for, lover (Completed; editing)

Chapter 21

"I thought you said the engine was out. How did you get it running again?"

Reed laughs and taps the hood of the old Pontiac, seemingly impressed with himself. I shouldn't be surprised the car wizard would be able to fix my nostalgic piece of junk. I'm glad I left it in the right hands though it was his fault it even got this way.

"This is amazing! Now I just need to get the damn bumper replaced." I sigh and squat down to examine the damage.

"That's all cosmetic. We can get that fixed. The whole point was finally getting the damn thing to run again. You're welcome."

I laugh and push at his shoulder. The car dad let me borrow just hasn't been the same. I've been meaning to come back up here to get the Pontiac but I got too wrapped up in life. Life being Bree, that is.

"How did this even happen again?" I ask him and catch his eyes move up and down to avoid making contact with mine.

"You remember. Me and Trent got a little wasted and hit that mailbox after that last party we went to." He explains.

"Well I never exactly saw the mailbox. I also didn't see my busted up car until the next day." 

Reed laughs and shrugs his shoulders as he walks back up the porch steps with me following behind him.

"He did a great job didn't he?" Trent boasts.

Reed flashes him a grin and heads upstairs. I take a seat back at the counter and put my arms on the edge.

"Yeah, he did. I just really need to talk to you about something."

His eyebrows raise and he cocks his head to the side.

"The reason why you're here?" He asks.

I nod and inhale deeply through my mouth. The only way I can confront them about what happened is doing it head on in person, preferably without Reed around to be a lying little jackass. He's a great friend when it comes down to it but sometimes I just can't trust him.

"Can we go somewhere and talk? Pigeon Forge maybe?"

"Yeah, of course! My cousin just got ownership of this sports bar down there and I was about to head there if you want to tag along. On the way we'll talk about whatever you want."

I smile and thank him. This is what I needed. Thank God I have Trent to be the level headed best friend while Reed always tends to be a challenge.

We leave the cabin without saying anything to Reed who must have hopped in the shower. The drive to Pigeon Forge is about a half hour from here which surely will go by faster than expected. If I get on a tangent, I'm hoping Trent won't cut me off and I can get everything I need from this conversation. I just don't know how to start it.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

Trent has the GPS up on the dash that he'll glance at every once in awhile to make sure we're going the right way. I've just been sitting in silence trying to come up with exactly what to say to him without accusing him of anything. I wouldn't want anyone to be overwhelmed with accusations here. Especially the way that I was.

"I know you guys told me when it happened but you didn't really give me a lot of details. What exactly happened to my car?"

This is a good start. A simple question with an answer that won't involve too much detail. I know some of what happened, I think. Unless Reed lied to my face. It wouldn't be a surprise.

"Well, the mailbox thing happened when we were running from those guys." He says.

I know that. I need more details without having to beg him.

"Yeah but why were the guys even chasing you? What exactly happened?"

He glances at me and tightens his grip on the steering wheel. Why the hell are they so adamant on keeping this from me?

"Look, I'm sorry about your car Miles. It was an accident and that's why Reed has been busting his ass to fix it up for you."

"I appreciate that, really, but it's important for me to know what happened."

"Why?" He snaps.

The way he responds throws me off guard. I adjust in my seat and tap my foot anxiously.

"I've just been having some problems back in Charlotte that I need to address." I tell him.

"You came all the way here to address a problem in Charlotte? Like what?"

"My car."

Trent sighs under his breath and takes a glance at the GPS again. He makes a sharp left turn that almost knocks me out of my seat. Driving through the mountains is going pure hell.

"Phillip Canter and his little bitch posse got mad at Reed because he was supposed to pay him back for all the substance he got from him but Reed's loan hadn't settled yet so he needed a few more weeks. Phillip got angry and threatened to beat the shit out of him and take the money so Reed came and got me, telling me we needed to leave. That's when we asked for your car keys. You were pretty drunk so of course you probably don't remember everything. I know you had a shitty day."

I did have a shitty day. My dad had just gotten married and told me that he was moving to Brooklyn permanently, making it where I would see him even less. Now that my mom was in Myrtle Beach and my dad was a day drive away, I didn't really know what to do. I was starting to have my beginning of adulthood crisis where I was frustrated that I never had a plan for my life and not going to college was going to kick my ass.

I do remember Trent and Reed taking my car to get away from those guys. That was the whole reason they moved to Tennessee in the first place.

"Did Reed ever pay his debt?" I ask him.

He laughs and shakes his head.

"Are you kidding me? That boy will have that bill on his name for the rest of his life if he can. That's why we're staying up here away from all of that. He needs to stay out of trouble."

"He's got a pretty decent job. He could pay it off and be good with Phillip so you guys don't have to hide out here anymore."

Trent shakes his head again and lets out a deep sigh.

"No, you don't get it Miles. Once you're in debt to those kind of guys, you're never free. No matter what you do, that shit follows you. It's better if we stay here, I promise."

(In case it was confusing, the italics are flashbacks 😂)