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  Austin walks with me out into the garage. I recognize more familiar faces; the guys I had lunch with today and a few faces from High School. Everyone is amicable and half in the bag already. I guess I am a little late to the game.

  I watch as a few guys participate in keg stands and chant as they take shots of Fireball and Wild Turkey. They manage to get me to take a few shots too. Fireball burns all the way down and leaves a warm but fuzzy feeling. I'm not too fond of this stuff.

  Jason appears in the garage after my fourth drink of this fantastic sweet tea and a couple of fireballs. He lifts me over his shoulders, and I get a sudden urge to pee.

  "About time you showed your face," I slur with a smile.

  "I was getting lucky," he boasts as guys chant around us, and a few of them give him fist bumps.

  "I have to pee!" I shout.

  Jason whispers in my ear while he throws his arm around my shoulders, "Everyone has to piss outside, but you can go in the house. It's the second door on the right."

  I feel glad I do not belong to the "everyone" category, considering how close we are. I am also not comfortable popping a squat outside while intoxicated. Jason takes his arm from around me and smacks my ass as I start to walk away. I turn around, giving him the middle finger and stick my tongue out at him. I have to pee so bad.

  I make my way to the house and notice the driveway that goes past the garage. I can see the light shining through the trees. My curiosity takes the better of me, and I head down the road, forgetting that I need to use the restroom. At times like these—peeing takes a backseat to curious adventures.

  Chapter Five

  I follow the dirt road, for what seems like forever. However, I have not ventured too far from Jason's house. When I look back, I can still see the garage light through the trees. The loud headbanging music fades as I travel further down the dirt road. I stop when I see a ginormous pole barn.

  The light shines brightly from the top of the pole barn. As I walk closer, I can hear the faint sound of music coming from the building. There are three large doors across the end, with a small main entrance on the side. I reach for the handle and can make out the song Are the Good Times really over? by Merle Haggard. The kind of music that my dad listened to.

  I open the door.

  "Hello?" I say softly as I step inside.

  I looked around this vast building and notice that there is nobody in sight. I am surprised to see a pole barn with a concrete floor instead of a dirt one. I see a black Dodge Charger in front of me. As I walk further in, there is another car that I am not quite sure of, because it's so rusted and smashed up. In front of it is a lifted Denali truck. I spot a few dirt bikes, two four-wheelers, a side by side, a boat, and a motorcycle filling the rest of the space.

  This place is phenomenal—all the tools, toys, and cars. Even the workbench is astounding. Is this Jason's too? I notice out of the corner of my eye that there is a car under a sheet. I am surprised that I didn't see it earlier. I'm feeling nosey, so I make my way over to it. I lift a part of the sheet to see collector plates. The plate reads ALIS HERO. Now, my curiosity is stoked further. This plate is very familiar. My mind is buzzing with questions. Why is it on this car? I had it made for my dad one year for Christmas when I was in High School. Why does Jason have it?

  "What are you doing?" I hear a voice coming from behind me.

  Startled, I drop the sheet and turn around, quite buzzed from all the drinks and shots. I look up to see Luke standing with a wrench and an angry look on his face, which quickly fades into shock.

  "I— I, why are my dad's plates on this car?" I fire back at him.

  Uninterested in his answer, I turn back to the car, and as I remove the sheet, Luke says in a concerned voice, "I wouldn't do that, Ali."

  I rip the cover from the car; it's my dad's Ranchero. It was his favorite vehicle out of all the ones he owned. Tears fill my eyes as I run my hand across the hood while walking over to the side. I drop to my knees when I see the crumpled-up door panel. My mind starts to turn, and flashes of my father come across it. There is a reason why the door panel is crumpled.

  My father was on his way home from work when a young woman t-boned him. He pulled out from the intersection, and she side-swept him. She was going so fast that it spun their vehicles around, causing hers to go into the ditch. Her car flipped a few times before ending up on its roof. My father rushed over to see if the young woman was okay.

