RAINSTORM

Ch. 25

"Two hundred dollars?" Rachel says, taken aback by the cost of the repair. All she has left from this month is fifty.

"I can fix it temporarily for a cheaper price, but I wouldn't recommend it. Better repair it thoroughly this time. The work done by the previous shop is shoddy at best," Bo says. 

Rachel understands that. But, two hundred...

"I'll give you a discount. One fifty. And you can pay that in installments," Bo says.

"Really? You sure?" Rachel asks, hoping it's real.

Bo nods. "No hurry at all. Anything for Hector's friend." He then asks Rachel to wait in his office as he starts to work on her car.

When Rachel enters Bo's office she's surprised by how much stuff there is in this room. Most of it are automobile parts.

At a corner Rachel notices the pink helmet she wore on the day Hector took her to the movie.

She clears her throat and sits down at the couch, takes out her laptop and starts working on an assignment.

About half an hour in Rachel hears a familiar voice. She stretches up her neck. Behind the glass is Hector, talking to Bo.

Quickly Rachel pulls down her neck and resumes working on the assignment.

A moment later, Hector enters Bo's office and sits down on the chair at the side. Rachel ignores him, continuing to work on her laptop.

Hector says, "This is ridiculous. What did I do so wrong for you to be mad at me? I only told Ricky we didn't need another tutor. Was that wrong?"

Rachel stops typing and looks up. "That's all you did?" She asks.

"What else?"

"You know some kids would kill to let him teach them and have him share his notes with them."

"Those nerds need to get a life," Hector says.

Rachel points at him. "See? That. That, right there, is my problem."

"What?"

"It's your attitude towards us quote unquote nerds."

"That is n—"

"If you think you and your friends are so superior to us, then why bother talking to someone like me?"

"Okay, stop. Just stop. I didn't fucking mean anything like that. Have I ever talked to you like that?"

"Then what was it today?"

"It wasn't about you!" Hector says, "Did you not hear what he said about me?"

"That's why I'm mad at him, too, and I asked him to leave, didn't I? But I thought you were different. I guess I was wrong."

Frustrated, Hector pushes his hair back. This isn't the first time he's accused of being mean. But this is the first time it has bothered him this much.

"Rachel, I— I admire you for who you are. I think you are amazing. And I would never look down on people like that. If I did, I would find no one to be a bigger loser than me for not being able to stand up to my own parents."

Rachel looks away, not knowing how to respond. She wants to believe Hector, but is also afraid to do so.

When Hector talked to Ricky like that, for some reason, Rachel took it personally. As if to Hector the studious students like Ricky and her aren't on par with him.

It hurt Rachel. After everything that had happened between them, Rachel thought if not as friends at least Hector seemed to treat her as an equal. Feeling that could just be her imagination, Rachel's face falls.

"Rachel," Hector says, "I'm sorry if anything I said hurt you. But that wasn't my intention at all. I was just annoyed at him for bothering us. That's all. I swear."

"You're telling the truth?" Rachel says, looking at him.

"I swear," Hector repeats.

After a moment, "Okay," Rachel says, and returns to her assignment.

"That's it?" He says.

"That's it."

"We're good?"

"We're good."

"See you tomorrow evening then?"

"At the library. Yes. You better get that A+."

"Yes, mam," Hector says. The corners of Rachel's lips slightly lift.