Ace of No Trades

Chapter Twenty Three

I wanted to dedicate this chapter to @c_h_o_c_o_ but I can't tag them. So whenever you see this, er- yeah dedicated to you <3

I was ninety per cent sure that this was a bad idea. 

I sighed and gripped the steering wheel tightly, biting my lip and gazing around nervously for what felt like the millionth time. 

Ace groaned from the passenger seat beside me. "Come on already, Miles. There's no one here. Just start!"

I took a deep breath and put the key in the ignition, my fingers trembling slightly before I finally managed. I turned the ignition and revved up the engine. "Clutch, release, accelerate," I repeated under my breath. 

"Wow you're good," Ace said. "You remember all the three complete steps."

I ignored him and gently pressed down on the clutch, releasing the accelerator with my right foot. The car started and for a split second and I got so shocked at the sudden movement that I let the clutch go immediately, making the car lurch violently before it came to a stop. I stared at the empty road ahead, my ears warm, before Ace burst out laughing.

"Hey, you almost did it!" he said.

I sighed, "I was startled, that's all."

"What for? Didn't expect it to work?" he teased, a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

"I...guess," I shrugged. 

"Just release the clutch slowly and then press upon the accelerator. And don't break till I ask you to. Okay?" he said again, barely holding back laughter.

I nodded. "You're a really bad teacher," I said as he laughed some more. 

I pressed the clutch again, slowly releasing it while simultaneously pressing the accelerator, extremely aware of everything around me. I was thankful that the road we were practising on was deserted. That weekend, Ace offered to teach me driving, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity, both because I had been lowkey excited to learn and also because I would get to be with him again. 

This time, however, I managed to drive a short distance before freaking out and braking violently, making the tyres screech again. "S-sorry," I said sheepishly. 

"That was actually decent," Ace said. "You managed to start the car smoothly, that's always the roughest part of it I feel."

"Did the driving school help you with the license as well? How long did it take you to learn?" I asked, realising that it would probably take me years before I could get comfortable with driving. 

He was quiet for a while and I turned to see his jaw clenched, staring straight ahead as if thinking hard. "Celia."

"Oh," I said, surprised by his unexpected answer.