“So…when did you start doing the whole mechanic thing?” I said when I couldn’t bear to stay quiet any longer. He sat up a little straighter, as if he’d been deep in thought and I’d snapped him out of it.

“The mechanic thing.” He chuckled. “We’re an auto tuning shop, first and foremost. We build cars for competition, speed, and power; we can bolt on parts, swap an engine, fabricate custom pieces, and advise clients on how to get the best performance out of their vehicle. Once we get a bigger space, and the funds, hopefully we’ll be adding a Dynamometer to the shop too.”

I had no idea what that was, so I smiled and nodded.

He continued, “But uh…it wasn’t exactly a childhood dream. I guess I fell into it naturally, though. When I got this beast…” He patted the wheel affectionately. “It was my way out. Freedom. I could get in a vehicle that was entirely my own and drive away from that fucking house. But as I’m sure you remember, the beast was a piece of shit back then.”

I giggled, memories coming back to me. “Oh, trust me, I remember. Like that time you were trying to fix it in the school parking lot in the pouring rain?”

“Yeah, that shit happened way too often. But since I didn’t have the money to pay someone to fix it, I had to figure it out myself. So I learned.”

“And you kept it running all this time?” He nodded, and I shook my head in surprise. “That’s really impressive.”

His lips twitched into a smile he tried to hide behind his hand. “Honestly, we never would have been able to start the shop without the money my mom left me. I had no idea she even had anything left, but I guess she managed to keep it hidden from my dad even when she was…” He trailed off. “Anyway, we opened the shop once we moved into the house so we haven’t been here very long. Our first builds were our own cars, so the more we raced and were able to show off what we could do, the more clients we found. We’re only just getting started.” He nodded to himself, his speed slowing as we neared Ellis Road and the bridge. “Once we get out of Wickeston, we’re going to keep getting bigger and better.”

He said it determinedly, as if he were commanding the universe to give him what he wanted instead of merely hoping for it.

Luckily my car was still there, sitting right where I’d left it on the side of the road. I doubted it would get towed sitting overnight, but after the night I had, I wasn’t going to assume the best of anything.