A Twist of Fate

Chronically Cautious

Overloaded serial stresser, I'm sitting nauseous,

Panic on a loop in my head, I'm chronically cautious

How can I get off this?

The sounds of air compressors and banging from the garage filled the parking lot of Teller-Morrow. But the normal sounds were quickly disrupted by a loud squealing growing louder. A 98 Toyota Corolla pulled into the parking lot, and the sound was deafening. Smoke billowed from the front of the car, and it eventually died out about two hundred feet from the door. A few of the guys from the garage poked their heads out to check it out as a young woman jumped out of the car. Curses flew from her mouth as she ran her hands through her fiery red hair. She was petite, only reaching five foot one, dressed in all-black scrubs.

"Mother fucker!" she yelled, slamming her fist down on the hood.

"Ya ok, lass?" a Scottish accent broke her fit of rage, and she turned on her heel to see two men approaching her. One was older than her with scarring on his face. The other, a man her age with a faux hawk and tribal tattoos on his head.

"This piece of junk started making some noise. I was hoping to get it looked at." The guy with the fauxhawk walked up to the hood of the car. "Do you mind popping the hood?" The woman opened the car door, reaching to pull the hood latch. While he lifted the hood and began to inspect the car, the older man reached out to the woman.

"Hi Lass, I'm Chibs." The woman eyed his hand before reaching out to shake it.

"Josephine," she responded. After she let go of his hand, she stuffed her hands into her scrub pockets.

"Radiator is shot. Along with needing a timing belt and some other work," the younger guy said, shutting the car's hood before walking around it. "Should take us a couple of days." The woman groaned, running her hands through her hair.

"Any chance you can do it today?" she asked, "I gotta get my kids from the sitter."

"Sorry sweetheart, but gonna take us a few days to get the parts an' fix it," Chib said.

"Thanks, um.."Josephine trailed off as the younger guy smiled.

"Juice."

"Thank, Juice," Josephine nodded, her eyes sweeping over his face.

"Follow me into the office; I'll get it written up." Josephine reached into the car to grab her bag, slamming the door behind her.

"Just my fucking luck," she muttered as she followed Juice. Once inside the office, an older woman looked up from her desk.

"Hey Gemma," Juice started, "She's gonna need a radiator and timing belt replaced on her car." Gemma nodded, eyeing the woman before turning back to her computer. After a few minutes, Gemma looked back at her, "Looking at least a grand for parts and labor." Josephine muttered a slew of curse words under her breath, causing Gemma to raise a brow and glance at Juice. Rubbing a hand over her face, Josephine looked down, "How much would just a tow back to my place cost?"

"Sweetheart, towing it to your place won't get it fixed," Gemma said casually.

"Yeah, I, um, I know," Josephine began to wring her hands together, "But I don't have that kind of money to fix it."

"Suit yourself. It'll be $150 for the tow," Gemma said before returning to the computer. Josephine wrote down the address and turned to walk out the door but stopped quickly, turning back.