A few minutes later, Dom returned to the lobby emptyhanded. Her brave face wasn’t good enough to fool Christy, who immediately hopped over the counter and took Dom into a hug. “I really am sorry, Dom.”

“Knock it off, it’s ok. It’s not your fault. You didn’t know.” Dom forced her voice into a casual tone as she pushed her away to lean back against the counter, her head tilted back as she looked at the ceiling, and the stiffness in her jaw betraying her effort to stay calm. She refused to let the tears fall. Of frustration, or pain, she didn’t know. But she wasn’t going to give in.

“But if he’s not with you then who’s he dating?” Christy pressed, mimicking Dom’s position on the counter, she leaned back on her elbows and tilted her head towards Dom’s as if trying to get in on a secret..

Dom hesitated, reluctant to speak the name, as if saying it would cement its power. “Her name is Ash. She’s new in town.”

At the mention of Ash, Dom caught a fleeting look exchanged between Christy and Matt -who had been listening in the entire time. The glance was heavy with unspoken understanding. Her stomach tightened as suspicion coiled like a serpent in her gut.

“What’s going on? What do you two know?” Dom’s voice carried an edge now, her body shifting into an assertive stance. The laser gun suddenly in her hand gleamed under the overhead lights, an unintentionally intimidating addition to her posture.

Christy met her gaze head-on, placing her palms firmly on the countertop as if steadying herself. “Well, there’s this party going on uptown. It’s supposed to be huge, and we’d heard that the person throwing it was this girl named Ash. Everyone says it’s gonna be the place to be.” She hesitated, then added with a reluctant shrug, “Honestly, Matty and I were planning on heading there after we closed up here. And if what you’re saying is true, that’s probably where Nile is.”

Dom blinked, her breath catching in her throat. “I can’t believe he’d just ditch out on me like that. He knows how important this is to me -to us. I mean, we just talked about it a few days ago.” Sheepish, she realized she was brandishing the ineffective weapon like a moron -so she quickly stowed it away before continuing, “he’s the one who came to me, making sure that we were on for tonight.”

Her words spilled out, defensive and insistent, but even as she spoke, the fragile facade cracked. The effort to convince herself -and everyone else- felt like trying to hold back a flood with a paper dam.

∞

The minutes ticked by with agonizing slowness as Dom lingered at the MegaZone, in the vain hope that they were wrong, and that her suspicions were unfounded. She kept thinking that he would surprise them all and show up with a goofy expression on his face and a present in hand.

And yet, her phone rested in her palm, her thumb compulsively refreshing her messages to confirm that no, she hadn’t missed a call or a text. The screen remained stubbornly blank, mocking her with its silence.

She passed the time chatting idly with Matt and Christy, but her mind was elsewhere, racing in circles around the same unrelenting questions. Why wasn’t Nile here? Why hadn’t he at least called?

By the time the clock hit 9:15, Dom’s patience had eroded entirely. A resigned sigh escaped her lips, heavy with defeat. He’s not coming.

The realization finally sank in, the weight of it threatening to drag her into the depths. She’d been stood up. On her birthday. By Nile -her best friend, the one constant in her life. A bitter laugh bubbled up, though it never made it past her throat. The sting of disappointment was sharper than she’d anticipated, twisting in her chest like a knife.

Dom replayed their last conversation in her head, her brows furrowing as the pieces fell into place. He hadn’t explicitly mentioned her birthday or their tradition. He’d only said, “See you Saturday.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line as the truth crystallized. He didn’t forget. He just didn’t care enough to remember.

The ache in her chest deepened as she struggled to keep her composure. Nile hadn’t chosen her -not for laser tag, not for her birthday. He’d chosen Ash.

“Hey guys, I’m gonna take off. I’ll see you later, ok?” Dom said, her voice tight with forced nonchalance.

Christy opened her mouth to respond, but before a single word escaped, Dom was already halfway to the door. Her boots struck the tiled floor with sharp, decisive clicks, a rhythm that echoed her determination to hold back the tears threatening to spill. She didn’t pause, didn’t look back. By the time she reached her bike, her vision blurred with unshed tears, the dam finally beginning to crack.

Dom slammed her helmet onto her head and started the engine with more force than necessary. The roar of the bike filled the parking lot, drowning out her thoughts as she pulled onto the rain slickened street. The world blurred past her as she sped forward, her emotions swirling into a chaotic storm. Anger, hurt, and humiliation churned in her chest, each feeding the dark fire that pushed her faster.

