The Mechanic

SEVENTEEN

Marty's hard nudge almost made me drop the pizza I was holding. "Jay, I understand that you're dead tired from the trip, but you can at least pretend that you're happy to see us and enjoying our company."

I cast him a shy and apologetic smile. "Sorry," I murmured as I put the pizza back to my plate.

Leslie shoot Marty a glare. "Leave Jay alone, bitch. She just came back two hours ago and you practically dragged her with us right away."

"I just want to be with her coz I missed her," Marty uttered bitterly before shoving the remaining pizza in his mouth.

I slid my arms around Marty's. "And I missed you, too. Sorry if I look unhappy or whatsoever. My brain is just half asleep, I guess," I chuckled.

"Sorry if we disturbed your sleep, Jay," Leslie muttered. "Blame Marty."

"It's okay, really," I assured them. I dozed off right after I arrived this afternoon. After nearly three hours of sleeping, Marty knocked on my door and asked me if I could join him and Leslie for a dinner and movie night.

Marty gazed at me with his serious stare. "You don't really seem exhausted to me. More like, distracted. What's bothering you?"

Sometimes I hate how Marty could easily read me.

"Nothing," I replied, grabbing another pizza slice. I picked the pineapples and dropped them to Leslie's plate. I never liked pineapples on pizzas.

Marty sipped the straw of his Coke really loud, his torturous stare not leaving my face, telling me that he wasn't buying my response.

Leslie scowled in disgust. "God, Marts you're disgusting. Stop that."

He stopped, his judging eyes still fixed on me. "Spill," he said, picking all the pepperoni from my pizza and I frown in protest. "Or I'll annoy you the whole night."

I pouted as he ate the pepperoni with that evil grin on his lips. He really knew how to push me and annoy me.

I pulled my most darling smile, the one that never failed to make my friends soft. "I'm fine, I promise. Just thinking about my mom and home."

Leslie held my hand. "Don't worry too much. She's recovering fast, right? She'll be healthy again soon, I'm sure of it."

"We want to see her, Jay," Marty chimed in. "Maybe this coming weekend? If it's okay to you?"

I beamed at them. "Yeah, of course! Mom will love it. And besides, I'm gonna visit her, too. We can all drive together."

"Road trip!" Leslie chirped excitedly. "I missed doing it with you, guys. Remember when we used to do it during our teenage years?"

Marty chuckled, and I bet all the three of us just had a flashback of our good ole days. Driving around using Leslie's parent's Ford truck, with the Pussycat Dolls and Black Eyed Peas songs booming in the speakers. We'd stop at random diners, trying the menus and shakes and most of the time we'd spent the nights lying on the truck, staring at the black sky and counting the stars.

The good ole days of our youth. That was before life happened to each of us.

Leslie lost both of her parents due to a car accident, while Marty's alcoholic dad kicked him out of their house just after graduation. And then there's me, who had to take care of my sick mother.

Three friends, all in the same boat. Looking after each other.

My emotional visit to the past was interrupted when the waiter placed our shakes on our table. He put my favorite oreo milkshake in front of me, and my lips involuntarily curled to a grin when I remembered Harry and his childish beam after having his first taste of fried Oreos.