Reckless Fate (Hollows Garage Book 5), page 1
RECKLESS FATE
HOLLOWS GARAGE
BOOK 5
KATE CREW
CONTENTS
Content Warnings
Playlist
Author Note:
1. Daisy
2. Kye
3. Daisy
4. Kye
5. Daisy
6. Daisy
7. Kye
8. Daisy
9. Kye
10. Daisy
11. Daisy
12. Kye
13. Daisy
14. Kye
15. Kye
16. Daisy
17. Daisy
18. Kye
19. Kye
20. Daisy
21. Kye
22. Daisy
23. Daisy
24. Kye
25. Daisy
26. Daisy
27. Daisy
28. Daisy
29. Kye
30. Daisy
31. Kye
32. Daisy
33. Daisy
34. Kye
35. Daisy
36. Kye
37. Daisy
38. Daisy
39. Kye
40. Daisy
41. Kye
42. Daisy
43. Daisy
44. Daisy
45. Daisy
46. Kye
47. Daisy
48. Kye
49. Daisy
50. Daisy
51. Daisy
52. Kye
53. Daisy
54. Daisy
55. Daisy
56. Kye
Epilogue
Epilogue
Join the Crew
Other Books
CONTENT WARNINGS
Scenes involving domestic violence, comments and references to child abuse, knife violence, police violence, gun violence, death (both on page and references to), murder, and sexually explicit scenes.
PLAYLIST
Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince — Taylor Swift
Bad Reputation — Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
ANGELS & DEMONS — jxdn
Chasing Highs — ALMA
reckless driving — Lizzy McAlpine, Ben Kessler
Heaven — Julia Michaels
Angels Like You — Miley Cyrus
Next Ex — Sueco
Question…? — Taylor Swift
Glitch — Taylor Swift
bloody valentine — mgk
Black — Dierks Bently
i’ll be damned — gavn!
Dancing Under Red Skies — Dermont Kennedy
Afterglow — Taylor Swift
Death By A Thousand Cuts — Taylor Swift
right where you left me — Taylor Swift
see you later(ten years) — Jenna Raine
Sleeping on the Blacktop — Colter Wall
Blinding Lights — Loi
The Way I Loved You — Taylor Swift
Just Pretend — Bad Omens
Coffins — Bohnes
Yours — Sueco, Bea Miller
Skin and Bones — David Kushner
I Will Wait — Mumford & Sons
this is how I learn to say no — EMELINE
Don’t Blame Me — Taylor Swift
Locksmith — Sadie Jean
Religion — Livingston
Half Life — Livingston
But Daddy I Love Him — Taylor Swift
This book is for all the chronic people pleasers who are always putting others before themselves.
You are lovable without sacrificing yourself.
And if they ask you to sacrifice your happiness for theirs, fuck them.
AUTHOR NOTE:
I’ve been heartbroken that the crew’s series is over, but I’m in awe every day of everyone who has been here for the journey. Thank you a million times for reading and loving these characters because your support and enthusiasm have meant the world to me.
Each message, review, post, and shared moment has brought these stories to life in ways I never imagined. I could have never done this alone and you all made sure I never had to!
As we finish this series, I’m filled with so much gratitude and excitement for the future. You have all has inspired me and I can’t wait to share what comes next.
Thank you for being a part of this incredible adventure.
ONE
DAISY
When I started college, I didn’t think it would end like this.
After two years in my sorority, I was leaving, packing up my room and moving back in with my dad until a dorm opened up or until I finished out the last two years of my degree. Somehow my life that seemed so shiny and new two years ago felt heavy and worn out. I kept trying to get ahead, but kept stepping backwards.
Now I’m moving into the room I grew up in, and most likely falling back under my dad’s strict rules. Luckily, the house was only ten minutes from campus, but not living here would change my entire experience. I could only hope that a dorm room would open up soon. They said my chances were high within the first two months, but I might not get my choice of dorms or rooms, which didn’t really bother me at this point.
Anything would be better than moving home for long.
Dean, my boyfriend of a year, walked in, grabbing another box for me. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yes, I am,” I said, for what felt like the millionth time. “I don’t want it to end like this, but I think it’s for the best. I can’t stay here when half the girls have made it clear they don’t want me to.”
“I mean, I get there’s some fighting going on, but what about the fact that you will be further from me, and I will have a thousand fewer chances to actually see you, not to mention getting any alone time with you? You do still have friends here. It’s not like they are all mean to you.”
I looked back at the photo on my dresser still, the one of the entire house of girls on one of our event days. There were a few girls here I would still consider a friend, but the other half of them had taken the first opportunity to ruin my life. They had a new leader. Sydney wanted my place as president and after she nearly got me kicked out of school for all her complaints, I would willingly hand it over to be left alone. The excitement of joining the sorority had worn off and now I wanted to not be looking over my shoulder every day to see if someone was sabotaging me.