The cold night air whipped against her face, but Dom barely noticed. The thrum of the engine beneath her was the only thing anchoring her to the present. The rhythmic vibration felt like a heartbeat, steady and unyielding, driving her forward even as her mind spiraled.

Then, she spotted it -a police cruiser stationed at the corner ahead, its radar gun raised like a sentinel waiting for prey.

Her heart jumped, adrenaline spiking as her mind calculated her options. Slow down and get pulled over, or... run.

For Dom, the choice was barely a choice at all.

Her hand tightened on the throttle, and with a sharp twist, the bike surged forward. The engine roared in defiance as the speedometer climbed past sixty. The police siren wailed behind her, a piercing wail that only spurred her faster.

Dom weaved through traffic with a reckless precision that bordered on instinctual. Each gap between cars became an opportunity, every turn a test of her reflexes. Her pulse raced, the thrill of the chase igniting something wild within her. For a fleeting moment, the world narrowed to just her and the machine beneath her. The weight of the evening lifted, replaced by the intoxicating rush of speed and danger.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

She always had liked to play Grand Theft Auto.

Then the second police cruiser joined the chase.

And a third.

The realization hit like a cold slap to the face: This was no game.

The voice over the loudspeaker crackled to life, its tone authoritative and unyielding. “You on the bike! Pull over now!”

Dom’s grip on the handlebars tightened as her jaw set in defiance.

Her mind raced, strategizing her next move as the city lights blurred into streaks of color. Every decision, every turn carried weight now. There was no room for error. One wrong move, and it’s over.

As she barreled through the intersection, the police cruisers stayed hot on her tail. For the first time that night, a flicker of doubt crept in. Had she made the wrong call?

The answer didn’t matter. She was committed now, for better or worse.

System Alert:

New Quest Activated: "Rebel Ride"

Objective: Escape the Pursuit.

Threat Level: Critical.

Reward: Stay out of jail.

Bonus reward: Bragging rights.

The words flashed briefly in her periphery, their glow faint against the darkened cityscape. Dom’s lips curled into a grim smile. Figures. Even the system’s mocking me now.

She leaned into the bike, her focus narrowing as she pushed herself -and the machine- to the limit. The sirens grew louder, the chase intensifying. Somewhere deep in her chest, beneath the adrenaline and fear, a spark of exhilaration burned.

Let’s see if they can keep up.

The wail of the police sirens was relentless, echoing through the night like a wolf pack closing in on its prey. The flashing lights cast frantic shadows against the buildings, painting the street with a chaotic symphony of color.

Dom gritted her teeth, weaving through traffic with precision born of adrenaline and sheer reflex. Her heart pounded against her ribs, the rhythm matching the roar of her bike’s engine. Every swerve, every gap between cars felt like threading a needle blindfolded.

Then came another voice over the loudspeaker, a booming command that seemed to cut through even the roar of her bike:

“You on the motorcycle, pull over immediately! I repeat, pull over immediately!”

The sound jolted Dom, a needle prick of doubt piercing through the wild confidence that had propelled her so far. What the hell am I doing? The thought hit her like a slap. What would Dad say if he had to bail me out of jail?

The image of Jacque’s face -his mix of disappointment and worry- flashed in her mind. She shook her head sharply, trying to push it away, but it lingered like a shadow she couldn’t outrun. Stupid, Dom. This is stupid.

Ahead, the intersection loomed, a busy web of crisscrossing headlights and impatient horns. She glanced at her speedometer. Too fast. Way too fast. Her heart leapt into her throat as she realized she couldn’t make the turn she’d planned -not without possibly wiping out spectacularly.

Her instincts took over. Dropping the bike into second gear, she leaned hard into the corner, pivoting east onto Del Mar. Her body became one with the machine, compacted and clenched, her weight shifting fluidly with the bike. The pavement screamed beneath her as her right knee hovered just inches above the asphalt.

Don’t brake. Don’t brake. Don’t brake, she chanted it in her head like a mantra, her fingers twitching with the desperate urge to squeeze the brake lever. But she knew better. Braking mid-turn was the kiss of death on a bike -an invitation to slide out and eat pavement.

Instead, she focused on keeping a delicate balance between the throttle and her lean. The tires groaned under the pressure, the rear one skidding slightly on the damp pavement before finding traction again. Her jaw tightened as she avoided an oncoming car by what felt like inches, the whoosh of its headlights leaving a ghostly trail in her vision.

