Later on, I was in Arturo's garage with him, Eddie, Teresa, and Jeff. He wanted to show us a new car he was fixing up. It was a sweet 1970 Mach 1, with silver framing. It was yellow with black stripes down the middle of the hood. Both doors were missing and damages were brutal, but all four of us guys were drooling over it. Even Teresa, who swore we were obsessed, was amazed.

"Jesus Christ, man." Jeff shook his head. "Where the hell did you find this beauty?"

Arturo laughed, gazing at the car himself. "Some guy was selling her cheap downtown. He couldn't get her started, so he just gave up."

"Have you gotten her started?" Eddie asked, walking around to the back of the car.

"Uh, I'm halfway there. But I can't wait to see her on the road."

I glanced at him, coming out of my trance. "Man, seriously, do you think that's a good idea? I mean, she'll end up in worst shape…"

"Especially with your brother driving!" Jeff snickered, punching me in the shoulder.

"Trey will not be allowed ten feet of my baby." Arturo winked at me, realizing the truth of my words.

"Oh so it's your baby now?" Teresa questioned, realizing how lame he sounded.

"She is not an 'it'!" Arturo snapped defensively, swiping at her hand on the hood. Jeff then took the rag from over Arturo's shoulder and began caressing it, as if she left a mark. Teresa crossed her arms, slightly offended, while the guys chuckled. She gave Jeff a dirty look, but smiled at me.

"Oh yeah. So did you get Trey in okay?" Arturo laughed remembering the events of that morning.

I smiled and nodded, hoping he wouldn't carry the conversation on.

Jeff looked between us about to open his mouth, before Trey walked in the garage. "Yeah, yeah…I was hammered, he gets it." He threw his arm around me, as if to hold him up. I staggered at first, in shock, then threw him off, giving him a questioning look. He pushed me, laughing, then turned his attention over to the beautiful car in front of him.

Before he could open his mouth, Arturo started. "Don't you even get any ideas, dude. You lay a finger on this car and I will kick your drunk ass so hard…"

"Hey, hey." Trey paused, and it was unnecessary and kind of unusual. "I wasn't gonna do anythaang…" He mumbled the rest of his words and therefore no one understood a thing.

I couldn't believe it. After all that he was drunk…again. I shook my head, pushing past him with my shoulder. The only thing I could actually get out, through all of my anger, was: "You're unbelievable!"

"What bro?" He started laughing, hysterically.

As I slammed the garage door shut, I heard Jeff's comment that couldn't be more true. "You definitely are your mother's son, dude!" Of fucking course he is. Who else, besides the two of them, gets so drunk that you pass out and have to have somebody take you home? And then when you wake up you get drunk again to stop the pain? And it's definitely saying something that he drank enough to get drunk. He could've had alcohol poisoning, for all I cared.

I didn't really have anywhere to go so I decided to let out some anger outside. I kicked at the pavement, angrily. Yeah it was so him. Why am I effected by this now? I thought to myself, beginning to regret it when Teresa came out of the front door.

"Ryan! Are you…"

"Fine." I wasn't quite sure if I was lying. Probably was, but I couldn't let her know.

"Ryan, he's a…"

"Bastard. I know, trust me."

"Then you should stop letting him walk all over you. You're better then that, and yes he's your brother, but if he's hurting you this much, then…" I wasn't even sure if Teresa knew where she was going with it. But I wasn't going to let her go on.

"I should stop helping him. Got it." I forced a smile, then turned my back and started walking down the street.

"Where are you going?" She called after me, worriedly.

I answered honestly. "No clue."

"Ryan!"

I turned to face her. "You can come. I don't know where, but…" My voice trailed off, when she caught up with me and linked arms with mine. We began walking up the street and I pretended she made me feel better.

Her long, dark brown hair blew in the wind, her deep brown eyes glowing. I set my complete attention on her. She was gorgeous. So hot, and yet she still wanted to be with me. I immediately felt bad for snapping at her. All those times I was angry at Trey, or my mom, or her boyfriends, she was always there to try and comfort me. She tried to comfort me even when I let some of my anger out on her.

We reached the end of the street, crossing the road towards the old park at the corner. We spent a lot of time here as kids. Playing tag, fighting, smoking, making out, this place was kind of like our little sanctuary. At the end of the day we usually ended up back here, talking about our problems.

Teresa sat down in the one swing that wasn't wrapped around the bar. She stuck her tongue out at me, childishly. I smiled at her, as she began pumping her feet to make her swing back and forth. It was just like when we were kids. She stared back at me and smiled. "You know this kind of reminds me of when were little."

"I was just thinking the same thing." I leaned against the bar, facing her. "Except, you know, I was the one on the swing making you jealous."

She laughed. "Oh yeah, right up until I made you give it to me. Admit it, Atwood! I used to beat you up so bad!"

"Yeah, but that was before puberty. Remember I had that growth spurt in the eighth grade?"

"That was the ninth grade, and yes I remember. I think that was when you started working out so you could finally protect yourself from that bully, at school." She kicked her sandals off, running her feet deep into the stones.

"Yeah, you were really mean to me." I dodged her swing at my head.

She laughed. "I meant Matt James! Remember he always used to try and take your homework, but then he got mad, because you never did it?"

"James! Yeah! That guy was such an ass. I hated his guts!" I laughed, remembering. I also remembered how he was friends with Trey at the time, who would do absolutely nothing about it. "What ever happened to him?"

"I think he dropped out last year." Teresa's smile faded. A lot of people dropped out last year. Including her, because she had to get a job to help her mom out.

I stared up at the bar holding the swings. Determined to take her mind off of it, I said: "Hey, remember when Trey and your brother used to do this to us all of the time?"

She looked up at me, realizing what I was talking about. "Yes. We used to get so mad at them, because we couldn't get them down!" She noticed my determined look. "Ryan, you can come sit with me, just don't cry again, okay! Your brother was so embarrassed!"

I laughed. "Hey, I never cried! That's a load of bullshit!" I gripped the bar, beginning to climb to the top of the swing set.

"Oh my God! What are you doing?"

"This I can fix!"

She started to laugh. "Just don't look down!"

"You're funny!" I started to glance at her, but changed my mind. "But probably the best advice anyone's ever given me!" Swinging my feet around the bar, into a sitting position, I started untying the chains intertwined with each other.

"Oh you'll be the hero of the playground! All the preschool girls will want to catch a glimpse of you now!" Teresa joked, as she watched me.

"You're just jealous! You know you want some of this!" I ran my fingers through my hair, dramatically, then clasped my hands back to the bar, saving myself from falling.

"Oh yes, the paleness of your face, and the fear in your eyes is so sexy…"

"Whatever turns you on!" She picked up her flip flop and tossed it at me.

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