The True Happiness

Chapter 26

I admit it was a stupid idea to take Diana to that place. But I was angry and not thinking coherently. She was afraid. That wasn’t a street like the other where we always did the races. As the one where Audrey took her. This was darker, more perverse, more illegal, and more dangerous.

“I'm going to compete,” I announced, with anger in my voice, and one of the guys patted me on the back.

Diana was still holding my arm. She clung to me, digging her nails into my skin, trying to get others not to look at her intently. Trying to convince me to not leave her alone. Her small body was shaking, and not from the cold. Several had turned their attention to her and whispered among themselves while watching and slowly approaching her.

“Niall, please, let's go. I don’t want to be here. I am afraid. Niall...”

I left her standing there surrounded by those guys and did not care. I was so furious. I needed to get all that anger and adrenaline growing inside me out. I didn’t hear any of the times that Diana called me trying to seek refuge in my arms. I was selfish, I admit it. I won’t deny it.

I took my bike with the others. I climbed up and turned on the engine. There was no way they would win me with me being on my new bike. I didn’t bother to look at Diana one last time before revving the engine. The anger blinded and deafened me. I heard someone say: “Go!”. That was the trigger. I accelerated to maximum in the first few seconds. I was going so fast that everything around me was a blur where the colors are mixed with the black of the night.

I took a few laps around the place. The streets were wide and curvy in many places. It took me about five minutes to go around three times the five squares. I listened to the roar of my engine and feel the adrenaline running through my veins. I passed the three times in front of Diana. She was there as part of the spots in the dark. I could feel her fear bristling my neck hairs.

When I drove by the fourth time she was gone. I noticed it among all the spots around me. Her little blurry figure was gone.

I braked suddenly, causing the wheels to squeak against the pavement. I kicked the bike leg so it stayed in place and got off quickly.

“What’s wrong Niall?” One of the guys asked me while expelling the smoke from his cigarette, not exactly of tobacco.

I looked around, searching her. Leaning against his bike was a guy, one of those who had been staring blatantly at Diana. I approached him pushing the other two who accompanied him. I took him by the collar of his shirt and gritted my teeth. He looked at me scared.

“Where is she?” I demanded to know.

He did not answer me and the fury I had before multiplied. I punched him in the jaw and pushed him, causing him to fall on the cold asphalt. I went to other guy that had also been looking at her. He lifted his hands before I could get close enough to hurt him.

“Calm down, bro. Jake and his friends took her a couple of minutes ago.”

Before he could say another word, I went to my bike and I climbed up ready to find Diana. I drove slowly through the streets, checked every alley searching for her. I found her about four blocks up from where I was.

It seemed like they were just talking, but they were approaching her more and more with each passing second. Diana couldn’t move because she was leaning against the brick wall. Jake was the one who was closest to her.

“So what do you say?” He asked after making her a proposal that I didn’t listen. I got off the bike and took a couple of steps forward.

I realized that Diana looked down, with eyes full of tears.