And then, miraculously, she was through. Straightening the bike with a practiced jerk, she shot out of the turn like a bullet, her engine screaming as she accelerated. The cop cars struggled to match her maneuver, their sirens blaring in impotent frustration as she darted into the narrow gap between two city buses.

She split the lanes effortlessly, her body moving with the fluid grace of a dancer. And then she reached the onramp and without a moment’s delay, she was riding the throttle, and her RPMs topped out as she gunned it.

In no time, the sirens began to fade behind her, the flashing lights shrinking into the distance as she sped through down the highway and disappeared into the night.

When she exited the freeway and ducked into the urban sprawl of the Foothills, her paranoia refused to ease up -so instead of heading home, she found herself taking back alleys and side streets, towards an unknown destination.

Dom weaved her way through the urban maze, her senses on high alert for any sign of pursuit. Her breathing was shallow, her chest rising and falling in quick bursts as the adrenaline began to ebb, leaving behind a trembling, unsteady exhaustion.

When she was certain she’d shaken the cops, she finally let herself slow down, her insides matching the engine’s growl as it softened to a purr.

The quiet that followed was almost disorienting, the absence of chaos leaving a hollow space that her thoughts rushed to fill.

Her surroundings blurred as her mind drifted. And it wasn’t until the dirt trail beneath her tires crunched differently that she realized where she was. The park and reservoir. A place that had once been her sanctuary. The sight of it triggered memories that came flooding in unbidden.

The reservoir stretched out before her, a mirror of still water that reflected the star-speckled sky. Without the moon’s light, the stars seemed brighter, their glittering brilliance mirrored on the rippling surface. A breeze whispered across the water, stirring the reflection into a dance of fractured light.

Dom stared out at the scene, her thoughts a tangled mess. The chase, the party, Nile, Ash -it all churned inside her like a storm, impossible to untangle. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she wrestled with a renewed surge of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her.

The park had always been a place of peace, a refuge where her family had spent lazy afternoons fishing and picnicking. They’d never caught anything, but the lack of fish had never mattered. It was the being together that counted. The thought brought a pang of bittersweet nostalgia, the ache of longing intertwined with the warmth of those memories.

But now, she was well and truly alone.

Turning off the engine, Dom guided her bike to the water’s edge, parking it on a patch of gravel near the tree line. The soft click-click ping of the cooling engine broke the stillness, mingling with the chirp of crickets and the low croak of distant frogs. The night seemed to hold its breath around her, the air cool and heavy with the scent of damp earth and wildflowers.

Sliding off the bike, Dom’s legs felt shaky, the adrenaline crash sapping her strength. She stumbled slightly before collapsing onto a nearby log that served as an impromptu divider for the gravel lot. Her breath came in slow, uneven gulps as she tried to calm the trembling in her hands.

She let out a shuddering breath, her shoulders sagging under the weight of everything she was holding back.

Stumbling over to the waterline, her gaze fell to her reflection in the star-lit surface, distorted by the gentle ripples. For a moment, she didn’t recognize the person staring back -a shadow of the confident, untouchable Dom she tried so hard to be.

Why was she trying so hard to be strong? Who was she holding herself up for?

She was alone.

A black hole opened in her stomach, as she realized the truth of it.

I’m alone.

Finally… Dom broke down, the weight of the evening crashing over her like a tidal wave. The sobs came in heaving, gasping bursts, the kind that left her chest aching and her throat raw. With no one around to witness her vulnerability, she let herself go entirely, burying her face in her hands as tears streaked hot paths down her cheeks. The quiet night bore silent witness to her anguish, the only sounds were the occasional rustle of leaves and the rhythmic croak of frogs by the water’s edge.

For what felt like forever, she cried. Cried for the hurt, the betrayal, the sheer stupidity of the choices she’d made tonight. Cried for the pieces of herself she’d felt slipping away ever since her mom had passed. And when the tears finally stopped, leaving her hollow and exhausted, she was surprised to find her mind clearer, her thoughts no longer trapped in the tangled storm of emotions.

Her mother’s words floated to her, soft and soothing like a balm on raw skin.

“Everyone cries, Dom. There’s no shame in it. It’s just part of being human.” Olivia’s voice was as vivid in her memory as if she were standing right there. “Sometimes we cry from pain, or from grief. Sometimes, we cry because we’re happy. And sometimes, Dom, it’s all of those things at once. That’s what makes us different -our emotions make us human.”