  There was water in the ditch, and she was trapped inside her vehicle. Unbeknownst to them, one of the telephone poles nearby had a loose cable laying in the water. As my father was pulling her out of the driver's side window, both he and the young woman got electrocuted, and my father was killed instantly. My father taking the brunt of the shock, the woman they say, received the shock through him. The young woman ended up dying from head trauma a few days later.

  I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn to look at Luke. I push his arm off me as I stand up and take off running. I can hear the muffled crackles as he yells my name, but I keep running. I run out of the building, past Jason's house, and all the people partying until I reach my car. I am crying so hard that I drop my keys while fumbling to get into my vehicle.

  "Ali, wait!" Luke pleads as he grabs my arm.

  I turn to yell at him to leave me alone, but I bury myself into his chest. He wraps his arms around me and holds me tight while I cry the hardest I have since the news of my father's death. I've felt so alone since I have been back, and I’ve reached my threshold. I break down, and it feels therapeutic in a sense. I push my hands against Luke's chest, pushing myself away from him and out of his grasp.

  "Sorry," I whimper while wiping my face and under my eyes with my shirt sleeve

  . "It's okay. I needed a shower anyway," he says with a smirk, while trying to lighten the mood.

  I giggle. I guess Luke isn't the asshole I have assumed he was from the day we met. He's quite sweet.

  "Have you been drinking?" he asks.

  "Yes, I have had a few," I reply.

  "Would you like me to drive you home?" I nod politely and hand him my keys before walking around my car to get into the passenger side.

  I figure I need a ride home since I am not in the best condition to drive. I've had a few drinks, and my recent outburst in front of Luke are two good reasons for that.

  We are silent during the whole drive to my dad's house. I lean my head against the window, staring out into the darkness as tears spill down upon my cheeks.

  We pull up at my dad's house, and I run inside without even saying 'thank you' to Luke. I run-up to my room, slam the door shut, and lie down on my bed. I pull a pillow to my chest and cry myself to sleep.

  I WAKE WITH A SUDDEN urge to pee. I remember that I didn’t go to the bathroom while I was at the party. Flashbacks from what I saw in the building at Jason's fill my head. I walk downstairs to see if my car is here. I look out the window; my car is in the driveway.

  I grab myself a glass of water from the kitchen and walk into the living room. I'm startled to see Luke on the couch, and almost drop my drink. There is light shining on his face from the moonlight poking through the window. He looks hot even while he sleeps.

  I walk over to the couch, grab the blanket off the back, and cover him up. I look at him for a moment, then head back to my room.

  Chapter Six

  My ringing phone awakens me. An unknown number flashes across my screen. I hit the silent button, lie my head back on my pillow, and fall asleep.

  I sit on the couch, watching TV. My dad is in the kitchen, frying fish he caught on a great weekend at the cabin. He comes into view as the sun is shining through the dining room window before supper time.

  "Dad, do you need any help with dinner?" I call out to him. He doesn't reply to me. I call out to him once again, and there is still no response. He doesn't even turn to look at me. He's just standing there staring out the window. Beams of light shine on him as the sun is setting. I leave the couch and wal
k toward him.

  As I approach him and place my hand on his shoulder, I softly say, "Dad?"

  He vanishes, and dust particles float around through the air in the beam of sunlight where he was standing.

  I spring awake in a panic, dripping with sweat, and start to cry. It is the first time I have dreamt about my dad since he passed away. I am confused as to why he did not look at me in my dream nor answer me. The dream felt so real. It was like he was there staring out of the window.

  I walk to the bathroom while collecting myself from the bizarre dream. The light at the top of my phone is blinking. I swipe the screen to unlock it; I have a missed call from Jason and an unknown number. There are text messages from Jason, my coworkers, and Troy.

  Are you still here?

  Where did you go?

  Are you okay?

  All three are from Jason. I left his party last night without finding him to say goodbye. I reply.

  Yea, I'm fine, Jay. I came home from the party. Call you later.

