MARRIED FOR PAYBACK

Sophia Wyatt

We stumbled out of the bar; actually, we got kicked out after my friend Amber Henley started yelling at the bartender and her boyfriend, Dave Keller, stepped in and started punching the guy.

I took a deep breath, appreciating the fresh air after being in a congested club. Amber and Dave started laughing.

“It’s not funny.” I blurted out as I tried not to slur my words.

“Soph, you need to relax; nothing happened to the bartender; he is fine.” She said as she glanced back at her boyfriend, “Okay, then, fine enough. But you did have fun, didn’t you?” She asked.

I did have fun. It was my first night out since I took over the company from my father, and I couldn’t say that I didn’t know about Amber’s wild side. I loved that about her; I lived vicariously through her.

“I did have fun,” I admitted.

“Exactly,” she replied as she put her hand around me, “now we get to drive back home and sleep it off.”

“We are too intoxicated to drive home. We should get an Uber.” I suggested.

Amber chuckled as she walked back to her boyfriend’s arms, who was a decade older than her. “Dave will drive us home, right babe?” She asked as she tilted her face upwards to look at him.

He looked at me and smiled: “I don’t mind as long as you let me crash at your place.” He suggested with a shrug.

In hindsight, I should have stuck to my initial argument.

“I don’t think that’s necessary. I don’t mind paying for an Uber to get each of us home safely.” I stated.

“Wow, it’s like you don’t trust me.” Dave commented with a smirk.

Amber whipped her head around to look at me and say, “You don’t trust my boyfriend?” She asked.

Not in the least, I wanted to say but bit my tongue back.

“It's not a matter of not trusting him, but of making sure we get home safely,” I sighed as I replied.

“And you don’t think Dave will get us there safely?” She asked, “That sounds like you don’t trust him.”

I don’t! I wanted to yell back at her but didn’t.

“Or we are all drunk, and I think we should get an Uber.” I insisted.

Amber turned to me while she still snuggled up to her boyfriend and said, “Soph, you worry too much. We are going to be fine; besides, it’s almost two in the morning, it’s going to take ages to get an uber here, and I’m freezing; now give Dave your car keys so he can drive us home.” She more or less commanded me.

I hesitated, but I handed him the keys.

Amber had been staying with me ever since her parents cut her off because she wouldn’t stop dating Dave. Their relationship was toxic, and I knew better than to tell her to leave him. It would have been a huge deal, so I just stopped asking. I did try to ask Amber to get a job since she couldn’t leave under me forever, but she got mad and left to go and leave with Dave, only for her to show up back at my door, beaten and bruised. That was her cycle.

“Whoa!” Dave remarked when he saw my car. “You must be loaded then, huh?” He asked as if he didn’t know who my father was or what I did.

I didn’t even bother to answer.

He opened the door and stepped into the driver’s seat as Amber stepped into the passenger seat, and I sighed as I sat in the back seat.

“Do you know how to drive it?” I asked.

“He's been stealing cars since he was a child,” Amber chuckled as she replied.

Her response didn’t exactly put my worries to rest, but it was too late for me to change my mind when he started driving. Fast.

I grabbed my seatbelt and fastened it.

“Do you think maybe you could slow down?” I yelled at him.

Dave chuckled, “Are you kidding me? I have always wanted to drive a Rolls Royce, and now I get to brag to my friends.” He paused, “besides, I want to see how fast it can really go.” He stepped on the gas as he spoke.

He was turning around corners, and I could hear the screeching despite Amber’s loud cheering. It was late at night, and the streets were almost empty except for a few cars.

As he turned every corner, I was starting to see fewer streets I could recognize, and that’s when it hit me: he didn’t even know where we lived and didn’t even ask.

“Where are you going?” I yelled.

“I have someone I have wanted to have a street race with, so that’s where we are going.” He said it nonchalantly.

“What?” I asked, confused, “No!” I barked.

“Soph, relax. We are already here anyways.” Amber chimed in.

“That’s all you have been telling me to do, but I don’t think you understand that unlike you, I have work tomorrow!” I barked.

“I know,” she sighed “how about this one race, then we're going straight home, okay?” she asked.

All my common sense was telling me this was a bad idea, that I needed to stop this and go home, but the sympathetic side of me took over and said, “Fine. Just one race and don’t scratch my car.” I warned but clearly no one was listening to me.

Amber cheered as I heard a car revv up beside us.

