Chapter 4

Present

Landon's POV:

I let out a breath of relief after spending most of the morning cleaning up the garage. I like what I do. I like fixing cars but I gotta listen to the owner of this dump and organize the place every now and again. It's a woman's job in my opinion.

I angrily wipe down the dusty shelf before packing the toolbox at the bottom. I haven't even been home since that girl dropped off her car last night. Fortunately, it was at least an easy fix that didn't take up too much of my time.

"Wazzup!" Dean shouts before jumping in front of me, having entered the garage without me seeing...again.

"Get out of my face, Wyatt." I shove him away. That greeting he always uses will put me in the ground. It's that annoying.

"How we doing today?" He glances around the neat garage before his eyes land on me. "Do tell."

He knows that he's annoying me.

"Fine."

"You don't look fine," he hums, pushing my buttons. "You look abominable. You look more abominable than this place did yesterday."

"I'm tired," I finally give in. His nagging is irritating me.

"Did you sleep here again?" He asks knowingly. "Is that why you brought an overnight bag with to work yesterday?"

I nod and yawn.

I sometimes pack an overnight bag when I think I might have to sleep here in order to get all my work done before the next day. It's long hours and little money but it's the only thing I do well.

"So, you left my little sister all alone at home?" He gasps in realization.

I scoff. "Em, my sister, is a big girl now. She can handle it."

He places a hand over his chest as if proud. "I raised her well."

I shake my head at him and move past him toward the Ford Fiesta. I don't know how I tolerate Dean. I just do and I always have. Be it anyone else with his personality and we wouldn't be friends. I'd like to say that we'd be enemies.

"Does she still have a huge crush on me?" He questions, trailing after me.

"She's never had a crush on you, Dean," I reply monotonously. I've told him this at least a thousand times. So has she. "And if she ever did, you'd not be standing here right now or standing at all," I threaten. "No one is good enough for my sister."

Emma, like me, finds Dean too loud and too himself.

"What about that street racer guy? The really talented one?" He taps his chin as if actually thinking for once in his life. "If I recall correctly, which I do, you approved of him for Emma."

"That was before his girlfriend, Aqueela. JT's been hung-up on her for two years straight." I wish he'd get over it already. Life goes on and if you don't go on with it, you get left behind.

Dean nods before noticing the Fiesta. "You got it started?"

"Do you know me?" I pat the roof of the car. "Of course, I got it started. It was just the inertia switch that tripped. It can happen after minor collisions. It cuts power to the fuel pump and then the engine won't start."

"Oh. I thought it may be because of damage to the transmission."

I shake my head. "After a minor accident in a Ford Fiesta, it's more likely that the inertia switch tripped. It's to protect the car from lighting on fire in case there's damage to the fuel pump. It stops the car from pumping gas to the fuel pump."

"So, essentially, there wasn't much to fix?" He asks, actually listening to me for once. We get along best when our conversations relate back to cars.

"No. I didn't really fix anything. I just flipped the switch back on and the car started," I explain.

"Mind Blown!" He says, making explosion gestures by his head. "Nice." He chuckles. "So, you're literally going to get paid for pressing a button?"

"If people just checked the vehicle's manual, they'd figure out this stuff on their own." I take it as a win when all I have to do on a car is press a button. Most of my work is physical and it can be very draining. It takes a toll on me.

"Idiots," Dean replies, following me back to the shelf. "So, why'd you stay the night here if it was so simple?"

"I had to finish up on the Porsche 911. It's been tough but it's done." I nod at the car. "The owner's picking it up today."

Dean winces before accidentally leaning on the top half of the shelf, the weaker half that he knows is unsteady. "That's--"

"Move, moron!" I cut him off, pushing him away just in time.

The top shelf collapses in on the all the shelves below it. A loud crash echoes around the garage while I watch everything that I spent the morning on mess everywhere. There's a moment of silence while I process it all before I glare at Dean in fury, ready to beat to him to a pulp.

Dean, sensing my anger, immediately takes a step back from me in fear. "I suddenly don't feel safe anymore."

"Are you incapacitated by stupidity?" I ask him quietly, ready to explode.

He hesitates. "I want to say 'yes'?"

"That would be the right answer." I slam my fist against the wall, needing to take out my rage on something and I'd rather it not be my closest friend. "I should put a bullet in your head," I mutter, turning my back to him. If I see his face, my temper will flare up again. I need a second to cool down before I do something that I'll regret.

It's times like these, especially with Dean, that I have to apply what I've been learning for years in my anger management classes.

"I'd consider myself lucky then," he responds wittily. He knows that I'm capable of much worse.

I hate having a temper. I don't know how it even developed. All I know is that it reminds me of a coward, my mother. My father always remained calm, even when angry.

I take in a deep breath and hold it before exhaling. I walk back over to Dean. "Everyone knows not to lean on the top shelf. It's been on the verge of breaking for years."

