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So I found a car missing a few essentials and played around with the thought of buying it, fixing those things for a low price, and then selling it for a small profit. If nothing else, I would at least learn a thing or two. Best thing was, the car was just down the road, which made transporting it easier. When Mel seemed open to the idea there wasn't really anything holding me back.
"Pete?" I called out, walking up the driveway to a house at the end of our street.
A huge ox of a man came out from the house, waving to greet me. He had to be way over 6 feet tall and looked in pretty good shape. But heavy. He had a black mop on his head and in his face, acting as a beard and hair. I'd guess he was in his early to mid-forties.
"Yeah, that's me. You here about the car?" Pete said, with a brisk, tough-guy voice.
Pete turned out to be quite a decent dude. A former US Marine. When I told him what I was planning on doing, he offered to stop by with some tools and to give me some guidance. Turns out all it needed was a new battery, spark plugs, and lights. The biggest cost was probably the alternator. The car was a 1998 Camry so it shouldn't be too resourceful, I figured.
The Camry didn't really start properly so we had to roll it down the street to get the engine going, and had to use momentum to get it down to Mel's but working as a team we managed to somehow get it into the garage.
"So just a bunch of electrical shit I never could be assed to do," Pete said, lightly tapping the car with the back of his hand. He had a southern rural accent. "Should have a couple bucks of profit if you do some paint and other shit too."
Pete looked at me with a curious frown.
"Sure you up for it?" Pete said. "You done cars before?"
"Nope. First one. Gotta learn you know," I said. Pete nodded.
"Well, I got some shit to do. Talk to you later, kid. G'luck."
I started by popping the hood and looked around. I recognized the battery, but that was pretty much it. What had I ventured into? I knew nothing about cars. Just to get started I threw some gloves on and started unscrewing the battery. I had to buy a new one, but I could at least take the old one out. I placed it on a workbench I had got for the garage.
I stood over the car, looking for the sparkplugs when I suddenly felt a sharp familiar sting on my ass. I turned my head startled, seeing Mel biting her lip, resting her head on my shoulder.
"Couldn't resist, darling. My man's man," Mel said, hugging me from behind.
"But I'll let you do your thing, and I'll come back for a piece of that ass later," Mel said coyly, giving me an extra smack before heading towards the garage door. I snorted with a half grin, turning back to the plugs.
After an hour of more or less posturing around the car, trying to look like I did something, Mel came back out. And gods be gracious, she even brought a beer for each of us. She always bought the good stuff, too.
"So I had a talk with Hope. I told her she could borrow you for the next party thingy. I don't know if she quite believed me, but at least now we're on the same page, right?" Mel said. Man, she moved fast. "Sooo, there's already a party this very weekend."
"Borrow me? Like I'm some lawnmower?" I said. Mel smiled at that.
"Exactly like a lawnmower. Or perhaps a plow," Mel said, laughing heartily. I just shook my head and slammed the hood shut.
Mel scanned the car.
"So... you gonna fuck me in the backseat of this thing or what?" she asked nonchalantly like she was asking if the car was blue or teal.
"You horny girl," I teased. I opened the backdoor and she jumped in. I closed the garage door and joined her.
*
The week crawled by. I did my homework, my duties as an accountant, worked out, and ordered the shit I needed for the Camry. Meanwhile, Hope seemed to ease up on the anxiety, slowly getting back to her usual gloomy, yet teasing self. It was weird to think that I would be taking her out to a party this very weekend. Mel had even arranged so that she would be on a small trip with Allie, leaving the house for me and Hope. Spa and all the stuff girlfriends do on trips. Probably saunas. And... more... saunas?
I didn't understand why she would leave town for the weekend, but I guess she wanted to go on a trip, and I saw no reason for her not to. She had earned a small excursion with how much she had been working lately. Also, I knew for a fact David would never had let Mel go on any such trips. She had told me as much. But I was determined to let her have her fun.
Saturday morning, when Mel was about to leave for her trip, I pulled her aside for a bit. To say I was nervous was to undersell it.
"Mel. How do I do it?" I sounded almost desperate.
"Don't worry about it. Just do what comes natural. I trust you, I love you both and I want you both to have a good time," Mel said, looking at me with warmth.
"Just focus on having a great time, and showing Hope how great it can be to be with a real man. Do it for me. Aaaand, I promise not to be jealous." Mel winked at me seductively, leaving parts of the conversation unsaid.
