Not Never (Sample of Published Book)

Chapter 4 - Part 2

While he got out and walked around the car to open her door, she had a few moments to pull herself together before he helped her out.

"I saw what happened in the cafeteria today," he murmured, pulling her down the street with her hand in his while she held the eggs to her chest with her other hand. "I did some asking around and found out where Noah lives."

"Noah," she said sharply, and he stopped to hush her with his finger to his mouth.

"Yup. We're going to teach him a lesson." It was then, as they stopped outside an average-looking house, that she recognized Noah's car in the driveway. Things began to make a little more sense.

"This isn't legal," she mumbled to him, now that she pretty much knew what the eggs were for.

"We aren't exactly breaking the rules." He shrugged. "It's more like bending them."

They stood just out of the light of the streetlight at the end of the driveway. The anxiety she had felt before was replaced by a nervous excitement. She remembered how Noah had treated her friend and how she had wanted payback.

"Are you ready?" he asked quietly, motioning to the eggs.

She had never even contemplated doing anything like this, but she opened the egg carton and took one out. "Yes."

Each time she felt the prickle of her conscience, she remembered how he had hurt her friend. Noah had used Diane without a care. And it was time for payback.

"I was terrible at softball," she murmured as she tried to take aim.

It reminded her of the first time she had attempted to play softball. She hadn't been able to throw the ball in the direction she aimed. For the most part, she had been useless. Even with a few games under her belt and after some practicing hadn't helped, she had eventually quit. Her hand-eye coordination wasn't great and no amount of practicing was going to change that.

Her first egg just missed the side, as well as the side mirror, splattering against the driveway instead.

Maddox stifled a laugh beside her, and she pinned him with a glare. "It's not like I've had practice egging someone's car."

"I can see that but there's a first time for everything," he assured her, straightening his grin. "Come on. Try again. You have another eleven eggs to get it right."

She reached for another egg and tested the weight in her hand before she tried to throw it far enough to splatter against the back of the car. This time it did hit the car, but not where she had aimed. Still, watching the egg break against Noah's nice clean car made her smile. Something that felt a lot like excitement stirred in her stomach.

"Here," Maddox whispered beside her, handing her another egg.

She gripped it in her hand for a moment before she threw it, putting more power behind her throw. Her aim improved with each egg and, by the end of the carton, she felt exhilarated and giddy. And Noah's car was dripping with egg.

"Not bad," Maddox murmured, attracting her attention from her handiwork to his playful smile.

"That was..." She was trying to find the right words to describe how she was feeling.

"I know." He stared at her for a few moments, and she felt the unmistakable draw to him. The sound of the door opening broke the moment.

"What the fuck?" someone yelled. It sounded like Noah.

"Time to go." Maddox gripped her hand and pulled her behind the hedge in the front yard beside Noah's house for a moment before making a dash in the direction of his car.