Wrong Side of The Tracks

Part 12

It's now Saturday morning and Ashlyn's Monsta grumbles to life as her, Kelley and Tobin drive towards the city and the hardware store.

"Why is Dave sending you to get the stuff, Ash?"

Ashlyn smiles at Kelley's question. "I'm not a licensed mechanic and Dave is having some inspectors in today to look over the place; if I was caught doing any work while they were there then Dave could get in serious trouble, so, instead, I'm errand girl today."

"Ah, ok, makes sense. Do you think you're going to train to become a licensed one?"

"I'm not really good at anything besides soccer and fixing cars, but I don't have the means to become licensed. Dave is teaching me as much as he can, so if I do get the chance to apprentice somewhere that I'll know what I'm doing."

"At least, you have an idea about your future, I don't have the foggiest. I'll probably be stuck making and delivering pizza for the rest of my life."

Kelley wraps her arm around Tobin, "Cheer up Tobs, you never know what's beyond the next horizon."

"You mean like a job at the coffee shop, too? Yippee!" Tobin responds, to which they all laugh. "Don't try and be a smartass, Tobs it doesn't suit you, stick to kicking a ball around."

"That easy for you to say, your future is mapped out, KO."

"No, it isn't. Things are changing, plans are changing, I told my Mom I liked girls, for God's sake and she was surprisingly tolerant of it."

"She's probably waiting to see me and accuse me of corrupting her precious daughter," Ashlyn replies.

"Most likely," Kelley replies with a grin.

"ASH, STOP! PULLOVER!!" Ashlyn pulls to the closest curb and Tobin jumps out of the truck before she even comes to a stop, running back down the street after a car."

Kelley and Ashlyn look at each other, "Should we go after her?" They both climb out of the truck and quickly walk to where their friend is now bent over breathing hard.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Tobs?"

Tobin turns to face them and the look on her face lets them know that whatever it was that possessed her to chase after the car was serious. They take her by the arm and lead her off the road and over to sitting on the closest curb.

"Tobin? Talk to us, please."

Tobin still struggling to catch her breath manages to get out, "Dad" before she throws up from overexerting herself.

Kelley runs back to the truck and grabs a water bottle from her bag, and hands it to Tobin who takes a couple of small sips of it. Kelley and Ashlyn help guide her to the truck and Ashlyn puts the tailgate down for them to sit on.

"You okay, Tobs?"

Tobin nods. "That guy driving the car looked just like my Dad with my Mom."

"I think you're hallucinating from inhaling exhaust fumes, Tobs, there's no way that was your Mom and Dad in the car. Your Mom is at work, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so. It just looked so much like him. Sorry, guys."

"Tobin, you have nothing to be sorry for. Do you feel up to walking to the Hardware Store? It's only like two blocks away from here."

They jump off the tailgate and close it before collecting what they need from the trunk and making the walk down the street together.

Soon they are making their way back to the garage and delivering the goods to Dave.