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I worked for hours the other night, getting it up to par. Then, last night, I finished it up after practice. After I saw Una get in the car with her dad, that was. I wouldn’t leave her stranded.
Last night I spent most of my time polishing it up. I made sure all the parts were tightened, everything was connected, pulled out some minor dings, and buffed out a few scratches. It wasn’t a full makeover, but it made me feel better inside knowing it was to the best of my ability.
I brought it back to my house, hoping to surprise her today or tomorrow. I didn’t get a chance to talk to her at school, but figured I somehow had fate on my side when she showed up at my party.
As soon as I saw Una walk in, I thought I could talk to her privately, to tell her the car was all hers again.
But then I listened in. And I heard what Aria said.
Una screwed them both over. Her best friend and, what I found out, her ex-step sister. It seemed not many people knew Una and Aria’s parents had been married, myself included. Not until right now, when the word spread. The girls must have made their parents keep a secret, because we didn’t realize Coach Andersen was married at all.
Before I found out what Una had done to her best friend, I would have chased after her, asking her to come back inside and talk with me.
But… Malia was right. It was low. To purposefully sabotage your best friend’s love life was wrong. Not to mention it seemed a bit out of character for her—why would she do such a thing to someone she obviously cared about?
And what did Malia mean when she said Una having something against love? Did she not believe in love?
Love was one of my favorite things. Such a powerful emotion. The overwhelming feeling you got when you both loved and were loved was like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket and snuggling down under the covers. It comforted you. It made you feel at peace.
I loved love. As much as I loved giving. It was in my nature.
For someone to not believe in love… it felt like a personal attack. So, I watched her leave and didn’t chase after her.
Needless to say,Una had been on my mind for the rest of the party last night, during the cleanup, and again this morning.
I came downstairs to Dad sitting at the kitchen table, scrolling through the news on his phone while shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth blindly.
“Morning,” I called, helping myself to some eggs and a donut. It was all about balance. I leaned against the counter and bit into the donut, not bothering to sit down yet.
Dad looked up as if he didn’t even realize I had walked in. “Hey there, kid. Listen, I have some big meetings this morning. Do you want to join?”
He was forever trying to get me to learn more about the business side of the dealership. No matter how many times I turned him down, he still assumed I wanted the ‘keys to the kingdom’ one day.
The Prince of Henrikson Auto, he always said. I shivered at the name, it leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
I had nothing against the business. I had more of an interest in the mechanical side than the office side. Sitting behind a desk, crunching numbers, trying to get the highest dollar amount out of people wasn’t really my thing.
“I have practice,” I said. It was the truth, and probably the only excuse I could use to get out of being in the office with him. He thought he had me, as it was Saturday. But we really had practice this morning.
Dad nodded and looked back at his phone. “Whose car is in the garage? Did you grab it for scrap and parts or something?”
I frowned. He meant Una’s car, and the comment offended even me, though it wasn’t my car.
“It’s a friend’s.” I didn’t feel like elaborating. He didn’t need to know which friend. Or that she wasn’t really a friend at all. But I wished she was…
“Is that the same car that’s been at the shop at the dealership for two days?” Dad asked without looking up.
He knew. Of course he knew. Nothing happened at that dealership that he didn’t know about. He knew every single employee’s name, their kid’s names, their birthdays, and what their favorite drink was.
He made sure to keep the employee breakroom stocked with their beverage of choice weekly. We celebrated birthdays with cake and a half day off.
Thinking I could sneak in a car and work on it for two days without him noticing was dumb.
“Uh, yeah. Just finished up.”
Finally, he looked up at me, but only for a second, and took a sip of his coffee. “And how did this person pay you for the work you’ve done?”
I shot him one of my most endearing smiles and shrugged. Before piling some eggs into my mouth, I said, “It’s on me. It’s… a favor.”
