[Completed✔] After embracing a romance with a close friend, Jade discovers a well hidden secret of his, which results in her attention returning to a past lover.
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October 4th, 1989. 12:36 P.M.
Cort wipes the motor grease from his hands with an old rag, and swaggers over to my aid, "It's alright. I got it, Reggie." he assured his co-worker in an off peak tone.
"I'm so so sorry." I apologised, "I didn't know where to find you."
He takes me by the forearm outside the garage, "Don't mind him, he's a grumpy old--"
"--I can hear you!" yelled Reggie from inside. His previous aggressive demeanour changed into that of one who bantered, and used his appearance to scare. It settled me to know the difference.
Cort smiled at it, then returned his attention to me, "Let's talk payment." he said. I was a little bummed that he was speaking business, when I really wanted him to speak in a more playful way.
I wasn't even sure how much he was going to overcharge for the late night and off shift work he did. Cort darts into the back of the garage to a small office then returns with a receipt.
He scans over it, and nods as he does, "Around $800 for fixing, extra $200 for the extra fees. How would you like to pay, Jade?"
I remembered what Dallas had drilled into my head about the girlish charm I unwilling possessed, "Is there any way to lower that?" I bite my lip in an off the mark attempt at flirtation.
I was sure it was working because Cort just stared at me with a blank expression. A thick grin spread across his mouth, and he looked down, "How about, you get me some more of that low grade dope?"
My limbs stiffened, realising that we could have just caused ourselves a great deal of trouble by that mistake. I had placed myself in unnecessary danger, and it disturbed me, how difficult it was to act normally under this amount of pressure.
After a flicker of a moment, I let out a weak chuckle, so frail that I felt my vocal cords would snap in half if I tried to force it out more. Cort was dead serious, and that's when the severity of the situation hit me.
"You know the one that your little boyfriend left in his glove compartment, along with a stack full of cash, sort of like the one you're grasping ever so tightly in that little fist of yours. I'm guessing he's got himself a little business..." he scoffed coarsely, "And you know all about that, don't you?"
I began to speak, "I have no idea-"
"-- Oh, sure you do." he cut me off knowing full well that I did know. There was no hiding it. He looks back at the clock inside the garage, then to me, "Wait about fifteen minutes. I finished work then, and you can take me around there, alright?"
I just nodded like a halfwit, too stunned to speak. I realised then, in that moment, how bad I was at reading people.
