Page 22 of Creed

I stomped my foot. “Fine!” I turned and spoke under my breath. “Asshole.” The jack was under the floorboard along with the spare tire. The stupid men watched me as I struggled with the huge ass tire, it was heavy. Once I got it on the ground and started rolling it to the side of the car I looked at all the assholes watching me. “You can all leave.”

Creed didn’t even turn around but held his hand up and pointed in the direction we were all heading. Their engines started and they slowly drove around me, but that prickly feeling stayed on my skin. Creed, Josh, and Drakos all stood watching me with their arms crossed, but thankfully the rest left.

“I don’t know why you think I need watched.” I placed the jack under the car then I jacked up the Suburban. I could admit to myself it was much harder to do on a larger vehicle. Unlike many people I knew, my dad made me learn how to change a flat, change my oil, and how to use jumper cables before I was permitted to get my license. So, the joke was on Creed.

I grabbed the lug wrench and used the one side to remove the hub cap, then took off the lug nuts and put them inside the hub cap that was laying on the ground. The first nut was surprisingly hard to remove, but there was no way in hell I was going to let any of them help me.

“You really have nothing better to do?” I asked as I used all my strength to take off the last lug nut.

“Not really, this is entertaining enough.” Creed had a smirk on his face.

“Then you must live a boring life.” The tire was even heavier than the spare tire, but my pride wouldn’t have allowed me to ask for help. Once I had the flat off, I rolled it to the back of the vehicle and rolled the spare tire over to put it on.

It was heavy as hell and getting it on the lugs took all my strength, plus a little more than I knew I had. “Shit, dammit!” I broke a nail and Creed stepped forward. “I’ve got this!” I snapped at him, and tried to act like my finger wasn’t bleeding.Once it was finally on, I looked up at Creed. “See, I’m perfectly capable.”

I remembered not to put the lug nuts on in order but to do one at the top, then one at the bottom and make my way around. Then I grabbed the hubcap to put it back on, but Creed grabbed the lug wrench. “For peace of mind.” He said then bent down and was able to turn the lug nuts three more times. I watched those muscles as he tightened them and my imagination came into play once more, until he looked at me and smirked.

I bit my cheek so I wouldn’t snap at him. “Thank you.” It was said in a snarky tone.

“You did fine, they just needed tightened.” He grabbed the hubcap and put it on before lowering my vehicle. “But you know, you could have called the rental company and had them come out and bring you a different vehicle. The old tire had wires exposed on the inner side, so it needs new tires. You can’t drive around on this spare or just have the other one patched.”

I rolled my eyes. “I knew that…well I wasn’t going to sit on the side of the road for two hours while I waited.” I really didn’t know, but I wasn’t going to give him the pleasure of me admitting I didn’t already know.

He put the tools and the tire in the Suburban. “We will follow you to the general store where you can call the rental company. I think you can handle that without an assistant doing it for you, don’t you think?”

I glared at him. “I don’t have an assistant, and if I did I wouldn’t call them for something so petty anyway.” Usually, I would have called Jake but there was no reason to bring that up.

He shut the gate then looked at me. “Okay fine, you’re semi independent for a spoiled chick.”

I put my hands on my hips. “Spoiled chick? You don’t even know me!” He was as irritating as hell.

He looked down at my hands then up at me again with a smile on his face. “You’re hands are dirty and now so are your clothes.”

I rolled my eyes again. “I know how to do laundry. What the hell is your problem?”

He shook his head as he swiped his hands together like he was knocking off dirt. “No problem, just pointing out the obvious.”

“Everyone said you were a kind man, but I guess I must bring the asshole out in you.” I walked around him and to the drivers side door.

“Irritating.” I heard him say under his breath, but decided to ignore him and got into the Suburban. When I looked in the rear view mirror, all three men were shaking their heads with amused looks on their faces. I expected it from Creed but not Josh. Creed was like one of the mean girls from high school.

“Fuck him.” I muttered to myself.

They waited for me to pull onto the road then followed me to the store. Once parked, I took the rental information from the glove box and pulled my phone out. Just as I was dialing, I jumped when the bearded man was at my passenger window, and I didn’t see him walk up. I opened the door. “I’m perfectly capable of making a phone call.” I jumped down just as an agent answered and walked around Creed. I gave them my reservation number and Creed took the phone from me.

“Is it your normal practice to rent cars with bald tires? The tire that blew had exposed wires, so I expect someone to bring a new rental car to Cold Springs. The Suburban will be at Hoffman’s General Store and the new rental will be delivered to…” He looked at me. “What’s your parents address?” I turned my nose up at him. “Never mind. Bring it to Creed Lake Motorsports, which is also in Cold Springs.”

I tried reaching for the phone, but he turned away and kept talking to the agent. “I expect this to be a complimentary rental…” I tried jumping for the phone and he kept turning away from me. “Sure, if you don’t want the talk of social media being that you rented a dangerous vehicle to Morgan Rossi, and she could have been killed.”

“I can afford a fucking car rental, you jerk!” I was pissed. What happened wasn’t the agent’s fault and that company employs people. One screw up didn’t mean they were a bad company, and I didn’t know if he was getting the nice people that rented cars at the airport in trouble. It was on the inner side, and it was just a mistake. They simply overlooked it.

“Two hours, the keys to the Suburban will be inside the general store. Just ask for them from the woman working behind the counter.” He was still talking and pissing me off.

Worst Day Ever

Morgan

“Ugh! You’re so irritating!”

---