Shoot Your Shot

VIII: Invisible Touch (Ellie)

After Ellie swiftly got into her car, she messaged Dina, deciding not to put too much thought into it other than a "Hey, it's Ellie," just to get it out of the way. Otherwise, Ellie knew herself well enough to concur that she would agonize over what to send.

Cat and Riley were already in the car, and judging by their sleepy silence, they likely didn't see the interaction outside. Ellie thanked her lucky stars, resting her forehead against the steering wheel and closing her eyes. Riley took notice, a concerned look crossing her face as she sat up to look at her best friend.

"Ellie? Are you good?" Riley asked from the passenger seat, Ellie mumbling something incoherently and not moving from her position.

"Is that a no?" She continued, craning her neck to hear Ellie as she spoke up again, only this time louder.

"She works on cars." Ellie whispered back, her forehead still pressed against the steering wheel as a now fully attentive Cat and Riley exchanged a look of bewilderment.

"I'm confused. Is that a dealbreaker for you or something?" Cat inquired from the backseat, peering around the headrest as Ellie shook her head.

"... No." Ellie exhaled as understanding dawned on Cat's face.

"Ah. So this is a deal maker for you."

"Can't you find your own crush to obsess over?"

"No thanks, living vicariously through you is my favorite thing." Cat said from the back as she unlaced her cleats with a sigh of relief, putting on her well worn crocs.

Opting to ignore Cat's insistence on inquiring into Ellie's love life, she turned the ignition and listened to her car rumble to life, slowly pulling out of the parking lot and onto the main road headed for home, turning on the radio for background noise.

After a couple miles, Riley piped up.

"Ellie, could we maaaaaybe stop by The Jukebox Junction before going home? I'll buy." Riley offered as Ellie considered it before nodding.

"Sure, might as well. I haven't seen Sam in a while either so it might be nice to catch up."

The Jukebox Junction was this old diner the three had stumbled upon during their freshman year of high school. It was a worn down diner with wall to wall booths, Ellie's old converse peeling off the semi sticky floor with every step they took. Vinyl discs covered the walls floor to ceiling with all genres of music, the owner, Henry, changing them out every so often to keep them clean and ensure they remained operational. The place was never truly full which was part of the draw for the trio, as a more obscure hideaway felt necessary some days.

And of course the main attraction, the towering jukebox. It was nearly six feet tall, bubbles running around the sides across multicolor lights, enticing passersby's to flip through the songs. As the girls were quite familiar with the place, they usually helped recommend new song additions to Henry and even special requests on occasion if he was feeling generous enough.

The overhead bell rang as the three walked in, Sam recognizing them instantly and hopping up from his stool to greet them.

"Hey guys!! Long time no see!!" Sam said as he made his way around the hostess podium, the three girls lighting up and exchanging pleasantries as he led them to their special booth in the corner.

This booth had seen it all, from the highs and lows of high school soccer to the relationships formed and lost across the years. Ellie had once even snuck in her knife and carved their names into the underside of the table during a late night study session when Henry allowed them to stay after hours, reading and cramming for midterms and finals. Sam had caught her in the act but promised not to say anything if she added his name and thus, the two troublemakers became fast friends.