Dave rolled down the tinted windows and asked, “Are you ready to get your ass kicked?” He asked the driver of the other car, and I could barely see who he was.

I waited to hear what he sounded like, but he didn’t speak, and the feeling of unease came back again.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked Amber, “This doesn’t seem safe.”

“Would you shut the fuck up?!” Dave yelled at me.

I shouldn’t have taken that kind of disrespect, but I did. The race started, and I was glad that I decided to put on my seat belt because he was driving like a crazy person. Swerving and braking I was holding on for dear life with my eyes shut.

I heard Dave chuckling, “Eat my dust, a-hole.” He remarked.

But the other driver soon caught up to him, and I opened my eyes, wondering what the bright light was. It was a car that was driving toward us, and the other driver was right beside us. There was no way he would have been able to avoid the car without slowing down.

“You should slow down.” I said as I grabbed the seats in front of me.

“No. I’ll make it.” He stated as she adjusted his stance and his grip tightened on the steering wheel.

“Make it to where?” I asked.

“Amber, shut her up; I can’t concentrate with all the noise she is making.” He said.

When Amber turned around, I raised my finger and said, “It's my car, and I could talk...”

I wasn’t able to finish my sentence when the car that was coming towards us swerved to the side and skidded to the side as it hit a pole and the pole came crashing down. Dave hit the brakes as we all stepped out of the car.

I rushed to the car and asked, “Are you okay?” I asked the woman whose head was leaning on the steering wheel.

I lifted her head up, and she groaned.

As I took my phone from the car, I said. “She is still alive. I’ll call an ambulance.”

“No!” Amber and Dave said it in unison.

“Dave already has two strikes against him; if the police bust him for this, he will spend the rest of his life in jail.” Amber explained.

“Do you know what else takes people to jail?” I asked, “Murder!” I stated as I dialed 911.

I told the operator about the accident, leaving out the fact about the race, and gave her the name of the street.

“Fine, we called the ambulance, now let’s go!” Amber yelled.

“We can’t just leave her here alone.” I stated.

“Fuck this, I’m leaving.” Dave said as he strolled back to my car. The audacity.

“You aren’t leaving with my car!” I yelled.

“We aren’t going to stay here either; I’ll make sure he brings back your car.” Amber added as she stepped into the car.

So much for childhood friendship.

As he was about to drive off, I turned on the app on my phone that allows me to control the car and said, “Jasper, turn the car off.” I stated.

“Turning the car off.” I heard it say as it went off.

I could hear them attempt to try and turn the car on, and when they couldn't, Dave stepped out of the car and said, “Turn it back on, you bitch!” He yelled.

I just looked at him.

When he saw that I wasn’t going to back down, he called Amber out of the car, and they walked away, disappearing into the night.

I let out a sigh. I wanted to do the right thing, but when I heard the sirens approach it was as if the sirens were telling me just how much I had to lose. I couldn’t afford this kind of scandal. Wyatt Industries, the company I inherited from my father, was doing great, and this would just shine a bad light on us. I got into my car, turned it on, and drove off.

I got home, and I poured myself a drink. My hands were shaking, my ears were ringing, and I couldn’t think straight. I was expecting the police to show up at my door any minute, though there wasn’t a lot of damage to the car I still thought they could find me and I could hear my fast heartbeat.

I have no idea how I slept, but I was woken up by the sound of my doorbell ringing. I sighed, accepting my fate. This was going to happen, and they would know that my car was the one that was involved in that accident.

I opened the door expecting the police, but it was a delivery man.

“Good morning. I have a package for a Miss Wyatt?” He asked.

I cleared my throat and said, “That’s me.” I said.

“Sign here.” He pointed at it.

I quickly signed it and grabbed my package, and I closed the door without even thanking him. I sighed in relief that it wasn't the police, but I couldn’t help but wonder just how long I would be able to keep this secret.

I poured myself another drink as I turned on the TV; the first thing on the news was about the accident.

...in this very spot, an accident happened that left the pregnant wife of Luke Middleton in a coma. The doctors aren’t sure whether or not the mother and child will make it, and on the other hand, the police have no clues as to what happened, but they are sure that it another car was at the scene of the accident but they are unable to identify it yet. That’s it for me, June.

I sighed in relief; no one knows what happened, so I should be safe for now. I felt bad for not telling the truth, but at least the woman wasn’t dead I tried to comfort myself.