Page 49 of Something Tattered
"Well, goodie for you," Derek said, turning back to me. "Speaking of Monday, I'm gonna have a mechanic look over the Porsche." He gave Joel a warning look. "To make sure nothing's damaged."
Joel said, "You should. The clutch is slipping."
I felt my brow wrinkle in confusion. What was a clutch? Sadly, I had no idea.
From the looks of it, neither did Derek. His eyes narrowed. "What?"
"The clutch," Joel said. "When's the last time you had it checked?"
"Hey!" Derek barked. "I don't answer to you."
"Good thing," Joel said, "with the sorry job you're doing."
Derek took a single step forward. "Listen, asshole…"
I jumped between them and looked to Derek. "A mechanic? Great! And while you're at it, have them fix the other car, too."
Derek frowned. "Your mom's car? What happened tothatone?"
I shrugged like it was no big deal. "It stalled at the campground."
"What campground?"
"You know. The one a few miles from my house."
Derek stared at me. "You took the car camping?"
"No." I hesitated. "I was visiting a friend."
Derek's gaze shifted to Joel. "A friend, huh?"
I nodded. "Yup."
Looking more annoyed than ever, Derek said, "You got funds for the repair?"
No. I didn't, actually. But that was partially my point. I forced a smile. "I dunno. Do I have 'funds' to have someone look over the Porsche?"
"You know what?" Derek said. "Forget it. You wanna deal with the cars on your own? Fine by me."
"Great," I said. "It's fine by me, too."
Was it fine? Probably not. Supposedly, I had two cars at my disposal. Unfortunately, the one I normally drove was stuck at the campground. As for the other one, I didn't even know how to drive it.
I bit my lip.What would I do now?Maybe it was time to pull out my bike and get peddling. Thatmightwork, until winter, anyway.
Derek gave me a long, penetrating look. "What's up with you tonight?"
"Nothing."
"Yeah, whatever. But the attitude's getting old."
My jaw dropped. "Myattitude?"
But already, Derek had turned to go. Without so much as a goodbye, he stormed out the same way he'd come in, with lots of pushing and shoving.
Next to me, Cassie, "God, what's his deal lately?"
I shook my head. "I wish I knew."
