Breeding in the Academy: Searching for Freedom (All 14)

Chapter 21

Gabriel POV

I will never open my big mouth again. My big mouth is the reason I was inside this death trap with a maniacal driver. When Sang said that Raven was a driver who could outdo the Academy, I was relieved until he started driving. Almost immediately, he pushed onto the gas, making me, Luke, North, and Silas jerk in our seats. Thank God that I decided to put my seatbelt on. North unfortunately didn't have enough time to buckle himself when he was thrown into the car door. Raven kept swerving side to side. That happened for a while as North yelled at Raven, but his face turned pale and clapped a hand over his mouth. Silas had grabbed an empty garbage bag and held it under North's mouth in time when whatever he ate last night resurfaced.

At first it was fine because our seatbelts caught us until he got bored and started to drive on the uneven terrain. I swear that my butt came off my seat every time Raven ran over a bump. Luke who was sandwiched between me and Silas had grabbed onto us to stabilize himself while Silas groaned when his head smacked the roof.

I groaned. My insides feel as if they went through a blender. A glance at the others told me that they were feeling the same. At least, North had the 'oh shit' handle to grab onto. We in the back had to grab onto each other or the seatbelts.

"You look bad," Raven said as he looked at us. I wanted to glare at him but groaned when I was thrown back into the air before thumping back onto the seat. I heard Raven murmur and I opened my eyes to see him talking into his phone. He hung up and smiled. "We'll be stopping ahead."

I smiled in relief. When the car finally stopped, I unclipped my seatbelt before opening the door. Unfortunately, my legs felt like rubber and I fell to the ground. Luke must have felt the same because he collapse onto me. Several grunts on the other side of the car told me that North and Silas had fallen to the ground.

My stomach heaved and I saw a bush not far away. Crawling fast, I made it in time to throw up behind the bush. As my stomach rumbled, a hand started to rub circles on my back, soothing me. Once I stopped heaving, I looked up to see Sang looking at me with a pitying look and a bottle of water.

Sang POV (few minutes earlier)

I stared at him. My heart wanted me to say yes but my brain told me that not only was it dangerous to be around me but also that I am not good for them. I pushed aside my feelings. "All of you? All nine of you are interested in me?"

Mr. Blackbourne nodded. His eyes seemed to beg for me to say yes. "Yes, all of us. I've lived with them for most of my life. I can tell that they are interested in you."

I pulled my face away, dislodging his hand from my face. Ignoring the flash of hurt that passed in his eyes, I spoke. "The nine of you have never interacted with a girl who didn't want anything from you before me. Once we get to the phoenix, you'll change your mind about being with me." I tried to give him a hopeful smile but I knew it appeared a bit bitter. "Why share when you all can have your own girl?"

Before he could say anything, a knock on the door made us jump. Calming my heart, I looked out my door window to see Marc trying to peek through the tinted windows. I bit my lip, hoping he didn't see how close Mr. Blackbourne and I were. I opened the door, ignoring both Marc and Mr. Blackbourne's questioning gaze.

Marc glanced at the back seat after I shut the door. "Hey, are you okay?"

I nodded, stepping away when he took a step closer to me. "Yeah, I'm fine."

One of my oldest friends frowned at my behavior, and I berated myself. I needed to control my emotions so they can't see them. I got to close my emotions from my face. If Mr. Blackbourne noticed that I loved the Toma team after knowing me only for a few days, what else would they see?