Pacing in front of the auto shop, I rehearse what I need to say without sounding too desperate.
I need a job because my parents are deadbeats and left me to fend for myself at the age of eighteen years old. Nah, too needy.
I’ve changed my own oil and fixed my old beater more times than I can count because I’m too poor to have anyone else do anything for me. Nope. Definitely screams desperation.
“Hey, there. Heard you needed to talk to me.” A guys’ voice grabs my attention.
Stopping my movements, I extend my hand to his and give it a firm shake. “Hey, Mark. You probably don’t remember me, but you used to work on my dad’s car back when…a while ago. I’m Zack, Zack Wells.”
Snapping a finger at me, the corner of his lip tugs up in a smile. “Oh yeah. Damon Wells’ son. You used to poke at the tires of the cars in the lot with a stick when you were just a little shit.”
Nodding and trying to hide my embarrassment, I smirk. “Yeah. Sounds like something I would do. Listen, I was wondering if you’re hiring. I could really use a job right about now.”
Mark runs his fingers through his greasy black hair and releases an airy breath. “Damn, wish we were but things have been pretty slow around here lately. You got any experience?”
“I can change oil, rotate tires, small jobs like that. I don’t wanna sound desperate, but I’m pretty desperate.” I let out a sarcastic laugh, hoping to hide the extent of my distress.
Mark pulls out a pack of smokes from the front pocket of his navy blue mechanic shirt. Flipping the top, he offers me one, but I shake my head. “No, thanks.”
He pops the butt of a cigarette in his mouth and shields the wind to light up. After a long drag, he exhales a cloud of smoke in the space between us. “How’s your old man doing anyway?”
“Wouldn’t know.” I keep my response short. Really don’t wanna go into detail and it sounds like this is all just a waste of time anyways. “Thanks for your time. If you’re ever in need of someone, let me know. I'll be around town.” For the rest of my sorry life because I’ll never be able to escape this hell hole. I don’t say it, but I think it every day of my fucking life.
Pivoting around, I begin to walk back to my car, but Mark stops me. “Zack,” he hollers, “How about Saturday mornings to start? We get pretty busy on Saturday’s.”
Pinching my eyes shut, I internally scream before turning back to face him. “What time?”
“We open at noon on Saturdays.”
“I’ll be here.”
He gives me a nod before dropping his cigarette to the ground and extinguishing it with the toe of his boot. When he walks back inside, I head to my car—with a job.
It might only be one day a week, but it’s a start. I’ve got four weeks to earn enough money to cover next month’s rent. On the bright side, we live in a dump, so it’s not like I need to earn a fortune. There are bills, of course, but right now, all I care about is having a roof over my head. One that doesn’t house a monster, aka my father.
I’m late for school, which is nothing new. I was hoping to greet my little Blue Jay with a smile this morning, but priorities take precedence. Now that I have a job, I can focus solely on that, school, and making Nadia Rivers pay for what she’s done to me. In time, I’ll live in the forefront of her mind. I plan to be the continuous nightmare that wakes her from the deepest sleep.
There’s ten minutes left of advisory, which gives me enough time to plant the seed of destruction. Pushing the door open, I make a beeline straight for my seat sandwiched between my two ladies. Lacey and I have a little fling going on, but it’s nothing serious. At least not for me. She’s clingy as fuck and I honestly just don’t have time for a girlfriend. We have a little fun on the weekends, but that’s as far as it goes. However, she’s the perfect pawn for my game because she’s jealous, ruthless, and pretty badass. Nadia won’t stand a chance against her.
My eyes are locked tight on Nadia, who hasn’t even lifted her head to look at me. I know she senses my presence with the way her body tenses up when I draw closer. Tiny little goosebumps cascade down her bare arms and I watch intently as she squeezes her thighs together tightly. “Good morning,” I whisper in her ear as I pass behind her. Inhaling a deep breath, I lock her scent to memory. Floral—like lilacs and jasmine mixed with the bitter fragrance of entitlement.
Still nothing, she continues drawing something in her book. I’m not too keen on being ignored, but Lacey also doesn’t like being ignored. Grabbing at my arm, she pulls my attention from Nadia. “Where were you?” she asks.
Her perfume is far too strong for this early in the morning and I’m forced to extend my body back to refrain from filling my lungs with that garbage. “Had to take care of something.” I don’t go into any more detail than that. Lacey, much like the rest of the student body, isn’t aware of my broken home status. To the world, I have it all together. Inside, I’m fighting like hell not to fall apart.
Lacey raises her brows. “Your little princess was late, too.”
Twisting my neck, I look at Nadia. “She was, was she?”
Nadia finally snaps her head up. Throwing a hand up in front of her, she hisses, “What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Her caramel brown hair cascades around her face and I wanna shove the stray pieces away that threaten to go into her mouth. She’s gorgeous, I’ll give her that.
“Oh, nothing. Just thinking,” I respond with a grin on my face.
“Thinking about what beverage you and your girlfriend plan to shower me with at lunch today? Or maybe how you plan on cornering me after school again?” Her words are laced with sarcasm and I’m starting to realize that Nadia is a feisty little thing. She’s fixing to make her demise a grand ole’ time.
Leaning closer, I prepare to whisper something crude, but the bell sounds just in time. Nadia scoops up her books and takes no time getting as far away from me as she can.
“You can run, but you can’t hide,” I mutter under my breath.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Lacey says as she hooks an arm around mine. “Carry these.” Her books shove into my chest.
Obeying my command like a good boy, I clutch both of our books in one hand and walk down the hall with Lacey as my arm candy. It’s all for show. On a normal day, I’d never let anyone boss me around like this chick is. But, she knows I need her right now.
Looking straight ahead at the backside of Nadia, I double check that things are moving along according to plan. “Everything set for next weekend?” I ask Lacey as we walk together.
“Yup. Don’t you worry your pretty little head. We’ll get her right where you need her.” She nudges my shoulder. “It’s the biggest party of the school year. Everyone will be there. The more people, the less she’ll stand out. Besides, every new kid wants to go to the parties. Make friends and shit.”
“I dunno. Nadia doesn’t seem like the type who cares whether or not she fits in and has friends. She’s….different.”
Lacey stops abruptly, halting my movements. “Different how? You’re not falling for her, are you”