Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update this. I've been revising a lot because I have a shit load of exams at school right now. I'll try to be quicker but in the mean time, enjoy :)
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After school that day, Andrew seems a little...off. He's more happy than usual. I'm not sure if it's just me, or if Pete notices it too. When we get in the car, Andrew chirpily says hi to us. Pete doesn't say hi back, and when I look at him inquisitively, he looks away.
"Hi," I say casually, trying to be polite.
All the way back, Andrew whistles along to whatever song plays on the radio, which gets irritating for Pete. He keeps sighing loudly and glares at Andrew every now and then. But he doesn't say a word.
When we get out the car, Pete says to Andrew, "You been to Chelsea again?"
Andrew nods with a big smile.
Pete sighs. "Thought so," he says quietly.
As we enter the apartment, Pete perks up. "Pat, you wanna go out tonight?"
Hearing him say "go out" makes my heart skip a beat, but I don't know why.
"I said I'd meet up with Andy and Joe," Pete says. "But you can come, if you want."
I consider this for a moment. I don't really know Andy or Joe very well...but I know Pete. And maybe this is my chance to get to know them.
But then I remember the OCK meet up, and what the OCK did, and what happened, and where that left me. Do I really want to get involved in that again?
"Where would we be going?" I ask slowly.
Pete sighs. "Stupid me. You probably never wanna go out with us again, after what happened."
"No, I do," I say quickly. Too quickly? "I just wanna know where we'd be going."
"Well, you might not trust me after that OCK meet up," Pete says. "But I swear, I won't let anything bad happen to you."
And then, for a reason unknown, I feel made up. He's going to protect me. I'll be safe with him. I feel safe with him.
So how could I refuse to go out with them tonight?
"Then yes," I say, starting to smile. "I will go out with you tonight."
Pete starts smiling too. "Awesome. I said I'd meet them in an hour at the old garage, where the Overcast Kids met last time there was a meet up."
Every time Pete mentions that meet up, or even that day, I feel a rush of sadness. But to avoid worrying him, I just nod and smile.
An hour later, Pete and I make our way to the old garage, where Andy and Joe are waiting for us, smoking. Well, I shouldn't really say "us". They're waiting for Pete, not me.
"Hey guys," Pete says to them, giving them bro hugs.
"Hey!" Joe says with a grin.
Andy grunts a hello and nods to him.
"Um, I brought Patrick with me," Pete says, sounding a little nervous. "I hope that's okay."
Joe grins at me, then gives Pete a smug look. "That's cool," he says, sounding sneaky.
I notice Pete blushing.
"So where are we going?" asks Andy. I think that's the first time I've heard him speak. "You said you had a plan."
Pete nods, looking sly. "I do." He glances at me briefly. "We're going joyriding."
My jaw drops. Going out with them, fine. But joyriding? I did not sign up for this...!
Andy and Joe seem really excited about it, but all I can feel is fear. I can't drive! None of us can! We're all underage!
"So whose car are we jacking?" asks Joe.
"Well, actually, we're not gonna jack one," Pete says.
Andy and Joe exchange a confused look.
"We don't need to. And now I've properly seen what being too reckless can do." He looks at me quickly. Is he referring to my brother's death? "I don't wanna do that again."
"So...whose car are we using?" corrects Joe.
"I know a couple guys downtown who can help us out," says Pete. "They own a junk yard, and they've been repairing an old junk car for us to use. They were my brother's friends in school, they know me."
"Cool," Andy says casually.
"Cool with me too," grins Joe.
But it is most certainly not "cool" with me. How can they sound so casual about this?
We start making our way out of the garage, Andy and Joe ahead of Pete and I.
"Pete," I say quietly, unable to control the worry shining through in my voice. "Are we really doing this?"
Pete smiles and places a hand on my arm. "It'll be fine, Pat." He awkwardly takes his hand away.
"But none of us can drive!" I protest.
"That's the thrill of it," Pete tells me. "Relax Patrick, I've done this tons of times before."
I feel a spark of hope. "Really?"
Pete looks away with a laugh. "Nope."
And I start panicking again. How can he be so calm about this? It's reckless, dangerous and plain stupid! I promised to Kevin I wouldn't do anything stupid. I already broke that promise once - I can't do it again. I won't do it again.