“I’m hoping it’s temporary,” I said, trying to sympathize with him, but it was hard when I had enough on my plate. “A month, maybe two tops. I’m waiting for a room to open up.”
“A month or two? Are you just going to be spending time at the frat house with me, then?”
I knew I made a face, but I couldn’t help it. “No, definitely not.” I didn’t know if I could stomach staying there again. The last time I did, I woke up and puked, the smell in the kitchen so unbearable I couldn’t even stomach making a cup of coffee. Not to mention the endless loud noises that left me with almost zero sleep every night.
“What? Why not?”
“I’m sorry Dean, I just don’t really feel comfortable sleeping there, and I like my sleep. I need my sleep. Which doesn’t happen easily when I try to stay the night.”
“So what? I’m going to be sleeping at your dad’s house? That sounds weird and inconvenient.”
“Umm, no to that, too. He’s really strict and will never let a guy sleep there with me. I think even if we were married, we would be in separate rooms at his house,” I said with a laugh, but when I turned, Dean was sneering.
“So are you saying we won’t be spending any nights together until you have a dorm room?”
“I mean, maybe? I guess I could try to sleep at the frat house, but could you change the lock code to your room or something? The guys there do not seem to have boundaries.”
“No, I mean, even if you do, what is that going to be, like, once a week tops? Daisy, you’re not serious right now, are you?”
“I’m doing the best I can. You know I can’t stay here. This place is so toxic ,I’m losing my mind.”
“Couldn’t you stick it out until a dorm room opens up?”
“That’s not how it works.” I smiled, trying to give a reassuring touch, but he was stiff. “You could always sneak into my room. That could be fun,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.
He rolled his eyes and scowled, not meeting my eye. “No, I’m not doing that. If your dad found us, he would be pissed, and then it would get back to my dad, and to coach.”
“And we’re adults, so I think that would be okay. Come on,” I said, grabbing his arm again. “I think it’s hot.”
“Not when I have so much riding on my dad paying for my school so I can play football full time.”
“You literally get drunk every weekend, if not every day during the week, and you don’t worry about getting caught with that?”
He stepped back, and I didn’t miss the coldness that came over him. “You know, we have a lot of games lined up for the next month and there are events outside of the games that I have to go to. Then, you won’t even be nearby, so…”
“So?”
“So maybe we should take a break for a month. You can focus on all these changes, and I can focus on football.”
Red hot anger rushed over me like a tidal wave. I knew exactly what he wanted to focus on, and this was the perfect opportunity for him to do that. “And maybe you can put a little more focus on Sydney, too?”
“Daisy, you kno
“Fine, if we are on a break, are you going to sleep with her? Are you going to be sleeping with other people?”
“I mean, maybe, I guess. If we aren’t together, would it matter?”
“Are you going to sleep with Sydney?” I asked again, each word carefully said, because I knew the answer would make or break us.
“I said ‘maybe’. She has texted me a few times. I don’t want to tell you yes or no because I don’t know.”
“That’s pretty much a yes.” I took a step back. “Okay, then. Get out.”
“Daisy, we don’t have to make this bad. It will just be a month and then we can talk.”
“No need. We’re done.”
“Wait, no, please. I do love you. I wasn’t trying to break up permanently. We just both have a lot going on.”
“No, you were just trying to take a break so you can fuck my friends and then keep me around. Get. Out.”
I pushed him out of the room and shut the door. I could hear him on the other side, knocking and pacing.
“Come on, Daisy. We can’t be over permanently.”
I pulled the door back open, peeking out to see him staring at his phone.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because we are made for each other. We are perfect. But no one wants to settle down with the first person they fall for, right? It’s different for you. I need the sow-my-wild-oats type of shit.”
“Fine, go ahead. I will, too.”
He rolled his eyes. “I already know you’re not the type to do that or to understand why I would. You’re perfect, Daisy. I just want to experience a few more things before I’m settled down.”
“I’m not the type to understand? Why not? You think I don’t want to sleep with other people?”
“You do?” he asked, eyebrows jumping up. “Yeah, right.”
“I’m going to.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“So that’s why you wanted this? Because you thought I wasn’t going to sleep with anyone else, and you could. Then we would get back together?”
“I mean, yeah, kind of.”
“You’re disgusting. Get out.” I slammed the door again.
“Daisy, I wasn’t trying to start a fight.”
“Go away!”
“Fine, but we aren’t done talking about this.”
I heard him walk away and turned back to the room. I had two boxes left and then it was over.
