Willy's Wonderland (OC Insert)

Chapter 1

Val's POV

After the day I finally got my driver's license, my dad allows me to take his black Chevrolet  Camaro out for a spin for the first time.

As I drive down one of the roads, I get a text.

I look on my phone, and my dad texted, "Be safe out there, kiddo."

"I will." I text back.

I soon focus back on the road.

The last thing I need is to damage my dad's car.

It was peaceful as I drove on the road. But I heard a noise that I wish I didn't hear.

Tires popping.

The car comes to a complete stop and I look in the rear view mirror to see I can spot what popped the tires.

Great! Now my dad is going to kill me!

I get out of the car and look at the damage. All four tires are popped.

This is just splendid. Note the sarcasm.

I look behind the car to see spikes on the road.

Who would put spikes in the middle of a road?!

And the worst part is that there is no service where I am. So I can't call anyone.

I am now stressing out.

It has now been hours since the car's tires popped, and there seems to be no sign of any nearby town.

But I perk up when I hear a truck driving closer to me. I look in the distance to see a tow truck.

Huh, coincidence that it's a tow truck.

The tow truck driver stops next to me and gets out of the truck.

Okay, me, remember what dad taught you when interacting with strangers. Say nothing.

The tow truck driver tows my dad's car and I am now sitting in the passenger seat as we drive to a what I believe is towards a town.

"Yeah, I tell everybody that attempts the 50, there ain't sh*t out here, but you gotta be prepared for anything." The tow truck driver says to me as he drives.

I stay quiet and just listen to him as I look out the window with an emotionless expression.

"A bunch of fun-loving kids stole the zigzag out of the back of the  sheriff's pickup a month ago. Guess you found it for 'em. You know what some folks consider funny? Just ruin a man's  whole damn day. God's honest truth. Now, where'd you say you're from?" The tow truck driver asks me.

Okay, first of all, I never said where I was from. And second, I ain't telling him where I am from.

So I just stay quiet while looking at him.

"Oh, you're one of those that don't wanna look back, huh? You're one where the past lives in the past, huh? Yeah, I understand. No, I can't blame you. I mean, we all got so much baggage. I just say, move forward. You're a rolling stone. Yup." He says.

In a way, he is correct. But I don't live on my own. I have a dad that loves and cares for me.

"We had a car chase around here a while back. Some boy got up to 150 miles an hour, just launched it right off Tension's Peak. It's like a superhero. It went fwoom! Carnage was terrible. It was just...wow." He says.

God, doesn't this guy know how to keep quiet? I'm already getting bored out of my mind.

Minutes pass and we soon make it into a town called "Hayesville."

The tow truck driver pulls up to the sheriffs office, and there stood the sheriff. But there was a girl around my age with her.

"Hey, Jed, what's up?" The sheriff asks the tow truck driver, named Jed.

"This girl had the misfortune of finding  your zigzags out there. I figured I'd bring her back to you." Jed explains.

"She  all right?" The sheriff asks.

"Yeah, she'll be all right. Tire's not, but she'll be fine." Jed says.

He starts going on about the car, but I was too busy making eye contact with the girl next to the sheriff, with no expression on my face, to listen to what he was saying.

We stare at one another, until the sheriff gets us to look at her.

"Jed, I'll come by and get her later. " The sheriff says.

"Yes, ma'am." Jed says before driving away.

We soon reach the car repair shop and Jed is inspecting the damage on my dad's car.

While he does that, I look around the shop. And I notices a few missing posters on the wall.

All I have to say is that this place is very sketchy.

"Hey, it's gonna be about $250 for the tow, and we'll need all four tires replaced. And there's something wrong with that chip, I think. But I can fix it for about $1,000." Jed says as he finished the inspection.

It's a good thing I have my dad's wallet with me. He allowed me to take it with me in case something happened where I will need to pay.

I pull out my dad's wallet and take out a credit card.

"No, cash only. And in advanced. Yeah, I don't take no plastic credit cards." He says.

I look to the right to see an ATM with an "Out of Order" sign on it.

Jed looks in the direction I was looking in. "Oh, that over there. Yeah, we ain't got no internet in Hayesville. Yeah, so all the ATMs, they just don't work. We were gonna get it, but they just didn't. You ain't got the cash, huh?" Jed asks.

I sigh while putting the credit card back in the wallet.

It was quiet for a few seconds.

"You willing to work it off?" Jed asks.

I slowly look up at Jed.

If this is the only way to get my dad's car repaired, then yes.

I nod.

"Okay, then. I think I've got somebody who can accommodate." Jed says before going to a corded phone on the wall.

At least they have phones that connect with electricity.

Jed starts talking lowly to someone on the other side of the phone.

I just stand there in thought.

What did I get myself into?