  There is a message from my coworker/roommate Larissa. She likes to go by Ris.

  How are you doing, girl? Thinking of you and miss you. Mwah.

  A smiley face blowing a heart kiss emoji concludes the message.

  Ris is great. We've become very close friends. When I started my job at Facade, we were both fresh out of college. She came from a high-class upbringing and studied at a prestigious college; however, she is nonetheless warm and very kind. We get along very well. It's the best friendship I have ever had with any female.

  I've always had more male friends than female friends. The female friends I did have in High School only seemed to like hanging out with me because I was always surrounded by boys.

  Ris and I live in a cute little two-bedroom apartment near downtown Milwaukee. It's about twenty or so blocks from work. I wish I could see her right now. She is so caring and compassionate when I need a shoulder to cry on.

  She'd fit right in here with all the guys. She pulls off sheik to geek at the snap of a finger. Therefore, she could pull off hot business chick to countryside hick, no problem. She is quite wild when she is in party mode, that's for sure. She's a tad bit on the promiscuous side. Ris and Jason would easily hit it off.

  Hey, sorry I've been so quiet. It's been a bit crazy the past few days. Miss you too. Call you later.

  I reply to her message.

  The next text is from Troy, a guy I'm kind of seeing back in the city.

  Goodnight, beautiful, sleep well!

  Troy has messaged me numerous times since I came home to attend my father's funeral. I've been short with him since I got here with one or two-word replies to his sweet little greetings, such as "Good Morning," "Have a great day!" and "Good Night."

  We met about six months ago at a Gala Night for a fundraiser that my boss puts on every January. Troy is a fantastic guy. He's so sweet and a thorough gentleman. I've mainly only seen him in slacks, a button-up shirt, and a suit jacket. I've seen him a time or two in jeans and a t-shirt, but still with a suit jacket. He seems to be quite proper and high class.

  We started seeing each other about a month ago. We're not officially dating. Everything is fresh and new now that I have finally given in. Troy chased me from the moment we met, but I played hard to get, very hard to get. We've only kissed once since we started seeing each other. He doesn't seem to mind that, at least as far as I am aware.

  I hear a car door slam outside, and I rush from the bathroom to the window across the hall. I completely forgot about last night. I got wasted at Jason's and had Luke drive me home in my car. He must have called someone to pick him up. It doesn't seem to be Jason, though; it looks like a girl. I hope I did not cause any drama regarding staying here last night if he has a girlfriend. I must thank him for his kind gesture. Judging by his appearance alone; you wouldn't think he has one respectful bone in his body. Most good-looking tattooed men are arrogant assholes, and that's just putting it lightly.

  I was quite drunk last night and was caught off guard by seeing him in that pole barn with my dad's vehicle from the accident. I cannot seem to stop thinking about him since I met him yesterday. I need to know a few things about him. Does he live with Jason? I didn't notice another fire number when walking to that building. However, I was also intoxicated and not paying much attention to what was going on.

  My phone rings. It's Jason.

  "Sup Alicat?" he says

  A little too chipper for eight o'clock in the morning, which is a little bit surprising since he was probably drunker than me at the party last night.

  "Hey, Jay! What's up?"

  "Did you get super shitty last night and drive home?" he questions.

  "I got pretty drunk, but I didn't drive home," I tell him.

  "Phew, that's good. My dad would've killed me if he found out that I let you drink and drive. Next time, you should just stay the night. I have a guestroom with your name on it, or you can always cuddle up to me." he laughs.

  "I'll remember that!" I reply sarcastically.

  "How long till you're ready?"

  "What? Ready for?" I say, feeling quite puzzled.

  "I will be over in ten minutes to pick you up to head to my parents for breakfast! It's the best hangover cure ever, remember," he proclaims.

  "Oh, okay! I have to go change quick," I say.

  "See ya in a few," he says before hanging up.

