Here we go, first actual chapter. We know he wasn't too thrilled about his car, but let's find out if he feels the same at the end.


Ryan stood leaning against the passenger door of the Lexus as he waited for Lucy. He kept glancing toward the garage door and could still see the vehicle that sat inside.

"Not driving today?" came the tired sounding voice of his sister, her black hair neatly straightened to contrast her lack of sleep.

He shook his head and opened the car door, "Not today."

"What'd you get? I didn't get to see it yet."

He shrugged, "I don't know what to call it. It's like a Frankenstein."

"Let me see it," she said, reaching for the garage door opener on the dash.

He stopped her before hitting the button, "Not now."

"It can't be all that bad," she said as she started the car.

He scoffed while buckling his seat belt. She revved the engine twice before putting it into gear. Funny how he never noticed the limiter until now. It did sound weird on an automatic.

"What about after school?"

He shook his head, "Not until it's presentable."

[][][]

Ryan sat at the lunch table, his tray set aside, his phone in his hand. After spending the first four hours researching, the more he understood what he had.

Reviews online from owners had nothing bad to say, yet there were overwhelming hate comments from non-owners.

The report by the highway safety bureau stated there were over twelve-hundred casualties due to overturning of the vehicle on shallow corners. The owner's manual even stated, "In the event of rollover, the overhead cap may be used as an escape hatch."

The more he read, the more disgusted he became by it.

"Any news?" Lucy asked as she sat at the table with her lunch tray.

Ryan shook his head, "It's seeming more like a death trap than a vehicle."

"Well," she began while spearing a piece of broccoli, "That just means you have to drive carefully."

"It'd be safer if I didn't drive it at all."

"Don't you have some money saved up?" she asked while yawning and resting her head on her arm.

That's when the idea struck him, "Yeah, that's right, I got about a grand saved. I could buy a decent car for that."

She shook her head, "Why don't you just put the money into what you got? You could make it into something you'll like."

"Yeah, I doubt that." he mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Come on," she began, sitting up after realizing she wouldn't be able to fall asleep, "You talk about it like it's the worst thing ever. I'm sure it's nowhere near as bad as you make it out to seem.

Ryan gave a loud sigh, "I wanted something I could race, there's no way a GEO could even come close to be competitive."

Crystal had been walking by and glanced back at the sound of the name. Her pace slowed, but she didn't stop walking. She set her tray down loudly at a table being shared by the rest of the jewels farther up.

He seen her whispering something to Ken who looked in his direction. Ryan hung his head and returned to his phone.

"Ok," Lucy said after the warning bell began ringing, "Show me it."

[][][]

The garage door rose slowly, the seconds dreading by. Once fully open and the vehicle completely visible, Lucy walked inside. She spent five minutes looking at nearly every body panel it possessed. She opened the passenger door and looked around the interior.

A latch beneath the grab bar caught her attention and she pulled it, dropping the storage box open. She looked inside the small space.

"What's this do?" she asked, pulling a lever she seen inside.

The hood popped up with a clunk.

"So that's how you open it," Ryan said while flipping the release and raising the hood.

The engine was so small compared to the ones he'd seen. It looked as if he could carry it himself, should the need arise.

There was dried oil stuck around the edge of the valve cover, oil filter, and the entire alternator.

He shook his head while he let the hood slam, standing back to await the verdict.

Lucy walked to where he stood and looked it over again.

"I kinda like it," she said with a nod.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean it's no Lexus, but it's cute. It's small, but also a truck. And in the summer we can take the roof off and go cruising to the beach."

"You've got to be kidding." he added with a shake of his head.

Lucy sighed and put her hand on the hood, "Don't listen to him, I'm sure you drive great."

Ryan began looking over the GEO again.

"Well, I'm going inside, have to get started on homework."

Ryan remained in the silence of the garage.

"She thinks you're cute," he said while kicking the tire.

He reached in his pocket and pulled out the key. He looked at it a moment before deciding to take a drive.

[][][]

After assuring his wallet and phone were in his pocket, he climbed behind the wheel. After adjusting his seat, he realized had the hood release been in the usual place he would have bumped it with his leg.

Taking in the interior, he noticed how everything was designed around the driver. All the climate controls were within reach, the e-brake directly to his right near the gear shift, an empty panel where he assumed the four wheel drive selector would have been, and the gauges were easy to read.

All there was were the important ones, a speedometer, a gas gauge, and an temperature gauge with a string of warning lights above them.

After turning the ignition on, the check engine light along with a battery light were illuminated. Once the engine was running, the only light on was the check engine.

'No surprise there,' he thought to himself.

He spent a moment listening to the engine. It rumbled quietly, barely audible, but did so with a noticeable miss. Probably three years past it's tune up.

'Okay, here we go.'

He pushed in the brake and shifted into drive. The engine revved high for a moment before violently dropping into gear.

"That probably isn't good," he said thankful the brakes were functioning.

He slowly released the brake pedal, causing the car to idle forward. He turned right out of his driveway and proceeded down the road.

At twenty five miles an hour, the transmission shifted suddenly, dropping hard into second. Seeing an empty neighborhood devoid of cars, he pushed it further.

At forty it went into third smoothly, yet very premature. At sixty five the poor engine was screaming.

Settling down, he applied the brakes and felt the car shift to the right as he did so. He tried to recreate the event but had no luck.

