Manson pulled into the dirt beside it and parked. “Well, Jess, I can’t say it’s been fun, but it’s been…something.”

We looked at each other. He readjusted himself in his seat multiple times, as if he couldn’t figure out a comfortable position, before he said, “I guess this could be the last time we see each other, so…have a great life and stay the hell out of my garage.”

The last time. Oh, I did not like how that sounded. Not one bit.

“Yeah.” I nodded, my hand hovering on the door handle. “Okay, um…bye.”

God, I could gag from how awkward I felt. That was a terrible goodbye, that was…Shit, it didn’t matter. I couldn’t let it matter.

I hurriedly hopped out of the Bronco, digging for my keys in my bag and unlocking my car, trying all the while not to look back at him. The weather had grown disgustingly muggy, and getting into the car felt like crawling inside a hot tin can. I turned on the engine, frowning as it sputtered. I turned the AC on full blast and leaned my head back as I waited for the cool air to fill the cabin.

But as I sat there, my eyes wandered. Manson hadn’t left yet. In fact, he was staring at me, his hand slightly raised as if to get my attention.

I rolled down my window.

“What’s wrong with your car?” he said. He sounded as if the answer had already exasperated him and he hadn’t even heard it yet.

“Nothing,” I said. It was a little louder than usual, but that was normal. Maybe. It had sounded like this for months, so whatever it was probably wasn’t serious.

He sighed so hard I could hear it even over the noise. “Your engine is fucked up.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s not, it’s totally —”

The check engine light popped on. The rattling under the hood increased in volume, with a persistent knocking sound that only grew worse as I let the car idle. It sounded like someone was banging a hammer repeatedly against a steel pipe.

Manson was watching me with his mouth pressed into a thin line.

“Okay, that’s not good,” I said as the RPMs began to randomly fluctuate without my foot touching the gas. The knocking sound became alarmingly loud. “All right, let’s —”

There was a loud bang and the engine abruptly shut off. All the lights on my dash popped on and I was left staring in shock as I tried to figure out what had happened. I opened my door, the fumes of burned oil making me cough as Manson shoved open his door and got out.