Damn Good Reasons **DISCONTINUED - SEE NEW VER!**

Chapter 18 - Fuel Fire Desire

The next week was a lonely one. With no friends and nothing better to do, I went out twice every night to haul in cars. I got Ace eight in my first week, and every boost went off without a hitch. I think he could barely keep up with me because he directed me to make a couple of drop-offs in Chamberlain. There was another workshop there, but it didn't belong to Ace. This guy was happy to take any extras, and he'd simply pay Ace for the raw, unmodified car, and Ace would pay me. It was a simple, happy arrangement.

Other than collecting my cash from him, I didn't see Ace much. He tried to strike up a conversation with me multiple times, but I basically ignored him, took the money and ran.

I worked hard and long hours to get those cars, and so when Friday night came along, I gave myself the night off. Not that I knew what I should do with it. I decided to try my luck at Irby's first – if Joe would let me shoot some pool and if Ace wasn't around, it would be perfect.

Irby's was packed out – saying that, for such a small place, it didn't take much. I stood at the door, scanning the room to see who was around. I couldn't see Ace, but Billy and Charlie were amidst the crowd, and I didn't mind those two. I started to make my way over to where they were playing when I noticed Keith sitting on the other side of the room. And he had his arm around a girl. She was cute, and her blonde hair fell around her shoulders in loose curls. The two looked like a perfect couple, grinning and joking with each other as they were locked into their own private conversation like the rest of the world didn't exist.

I made a quick exit and stood on the sidewalk with my heart palpating. I hadn't stopped thinking about him all week. I had been missing him like crazy. But he didn't look like he missed me. I felt stunned. Rejected. Angry. Disappointed. Regretful. And of course, jealous. Part of me voiced that I couldn't have expected him to wait for me, but another part had expected him to.

Slumped over like a sad thing, I dragged myself up the street to the diner. I had talked to one of the other waitresses that week, and she said it had been sold to out-of-towners - a family with teenagers who would be working in it, and so we weren't expecting our jobs back. I pressed my forehead against the large storefront windows and closed my eyes to remember the warmth of Rose and Violet's hugs as they first welcomed me into their home before they fed me up on their famous spicy pumpkin soup. But when I opened my eyes again, what I saw set me back into the bleak world of reality.

The place had been gutted right down to the four walls. The booths were gone, the counter was gone, and even the floor had been ripped up. Whoever did it would have had every legal right to, but I couldn't help feeling personally violated.

I took in a good lungful of night air and then wondered what I should do next. Go home and cry was a serious option. All the motivation I had to find myself a good time had been sucked dry from my soul.

As I started to slog my way up the street, a rowdy bunch of hooligans rolled past me in a patchy grey, 1949 Ford Custom convertible, whistling and jokingly catcalling me. The blaring radio died out as Ace parked up outside Irby's and cut the engine, and Eyeball, Vince, Fuzzy and Jack spilled out over the sides of the vehicle before heading into the bar.

Ace got out and leaned against the front fender of his car. "Where you goin', Cass?" he called, tightly folding his arms.

I was going to do my usual and walk away, but I decided I should probably make some effort to stay on good terms with him considering he was successfully making me a lot of money. I walked towards him, non-enthusiastically, still dragging my feet.

"You look down, what's the problem?" he asked.

"I'm always down. You've never noticed?"

"Come in with me, shoot some pool. Take your mind off things."