Two weeks go by since Aiden pissed Ally off to the point she wants to confront him and him for being stupid. Ally continues to complain about it to Cassie

"I can't believe he's so dumb to be hooked up with that little twat. Then he had the nerve to compare her to me!"

Fed up with it all, Cassie lays down the law, "Look, I get it you don't like the bitch. He isn't going to be with her long. You're the one who threw it all away, remember? Deal with it or go over there, beat the door down and make it work, or shut the up already."

Caught off guard, Ally shuts her mouth and begins to figure out her next move when it comes to Aiden. Her thoughts travel between the advice given to her and tricking Aiden into cheating on Cindy. She wants to get her clutches on him all over him again.

"Something will give, and when it does, I'll make him regret comparing me to that little slut."

It won't take much since Cindy hasn't shut up about Allyssa.

"I don't see what's so special about her, babe. She looked pretty ordinary to me. Here I thought she was some kind of goddess from the way you described her."

Aiden rolls his eyes and quickly becomes annoyed, "Drop it for Christ's sake, please."

"Fine, whatever, I gotta get to work anyway. I'll see you tonight?"

Aiden rolls his eyes again before he shifts his focus on music.

"I don't know. I might go out."

"Where?" Cindy asks, surprised to hear him talk about going out.

"God, I don't know. It's just a thought for now. I might go car shopping or something. Damn, Civic still isn't running right."

Cindy stops and turns around.

"Oh, so you won't spend time or money on us for a spa treatment, but you'll go spend money on another piece of junk car."

By this point in the argument, Aiden loses his temper.

"Cindy, is that all you think about is money? Besides that, I've had my car since high school. I don't do the spa scene. Lately, your attitude has gotten on my damn nerves. Both you and Allyssa should get together and be friends. You're both great at pushing my buttons."

That's when Cindy hauls off and smacks Aiden, and goes off.

"Did you seriously just compare me to that ugly bitch! Like, for real? Oh, hell no, buddy boy, let me tell you something. I have a nicer body! Yeah, I do wanna spend money to do something nice with you and for you."

"If it's for me, then why should I pay for it? Oh, that's right, you barely make above minimum wage working at Big Bear at a cash register." Aiden insults, releasing just a touch of rage.

"Excuse me for not being Mr. Perfect like you. I'm sorry that I don't have a fancy degree and work in a laboratory every day. I am who I am; accept it or break up with me. Hell, I need to go before I'm late for work. I don't have time to deal with you." Cindy is ready to cry when Aiden rips her apart.

With tears in her eyes, Cindy doesn't waste time leaving. Once she's gone, Aiden gets up from his piano, making himself another mixed drink with Jim Beam and Wild Cherry Pepsi.

"Ah... The one thing I can always count on is to be there. Jim, you're such a good companion." Aiden swallows the concoction in less than two full gulps and returns to work on a new comical piece.

"Cindy, you lazy tramp, get a real job, you worthless slut, and leave alone my bank account cause I need to maintain a certain amount because I am cheap until it comes to liquor, then I'll work my way to lick you. Lalalala, get over yourself, Cindy before I make you bend and take it like a little slut while I haul off smacking you on the butt." Aiden sings, drunk.

Along her way to work, Cindy doesn't see a West Virginia State Trooper come up behind her until it's too late. The lights flip on, accompanied by the siren, and she becomes startled.

"Fuck me, running backward. I don't need this right now!" She rolls down the window. Cindy begins to pull out her license and registration before the officer comes up.

"Excuse me, miss, do you know how fast I clocked you back there?" He begins looking down at her.

"I am so sorry, sir, I'm just late for work. My boyfriend and I just had like a major fight, and yeah. I am so sorry, please don't give me a ticket." She's about in tears again when she hands over the required credentials.

"Damn, damn, damn, damn!" She says, beating her fist against her dashboard.

Cindy sits there nearly ten minutes before the trooper returns with her information.

"Now, I shouldn't do this, but since you seem sincere and tore up, I'll give you a break this time but slow it down. I'll let you off with a warning, and as far as your boyfriend issues. Leave it at home before you end up leaving upset and causing a wreck. Now you have yourself a good day and slow it down."

Cindy takes her license and registration to place them in her purse. When she's close to the edge of Huntington, she realizes that she's nearly a half-hour late for work.

"No! I'm gonna get ripped royally."

Pulled into the employee lot, Cindy scrambles to get out of her car. When she reaches the back door, it opens with her department supervisor and store manager walking outside.