"Just have fun, okay? And you need to shave, young man!"
We kissed a quick goodbye and then Mel headed out the door, leaving me alone in the house. Maia was, like always, out with friends, sleeping over with some of her buddies. Hope was... somewhere. She had kept her distance last week. No doubt it was still a bit awkward for her. Spilling your heart out wasn't easy, especially if done in a drunken vulnerable state. But sometimes we have to face our fears.
For my own part, I couldn't help but feel a bit excited. It was certainly a first. To be excited about a frat party, that is. But truly, it was all about the company you kept, and in my instance, it was the company of having Hope as my partner in crime that added to my excitement. Pretend or not, for morale or not, Mel had in many ways and levels given me green light, whatever that entailed.
But one thing was for certain. My own inhibitions would be left at the door. I decided to heed Mel's advice and give Hope whatever good time I had to offer at the party. Hell, partying out might turn out to be fun, especially if me and Hope could keep it sarcastic and mock how silly it was.
And besides, Hope was, like both Mel and I concluded, a very pretty girl. She had a cute freckled face, hidden behind her long, darker hair and heavy makeup. Even if she was petite, Hope carried her shapes well.
Ah, the poor girl. I just hoped I was enough. Enough of what was expected of me. Both from Mel and Hope. Perhaps some people would feel some kind of pressure from this, but I was a man on a mission, on a mission from Mel no less, so I was determined to shove all that crap aside. It wasn't even about me. It was about Hope.
I even found myself wondering what I should wear. I walked into our bedroom, only to find a black polo shirt at size medium, and slacks on the bed. Mel must've picked out my outfit even! Mel, that dirty girl. I shook my head, knowing Mel was dressing me up to go on what essentially was a date with her daughter. I even found a fresh bottle of Yves Saint Laurent - La Nuit de L'homme. "That is some quality perfume, god damn!" I thought, inspecting the label.
After screwing around with the car for most of the day, Hope called me into the house. Knowing I was all heart and no skill when it came to cooking, Hope had taken it upon herself to make us steaks. I was a bit surprised about the choice of dinner, and pleasantly surprised at her initiative, but I knew I'd enjoy it. We had all earned a bit of extra luxury.
It was about half past 3. It was an early dinner, but we figured we could get an early start. Sitting at the dinner table eating bloody steaks almost gave our excursion a romantic foreplay, even if we were still dressed casually. I couldn't help but stare at her lips as she dipped medium rare meat, almost bloody, into her mouth. It was fucking sexy.
"It tastes great, Hope. I tell you, you definitely know what you're doing," I said to Hope. Hope smiled meekly at my compliment.
"I wanted to make it special," she muttered in her gloomy matter of factly fashion, focusing on her plate. "Seasalt is the trick. I'd tell you how, but I think it would be a waste of breath."
"Yeah, in one ear and out the other. Next thing I'm boiling the steak," I joked. I wanted to ease the tension. Hope smiled at the joke.
"So... I got us some beers, but then I realized a chick might not want beer, so I bought shit we can make pina Coladas out of... I think," I said. It was lame to talk about alcohol, but I was trying to steer the conversation towards the party.
"How are you this upbeat? Even after you lost a fight just last week?" Hope asked abruptly, looking up at me. I had to take a moment to reset.
"Erh... I don't know. It sucks but... you know, I have more important things to worry about," I said, meeting her eyes. She took the hint.
"Pina Coladas and a bunch of beer? Would almost think you tryna get a girl drunk," Hope said with new conviction. A conviction that we were going to have a god damn good time tonight, god damn it. Seeing my determination inspired her in return. "Got anything else in your bag? Condoms, lube, duct tape, and a shovel? Surely we can find an ax somewhere?"
I laughed as Hope sipped her coke with a small smirk.
"I don't think so, but maybe I'll consider getting some," I joked.
We then talked a bit about boxing, a bit about cars. A bit of mundane stuff. It was nice to loosen up a bit, even without alcohol involved. Turned out that Hope actually knew a bit about cars. Which made sense, she had some posters of sports cars in her room, and she had a small pipe dream of becoming a mechanic.
"I could probably help you out with your car project. I don't know much, but I learn quickly," Hope suggested. "Anyway, did you hear Frank wanting to open an MMA area at the gym? Or at least jiu-jitsu?"
"Really? You gonna start grappling?" I teased. Hope shrugged.
