that clip in eighth grade when kids at school took it upon themselves to explain precisely why I, of all people, should loathe Levi Hunt. "You have nothing to worry about, mom. I'm not even remotely interested in him."

I rounded the island making for the stairs and the sanctuary of my room, when she said, "Your dad wants to know if you're going to the track? He's cleared his schedule to make time for you."

I turned from the staircase, annoyed that all it took was me kissing Hunt for him to suddenly rearrange his schedule. "I wasn't planning on it," I replied, not after last night. I planned on avoiding the track and my team at all costs.

"Because of Jace?" she asked.

That was part of it. The other part was the string of angry texts I received from a few of my teammates about my blatant stupidity.

She took her sleek black mug in hand. "You can't avoid him forever. If Snocross is something you want to do this season, you'll need to train."

I gnawed on the inside of my cheek. "I'm going to Papa's," I assured, to the private track my dad, uncles and other members of Bell Racing once trained on. "Uncle Johnny said he'd help me out." Another lie, but I knew I should check on him and Papa.

A grey cloud settled over my mother—her expression shifting. My father and Johnny hadn't spoken since the board decided to give Bell Racing to Team Baker. "Dad's trying. He's just—"

"Busy," I finished. Too busy to work with me or my little brother. But not too busy for Jace.

My resentment must've shown because she said, "Hama's death was hard on all of us, including him, Nadine. All this—" Gesturing to the island covered with receipts, ledgers, business proposals and more. "—is new to him." A beat went by, then. "He's trying. Can you cut him a little slack?"

I inhaled a steady breath, my fist beating on the wood railing. "Yeah."

"Thank you. Now how are you getting back to school?"

That was a good question. I wasn't talking to Lily, and avoiding dad was my top priority.

My mother studied me. "I can give you a ride."

"It's alright," I said, combing hair from my face. "I have one."

She eyed me suspiciously. "Who?"

"Johnny." Another lie, but it seemed to appease her.

"Let your dad know, please," she said. "And let me know before you go over to papa's. I have some soup for them."

I took out my phone as I climbed the staircase, hoping Levi Hunt was up this early. Why I lied, I didn't know. Maybe it was because I didn't want to talk about him anymore. I knew why befriending him was dangerous, but a four-hour ride home was better with a yapping Hunt than a lecturing mom.

I opened Instagram, searching for his profile. I huffed a laugh though there was nothing humorous in it. I'd successfully managed to avoid Levi Hunt for most of my career, and here I was sliding into his DM's like some desperate fangirl. I didn't have his number though, so texting wasn't an option.

Nadine Baker: What time are you leaving?

I closed the door to my room, about to dress, when my phone buzzed.

Levi Hunt: I'm training till 4 pm. Why?

I hesitated. It was a ride. It wasn't like I was betraying my family. Or maybe that's exactly what I was doing.

Nadine Baker: Do you want some company?

I waited, biting my lip. The same lip he'd marked with his searing kiss.

Levi Hunt: I thought you'd never ask.

***

I frowned, standing before a passed-out uncle Johnny who lay sprawled on the couch in papa's house. "Freeloader."

I picked up the empty pizza boxes on the coffee table, stacked a mile high, but they were nothing compared to the beer bottles glittering in the morning light.

I growled, discarding them in the war zone of a kitchen. Dirty plates took up the entirety of the sink, the counters littered with a week's worth of food.

My temper flared.

Hama would be pissed if she saw what he'd done to her house. "Johnny!" I barked.

He didn't move.

I begrudgingly left the mess, angry with Johnny. Mad with my family. My papa had other children, other grandchildren that could have come check in and clean up: Lily, Logan, Mike, but no. They were too concerned with my love life to check on the one man who fuelled this entire family. 

I nudged my uncle with my socked foot, leaving my shoes in the mud-covered foyer. "Johnny!"

"What?" he groaned, a mop of tawny hair jostling against the pillow.

"Get your ass up!"

He squinted against the light, lifting an arm to block the morning sun beaming through the windows. "What time is it?"

"Eight."

He scoffed, draping his arm over his eyes. "You're just like your mother."

So I heard. "Come on," I demanded. "I have to train."

"Doesn't your dad own a track?" he asked, angling his head to look at me.

"Yeah," I snipped, handing him a cold bottle of water, "I'm training here today, so let's go."

Johnny sat up, combing the greasy hair from his face, his newly grown stubble about three days old. "I don't work for you."

"You do now," I growled. There was no way I was going back to the track anytime soon, and Johnny was doing nothing but ruin papa's home.

He snarled, taking a long drink from the bottle. "Didn't your parents teach you to respect your elders?"

"When one presents themselves, I will act accordingly."

He cut me a side glare.

"Come on. I only have a few hours."

I marched toward the door, pulling on my boots. Johnny reluctantly followed.

A/N: Looks like Nadine found a new trainer... maybe. We'll see what uncle Johnny says.

I apologize for the delay! My computer crashed the other day and Apple support is doing what they can to recover my current manuscript. Good thing I saved this one on a usb!

Thank you for reading! And thank you so much for your patience. If you need me, I'll be over here, trying not to break down 😭