C H A P T E R 2

He Likes it Greasy

I gave a long distrustful look at the burnt pancakes in front of me as soon as I sat down on the kitchen table.

"Wow. Did you use a blowtorch to cook these little suckers?" I joked, slightly lifting the pancakes on my plate as I assess the damage. Jesus, they looked so hard, dark and deadly, you could almost use them as a weapon.

A look of pity clouded her face. "Sorry, I had to scare some crows out in the backyard. Those little buggers are out to get my tomatoes. Kinda forgot that the stove was set on high."

"It's okay," I said, stabbing one of the less burnt pancakes that was placed way at the bottom. At least one had a decent golden brown color. "Eat it or go hungry, right? Oh, by the way, I need to drive downtown to pick up a few things. Need anything?"

Aunt Cornelia paused to think and went straight to the refrigerator. "Let's see. Uh, we really need some eggs and onions. Some potatoes, probably some garlic, too. How about if I text you all the things I need?"

"Sure thing." I said, pulling out my phone to read some new email notifications.

After scraping the last bit of pancake on my plate, I walked over to the drawer to borrow my aunt's car keys. I noticed the drawer was stuffed with a lot of useless crap, not to mention a collection of keys scattered everywhere. I know she has two cars in the garage but I wasn't sure which set of keys to use. I shook my head on how disorganized my aunt was. The whole house needed some serious renovations. The creaking floor boards made me stay up the whole night. I mean, the endless howls of coyotes were enough to keep me up but her pipes also needed some repairs because I could hear the leaking faucet from my room. And what's that horrible stain on the ceiling? Scratch that. I don't even want to know.

I struggled to push the kitchen window up. Aunt Cornelia, with a silver bat in hand, was busy chasing away the crows that were lingering around her vegetable garden.

"Get outta here, you damn birds! Shoo! Shoo, I say!"

The sight really wanted to make me laugh. She was too cute. Besides manning the bake shop downtown, I've always wondered if this is how she lived every day. It was simply heartbreaking. She wouldn't live this way if she opted to stay in San Diego with the rest of her siblings.

Out of all the places in the world, why here?

"Uh, just a quick question!" I shouted through the small window. "Which car should I use?"

"Oh, you can use the Caravan, honey!"

Wait, what? Is she fucking serious? A van? Really?

I stared at the rundown van in front of me. The garage was so cluttered and dusty, I felt like I needed an oxygen tank to breathe. When was the last time she came in here anyway? The old cream-colored Mercedes-Benz was kept outside with hundreds of birds scraping their talons on its roof top. I whirled around as soon as I heard something ran off from the bushes. My heart pounded and I gave myself a few seconds to recover. It didn't help the fact that aunt Cornelia's house was built near the woods and she bought it for a really good price.

"Here's to looking like a soccer mom." I hopped inside and quickly inspected every nook and cranny. The van was probably around two decades old. Its paint all faded, seats tattered, foam sticking out. And does it even have gas?

I sure hope so.

* * *

It didn't take long before I was actually on the road. Down town was still a few miles ahead and just by staring at my fuel meter on the dashboard, I don't think I can ever make it downtown. Fortunately, I did. The van sputtered some weird chugging sounds as I entered the strip. And every time I pressed on the brakes, it would give a screechy grunting sound. It probably needed some new brake pads.

"Noooooooo," I groaned, slapping the steering wheel in front of me continuously. "Why? Why now? Why me?" To my relief, I spotted an old auto shop nearby so I slowly parked it at the curb.

The sound of church bells went off, scaring the flock of birds that were all perched on top of an old Cinema. That just made me jump out of my skin. This place was creepy as hell. It almost resembled a ghost town since there weren't much people walking around. I mean, the town's really pretty and laid back, but after hearing what happened to Dani, I don't think I can last more than a week here.

"Here goes nothing." I muttered, quickly removing the key from the ignition. Grabbing my wristlet from the passenger seat, I slipped out of the caravan and marched straight inside the small auto shop. Luckily, there was one guy working on one of the cars. He was busy welding some parts together. There wasn't anyone else at the shop except for him so I didn't have any other choice.

"Uh, excuse me," I said. Okay, that sounded too sweet. Obviously, he didn't hear me. Try again. "Excuse me!" I said a little louder this time.

The guy turned around, instantly taking off his welding mask. To my surprise, it was that incredibly hot guy I met at the coffee shop. He was wearing a white grease stained wifebeater and regular jeans that dangerously hung low on his hips, revealing the brand name of his underwear.

I seriously wanted to slap the smile off my face.

Hanes. I approve.

"Hey, aren't you that red head I met at the coffee shop?" He said, pointing a finger at me.

I swallowed, feeling so ashamed all of a sudden. "Yep, that's me."

"So, what brings you here?" He placed his mask down on the ground, reaching for some wipes that was placed on a plastic table.

"I kinda ran into a little problem," I scratched behind my ear. "Is it okay if you could, you know, take a quick look? I promise it'll only take a second."

As we made our way to the van, I could already tell he wanted to laugh so hard. Curse the day I drove that piece of junk. He looked at me and shifted his eyes back on the clunker in front of us. "Nice ride."

I casted him a dirty look. "Does that have to make me feel better? Because it's not working. I look like a freakin' soccer mom."

