RAINSTORM

Ch. 24

"We're good, we don't need your help," Hector says before Rachel could respond to Ricky's offer to help, at the library.

"I'm not here to help you," Ricky says.

"She doesn't need your help," Hector says.

Ricky says, "I'm sorry dude, do we have a problem?"

"Apology accepted, and yes we have a problem if you bother us during our study time."

"Study time? Since when you know what studying is?" Ricky says.

Rachel jumps in before Hector could speak. "That's enough, you two," she says before looking at Ricky and saying, "I got this Ricky. I'm very well capable of teaching them myself."

"That's not what I mean—" Ricky says.

"Irrespective of what you meant, I don't need your help now. Could you please leave?"

Ricky throws a glare at a smiling Hector and leaves.

Rachel turns her attention back to her notes and starts teaching in a sour mood.

"What did I do?" Hector says.

"Nothing," Rachel says, not looking at him and continuing with her explanation of Salt Analysis.

"It's not nothing. Are you upset I shooed away your boyfriend?"

Rachel closes the book aloud. Tate and Vince lean back from the table as if scared of what's about to happen.

"I already said he's not my boyfriend, and whether he is or isn't, he was just trying to help you guys study. You didn't have to talk to him like that."

Hector laughs. "Help us? Didn't you hear him? He was here for you."

"What's the matter with you? Do you have a beef with Ricky or something?"

"Why would I have a beef with a nobody?" Hector says.

Rachel has had enough with Hector's attitude. She packs up her notes, picks up her bag and leaves.

"Well done, dude. You screwed it up beautifully," Tate says.

"Shut up," Hector says and walks away in the other direction.

Still angry with him, Rachel gets in her car and drives to her home. On the way, the car suddenly stops.

Rachel turns the key. The engine revs to life and the car moves slowly, but with a strange noise.

Rachel safely drives to the side and parks the car. "Dammit," she says, leaning back on her seat. It's the second time the car has done this.

First time, she was lucky enough that it was near her home and her dad helped her out by having the car sent to a shop near his office for repair. The shop clearly didn't do a good enough job though.

She looks around and recognizes the locality she's in. Two blocks from here is the shop Hector took her to fetch her a helmet, the day she rode with him to the drive-in movie theater.

Rachel looks up the shop's name in the internet and sees its contact details. She rings the number shown in the search result, hoping some one would pick up.

FIVE MINUTES LATER, mechanic Bo arrives with the tow truck. Rachel thanks him right away. Bo waves his hand saying, "Anything for Hector's friend. Don't worry, I'll fix it good."

Rachel politely nods and smiles, before getting up into the truck with him. It starts raining.

"Good thing it stopped close to the shop," Bo says, driving away the truck, "otherwise it would've been difficult in this weather. Just recently I had to pick up Hector's bike when it was raining. The traffic was terrible."

Rachel recalls the time when she was in her car during a heavy rain, waiting for the light to turn green, when Hector knocked on her window. His bike had broken down. He wanted a lift.

Rachel swallows feeling a little sad.