But how can I get out of this situation? If I go back to the apartment, what will I do for the next few hours or so while Pete's gone?
And do I even want to spend that long without him?
Andy, Joe and I follow Pete down streets and through alleyways, Joe scurrying along beside Andy just behind Pete, me trailing along at the back. Pete leads us to a junkyard that appears to be abandoned. It looks like the sort of place a Western movie would be set in. As we delve deeper into the junkyard, a small motor shop named "TORO'S" comes into view. Pete looks back and grins at us, then enters the shop with his head held high.
Two guys have their backs to us, leaning over a dusty red car that looks very old. At the sound of the door opening, they turn round to face us.
One of them has big lips and dark brown eyes. He has a mad dark brown afro and it seems to me that he doesn't take care of his hair.
The other is very slightly shorter than him, with short brown hair and smart glasses. He's also slim and pale.
"Hey, Pete!" grins the man with the afro.
He gives Pete a bro hug and turns to Andy, Joe and I while Pete gives the man with the glasses a bro hug.
"So these are the dudes you're joyriding with?" says the man with the afro.
"Yep, they are," says Pete.
The man with the afro shakes hands with Andy, Joe and I in turn.
"The name's Ray," he says with a grin. "I own this shop. Toro's my surname."
"Actually, I own it too," chimes in the man with the glasses jokingly. He comes over and shakes our hands. "Except I'm the secondary manager. Name's Mikey."
Ray turns to Pete. "So, how's your brother? Still getting into trouble?"
Pete nods. "Oh, yeah." He chuckles but I notice a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Anyway, is this the car?"
He gestures to the old red car that Ray and Mikey were leaning over when we came in.
"Yep, this is she," grins Ray. "We've fixed her up as best we can, but she might be a bit rusty."
"Just don't sue us if something bad happens to her!" jokes Mikey.
Pete laughs. "I won't."
Ray pulls a car key out his pocket and tosses it to Pete, who catches it swiftly.
"Bring it back whenever, but be sure to bring it back in one piece," Ray tells him.
"Cool," says Pete. "Thanks, guys."
Panic has been rising up in me like vomit. I can't be doing this. Mikey looks me in the eyes, and I must look like I'm going to faint, because he frowns and says to me, "You okay, little man?"
Now all eyes are on me. None of them look very concerned except Pete. He said he'd make sure nothing bad happens to me...I need to make sure he's sticking to that promise.
"Pete..." I say to him, so quietly it's almost a whisper.
Pete sighs and grabs my wrist, then leads me outside the shop.
"I can't be doing this," I say plainly, before he has a chance to say anything.
"Patrick," Pete sighs. "I told you, nothing bad is going to happen to you."
"But...I told Kevin I'd be safe. I already broke that promise once. I can't do it again. I can't."
Pete bows his head, looking sombre.
"I understand," he says sadly. "I'll take you back to the apartment."
He looks at me and I see that his eyes are filled with disappointment. Did he really want me here? Is he starting to enjoy time with me as much as I am with him? But why? I'm just...I'm just a dork.
"I just want you to know," Pete continues. "I didn't bring you here to try and make you do dangerous shit. I..."
He sighs, looks away, then looks into my eyes and says: "I brought you here because I really like being with you."
That makes me blush no end. He does like being with me! Why do I have so many butterflies now?
And is it safe to tell him the same thing?
"I...I really like b-being with you too," I say, feeling the most nervous I've ever felt in my entire life.
Pete blushes and smiles.
"I'll stay," I say after a pretty long pause.
"Then let's go."
We go back inside to see Andy and Joe opening up a big door in the shop. Ray and Mikey are starting to push the car out the door.
"Pat, I promise you," Pete says to me. "Nothing bad will happen. Trust me, okay?"
I nod and, even though I'm still in an internal state of anxiety, I feel somewhat reassured.
Pete gets into the driver's seat of the car outside the shop. As he straps himself in, he peers up at me through the car window.
"You can sit in the passenger seat if you want, Pat," he says.
"Okay," I reply.
I reach my hand out to open the car door, but stop myself and take a moment to finally decide. Do I really want to do this? Probably not. Is there any other alternative? Probably not. Would I be fine with leaving Pete now? Probably not.
Should I just get in the car and see how this goes? Probably.
So I seat myself down in the passenger seat, strap myself in and brace myself.