"Go home, Cindy. It's the fourth time you're late. You're done. You can pick up your check on Monday." Her supervisor says, pointing to her car.

"I can explain, I got pulled over, but I didn't get a ticket. Please, I need my job, don't fire me, one more chance, please don't fire me."

Brenda closes her eyes, making her next statement firm, "We've tried working with you, but your services are no longer required. Goodbye Cindy. If you need a reference, I'll help you the best I can."

Walking back to her car, Cindy flips off her boss and snarls as she gets into her car.

"Son of a bitch!" She screams at the top of her lungs before she starts her car. Upset, she heads for the townhouse apartment she shares with Heather.

"Aiden's going to kill me. What else can go wrong today?"

That answer comes while she drives down Route 60. The events of the day don't stop as her car makes a loud clinky noise seconds before a thunderous bang followed by smoke pours out.

"No!" She shouts and pulls off on the shoulder.

Getting out, she goes to the back of her car to cover her face with her hands, "AHHHHHHH..." She screams as the weight of the world crushes her all at once.

In time a Huntington Police cruiser pulls up to see Cindy on the trunk of her car with it still steaming. They flip on their lights and park behind the car.

"Miss, is everything alright?" A female officer asks, approaching her carefully.

"No, I lost my job, I hate my life, and my car blew up. I just wanna go home and get rid of this piece of junk."

The officer walks up to the front of the car far enough to make sure it's safe for a tow truck. Then goes back to the cruiser for a fire extinguisher to dowse the engine compartment to be safe.

"Ma'am, since it can't be towed like this, I have to open your hood up and make sure there's no fire hazard. Do I need to know about anything inside the car before I open the door?"

Cindy slides off the trunk to face the officer.

"No, but I can't afford a tow, so just take it and junk it for all I care."

The officer opens the door and pulls the hood latch releasing it as her partner slowly lifts the hood to discover pieces of the engine on the ground.

"Well, I don't see anything but don't take the chance, Nina, drench it.

The engine is smothered with foam as the officers do their job before calling for a tow truck.

"This is Unit 482. I need a tow by the Shoe Department on Route 60. Please take it to the yard. It's an engine explosion, and this civilian has no means to pay for the car. My partner and I will assist in giving her a lift home."

Dispatch relays their response, "Unit 482, this is dispatch, affirmative on the tow truck en route to your location. Remain there until it's hooked up."

"Copy that dispatch at this location until then, thank you."

The officers guide Cindy back to their cruiser and open the back door allowing her to cool off from the late afternoon sun that's beaten down on her.

Within ten minutes, the tow truck arrives, and the driver hands the officers the form for Cindy to sign to surrender the car.

"Ma'am, if you could sign this, please. Then we'll be on our way to take you home."

Cindy nods and doesn't care at this point as she signs the car away. After they drive to the apartment, they pull up to the apartment, and Cindy let out from the backseat of the cruiser.

"Hope your day improves, goodbye." The officer states.

The officers shut the door and pull away.

"Yeah, fat chance of that happening," Cindy mutters, walking to the door.

Cindy unlocks the door and catches Heather and Dakota off guard when they come downstairs after they've finished having sex.

"Shit, you're home. Um, you're supposed to be at work. Why aren't you at work?" Heather asks in just her bra and panties.

"I got fired, I've had it out with Aiden, I've been pulled over once. Plus, my car blew up. I just got a ride home from a set of cops. I'm fed up, tired, and my neck burns from probably being sunburnt. I'm done with today. I have no money, no car, no future. I'll barely be able to give you rent, and just yeah. Someone kill me, and I mean it."

Dakota tries to play it off and stands there on the steps, "Quit being so overly dramatic. I'll call Aiden and see if he can't help you out or something."

Cindy looks over with a force of anger in her eyes.

"What makes you think he'll help me get a car when he hates me?"

Stunned, Dakota puts his hands in the air.

"You deal with your girl. I'm out." Dakota says and heads upstairs to get his shirt and shoes.

Dakota doesn't stop to say bye and walks out of the apartment to his car.

"Happy? Now you've pissed him off. When you're mad or upset, you get like this, but don't be mean to him. He was just trying to help."

"I don't need help. I need a miracle." Cindy screams.

Heather remains on the steps staring at Cindy and sulks on the couch with her hands between her legs.

"Hey, I tell you what, I'll talk to my boss on Monday and see if I can't get you a job at the deli counter or something. I mean, Kroger isn't perfect, but it's better pay and benefits too. Plus, you can work nights with me if you don't get a day position."