"Who's your childhood hero?" Hope asked.
"Keanu Reeves, no doubt," I answered.
"From Cyberpunk? Really?"
"He's done way more than that. Though, I loved that one. But not necessarily his movies, more his character. Going through what he has and still come out on the other side a great guy? Takes a special kind of person to manage that," I explained. Hope nodded as I spoke, seeming to understand where I was getting at.
"I think I need to freshen up on my Keanu-lore," Hope chirped. "But not a bad guy to idolize, I hear."
After a small pause, Hope spoke again.
"In other news... red, blue, or purple?" Hope asked.
"... Blue? Purple?" I said, unsure what she was getting at.
*
Later that evening, I was waiting in the living room. Freshly showered, shaved, and perfumed up. It was about time to leave. I had pulled on the fresh polo shirt laid out for me and a pair of jeans. I now knew why Mel wanted me to wear it. It was tight, truly showing off my chest and even more so my arms. It even let me show a bit of chest if I buttoned up. Which I didn't.
Slouching on the couch, I heard shuffling at the top of the stairs. Slowly, in an almost timid fashion, Hope descended the stairs. She seemed nervous as she made her way down. The first thing I noticed was her new hairdo. She had colored her bangs deep blue with her tips purple, with a seemingless fade of color between. So that's what she asked about earlier? It looked pretty good on her.
For once she had ditched her skirt. Instead, she wore black denim shorts, with dark stockings. I never knew I had a thing for stockings, but I guess I do. On her upper body, Hope wore a tank top, but much shorter than her usual one, showing off her navel, framed by her small black leather jacket. In short, she looked pretty damn hot, if I had to say. Sexy even. Her stockings and her top really showed off her slender frame.
As per usual, she wore her heavy makeup. Dark lipsticks, mascara, and eyeliner... although slightly lighter than usual. Like she tried to lighten up her appearance a bit. Hope did a small spin when she reached the bottom of the stairs.
"What you think?" she asked slowly, nervous still.
"Damn, Hope, you look hot as shit! I really like your hair!" I said, trying to keep my promise. Not only that. She did look good! Hope moved up close to me, studying my look as well.
"You don't look so bad yourself, buddy," Hope said, giggling at my response, her black lips smiling at my compliment, her eyes beaming looking at how I had dressed up for her. Even if it was Mel's doing. She seemed to get back to her eager self.
"Though, I liked your ragged look before you shaved," Hope said, running the back of her hand over my smooth cheek.
"Meh, it'll return, give it a few days. I wanted to look proper."
"Want to pregame a bit?" Hope asked, dragging me into the kitchen. She probably wanted to take the edge off.
"Erh, I'm driving, you know?" I answered, leaning back against the counter.
"'Erh' my ass. Here," Hope said, back to her usual self, handing me a beer from the fridge and settling down into one of the kitchen chairs.
"This is some good stuff," I thought, sipping the beer. Mel had gotten us quality beer in the fridge. She usually did. I knew the shit I'd bought probably barely passed for beer, but what it lacked in quality I made up for in quantity. It was cheap, okay?
"So what you think? Anyone gonna be there that you know?" I asked.
"Probably a few from school, I guess. Jeremy, the jocks, some college guys coming down, I think," Hope answered, looking over at me.
"What about some of your friends?" I asked.
"Friend. No S. Probably not, she doesn't like parties. Least of all with those people."
"You'll have to show me the ropes then, introduce me around, and whatnot. I don't really have a lot of experience with this sort of shit," I said.
"Well, I'm not your typical party girl either. Maybe we can just act cool out on the porch, and laugh at the others," Hope replied.
"See, that doesn't sound so bad. Maybe hanging out with ole me won't be so boring!"
"You're not old," Hope snorted. I couldn't help but laugh. This was too familiar.
Soon enough it was time to head out, so we finished our beers and got ready. These things started early, and Hope and I wanted to get our wits about us. The party was held at some classmate of hers' place, Jessica or something. Parents out of town, all that jazz.
"Wanna drive?" I asked. Hope looked at me with a raised eyebrow
"Really? This big thing?" she asked, looking up the Cherokee. "Maybe some other time," she said, jumping into the passenger seat. "Damn, these are some comfy seats, gotta say."
The house where the party was at was a two-story house with a fenced-in pool in the back and a small elevated deck, and a decently long driveway for multiple cars. But I didn't want to get boxed in, so I parked down the street a bit.