  I scramble around to brush my teeth, throw my hair up, and fix my makeup from crying last night. I throw on some jeans and a t-shirt. I hear a honk coming from outside. Shit. He's here already. I look terrible. I resemble a dog that just threw up.

  I hop inside Jason's truck, and he gives me a stare.

  "What?" I say to him in annoyance.

  "You look fucking hot!" he grins.

  I roll my eyes at him and pull my purse onto my lap.

  "A purse? Since when you lug around a purse?" Jason laughs.

  "Shut up! I am a girl, you know, and we do use purses for our shit," I reply.

  "I know that, but, honestly, it's weird to see you with one," he chuckles.

  I look at him and flick him off before gazing out the window. It's so pretty out here, so many trees. It's so different from the city, and even the smell is distinct. I see birds flying around, bugs buzzing by, and wildlife roaming all over. The country is so peaceful.

  "How did you get home last night anyway?" Jason asks.

  I was dreading this question, but perhaps it will help me find out more information about Luke. I fidget with my fingers in my lap.

  "Um... Luke drove me home in my car."

  I can see the anger building on Jason's face. Why is it a big deal to Jason that he gave me a ride home? It was very nice of him to do so.

  "Did you sleep with him?" Jason barks.

  "What? No!" I reply in a pissy voice. "He slept on my couch and was picked up this morning by some chick."

  I can see the blood boiling in Jason. He grips tightly to his steering wheel and clenches his jaw together. He looks cute when he's angry. But damn, he's pissed. I wonder what grudge he has against Luke.

  "Stay the hell away from him, Ali, I mean it," Jason says, straight-faced as he looks at me dead in the eye.

  "Why? He was nice enough to bring me home when I was drunk and upset last night."

  "He's not a good guy, Ali. He's a piece of shit, and to tell you the truth, he should've never come here." Jason says fuming.

  I clearly do not know the history between these two, but I could tell something is amiss. I give Jason a concerned, yet confused as hell, look.

  "He pulled up to the shop one day on his stupid ass motorcycle and never left. If it weren't for your dad, Bridget and I would still be together," he says, looking at me like a lost but angry puppy.

  "What do you mean if it wasn't for my dad?" I demand.

  "Your dad took Luke under his wing. They did everything together, and your dad taught him a lot about cars. Granted, Luke knew a lot already, more than most of us
," Jason says.

  "We hit it off pretty good at first, and I even had him move into my house. The one you were at last night. I was having one of my parties, and Bridget and I got in a fight because she was flirting with Luke and was all over him."

  I can see Jason getting more and more worked up as he continues to tell me the story. I wasn't aware that he and Bridget were in a relationship. All he did was sleep with her many times back in High School, along with a bunch of other girls. They never had anything serious since she slept with other people too. All of this comes to me as a surprise. So much has changed in the past six years.

  "A few buddies of mine told me about Bridget disappearing from a party. I went to look for her. I ended up finding her butt ass naked in Luke's bed. I threw a punch, and we began to fight. It was a huge fight, and a lot of stuff got broken at my house. My dad and your dad came to intervene and break us apart."

  After hearing the story, I feel sorry for Jason. I would like to know Luke's side of the story, but I need to be sympathetic toward my friend.

  "Oh, my goodness, Jay. I'm so sorry," I say while I grab his hand.

  That explains why Luke was sitting all alone yesterday at Mary's.

  "Luke moved all of his stuff out and into the pole barn. Your dad helped him fix it up and add a living quarter to the back. I wish he would've just left town. I hate that motherfucker," Jason retorts.

  I feel awful for Jason. How could a friend do such a horrible thing to you after you welcome them into your home? Why was my dad so close to Luke? I have so many questions. I cannot for the life of me understand the relationship between my dad and Luke. At the same time, I keep wondering why my dad never told me about him at all. I need to find out more about that mysterious hunk of deliciousness.

  Why would my dad help him? I know my dad had a kind soul. However, I know that he'd never help someone over Jason. Bridget must have been the girl who picked up Luke from my house this morning.