A Year Around the Sun

t h i r t y-f o u r - it was like a soap opera

and even when i'm old and gray,
i'm gonna feel the way i do t o d a y . . .

🌊🌊🌊

Brody's P.O.V.

Four o'clock.

I pushed myself out from underneath the classic Chevy I'd been working on since eight o'clock this morning, wiping the sweat off my forehead and sighing. "Alright Don. I'll see ya!" I hollered once I stood up.

"Thanks Brod! See you later!" Donnie shouted back from across the shop. I couldn't see him, but I figured he was in the office or something.

After I brushed myself off a bit, I fished my car keys out of my pocket, along with my phone, and left the shop through the large, open garage door. My Jeep chirped when I unlocked it, my eyes not really focused on anything else but the screen of my phone until I reached my car. Then I chucked my phone in the cup holder and headed back home.

All the windows were down, bringing in the cool September air I found myself missing a little more than usual after an insanely hot summer. Not that I spent much time in Shellmark, seeing as that I was pretty much in a different country or city every other week, but the times I did come home, it was always sweltering. It could've been because I wasn't around enough to get used to it, or maybe it was just a weird season.

Now that summer is officially over and fall is in full swing with this month coming to an end, I've had a little bit of time off. In the meantime, I've been trying to help out Donnie at the shop as much as I can because in the past year, I hardly worked there. Surfing took over my life. And even though I'm in what's considered "time off" from surfing, that doesn't mean Owen hasn't been driving my ass into the ground with practicing. He's trying to get me ready for a huge meetup in California coming up soon, and I know he's doing his best and he's only trying to help me. But damnit, I'm tired.

Right now, all I can think about is getting home, showering off all the sweat and grease that's accumulated on me all day, and going the fuck to bed. Regardless if it's only four o'clock.

My mind was set on that one plan as I wheeled into my driveway and shut off my car once I was next to my mom's Lexus. Staring at it for a minute, I could've sworn she told me that she would be working all day. Then again, her hours are always screwy and I can't keep up with when she's going from one job to the next. She probably told me her schedule this morning before I left, but it was too early for me to comprehend anything.

I shrugged it off and got out, twirling my keys around my finger as I headed up to the back door. But from a split second of me glancing back out at the street, I froze.

What the fuck is that?

A shimmering, brand new Mercedes was perched in all its glory out front of my house.

Unable to resist myself, I strolled up to it and stopped to inspect it. The newest S-Class Coupe. Silver metallic finish. All black leather interior. Push-button to start. It's a goddamn $200,000 car.

I was practically drooling as I soaked its presence in. The license plate on the back said whoever owned it was from New York, which didn't help me solve the puzzle. Why is this here? And whose is it?

I admired it for another minute or so, then walked back up the driveway to go in my house.

"Hey Ma, whose car is outside?" I yelled out after shutting the door.

She didn't answer. To me, at least. There were voices coming from the living room area and they weren't attempting to be quiet.

"Oh! I guess he's home now," my mom exclaimed to whoever she was speaking to. Is the Mercedes owner here?