Chapter 79 (2)
"That dress looks good on you," he said when Lisa emerged from the changing room in a deep green number that hugged her curves in all the right places.
"It looks good on me, or it makes me look good?" she asked, striking a pose.
"Both."
She smiled and disappeared back into the changing room, and Amy emerged a moment later in a flowing sundress that made her look older than her eighteen years.
"What do you think?" Amy asked, her voice uncertain.
Elijah studied her for a moment, taking in the way the fabric fell across her shoulders and the way the colors brought out the warmth in her skin. "You look beautiful," he said.
Amy's cheeks flushed, but she was smiling as she turned back to the mirror to study her reflection from a different angle.
They moved from the clothing stores to the nail salon, where Lisa chose a deep red that matched the dress she had bought and Amy chose a soft pink that complemented her black hair.
They sat side by side in the comfortable chairs while the technicians worked on their nails, and they talked about everything and nothing while Elijah sat in the waiting area and scrolled through his phone.
After the nails were done, they found a photo booth near the food court, and the three of them squeezed into the small space to take pictures together.
Lisa made silly faces while Amy laughed so hard she could barely keep her eyes open, and Elijah stood in the back with a smile. The photos printed out on a strip of glossy paper, and Lisa tucked them carefully into her purse as if they were treasures.
By the time they left the mall, the sun was beginning to set, and the sky was painted in shades of orange and pink that matched the colors on Amy's nails.
Dinner was at a small restaurant on the edge of the 7th District, a quiet place with wooden tables and soft lighting and the smell of garlic and herbs hanging in the air.
They ordered pasta and wine for Lisa and soda for Amy, and they talked about the shopping trip while they ate.
"I can't believe you actually bought that dress," Amy said to Lisa, shaking her head. "It was so expensive."
Lisa shrugged, her red nails catching the light as she twirled her fork in her pasta. "It was worth it. Besides, I wanted to look good for your brother."
Amy made a face that was somewhere between disgust and amusement. "You don't need to look good for my brother. He's already obsessed with you."
"Am not," Elijah said.
"Are too," Amy countered.
Lisa laughed at their bickering, and the sound was warm and genuine and filled the small space between them.
After the plates were cleared and the bill was paid, Elijah leaned back in his chair and looked at the two of them across the table. The setting sun filtered through the window behind them, casting their faces in a golden glow that made them look almost ethereal.
"Do you two want to do something even more fun?" he asked.
Lisa's eyes lit up with curiosity, and Amy leaned forward in her chair with interest. "What kind of something?" Amy asked.
"You'll see," Elijah said as he stood up and pulled out his wallet to leave a tip on the table. "But you're going to love it."
The Second District was a world away from the Seventh.
The buildings were taller here, and the streets were wider, and the people who walked the sidewalks moved with a confidence that came from knowing they belonged to a place that mattered.
The shops were more expensive, the cars were more expensive, and the air itself seemed cleaner somehow, as if the city had decided to put its best face forward for this part of town.
Elijah drove through the district with his eyes scanning the signs on the buildings, looking for the place he had heard about from one of the gang members who had grown up in this area.
It was a dirt bike track on the outskirts of the district, a sprawling course of packed earth and wooden ramps and obstacles designed to test the skills of even the most experienced riders.
When he found it, the sun had dipped below the horizon, and the lights around the track had flickered to life, casting the dirt in shades of orange and gold. The sound of engines filled the air, and the smell of exhaust hung over everything like a familiar blanket.
Elijah parked the car and walked toward the rental booth, with Lisa and Amy following behind him with looks of confusion that slowly transformed into excitement as they realized what he was planning.
"You're going to take us on that?" Amy asked, her voice a mixture of fear and exhilaration as she pointed at the track.
"Yeah," Elijah confirmed as he handed his credit card to the man behind the counter. "Unless you're scared."
"I'm not scared," Amy said quickly. "I'm just... concerned."
"That's the same thing."
"It's not the same thing at all."
Lisa stepped between them, her hand on Elijah's arm and her eyes bright with anticipation. "Stop teasing her and get the bike. I want to see what this thing can do."
The bike was a powerful machine with a sleek frame and knobby tires designed for gripping loose dirt.
Elijah swung his leg over the seat and settled into position, and then he helped Lisa climb on behind him with her arms wrapped around his waist and her body pressed against his back.
Amy climbed on last, her arms wrapping around Lisa's waist and her legs dangling off the side of the bike.
"Hold on tight," Elijah said.
Then he twisted the throttle, and the bike shot forward onto the track.
The wind whipped past them as they flew over the dirt, the engine roaring beneath them and the lights flashing overhead.
Elijah leaned into the turns and the bike responded, its tires digging into the soft earth and propelling them forward with a force that made Lisa scream with delight and Amy squeeze her eyes shut in terror.
They jumped over ramps and landed with jolts that sent vibrations through the frame. They slid through corners and kicked up clouds of dust that hung in the air behind them.
They raced across straightaways where the only sounds were the engine and the wind and the pounding of their hearts.
By the time Elijah brought the bike to a stop at the edge of the track, Lisa was laughing so hard she could barely breathe, and Amy was clutching Lisa's waist with white knuckles and a grin that stretched from ear to ear.
"Again," Amy said, her voice breathless. "Let's go again."