After a drawn-out sigh, Cindy shows a bit of gratitude, "better than nothing. I'll do it. I hoped Aiden would be like how Dakota described, but I'm not that little miss hotshot he dated or something."

Heather shrugs her shoulders to return to her room and closes the door.

Still in the living room for nearly an hour, Cindy doesn't budge until she hears someone pull up to the apartment.

"Great, now what does he want?" She wonders out loud, seeing Aiden walk to the door.

Cindy opens the door before he can knock. Aiden takes off his sunglasses to stare at her

"Well, what do you want now?" She begins, waiting for him to go off.

"Heard your car blew up. You okay?" He asks with a soft tone in his voice.

"What do you care? I'm not 'her,' remember."

"I'm sorry, listen, it's been a bad day. Let me take you to dinner. Then we'll come back here and talk, okay."

With the offer to get food, Cindy walks outside and settles into the passenger's seat. After she's buckled up is about the same time, Aiden gets in to fasten his seatbelt.

"Steakhouse sound alright?" Aiden asks.

"Yeah, that's fine; look, I'm sorry, I just don't know what to do. Now, I need money for a car. I mean, I know you don't want to hear this. I'll somehow find a way to pay you back. Even if it means I have to pay it off by sleeping with you every night. I mean, that's something that makes it kind of worth it, right?"

Aiden laughs as they pull away from the apartment.

"You're decent in bed but not the greatest." He jokes around as Cindy slaps him playfully.

"Look, I'm not going to give you thousands to go get whatever you want. Maybe we can find something cheap and durable. A brand-new car, though, I don't think so."

"As long as it runs and goes is all I need," Cindy mentions.

They go out to dinner and spend time talking things over to make an agreement.

"So, I'll see what I can find, and depending on how much it is, we'll come up with a payment plan."

Cindy nods her head, "I can work with that. I am going to do better with a better job too. Thank you for understanding."

He smiles, sitting there with a full stomach.

After Aiden drops Cindy off at home, he takes off, but before he crosses the bridge that connects to Route 60, a thought comes to mind.

"Wait, sis' old man runs a Chevy dump yard. Maybe I could convince them to let me fix something up and just give it to her."

Out of nowhere, he turns right from the light and makes his way into Guyandotte. It isn't long before Aiden pulls into his sister's driveway.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" His sister asks from the window.

His older sister looks almost like their mother with short dark curly hair and brown eyes with a chubby frame—Aiden waves and points to the front door.

"Hey, listen, I need a favor. If I agree to fix it up, would your old man care if I buy a cheap wrecked car to give to my girlfriend? Hers blew up today, and she's just had it rough."

Without hesitating, she motions for him to come inside.

"Yeah, he just got in a nice Malibu with no tranny. Gimme a hundred bucks and put it in yourself, and it's yours."

Blown away at how fast she's willing to help, Aiden pulls out his wallet and hands her a single one-hundred-dollar bill.

"What's the catch?" He wonders with a contorted look on his face.

"Mom and dad wanted us to get along. It's nice to see you with someone else that ain't Mitzi, that's all."

"Ah, okay, well yeah, I'd like to come over more, but you know we don't always get along."

"True, but that needs to change, but yeah, I'll give him a call. Tomorrow morning just go over, put it in the car, then it's all yours."

"Thanks, sis." Aiden begins to feel a little relief.

Hugging his sister goodbye, Aiden returns to his car, where he takes out his phone to call Eddie.

"Hey, I need your mechanical know-how brain tomorrow to put a transmission in a car."

Eddie begins asking the usual questions

"Where is the car, what kind of car, and who's it for?"

"My sister sold me a car in her husband's junkyard. It's a Malibu, and it's for Cindy. So be at the house in the morning. I figure we could knock it out in a couple of hours. Then drive it to her, and that be that."

"Sounds good, bro, I didn't have any plans anyway, but yeah, we'll make a day of it." Eddie sounds delighted to have something to do.

Excited, knowing he has an ulterior motive. Aiden gets up early to wait on Eddie.

By the time he arrives, Aiden is already over his CRX to figure out why the turbo isn't working correctly any longer.

"Morning, bro, still having turbo lag?" Eddie calls out, parking on the driveway.

"Yeah, I think either the timing is off, or the turbine has worn out. Either way, I think it's time to retire this car and get something a little newer." Aiden says.

