Our Year Together - Book One

Chapter 1

"Come on, dude, you've got to go."

I roll my eyes at my childhood friend even though he can't see it. I hate when he whines to me like a child and he knows it.

"Don't even roll your eyes at me, asshole."

I snort and a smile tips up my lips before I concentrate back on the task at hand.

"I don't understand why you need me to go along to some stupid party. All it's going to be is a bunch of drinking and loud music and chicks trying to get with us." I grunt as I reach further up into the body of the car I'm working on. Oil fumes wrap around me like a blanket and dark stains coat my arms. Sweat runs down my face, no doubt dragging more filth along my skin. My shirt sticks to me making it difficult to move. I'm glad that I decided to keep the garage door open now, rather than close it. The cold air filters through the garage making this job doable rather than impossible.

I don't use that word.

I click my tongue in annoyance.

Nothing is impossible.

I reach for my flashlight and click it on before holding one end in my mouth and shining the light up into the body of the car. Everything illuminates and my eyes scan over the various pieces and parts.

"Hell yeah," I muttered around the metal as I spot the problem with this vehicle.

Nothing's impossible.

My hands work quick as a rabbit on the wiring problem, ordering Jacob to hand me tool after tool until I know the car's set. Then, I roll myself from under the beauty grinning like a madman. Jacob just looks at me, boredom swimming around in his eyes. He's perched on my dad's workbench, elbows on his knees and head resting on his hand. As soon as he sees my face a smile finds its way on his own and he sits up a little taller.

"You did it?" He asked and I grab the keys off the hook, twirling them around my finger.

"Of course I did it. Who the hell do you think I am?"

Jacob hops off of the workbench and rubs his hands together. There's a twinkle in his eyes that I know must mimic my own. Every time I fix a car it makes my day.

"Well, get on with it!"

I dash to the driver's side door without needing to be told twice. As soon as it opens I slide into the smooth interior of the 1964 Ford Mustang I'd been commissioned to fix for a client. My excitement bubbles over and I start to feel like a child on Christmas morning waking up to a living room full of presents. My heart rate accelerates as I look around at the nice, black leather interior. My hands itch to run over the dash, but I keep myself in check. The last thing I want to do is get this baby dirty.

Probably should have thought of that before sitting down in oil-stained clothing drenched in sweat and dirt.

"You live and you learn," I muttered in response to my thoughts before slipping the key into the ignition. My eyes dart to Jacob who's standing outside the passenger's door looking just as nervous and excited as I feel. I look away from him and to the wheel. "Come on, baby, don't let me down now." I coo before biting down on my bottom lip as I turn the key.

Silence surrounds us.

We wait. 

Nothing.

My excitement vanishes like it had never been there, to begin with, and my smile falls away. I leave the key in the ignition and curl my hands into tight fists.

"Damn it!" I yelled as I bang my fist against the wheel, the horn blaring startling both Jacob and I. My teeth grind together and I get out of the car before pulling my foot back to kick it. At the last second, I think better and stop.

"Hey, it's cool. You'll figure out the problem soon enough. You always do, Noah." Jacob tries to calm me down, but it's pointless. I'm beyond angry this late in the game. I walk around the small garage that's only able to house one car at a time. There's barely any room to maneuver around with a car in it.

"Yeah, that's all fine and dandy, but I've got a timeline, Jacob. I don't think you understand that." I growled out as I walk over to my dad's toolbox. Flipping open the lid I start digging through the thing looking for a set number of tools so I can move onto what I think the problem is now.

"I get it, Noah."

I look over at Jacob who watches me from the other side of the car. There's an understanding written on his face that has me feeling like a jerk for taking my anger out on him.

"Sorry," I muttered as I turn back to the tools.

"Sorry ain't gonna cut it, buddy."

I look back at my childhood friend and he's smiling like a thief who knows a secret. My stomach turns at that look. Jacob shoves brown hair out of his light green eyes twinkling with mischief as he says,

"Go get changed. We've got a party to go to."

"No. No way am I going." I toss my hands out towards the car. "I've got to finish this order by tomorrow evening or I'm screwed! There's no way I'll be able to pay any of the bills without the paycheck from fixing this baby."

Jacob walks around the car to me, shaking his head. When he's close enough he tosses his arm around my shoulders and begins leading me to the other side of the garage, his nose crinkling no doubt from my smell.

"Sometimes, Noah, you gotta walk away from a problem to be able to find the answer. It's like all those puzzles where the answer is right in front of you, but you're too close to the picture to see it."

I snort at that and cross my arms over my chest, digging my feet into the cement ground so he can't lead me any further away from the car.

"What, you're all wise now?"

Jacob rolls his eyes.

"No, I'm not. I'm a concerned friend who's just trying to help. Plus, I really want to go to that party tonight! Kaley will be there and dude, the chick's hot. I heard she just ended things with Chris which means she's fair game."

My eyebrows shoot up and Jacob grins. He knows that he's got me now.

If Kaley's there, that means...

My thought trails off and Jacob picks up.

"Claud will be there. She's the only chick you've yet to get. This could be your chance."

Claud's cute, there's no denying that, but she's also at the top of the totem pole and, while I may have the looks, I don't have the status. My lips tip up in a grin as images of the girl who's been successfully hindering any of my attempts to get with her fill my mind. She's got to be one of the last ones standing that I haven't been able to get, yet. No matter how much I try, the flirting, the seducing, none of it seems to work on her.

Nothing's impossible.

I remember how she'd smiled at me one day a while back. That smile is what sparked my interest in her. She'd been having car trouble and I'd just happened to be passing by. It was right before summer vacation and it was scorching outside. The humidity had been horrible and I had wanted nothing more than to get home.

As I had walked across the parking lot in the direction of my house Claud had been there, trying to start her car, but it wasn't having any of it. She even went so far as to pop the hood and try to figure out what it was on her own. Since I had nothing better to do and I felt a slight pang of pity for the girl I helped get her car up and running.

That smile,

I thought as I walk into my house, the AC blasting me with cool air.

She was like the light.