The Fault in our Scars (originally known as 'Maybe Baby' by Alex Snape)

Chapter 25

"How's the eye, 'Spades?'" Townshend asked Jack as he popped the hood of the Cadillac. "Hand me that ratchet, will ya?"

Jack blinked and looked down on the ground where tools were spread across the grass. He knelt down and picked it up and looked at Townshend with his one good eye.

"It's okay," he sniffed as he casually caressed the white patch that was taped across his left eye. "Burns a bit..." He took his cell phone out of his hoodie and flipped it open, staring at it.

Townshend glanced at him and grinned. "Three days, Jack," he mumbled as he began to detach the car battery. "That's the rule."

Jack snickered. "I know, 'Dad.' I just...I'm just a bit antsy..."

"Just like your old man...here hold these." He handed him the bolts of the battery. "She seems like some gal if you keep manhandling your phone every three minutes..."

Jack grinned. He couldn't get Cat out of his head since the night of the fight, which was only one day ago. He was anxious to call her just hours after she had written her number on one of his boxing gloves.

"You live around here?" he had asked her.

She smiled, shyly, as she tucked her hair behind her left ear. "I live with my aunt near downtown, you know around the park."

"Cool..." he returned her smile. "Maybe...maybe we can meet there one day and...I don't know...hang out?" When she had lifted her surprised eyes to him, he stammered, "I mean...if you're not already...you know...seeing someone...are you?"

She shrugged. "Kinda, but...I don't think you have to worry...I mean...you just knocked out a guy almost twice your size..."

"Yeah," he looked away, almost bashfully. Before he could look at her again, his one blue eye and throbbing red eye staring at her, she was jotting something down onto his glove. He watched her and when she finished, they shared another coy smile and he asked, "It doesn't bother you...who I am?"

Her soft chuckle made his heart race. "No...kinda cool, actually."

He heard Townshend laugh at the involuntary smile that had stretched across his face. "Man, you got it bad..." he muttered.

"Why should I have to wait, Towser? I mean, it isn't really in my blood to adhere to any kinda rules, right?"

"Hey, you do what you want..." he grunted as he positioned the battery under the hood.

Jack bit his lip, bouncing anxiously on his toes. "Ah, fuck it..." he whispered as he walked to a far corner of the lot.

"Hey! Leave the bolts, kid!" Townshend said. "A getaway car ain't worth shit if the battery falls out..."

Jack carelessly placed the bolts on the car engine and he heard one of them drop down through the machinery. "God dammit..." Townshend cursed, but Jack already had his ear to his phone.

After a few rings, Cat's voicemail picked up and he grinned when he heard her gentle voice. "It's your dime...make it worthwhile," was all it said.

He laughed and he left his message. "Hey, Cat. It's, uh...it's Jack. Listen, you said that you lived near the park so...I was wondering if we could meet there...I don't know, like...Wednesday around noon? Maybe grab a hot dog and take a walk? Or whatever...anywho...uh...I'll understand if you can't make it since you said you kinda had a boyfriend, but I mean if you wanna take a rain check I can see if there's a decent movie and-"

BEEP!

"Shit!" he whispered to himself as the voicemail ended. He shut his phone and was about to call her back, but he pocketed his phone and walked toward the theater to go back inside as the sun started to set.