Braking Hard (Riverdale-Jughead Jones)

13

"Seriously? Why didn't you ring me earlier, I could have come when it was actually light!" I snapped down the phone. They squabbled something back at me and I groaned in reply. "I'll be down in an hour. You better have it ready or I swear I'll take my business elsewhere." I hung up the call and slammed my head on the desk in annoyance.

"What happening?" Mary asked as she shuffled through some files.

"Delivery guy is ill again, and they waited until now to tell me. They said if I don't get it picked up by 12 tomorrow then they won't have the parts anymore, but it's late to go and get it now." I replied, spinning the chair round boredly.

"Take Garret." Mary suggested. "He can give you a hand carrying them." I looked up, the thought passing through my head.

"That's... Actually really clever! Thank you!" I ran out of the office and over to Store 4 where I could see Garret polishing the chain on a child's pushbike. "Garret, I need a hand grabbing some parts from our supplier in town, can you come with me?"

He grunted in reply and stood, throwing the rag he was holding into the evergrowing pile of them I create everyday.

"It's late." He said shortly and I smiled awkwardly.

"I know. That's kind of why I need a hand. It's what, about 8 now? I said I'd be there in an hour, and it'll take another hour back, so you'll be finished at 10. I'll pay you overtime?" I offered, attempting to bribe him into it.

The corner of the his mouth twitched up slightly and he shrugged the overalls down slightly before pulling them off to reveal him in a normal outfit, which was something I never thought I'd see.

As we reached the supplier in town, Garret grabbed a couple of random boxes, as did I. As we left, my eyes narrowed at the guy that rang me, we spotted the cab we were planning on jumping in, driving off with a couple in it.

"So. Tell me about yourself Garret, you're actually pretty good at keeping an air of mystery around you." I asked, flicking my hair back as we began the long walk.

"I have nothing to tell." He replied, his eyes flickering to me as he tried to gaze straight ahead.

"Everyone has something to tell. Some just never get the chance to tell it." I told him, shuffling the boxes in my hands to make it easier to carry them.

"My name is Garret King. I work at Cogs and Gears. I have brown hair and my favourite colour is red. That enough told for you?" He snapped, anger radiating through his voice.

"Red? I thought you would be a blue person." I shrugged, looking back ahead.

"My brother likes blue. He wanted me to be the opposite of him, so my favourite colour became red through him." His voice softened slightly and I smiled slightly.

"You have a brother?" I shifted the boxes once again, the weight uncomfortable in my arms.

"His name's Jared. He's older, and he's not really part of the family anymore." He looked down as he said this and I gently nudged him with my shoulder.

"Why?"

"He's been in a prison a few times, not for good things. He's not really a nice guy so we don't keep in contact with him. But when I was younger, he was the best older brother I could have ever had." He explained. He seemed really upset so I stopped him, placing the boxes down on the ground between us.

"My mom's in prison." I confided, the words rushing out. Garret looked at me in shock. "Come on, don't tell me you've never wondered why I run a repair shop on my own at like 16?"