(unedited)
Bikers, Chains and Bad Boys: Chapter 3
Bang!
My head swivelled over to where Paul stood, staring down at something on the bench beside him with a scowl on his face. It's been three weeks and he's acted this way since I started working here.
"After a while, you get used to the loud, random noises he makes." Jeb said beside me. I smiled at him and shrugged.
"Doesn't bother me."
He lifted an eyebrow at me. Another bang, much louder than the first, came from Paul's direction.
"Paul! Calm your shit! You're pissin' me off!" Andy shouted from his office. I snickered a little and Paul turned to glare at me.
Static started coming from a corner of the room. I turned to see that guy, Tyson, changing the channels on an old, beat up radio. When nothing came in, he left out a side door and came back with a handful of CDs.
After sliding the first one in, he gradually turned the volume up until it reached a low roar. Loud rock music floated around the shop and he went back to what he was working on before.
At least I know this song, I thought as I began to sing the words under my breath. I guess Dustin really liked it, too, because he began to belt out the lyrics as he worked.
"You know nothing about me; keep opinions to yourself!"
Then, Corey jumped in with him, belting out the lyrics just as loud. "No more complications; everything's just swell!"
I turned to look at Jeb, quirking an eyebrow at him. A cute, lopsided smile spread across his face as he shrugged at me. Then, he joined in as well. "There's nothing more to tell!"
I started off a little louder than before, but you could still barely hear me.
Then, Tyson jumped in, louder than everyone else. "Ooohh, I just want to be alone-" The smile on my face spread from ear to ear. When the chorus started, everyone was singing as loud as they could.
"WHEN I GET WEAK, OR I'M TIRED AND AFRAID!" A laugh bubbled out of me. "WHEN I SLEEP, ALL MY DREAMS TURN OUT THE SAME!"
And that's how the rest of the day went, song after song.
As the day was winding down to a close, Andy emerged from his office to make an announcement.
"Don't forget that you're all invited to the barbeque tomorrow." He said. "And I expect every single one of you drunk by the end of the night." He pointedly looked at everyone, pointing at each of our faces, then returned to his office.
"Uhh..." I looked back at Jeb, who was still working on the fuel injection system we'd been busting our asses to finish for the last two hours. Once again, he shrugged at me with a smile.
"Alrighty, then."
Before I left for the day, I gave Jeb my phone number so he could text me the address the barbeque was taking place at.
When I finally made my way home, Dad was up and dressed for work, even though it was only about five. My eyebrows scrunched together when I saw the bag that was packed on the floor beside his feet.
"Hey."
"Hey," He said, standing up from his seat at the kitchen table. "I wanted to wait until you got home before I left."
I frowned. "Left?"
"Yeah," He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I gotta go into work early and there's a job a couple towns over that I was assigned to for the weekend. I don't want to drive that much back and forth, so I'm gonna go to a motel. Are you gonna be okay here by yourself?" I could see the worry in his eyes.
I smiled at him. "Yeah, Dad. You don't have to worry about me."
"Are you sure? I can just drive back here after work if you-"
"No, Dad. It's okay. I don't want you driving that much after work. I'll be fine." I assured him. "I'll just finish working on my bike tonight and Andy invited me to a barbeque tomorrow, so I'll be busy. Don't worry." I smiled, reaching up to kiss his cheek.
He sagged a little, the worry slowly fading from his eyes. "Okay, call me if you need anything. I'll drop whatever I'm doing and come back."
I chuckled. "I'll be fine. I'll call you if I need you."
"Alright. I love you."
"I love you, too, Dad. Have a good night."
"You, too, sweetheart." He hugged me, then grabbed his bag and left.
I sighed as I changed into a tanktop and went to the garage, ready for a night of finally getting my baby finished.
"God, damn it!" I cursed, pulling my arm out from where it was sandwiched in my bike, trying to reach a complicated place. I looked at my hand where the stupid part I was trying to attach just bit me. The skin was split a little. There was a lot of blood, by the cut itself was tiny.