My time here was over, my relationship was over, and at almost twenty-one, I was moving back in with my dad.
My life was over.
TWO
KYE
I kicked the car into gear and peeled out, already expecting the swing of the back tires and turning to correct it. The car flew around the curve, and I spun the wheel hard as I straightened back out. I was ahead of the other guy, the last turn ruining his speed and improving mine. I told him when he asked for the race that I was good at this one. He thought I was being cocky, but I only wanted him to know before he threw down a thousand-dollar bet.
I went around the last curve, hitting the finish line long before he did, and turning to park by the crew. I nearly lived to race, and tonight was no different. The surge of adrenaline, the feeling of being so in control of my car that no one could beat me, and then winning.
The winning part always got me. I knew there were plenty of things I was shit at doing in life, but racing would never be one of them, and it was proven to me over and over when I won.
And I always won, or gave everything attempting to. It might be a curse. Quinn always said it might be. The way my brain shut down in a race until all I could think about was crossing the finish line first. I would rather run headfirst into a wall than lose. And I would. When the other racer would slow to be safe, I would speed up. Nothing seemed to deter me.
Among the hundred curses I seemed to live with, this one was the one I could handle.
I got out, pushing past a crowd of people, and heading over to the crew, who were standing around their cars. It was the only part about this place I hated, the loud crowds that didn’t seem to understand personal space.
“Thank you, Kye,” Ash said, grabbing a stack of money from the guy next to her. “Your race just secured my shopping trip tomorrow.”
It was race night at the empty lot we used for street racing. Everyone came out with their cars to race along the made-up track in a deserted parking lot. It was a round track tonight, the sharp curves fucking up half the guys here. They wanted to slow down and ease around them. I wanted to speed up and drift around the turn so I could keep going.
The crew knew my attitude about races, so they were betting on every race I did, confident that I would win, and so far, I had won three out of four.
“Thank you, because I had my eye on a new pair of shoes,” Ash said.
Fox groaned. “Did you even make enough to buy them?”
“Almost. After the next race, I’m good to go.”
“You better win it, Kye, or else I’ll have to make up the difference,” he said.
I laughed. “Not a problem. I think I can do this with my eyes closed.”
“But you’re not going to,” Quinn said, an edge to her tone because she knew I would try.
“No, I won’t.”
It’s not like racing here would help my chances of getting on Holt’s racing team, but it’s what I knew. It was a double-edged sword. I loved racing, and this was my way of doing it, but I also wanted to race for Holt, and he didn’t approve of street racing. There was a fine line between doing what I loved and risking getting arrested, which could ruin my chances with Holt if he found out.
But it didn’t seem to stop me.
Scout sat with Chase on her car with Jax and Carly next to them. Every one of the crew was in a relationship and I was happy for them. I could honestly say that the crew felt complete with Quinn, Ash, Carly, and Chase around.
They were happy and constantly seemed to think I wanted what they had. There was something about people in love that never believed that I didn’t want it. I didn’t want anyone touching me, and I had no interest in sleeping with anyone. The thought of hands on me alone sent a wave of disgust through me.
I wanted to be alone.
I didn’t think anyone but Carly tried to understand that I didn’t want someone. I couldn’t wrap my head around needing the affection or attention, or even having that much time to give another person. Keeping up with just the crew was plenty for me.
I headed back to my car, not worrying over anything any longer as I got ready for my next race.
My life was good. It was everything I wanted, and I wasn’t planning on any of it changing soon.
THREE
DAISY
A week after moving out and breaking up with Dean, I found myself walking up to the lake house, my nerves already fried. I kept trying to remind myself that I was still technically friends with a lot of these people, and the ones here who I wasn’t friends with didn’t matter.
The panic still welled up in my chest, though. The chronic need for everyone to like me was still trying to burrow under my skin until I did anything to be friends with all of them again.
It had to be an illness. I wanted all of them to like me, even when I knew I didn’t like them.
It had been one week since I blew my life up by moving out of the sorority and breaking up with Dean. The domino effect that followed left me on the outskirts of everything. Even the girls who were still friendly to me started responding less and less until my phone sat by me, silent all the time. I knew it had to do with me being gone more. I was out of the sorority house and off campus. The out of sight, out of mind effect, was currently all too real.
I was now a social outcast, and I hated it.
It’s not like they had all been the best of friends, but moving out of the sorority didn’t mean I wanted them all to cut me out completely. A few of the girls had become close friends over the past few years, and they were taking me moving out personally. The other half were celebrating, taking Sydney’s side in the entire mess and making me the villain.
So I came out tonight not only to get my friends back, but to figure out what they were all saying about me. I didn’t exactly want to be back on top in the sorority hierarchy, but I wanted to be something to them.
