The Aristocrat

They call it alone

Friday 23rd.

Marley and Drake left soon after taking their car with them. They'd offered to take me and Ash home but Ash had said no.

He didn't speak when they left, instead he just walked silently a few footsteps in front of me. He guided me down to the track where he hopped over the metal bar and onto the dirt on the other side. I studied around my shoulders for people to instruct him otherwise but most people had left too and only a few still remained too engrossed in their own business.

I stared back at him as if he were mad. Which I was sure he was.

"I'm pretty sure we can't go on there," I hissed to him as he waited on the other side for me to follow.

"I'm pretty sure I can," Ash said casually "you, not so much. But that's my problem so come on."

I stepped forward cautiously and looked down at the metal bar. Turning around I put both of my hands on the bar and then pushed my bum up onto to. There I swiveled around and hopped down, much less smoothly than Ash had.

"What do you mean you can?" I asked just as he started to walk again. I jogged forward until I caught up with him and fell into large steps beside him.

"I'm friends with the guy who owns the track," Ash explained "he lets me run laps whenever I want."

"Do you race too?" I questioned suddenly wanting to know more about him. Not the stuff I'd learned at his house the other week. Not his favourite band or film. I wanted to know the big stuff, the real things that mattered to him.

"No, it's just something fun to do," Asher made way for the starting line on the other side of the track. I didn't say much more as he kept walking towards the two banged up cars that sat just behind the white line that ran across the track. Stopping in front of the first one he finally looked at me. It was hard to tell what he was thinking when he was putting so much effort into not showing any emotions.

"Wanna go?" He said.

"Go where?" I repeated.

"No, I mean do you want to have a go in the car?" tilting his head to his left he gestured towards the car.

I paused before answering, not quite sure whether he was serious or not.

"I'm going to say yes for you," Ash said for me as he walked around to the passenger side of the car. Not saying anything else he opened the door and ducked down into the car.

I copied him and slid into the driver's seat. Inside I stared at the wheel of the car and gently put my hands on it. It was weird not being in the back of a car. Being up front made me nervous, knowing if something went wrong it would be my fault.

"Maybe I shouldn't drive," I spoke slyly, not wanting to admit that I was too scared to "I think I prefer just sitting here."

"Alessandra," Ash said, his voice a little less blunt than it had been all night "have you ever driven a car before?"

"Yeah," I nodded "but that was like a year ago. And it was at a driving circuit. And no one was in the car with me. And it was only onc-."

"Alessandra," Ash stopped me. I could feel his eyes burning into me but I couldn't convince myself to look back "Start the car."