I wish he'd get himself a job so that he's not always here bugging me. I'm amazed that I haven't been fired yet after all the dumb things he has done around here.

"I forgot. Silly me," he says sarcastically, slapping his hand as if it's punishment enough. "What I don't get is why you can fix anything except a broken shelf. Like you just said, it's been years."

"Because it's effort." I scowl at him. "And now I don't have a choice in the matter."

"Better get to it then." He smirks at me, testing me.

I point an accusing finger at him. "Dean, I swear--"

"Now now, Lan, a gentleman never swears when in the company of a lady," he stops me mid-sentence.

I raise an eyebrow at him. "You're calling yourself a lady?" I'm actually not even surprised.

"No!" He snaps at me, motioning with his eyes to someone behind me.

I spin around to see who he's talking about.

"Knock knock," someone clears their throat before the girl from last night peeks her head in through the door. "Can I come in?"

I nod before glancing over at Dean again. "Clean it up," I demand, gesturing to the mess he's made. He's going to send customers packing if he doesn't get it sorted out. And I'm gonna send him packing if he doesn't sort himself out.

"Hi," Sarah greets me like a normal person, which is more than I can say for Dean, the idiot. "How are you?" She asks me before greeting Dean too.

"Your car's fixed," I tell her, ready to get her out of here. I'm too irritable to deal with people right now.

"Really?" She smiles. "That's great! What was wrong?"

"Just the inertia switch that tripped," I tell her, taking in the blank look on her face. She has no idea what I'm saying and I'm not about to explain it to her. "Nothing serious."

She nods and begins rifling through her bag. "How much do I owe you?"

I'm about to give her an amount but find myself stalling. "Nothing," I eventually answer her question.

She whips her head up to look at me. "What? That's ridiculous. Let me at least give you something."

"All I did was press a button," I answer, getting short with her.

"Actually, you did more than that. You helped me get the car here to the garage," she reminds me. "In the rain too."

"No payment necessary," I repeat myself.

Knowing better than to argue, she gives in. "Okay, thank you," she says before sneezing into her hands. "Sorry. Excuse me."

She doesn't look well. Her nose is red and her eyes are puffy. She's clearly sick. It's that guy's fault for making her walk in the rain. He can be glad he's not here right now because I really need a face to vent on with my fists. He would have been the perfect candidate.

"How'd you even get here this morning?" Dean gets up from the floor to talk to her, failing to finish cleaning up his mess.

Beyond infuriated, I drop to my knees and take on the job that Dean has left to me once again. I'm so sick of people.

"One of my colleagues dropped me off on her way to work," I hear Sarah answer him. "I'm taking the day off."

"I think you need it. You must still be shaken up after the accident," Dean replies, putting the moves on her. I know him well enough to know how he operates.

"A little," she agrees with a nod. "Here's your jacket back. Thanks again, by the way."

I glance Dean's way questioningly and he winks at me as he takes his jacket from her hands. "My pleasure."

Uninterested, I begin fixing the shelf. It would be so much easier if my boss just agreed to replace the piece of trash.

"And you're sure you're okay? Not hurt anywhere?" Dean asks, worried. "The front of the car is pretty roughed up, real dented in. Drivable but looks like crap."

"I'm feeling okay," she assures him. "And the car is just going to have to look like garbage until my next paycheck."

"I feel you." He laughs. "But remember you might have injuries and still feel fine. I'd suggest you get yourself checked out. Just in case."

Sarah's about to reply when her phone suddenly rings. "Excuse me," she apologizes before taking the call.

I shake my head at Dean and stand up from the floor.

"What?" He asks innocently.

"You know what."

"No," Sarah says into the phone as if stunned. "Okay. I'm on my way." She hangs up before placing her phone back into the front pocket of her jeans. She turns to face us, tearful yet again. Still in shock, she runs her hands through her hair before she begins to cry hysterically.

I pat Dean on the back. "You're up." I don't do well in these kinds of situations, not even with my own sister. I'd rather leave it to the professionals. Dean's a living teddy bear and this Sarah girl seems to cry a lot.

"What's going on?" Dean carefully approaches her.

As if panicked, she places her hands in front of her mouth, barely able to breathe properly. "I have to go," she suddenly tells us. "I have to go now."

I toss her the keys to her car, not really caring about her personal life. If it doesn't involve me, then it's not my problem.

"Wait!" Dean chips in quickly, grabbing her arm to stop her from leaving. "You can't drive in this state. What happened?"

"My sister has been rushed to the hospital," she mumbles incoherently but Dean's experienced enough to make out what she's saying. "She has cancer..."

I don't hear a word she says after that. It all becomes white noise for me. Memories of my dad flash through my mind. I can still hear the ambulance and see the flashing lights. I can still hear his voice in my head. I go cold. It's a day I never want to relive.

Before I know what I'm even doing, I walk out to my car and beckon Sarah to follow after me. "I'll drive you to the hospital."