"Sounds good to me. Let's get a move on and get this done with, bro. Tranny jobs aren't the easiest, especially in a front-wheel drive."

They head over to the little town of Rome, Ohio, to the junkyard. The boys pull up to see the car in a mechanics bay already lifted into the air.

"Figured I'd be nice enough to give ya two a bay to use." Aiden's brother-in-law states, handing over the keys and title to the car.

"Paperwork is good, just have her fill out this part with her name and date, then it's all hers. Have fun, guys; it's a nice car."

Watching his brother-in-law walk away, Aiden and Eddie go over to sort everything they need and slowly but carefully begin to remove the old transmission.

"Alright, halfway there, all we need now is a beer and babe." Eddie teases, wiping his forehead drenched in sweat.

"Yeah, well, let's get this thing finished. I have plenty of beer at the house."

Another two and a half hours pass by the time they finish installing the new transmission and bring the Malibu back down onto the ground and remove the lift stands.

"Time for the moment of truth, bro. Get in, and let's take it for a spin." Eddie says as his heart pounds with anticipation.

They take in a collective breath as they climb into the car, as it purrs to life.

"Engine sounds great," Eddie mentions rolling down the window.

Aiden places his foot on the brake and presses the shift button to slide the shifter into Reverse. The brakes release, and slowly the car begins to back out of the stall. They drive down the lane close to the junkyard.

With the shifter in Drive, the two of them hold their breath as it begins to pull away without an issue.

"We did it!" Aiden lets out, smacking the steering wheel.

"Ah yeah, we did, still got the old skills!" Eddie cries out, excited that it worked on the first try.

"I'll drop you off at your car and wait. Follow me to Cindy's. I'll drop it off and head home to get cleaned up. We'll share a couple of beers, and then I'll go back over to her place." Aiden explains, driving up to the Starion.

"Sounds good to me. A cold beer and A/C always make me a happy camper." Eddie says and climbs out.

Once he's back to his car, Aiden slowly begins to pull away, waving to his brother-in-law.

Eddie tailgates Aiden the entire way there. They make it without any issues from the car or with the police catch them driving without plates.

"Almost there..." Aiden tells himself and listens to the car in case anything breaks.

Pulled up into the apartment, Aiden is in luck when he sees Cindy and Heather carrying groceries into the apartment.

He honks the horn to get their attention before her jaw drops.

"No way you got me a car already!" She squeals, jumping up and down like a schoolgirl.

"Yup, just needed a brand-new transmission put in. It's all yours. I would stay, but um, I need a shower and a couple of beers. There you go, honey pie, a brand new car."

"I love it! It's bright and shiny, and I love silver. Oh, it even has a CD player already too. Oh, come back later. I'll pay you back for it."

"Planned on it; see ya soon, doll." Aiden leans in for a quick kiss as Eddie sits and waits.

"Worked like a charm, didn't it?" Eddie mentions looking in his rearview mirror.

"Yeah, well, had to do something."

Eddie finds Aiden's tone a bit odd.

"You're a good man Aiden, been through the storms and still doing good deeds. I'm proud of you, bro."

Aiden's demeanor continues to shift into a cold expression, still glares out the window, "Thanks, bub, guess the world couldn't break me."

Music fills the void in the air on the drive back to Aiden's. The two of them march inside silently and crack open the first beer.

"Cheers, bro, cheers to a better time in the future!"

"Cheers bub, cheers to... ugh... whatever." Aiden rolls his eyes as they glaze over with an ulterior motive in mind.

Eddie feels uneasy as he guzzles down the pale ale brew. He looks over to Aiden to see him with something on his mind.

"Care to speak your mind?"

Finished with another beer, Aiden finally breaks his silence, "Yeah, I think tonight when I go back to Cindy's, I'm calling it quits. I-I-I ain't happy. She isn't what I want, and I'm beyond bored with it all."

"Dude, I had no clue. I mean, after you got her that car and all, I thought that maybe things were better."

"I'm how my parents raised me. Someone to help others when they're in need. That's all it is." Aiden gives a soft-hearted laugh."

Eddie stands there speechless as the seconds click away.

"Sorry you feel that way. Aiden, don't do anything stupid. If you do it, well, just think it over, and I'll hit you up later."

Eddie takes his leave through the front door as the evening sun shines into the living room. Up against the counter, Aiden continues with his thousand-yard stare nursing his beer until there are just suds at the bottom of the can.

