Grease Monkey | shawnmendes

thirteen

Dusk fell as I struggled to make my way down a gravel road. I wasn't sure where I was going or where I was. I didn't care. I put my lips to the boxed wine I'd purchased from the gas station and chugged. The box was almost gone and I'd guessed I'd left the gas station around twenty minutes ago, after abandoning my dad's car.

After leaving the car shop I'd realized that I needed a good walk to clear my head. And a little wine. So I'd pulled over and used my trusty fake ID to land the best wine I could find before taking off by foot down a gravel road.

I swayed a little, feeling the effects of the delicious poison. I was also wearing wedges – which wasn't a bright idea.

Images of Shawn's hurt expression that he wore flashed through my mind, mixed with Luke's smile. Saying I'd screwed up was an understatement.

I swigged more of the wine, almost finishing the box. Darkness began to fill the sky, but I'd had enough wine to barely notice, much less care.

I continued to walk, thoughts consumed with my shit show of a life. Alcohol took over my limbs and I stumbled over a rock, face planting in the gravel.

I debated whether or not laying there. I had little motivation to move, but the sound of an engine quickly changed my mind. I may have felt like shit, but I did not want to be run over.

I grabbed my box and my purse and crawled on all fours over to the side of the road before collapsing into the grass. My world was spinning off of its axis. Literally and metaphorically.
The truck slowed and pretty soon came to a stop, lights shining on me. I raised my hand to block the blinding light.

"Kenna, what in the hell is going on?" A car door slammed and someone grabbed my arm. It was Louis. How he always randomly found me, I'd never know."Damn this box of wine is gone. Did you drink this by yourself?!"

I groaned as he pulled me to my feel. "No some raccoons and a bear helped me."

He rolled his eyes. "Even drunk, you're a pain in the ass."

I sassed him, but froze as I heard another car door slam. If it was Shawn, I would die. Right here, I'd just fall over dead. I squinted against the headlights, trying to see who was accompanying Louis. A figure made its way towards us and after a few heart stopping moments, I saw the small figure. Thank God it wasn't Shawn. Instead it was a petite brunette. She looked scared, but immediately smiled at me. I connected the dots and looked slyly up at Louis.

"Were you trying to take her out parking? You sneaky bastard." I let out an obnoxious, drunken laugh, tilting my head backwards.

"Shut up, Kenna. We're taking you home. Ellie, would you grab her things?" Louis led me to the car and the girl gathered my belongings from the ground. Louis shoved me into the back seat of his truck and he and the brunette climbed in.

"You're pretty. Why are you with Louis?" I leaned towards the girl.

"I like him." She smiled, stealing a glance at Louis, who despite his anger at me, smiled at her words.

"Well, you must be strange." I shook my head and stuck my hand out. "But I'm Kenna and it's nice to meet you." She took my hand and introduced herself.

"I'm Ellie. It's nice to meet you, too."

"Thank you. I'm Kenna. Don't let Louis take you parking."

"I wasn't. I live out here." She looked amused at my drunken state.

"Well don't ever let him." I shook my finger at her and leaned back in my seat, satisfied.

The truck soon came to a halt and I was half asleep. I heard Louis and Ellie climb out of the car. My half-unconscious state left out what happened next, but I remembered hearing one person climbing back into the car before falling into a deep sleep.

++

I let out a grunt at the force of a pillow hitting my face.

"Wake up." Louis shouted, rather rudely. I opened my eyes to unfamiliar surroundings. I was on a couch with a blanket draped over me. Louis had walked into the connected kitchen and was pouring two mugs of coffee.

"Where am I?" I grumbled as I sat up on the couch.

"My house." Louis said bluntly as he handed me a cup of coffee. "I couldn't take you home as drunk as you were. I didn't know how your parents would react."

"Well thank you because they'd have lost their shit." I sipped on the warm liquid, praying it would ease my painful body.

"Come on. We're going for a walk." He headed for the front door.

"Are you serious? I'm suffering from a deathly hangover and you want to go for a walk?" I whined, but Louis' glare shut me up and I was off of the couch and on his heels before he could say anything.

As we walked past his truck I caught a glimpse of my reflection.

"Louis!" I squealed. "What happened to me?!"

I was wearing a bandage on my forehead and I had a busted, swollen lip.

"You must have fallen last night. You had the cuts when I found you."

I was horrified at what I'd let myself do last night. I barely remembered falling, or anything else for that matter. I sighed and followed Louis around the house. He led me to a shed. He tugged the door open and instructed for me to go inside. I hesitated, but he shot me another scary look so I hurried in. He pulled a large sheet off of an old car that looked like it had been used for scraps.

"Kenna, this was Shawn's dad's pride and joy. His dad bought this all by himself at sixteen with money he'd made sweeping floors for a local auto shop. His dad planned to pass it on to Shawn when he turned sixteen, but after his father's death, Shawn got the car in the will. Shawn's been wanting to fix it up and repair it. He even bought a new engine for it with his own savings. It was all so that he could have something of his dad's that he could cherish and feel as if his dad was still here with him."

My jaw dropped at the story and I covered my mouth with my hand.

"Wait, why hasn't Shawn repaired it, then?" I was scared to know the answer.

"That engine he bought – it's now in your car." Louis looked to the ground. "He's been spending his savings on your car instead. He cares about you so much that he gave you the engine that he'd been saving up for to restore his father's car. Do you get why I've been so hard on you? Because I saw the lengths he was going to prove to you that he cared for you, but you never saw it. He's my best friend. He's never cared about someone like this. If I was in his position, I'd never give up an engine I'd worked my ass of for, for some girl I'd just met who clearly didn't give a shit about me. But he thought you'd come around. He thought you were just scared. And all this time you've been trying to leave as if no one here ever mattered."

He caught my gaze and looked at me dead in the eye.

"If nothing else matters to you, Shawn should. Because you matter a hell of a lot to him." Louis turned and walked out the door of the shed.

Tears now streamed down my face, but I chased after Louis.

"Wait! Louis, wait!" I grabbed his arm and he turned to face me. "Shawn does matter." I sobbed. "How – how do I fix this?"

Louis stared at me for a brief moment. "I don't know if you can. Look, if anyone here wants you gone, it's me. I want Shawn happy and I don't know if you being here and stringing him along will ever let him be truly happy. So you need to leave or make things right with him. Consider someone other than yourself."

My heart ached at his words. "Is – is he here?"

"No. He spent the night at the shop, trying to fix your car." Louis turned. "I picked up your dad's car last night. It's out front."

With that Louis went back inside of the house, leaving me alone and pitiful.

++

"Dad, my car is ready to be picked up. Will you give this to Shawn when you go by?"

My dad nodded as I handed him a letter. "Love you Kenna. Be safe and call as soon as you land!"

I hugged my dad and then faced my mom who was crying softly. "Mom, please. I'll be fine. It's New York and it's me. We're practically soul mates."

She let out a small laugh and hugged my neck. "I know, I just don't want you to go. I prayed every night that you'd never actually use that plane ticket that I bought you."

"I know Mom, but I have to. This place is too much for me." I forced a smile and turned to make my way into the airport terminal, saying goodbye to my parents and all of the problems that I'd created.