Blood and Water

Chapter 2: We Can Drive It Home

One Headlight -  The Wallflowers

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Driving to work was a completely different experience than walking. First of all, speed. Driving saved so much time. Another thing that was great was the fact that you're sitting. Don't have to use extra muscles. 

For the past two days, Mina had been driving to school instead of walking. It had also been two days since she saw Chibs ride past her. Not seeing him was helping her smother any thought she could have about him. She killed the engine to her Honda Civic and got out. 

The parking lot to the school was practically empty. It was still early so not many kids had gotten there yet. She walked into the building, her sneakers squeaking on the freshly cleaned floors. Her favorite part about being in the athletics department was there was no dress code. So, she wore sneakers and comfortable pants and shirts with the school's logo on the front. She went into the office and got a cup of coffee. Sitting down at her desk, drinking her coffee, she thought about how she wanted to be at home, asleep. 

After a long day of dodgeball, she finally walked out to her car. It sputtered as she turned the key. "No," she mumbled, trying again. It started and she was relieved. As she began driving out of the parking lot, it didn't sound right, but she kept driving. Then, the check engine light came on. Then, the oil light. "You've got to be kidding me," she groaned, realizing she forgot to get an oil change.

Sitting at the end of the lot, she debated what to do. Go right: go home, deal with the car some other day. Go left: go to Teller-Morrow, get it fixed, and get it over with. After sitting a minute, she swore, turning the steering wheel. 

She pulled into the only mechanic in town and shut the car off. She heard a woman yell from the office, "Chibs! Go see who that is!" Mina could recognize Gemma's voice anywhere. Her eyes widened as she heard Gemma's words and then saw him heading her way.

He walked out, wiping the oil off of his hands onto a red rag. Shoving it into his back pocket, he asked, "What's going on?" She didn't know what to say. She stared up at him blankly. "Problem with the car?" 

She laughed, then nodded. "Yeah, the uh, oil light came on. Forgot to get a change a few weeks ago." She scratched the back of her head as he walked past her, opening the driver's door. 

Leaning in the door, he pulled the latch to open up the hood of the car. She looked around while he was looking under the hood. Just standing in there gave her an uneasy feeling. How could she not feel sick to her stomach? They've ruined so much for her and this town.

"There's no oil in here," he laughed.

She looked back at him. "That bad?" she asked.

"Well," he said, peeking around the opened hood. "I mean, it's not great." He chuckled and went back under the hood.

"How do I know you're not lying to me about it?"

He leaned around again. "Ya don't," he chuckled. "C'mere, I'll show ya." She walked over next to him. He pointed to the edge of the car frame. "Careful, that's sharp." But she didn't hear him and set her hand down on it. Pulling her hand back, she saw a little cut on her palm. "I just said it was sharp, darlin'."

She shrugged, "It's fine."

"No, it's not. Hold on." He walked away and came back with a first aid kit. "Let me see it." She held out her hand so he could clean it out and put a bandaid on it. "That's a nice tat ya got there."

She looked down at her wrist, reading the words 'Be Strong' that were forever written on her skin. "Thanks, it's for my mom," she muttered. He closed up the kit and set it down on the ground. "Thanks."