It was part of the suburbs but had enough space between the neighbors so at least no broken bottles would spill over. Music was already thumping as we parked in the street.
"Ready?" I asked. Hope looked up at the house, nodding slightly. I knew what she was thinking. Jeremy was likely to be here. "Don't worry, Hope. I got you. If something is up, we can just do like you said, find a nice place to laugh at the others, making sarcastic remarks."
That seemed to give her some courage. Before she could open the door, I quickly moved out of the car and around to her side, opening it for her. Hope smiled at the chivalry. I offered her my arm, but she swatted it away.
"I'm not drunk yet," Hope laughed. I grabbed a case of beer and we walked up to the house.
Once inside, the music was even louder. The house seemed to have good isolation. Good to know. Made escapes outside so much more viable. The hallway consisted of a small corridor with a staircase up, and a living room ahead. But the beer needed to stay cold, so we turned left and into the kitchen.
"Fridge is reserved for drinks. Take that outside," some redhead said as I came in with the case. The redhead pointed to the kitchen door.
"Sooo, who are you? I'm Jess," the redhead, her voice softer now. She seemed familiar.
"I'm Bran, I'm here with Hope," I said, gesturing to Hope who was hiding behind me. Just then Jess seemed to notice her. She squawked, frowning slightly.
"Right. Well, let me know if you change your mind and want to upgrade," Jess said and walked off.
"What the fuck," I mumbled as I went to the kitchen door. Surely a great start. Jess had talked as if Hope was not there.
"You okay?" I grunted, putting the case down outside, grabbed two and hurried back into the warmth.
"Yeah, I'm used to it," Hope said. She didn't seem to care, so neither did I. Who gives a shit what Jess thinks anyway?
"Let's see who's here," Hope said, dragging me with her to the living room.
Lo and behold, as we stepped into the big, crowded living room, I saw that dipshit Jeremy standing by the sitting group, talking with whoever was sitting on the couch. He looked up as we came in, and his smile turned from a smile to a scowl. I couldn't help but notice marks where my knuckles had cracked against his left cheek.
The dudes sitting on the couch turned, and it was none other than Trent and Benny. Both smiled and waved us over. Jeremy slinked away to some of his friends in another room.
"Eyyyh, Bran!" Trent shouted, oblivious to Jeremy's reaction, getting the attention of the immediate surrounding people, who also turned their attention to Hope and me. "That shirt looks fucking rad on you, dawg! Flex those biceps!"
Hope dragged me to the couch to avoid the sudden attention. Trent was a pretty popular guy, so people naturally looked where he did.
"Never thought I'd see you here," Trent said as we made our way over.
"Yeah, well. Hope wanted to go, so here I am. On the contrary, I totally expected to find you here. How you doing?" I said, pulling Trent up into a brief hug. I didn't fail to notice that some of the people around looked curiously over at us. Trent was a popular guy, so who he liked was always interesting.
I hugged Benny too and sat down.
"Heard you lost," Benny said, more stating a fact than anything.
"Yeah, but I saw some of it on YouTube. Freya posted it on the gym channel. Bran fucked that dude up let me tell you! And Carlos has gone pro now and won his first match. Dude is fucking good, no shame in pointing out to that," Trent said loudly. Was he doing it on purpose? Building me up to get my confidence going? He knew how uncomfortable I was in crowds, and more so among a bunch of jocks and frat boys.
Trent turned back to me and Hope.
"I like your hair, Hope. But... what the shit you drinking?" He asked us. I looked at the can.
"Pabst?" I said, knowing nothing about beer. It was cheap, and that was it. "I bought four cases," I said.
"You what?" Hope exclaimed, looking at me in disbelief.
"Hey, I didn't want to run out!" I said defensively. Trent shook his head.
"Dude, never buy four cases. Only thing to remedy this shit is beer pong," Trent said. He got up and dragged Hope to her feet, Benny dragging me.
"I know you're in deep water here, so let's have a great time, yeah?" Trent mumbled to me as we walked back into the kitchen, the crowd spreading for our presence. I nodded. I truly appreciated how Trent was.
We sat up a bunch of cups on the kitchen table and split into teams. First me and Hope against two randos. Trent stood as judge. We pretty much schooled them, as my hand-eye coordination was pretty good at this point. The next guys were equally wrecked to the salute and hollering of the gathering crowd. We of course basked in our glory, high-fiving each other.
