Troubled With Tattoos

020: Let's Go Camping

Troubled with Tattoos

Chapter Twenty

Let's Go Camping

"Cherry, I'm fine I promise. I'll be home later." I said into my phone. It's been almost a week since my surgery and Cherry was still on my case about it. Which I was very appreciative that she was, unlike my so called parents. It doesn't hurt anymore and the scars were barely noticeable.

"Fine, but call me if you're not, okay? I won't hesitate to come pick you up, I was thinking we could go shopping later." She said. I smiled shaking my head, Cherry loved taking me shopping, she had all this money and nothing to buy so now that she had me she could buy me anything she wanted. Most of the time I didn't agree.

"I will and that sounds like fun, but I have to go now. I'm at the garage, it'll get too noisy," I said stepping into the front door of the car shop. Since she began trusting me more with the whole delinquent neighbor situation I felt more of a bond with her. Almost like we were even closer now. The bell dinged above my forehead and Mr. Hayes greeted me.

"Okay, bye hun." She made a kissing noise before ending the call. Austin was giving me another driving lesson today. I wore sneakers like he told me to, along with leggings, a white blouse and a jean jacket over it.

"Hey Violet, the boys are in the back." He said clicking away onto his computer. I smiled at the thought of the Hayes family inviting me into their lives so easily.

"Thank you, Mr. Hayes," I said reaching for the door to the backroom. Usually, customers weren't allowed back there but being friends with the boys had its advantages.

"Oh please call me Tim," Tim smiled. I nodded, I'm still calling him Mr. Hayes. I walked into the loud garage finding three of the four boys immediately. Declan was working on a blue Honda, Luke was giving an oil change to a black Mustang and Austin was changing the tires of a gray Volkswagen.

"Violet, perfect timing come here," Austin wiped his filthy hands clean off a rag calling me over, "Today I'm going to teach you how to change a tire." Oh boy.

He clapped his hand together grabbing a wrench. He twirled it around his fingers stepping towards the car's flat tire.

"First, you have to loosen the lug nuts," He said, turning the wrench to the left, "but don't remove them just yet."

Lug nuts, why did that sound so familiar? Oh, that's right when Cherry's were loose and Austin had to tighten them. Wow, that felt like forever ago. He then brought the jack over lifting the car up.

"Then you lift the car about...I'd say 6 inches off the ground." He shrugged. He grabbed the wrench again removing the lug nuts.

"After that is when you remove the lug nuts and then," he said putting the lug nuts on a table, "you take the tire off." He stood directly in front of the tire pulling it off. I watched carefully as his biceps flexed as he lifted it. He should teach me more stuff that involves heavy lifting, but you know that's just a suggestion. He rolled it over towards the garage door leaning it against the wall. He strolled back over smiling at me.

"Now can you guess what's next?" He asked rolling over a new tire.

"Put on the new tire?" I said as more of a question. Changing a tire really wasn't that hard, or maybe he just made it seem that way.

"Correct." He smiled placing the tire on. He grabbed the wrench again putting the lug nuts back on tightening them. The Volkswagen touched the ground once again and Austin rechecked the lug nuts.

"Easy, right?" He smiled. I nodded watching as Luke finished working on the mustang. I never really see Cam here a lot, I wondered why.

"Where's Cam?" I asked leaning against the dirty table. Austin shrugged now standing beside me.