The Remainder of the Equinox

Chapter Ten

The engine roared against the pavement as Genji cruised down the road in his new car. Its sleek black exterior glistened in the sunlight. He had the radio cranked at full volume. It was a way of letting everyone know who had the coolest car in the city. The wind in his hair, the freedom he was swimming in, it was exhilarating. Needless to say, he felt pretty badass.

He had texted Zenyatta earlier to wait outside of the complex for him. He was the first person Genji wanted to officially introduce to his car. As he got closer to the building, he hit the gas and swerved past the slower, more mundane cars. He had places to be, and they were just in his way. The distant figure of his friend was waiting patiently for him to make a grand entrance could be seen in the distance. He skidded into the the parking lot, landing only a few inches away from Zenyatta.

He tilted his sunglasses down and grinned. After turning down the volume, he said, "So?"

"Wow." His expression remained neutral, like always, but Genji could tell he was impressed.

"I know, right?!" He pushed open the car door and jumped out. "This baby can reach a maximum of two hundred and seventy miles per hour. Two hundred and seventy! Zen, I would personally like you to meet Henessey." He wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"You... named your car?"

"Of course! It's good luck."

"Well, Hennessey looks very nice. I'd be honored to stay and look at it some more, but I have to get to work."

"I'll drive you! You have to see this thing fly." Genji started to climb in, but then he got an idea. "You know what? How about you drive and see how it feels. Trust me, you'll love it." He tossed his keys into Zenyatta's hands and waited for him to climb in. But he didn't. He stood there, his eyes open wide.

"No, thank you." He quickly handed the keys back.

"What? Don't be afraid about getting a tiny scratch, I have it covered." He tossed it again.

"Really, I would not want to impose-"

"You're not imposing! Just get in!" They continued to play hot potato with the keys. Back and forth, back and forth. Every point that was brought up was shot down by the other. It was starting to get old. Finally, Genji caught the keys and said, "What? Do you not know how to drive?"

That was when Zenyatta finally stopped. He hesitated to speak, "No, I don't."

Genji thought this was a joke. Then he saw how serious the look on his face was. "You don't... you don't know how to drive?"

His friend shook his head. "I never had to learn. The bus stop was right there, and I could not have afforded a car anyhow."

This was shocking. It was almost unfathomable. How does someone miss out on something like that? It was one of the biggest milestones in life! "You've never gotten a license, ever? Never even gotten behind a wheel?"

"No."

Genji rubbed his face. He juggled options for a while. He could just call it quits and take him to work. But, who just misses out on driving? Work is important, but this experience was even more so. He got another idea. A very fun and exciting idea. "You know what I'm going to do? I'm giving you your first driver's test."

"Genji..."

"No, no, listen! You're just going to do some laps around the parking lot. How many cars do you see, two? They're fine! Think of them as-as obstacles or something. Really expensive obstacles."

"This is not a good idea. If I hit those cars, the owners can sue me. What if I dent Henessey?"

"You won't! Please, just a few laps?" He got closer to Zenyatta and put on his best pouty face while pushing the keys into his palms. "Please?" He could see his eyes shift uncomfortably, but he knew the power his pouty face had. Within the minute, he had him convinced.