After he snaps out of the trance and tosses the empty beer into the trash, Aiden gets ready to head for the door when his cell phone begins to ring.

"Hello."

"Hey babe, it's me. Listen, Heather was called into work early. Which is great because that way she can talk to her boss about getting me a job since you know I was fired..."

Aiden cutes her off immediately.

"Wait! You didn't mention you got fired."

Stunned, Cindy bites her lip.

"Shit, yeah, I meant to tell you yesterday. I guess I forgot. Sorry, but yeah, she's going to try to get me a job with her, and since you got me this pretty new car, I thought that maybe we could, you know, celebrate."

"Yeah, I'll be right over."

Aiden hits the end call button and flings the phone across the room as it lands against the screen door.

"That lying little bitch!" He yells.

With the sensation that he's been deceived, Aiden goes over and picks up his phone, sliding it into his pocket. Then he proceeds to head out the door.

Aiden is easy on his car since it's still not running right over to the townhouse. His fury grows, but he keeps a cool, calm, and collective composure the entire way. When he pulls beside the Malibu, he heads to the door and knocks.

"Come on inside," Cindy calls out.

Aiden opens the door open and peeks inside to see Cindy in nothing but a satin bra and skimpy panties.

"Here's my way to thank you, big boy." She says in a low sexy, seductive voice dipping her body against the corner of the wall and pressing her index finger to her lips.

Aiden stands there, motioning for her to come to him. Cindy shoves off the wall and struts over with one foot in front of the other.

"I need you, lover boy; make me feel like a woman." She whispers, playfully nibbling on his ear lobe.

He takes her by the hand without saying a word, pulls her upstairs, and shoves her bedroom door open. Aiden picks up Cindy to carry her across the threshold as she giggles in delight.

"Oh baby, honeymoon practicing, I love it!" She teases lightly, kicking her feet in the air.

Aiden gently kneels to drop Cindy on her mattress that sits flat on the floor.

"Sorry, I don't have more in here. When my parents kicked me out after graduation, I didn't get much of my stuff." Cindy reminds him, a bit embarrassed.

"It's fine; just shut up and scoot up on the bed." Aiden orders taking off his clothes.

Aiden sits on his knees after sliding on a condom and rests between Cindy's legs, where Cindy slides out of her bra and panties.

"Momma wants you, Aiden."

Aiden is more than ready to body kiss from naval up to the areolas. He continues to kiss and lightly bite them.

"Ugh, yes...Oh, Aiden..." She moans over and over as he works her body into a frenzy.

Aiden finally moves to slide into her body and doesn't waste time. He loses control as he takes his frustration and transforms it into hate making Cindy scream with her hands over her mouth not to disturb the neighbors.

"Uh ... easy, please... Aiden, slow down... Oh God, not so hard, baby... fu-u-u-u-u-uck me..." She groans from under her hands as her body tremors under the force.

When he's finished after an intense groan, Aiden rolls over off Cindy's aching torso.

"Ah Christ, what got into you tonight?" She asks, closing her legs and rolling onto her side, holding the top of her thighs.

"Guess I wanted to become a beast and make you feel like you never have before."

"Well, you did it. That hurt like hell, ahhhhh."

She shuts her eyes until the pain subsides and eventually falls asleep. Aiden lays there with his arms under his head, feeling empty inside.

Several hours go by before Cindy wakes up and rolls over to put her arm around her lover. When she reaches out, her arm falls flat on the mattress. She sits up to look for Aiden.

"Aiden?" She calls out with nothing but silence in the air, "Aiden..."

Cindy gets to her feet and stumbles at first. She slides on her panties and a t-shirt but doesn't see his clothes anywhere. When Cindy looks out her bedroom window, the CRX is gone. She makes her way down the steps carefully as her body is tender. When she flips on the light to get her phone, she finds a folded-up piece of paper.

Cindy, sorry, but you've lied and conned your way through enough with me. I had no intentions of sleeping with you tonight, but I saw you weren't taking 'no' for an answer after getting you a car. You lied to me about getting fired. I also found out from a reliable source you liked me because of my money. Please don't contact me pr don't bother me again. Kiss my ass and have a good life.-Aiden

Cindy breaks down and goes back to her room, picking up her stuff. She's ready to take off in the middle of the night and takes the plates off from another vehicle to blow town returning home to Ravenswood in rural West Virginia. She leaves a note saying, "gone home. I can't take it anymore" for Heather and closes the chapter of Barboursville and Aiden from her life.