Fast Cars and Freedom

Chapter 9- Love Is Strange

Fast Cars And Freedom

Chapter 9:  Love is Strange

    "Hey there, dollface."  My eyes flickered up from my magazine to witness the one-and-only Tim Shepard enter the DX. 

        "Don't call me that."

        Tim laughed in response, making his way around the store quietly.  Tim had tried to pick me up several times, but always failed because nasty, loathsome hoods were not my type.  I was more of a... 'Cute boys named after soft drinks' type.

        The sound of the door to the garage swinging open made me look over to see Sodapop lope into the store.  "Em, have you seen the old set of wrenches anywhere?"  Soda paused as he spotted Tim, "Hi, Tim."

        Tim Shepard wasn't exactly the best of friends with the Curtis gang, but the two were close enough.  Both gangs had each other's backs whenever needed and supported each other in rumbles.  I suppose that's as close to comrades as anybody can get in terms of Tulsa street gangs.

        "Hey, Curtis,"  The lousy creep sauntered up to the counter looking like he owned the place, "Word on the street is Millie Johnson has the hots for you."  He even threw in a wink for good measure.

        I tensed, frowning. Yes, it's a common fact that Soda is so attractive that girls are drawn to him like flies to honey, but constantly hearing about pretty girls with their sights set on him got old pretty fast.

       To his credit, Soda looked unimpressed at Tim's statement.  "You can have her, man.  I don't want her."

        "You think I want that chick?" Tim snorted unattractively, "Don't kid me, man.  Sure, the little broad's hot 'n all, but she's been with half the east side at one point or another.  I don't need that many issues in a girl."

        Tim barked out a laugh, causing me to wrinkle my nose at the stench of his foul breath.  I realized then that he must have had some booze to thank for his overly-familiar personality that day.  My thoughts were confirmed when Tim turned on his feet, slightly stumbling his way out of the little store.  He hadn't even stayed more than three minutes, and he hadn't bought anything.  It's not like I was going to miss his company, anyway.

        Soda and I stared at each other dumbly for a few seconds, before I shrugged, choosing to break the quiet, "So, still chasing after Miss Mysterious?"  It had been awhile since Soda had talked any more about the girl he liked so very much.  I tried not to sound too curious about his answer.

        He shot me a tiny smile, running a hand through his golden hair, "Yeah, something like that."

        I smiled back casually, trying to look happy for him, although the thought of this girl he was so in love with made me feel kind of sick. 

        I narrowed my eyes, attempting to look intimidating, then leaned over the counter on my elbows to stare him down, playfully saying, "Are you ever gonna tell me who this girl is?"

        He considered his answer carefully for a moment, "Maybe."

        I rolled my eyes, sighing dramatically. "Maybe?  What's that supposed to mean?"

        "Why would it bother you?"  He lifted an eyebrow teasingly.

        "It doesn't bother me," That's a lie.  "I'm just curious."

        He studied me for a second, his eyes never straying from mine.  He opened his mouth to speak then closed it, looking away from me.  He almost looked... bashful?  That's something I'd rarely seen on him before. "Hey, um, would you, you know, maybe want to-"

        "Soda, did you find those wrenches?"  Steve called out loudly as he bursted through the doors.  "You've been gone for for almost five minutes.  What are you-"  He pursed his lips, freezing in place.  "Oh.  You guys are talking... This is awkward."  He started backtracking his steps with a strange look on his face.  His eyes were focused questioningly at Soda, who was staring at him in return. They seemed to be entranced in their own boy eye contact language.  I was confused.

        Steve hurried out of the store.  "Why's he acting all weird?" I asked.

        "He's Steve,"  Soda joked with a reassuring smile.

        I then remembered that Soda had been saying something before the interruption. "What were you gonna ask?"

        He thought back for a second before he realized what I was talking about.  His eyes darted up to mine.  "Yeah, about that.  I...uh..."  He was still staring at me as if he was trying to read my face.  The way he was acting kind of concerned me because he had never lacked words to say around me before.  He shook his head a little as if trying to clear his thoughts, then decided upon saying, "How about we meet up at the Dingo tonight?"

        It wasn't an unusual request.  In fact, it was a totally normal thing to say, but he had seemed to struggle with asking such a simple thing, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why.  Something different was definitely going on here.

        "Okay,"  I said simply, "Is anybody else gonna show?"

        "Um, no.  I was thinking it would be more of a time for just us to hang out..."

        "Alright."  What girl is going to complain about spending time with her best friend/ crush alone?  Certainly not me.

        I was rewarded with a breathtaking smile.  "Great."

        Just like that, Soda seemed back to his regular self. 

        "I'm gonna go look for those wrenches now."  I nodded slowly in response, but he had already disappeared.  My mind was focused on the thought of our plans for the Dingo.  Something felt different.  I couldn't put my finger on why my body seemed to  buzz at the thought of the next night.  Something was going to happen.  I could feel it.