"A hot soccer mom." he mumbled, popping the hood open.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, nothing." He quickly said with a playful wink, although I knew what he really meant. A smile danced on my lips but my face warmed up a little as I stood behind him. He leaned towards the van as he inspected the engine. My eyes automatically shot down to his lower back.

Shit.

I felt like I was playing tug-of-war with my eyes. I needed an escape route. Quick.

"Hey, do you have a restroom here?"

He looked up, wiping off the sweat on his forehead with his arm. "Yeah, just go straight, it's located at the end of the corridor."

"Thanks."

The corridor was dark and dingy due to a few busted fluorescent lights, leaving two bulbs flickering every few seconds. The place had a damp feel and smelled like mold. It's almost as if I was in some slasher movie. I really wish I could teleport back to San Diego. I already miss my mom, my sister Mikayla, and my bed. But I already promised my aunt that I was willing to help her out, just until she can get enough people to run her shop. Besides, I came here to unwind. Clear my thoughts before I go back to Los Angeles to find a job. Allie's currently in Saratoga Springs for a month's vacation and she promised to visit me one of these days.

I went inside the restroom. There was only one stall available since the other one was plastered with masking tape and white paper with the words "Out of order" written with a black sharpie marker. Just one look at the toilet made me change my mind on peeing. As I made my way out the door, I couldn't help but look at the dirty mirror from the sink.

Life's short, heaven's forever 1 john 2:16 -17 was etched lightly on the mirror using some kind of sharp object. The words suddenly gave me the prickles. Life was indeed short. Just look at what happened to Dani. She was only twenty-four and had a great life ahead of her when some psycho decided to end her life thinking he was God. Well, I'm not entirely sure if there was a psycho behind it, or if it really was suicide. My aunt said her neck was wrapped in a Christmas garland.

Dani's face faded to the back of my mind. I quickly stepped out of the restroom when I noticed a dark figure standing in the hallway, a faint orange light was set between his lips. A cloud of smoke was blown my way and I started coughing. I fanned away the terrible stench.

"Wow, if it isn't little red," the guy said with a husky voice. He flicked the cigarette down to the floor, quickly crushing it underneath his shoe. "What're you doing here?"

I swallowed. "Trying to get my car fixed."

He stepped into the light and I immediately recognize him as one of the guys Nikolai was with at the coffee shop. The one with the nasty smirk and a ring pierced on his left eyebrow. He had that morning bed head look, his hair pointing in different directions. "I'm Chase, by the way."

"Aggie," I said a little uncomfortably. "Anyway, I have to go now."

Before I could get the chance to walk past him, his hard fingers clamped on my shoulder. "Hey, not so fast. Not done with you, little red."

What can I say? The guy was a prick. Who does he think he is anyway? The big bad wolf? He stared down at me with his signature smirk, slowly moving a lock of red hair away from my face. "You're beautiful, you know that?"

I'll kick him in the balls, if the situation calls for it. But I brushed his hand off from my shoulder, shooting him a sarcastic smile. "Fuck you."

"Chase," Nikolai's voice boomed from the garage. "Cut it out, man. You're scaring her."

He gave a light chuckle. "What? I just said she was beautiful."

"You place your hand on me again, you are seriously going to get it." I said through gritted teeth before brushing past him. I could feel his haughty, goading smile while I walked through the hallway.

"I'm sorry," Nikolai said as soon as I stepped out of the door. "He could be a real asshole sometimes."

"Asshole's about right," I grumbled, glancing over my shoulder. Chase was leaning over the doorjamb with a grin, stating he enjoyed what just happened. "Please do me a favor and tell your friend to keep his fucking mitts to himself." I smiled, shaking my head. "Anyway, how's the van?"

"Well," he cleared this throat. "For starters, you need new brake pads."

"Brake pads? Okay. I guessed it right."

"Yeah," he wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "When's the last time your aunt took this for a maintenance? I really need to take a full look at it."

I chewed on my lower lip and nodded. "Okay, just do what you gotta do."

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Nik came inside the waiting room, wiping his hand on a piece of white cloth. Basing from the expression on his face, I knew it wasn't going to be good news.

"Well, what's my damage?"

He smiled, shaking his head. "Come here, I need to show you something."

I followed him outside the waiting room. He pressed the button from the rotary lift to elevate the van.

"The van ran out of oil, so I recommend an engine flush. You need a new set of brake pads, front and back."

I crossed my arms with a sigh. "Really?"

"You also need new rotors. And take a look at this," he motioned for me to come closer. He placed his fingers around some rubber part and black liquid came gushing out. "Your cylinder has a leak and it's really important that we fix it right away. Safety first before anything else. And we also recommend to fix the Gas cover gasket."

"Wait, gas cover what?" I shook my head. "Just—just do what you gotta do. I really need to get going."

He brushed his tongue over his bottom lip. "It'll probably take a while. It depends. Probably an hour, an hour and a half."

I raised my eyebrows and groaned in frustration. Aunt Cornelia was starting to be a pain in my ass. What on earth was she thinking making me drive this piece of crap?

I reached for my phone from my back pocket and started dialing my aunt's phone. "How much do you think it'll cost?"

"A lot," he said with a cheeky grin. "But, we can always make a deal."

"Deal?" I quickly ended the call before it even connected. "What kind of deal are you talking about?"

"It's simple," he smiled. "Go out with me."