I put pressure on it and walked out the front of the garage to the water hose and turned it on, but before I could rinse the blood off, I heard a shout.
"Holy shit! How the hell did you do that?!"
I turned to see Dustin, Jeb and Tyson standing in the driveway across from mine.
"Working!" I shouted back. I began to rinse the blood off as I heard footsteps coming near me. By the time I looked back up, they were all standing in front of me and followed as I went back into the garage.
Wiping my hand on my jeans, I squatted back down to finish what I was doing.
"Is that yours?" Dustin asked me, pointing to my bike.
"Yep." I mumbled, focusing on not tearing my hand off.
He whistled. "Nice."
"Thanks."
"I meant your ass, babe." Before I could say anything, I heard a thud, then Dustin whispered; "What?!"
"Do you need some help?" Jeb asked stepping in front of me, my bike between us.
"Uh... Sure, I guess. You don't have to." I scrunched my eyebrows at him. I'm not used to people offering me their help with anything.
"I know." He chuckled, tossing his jacket on the workbench and squatting down with me. As we worked, Tyson took a seat and Dustin made his way around the garage, picking things up and tossing them back down. After a while, I was starting to get really annoyed.
"Hey, Dustin? You can put some music on if you want." I pointedly suggested, nodding my head to the stereo to his right.
He smiled. "Awesome." As he fiddled with it, my eyes travelled over to Tyson. He was watching me closely as I worked. When his eyes met mine, I smiled at him a little then looked back at what I was doing. With Jeb helping me, I could finish my baby in probably two hours.
When Dustin decided on a channel, he turned to look at us. "Anyone up for pizza?"
By the time everyone agreed on a pizza and it arrived, Jeb and I put the final touches on my bike. I was so happy it was finally finished. I couldn't wait to ride it.
I led the guys into the kitchen where Jeb and I washed the grease from our hands so we could eat. I'd just bleach the sink later.
"What do you guys want to drink?" I asked, walking to the fridge as they seated themselves at the table.
"Whatcha got?"
I opened the fridge door and started naming what was there. "Beer, beer, water, beer, a can of Mountain Dew, and more beer." I said. When I was finished, I turned to look at them.
"Well, I don't suppose you could spare a beer, could you?" Jeb asked, amused. I smiled at him, then turned my eyes to the other two.
"Beer." They answered. I turned to grab four beers before I made my way to the table, ready to dig in.
"So, which one of you lives across the street?" I asked, picking the banana peppers off my slice of pizza.
"You know, you could have said you didn't want any on the pizza..." Tyson said, eyeing the pile of peppers beside me. I shrugged.
"I like the flavor, just not the actual pepper." I said. "So..?" I hinted, lifting my eyes to look between them as I stuffed my face with pizza. I used my finger to nudge the pile of peppers in Tyson's direction, nodding my head to it when his eyes met mine. He took them, stuffing them all in his mouth at once. He smirked at me when I made a grossed-out face.
"It's my house, but Tyson lives with me. Dustin's just freeloading for a few days." Jeb finally answered me.
I nodded my head, getting up to get my third beer and grabbing a few more for the guys as well when I heard Tyson mutter; "Few days my ass."
When I turned my curious eyes to Dustin, he just smiled at me.
"So, do you live here alone?" Jeb asked me.
"No, just me and my dad." I answered, stuffing my face immediately afterward.
"Really?" Dustin asked. "No mom? No siblings?" All eyes turned to me, but I wouldn't meet them.
"Nope." I muttered, finishing up my beer.
An excited smile lit my face as I looked up at them. "So, you wanna see if he works?"
We left the pizza and beer bottles on the table as we made our way back into the garage.
I was so ready to feel the vibrations in my hands and the wind on my face.
♥♦♣♠♣♦♥
Let me know what you think ♥