"The transmission is definitely bad, and the brakes are sticking up front," he said to himself, making note of everything wrong.

Leaving the neighborhood, he decided if they had to sell it it'd be worth more, if anything, with working brakes and a full tune-up. He drove down the highway leading to the inner city, keeping with the minimal traffic at this hour. Along the tree line were the few billboards and inlets from dirt roads winding their way to the outer city.

He leaned against the door not even bothering to mess with the factory tape deck.

With the city in sight, he let go of the gas to slow down for a red light. The trans dropped into first with a lurch just as the light turned green.

He hit the gas to take off but heard the engine rev loudly. After a moment, the trans grabbed violently, lifting the front end off the ground as it shifted back to second.

He blinked at the force the vehicle launched and checked the speedometer. For all the power it was demonstrating, it only read thirty five.

He tried to ignore the shaking he experienced.

[][][]

After filling the gas tank and returning home from the shop he realized he spent more than he'd wanted to. Nearly two-hundred more than the zero he was comfortable with.

He closed the garage door and moved his bags to the counter. After-market spark plugs and wires, a gallon of oil and a filter, three cans of degreaser, aftermarket intake, a new radio and a set of speakers.

Waiting for the engine to cool down, he began installing the radio and the speakers. The radio went in fairly easy, but the speakers were the wrong size for the panels.

"Whatever," he said as he removed the rear panels and drilled holes to mount the new speakers.

An hour later, he plugged in his phone and began playing music. Every thing seemed to work perfectly, even the two speakers under the dash that he'd neglected to replace.

Cranking the volume, he moved on to the next task.

Removing the plug for the drain on the garage floor, he unraveled the hose and dropped it at the front of the car. Opening the hood, he began spraying the entire engine compartment with the degreaser. After using two cans, he deemed it ready for cleaning. Ten minutes later, he dropped the hose and listened to the music.

With a clean motor, he began making notes of everything else it'd need. With a large list in hand, he began spraying the windshield and roof, stopping when he seen water dripping into the interior.

"New roof," he added, confused at to why he was spending all this money on a car he didn't want.

After replacing the oil, plugs, and wires, he dropped behind the steering wheel and sat listening to the music. After several minutes, it began to distort.

Turning the key resulted in a click.

Sighing, he attached a charger to the battery and installed the intake. Checking the time, he decided he'd test it tomorrow.

He looked at the fruits of his labor. Still a beat-up car. He followed the edges of the hood and traced the body lines of the doors.

'It'd look pretty good black,' he thought.

Walking to the paint shelf, he selected three cans of flat black and started on the hood. From there came the grille, top and bottom of the doors, the bumpers, rims, and finally the gas door.

Now he admitted it looked better.

Seeing it was already eight thirty, he shut off the garage lights and left to do homework.

[][][]

Sitting in class he tried to ignore everything he heard. It seemed to be the only thing anyone cared about. Then again, at a school where the parking lot's usually filled with Beamers and tricked out cars, a beat up GEO was bound to draw attention. What made it worse, was that he mistakenly parked it in a non-student parking area.

"Will the owner of a red… thing please move your car from the staff lot."

He stood from his desk and grabbed his books. The room was quiet as he walked to the door and fumbled for his keys.

As he got behind the wheel, every window on the second floor was occupied by people either pointing or laughing. Humiliation setting over him, he backed out of the space and dropped into drive.

Embarrassed he hadn't noticed where he parked, he made it to the road leading to the other lot. Coming to the corner by the football field, he couldn't imagine what their response would be.

Cutting the wheel and slamming the throttle, the rear end slid on the wet pavement from the rain that morning. Correcting, he let out a sigh of relief, thankful for the rain.

After parking, the sound of laughing carried to him on the wind. It must have been coming from the field. He spent a moment looking at it. He'd never admit it, but he'd come to love his beat up truck thing. That one day of driving had changed that, and the little bit of money he spent on it made it all the more pleasing to the eyes.

Too bad it wouldn't last long.

[][][]

A week and a half of dealing with the abuse hadn't changed his thoughts. If anything, it made him enjoy it all the more. A couple days of midnight driving had shown him it's weaknesses and it's strengths.

The notes and graffiti on his locker was easy to shrug off. The verbal attacks were more difficult, but nothing some calm breathing couldn't fix.

Sitting at the same lunch table, he looked around the room. The table where his fellow band members sat was occupied by their new guitarist. You always kept track of anyone who played the same instrument as you.

While Lucy was talking about the gossip she'd heard during homeroom, Seth looked in his direction and shook his head.

It hurt that they'd replace him for something as stupid as owning a cheap car, but he'd get over it.

"Are you listening?"

He looked back and shook his head, "Not really."

A sigh was her response, "I thought you'd be interested to know, Carl wrecked his car yesterday."

"Really?"

She nodded, "Smashed his bumper and headlight on a guardrail."

'Finally, some good news.'

A group of people came walking by, Carl in the center talking about the accident.

Seeing Ryan brought a grin to his face, "At least my car's worth fixing."

They locked eyes amid the laughter, Ryan's cold glare holding steady.

"Why don't you shut the hell up and get out of here?"

Carl stopped and looked to Lucy.

"Meow, feisty one."

She started standing from the table as Crystal and Ken began walking over.

"Carl, get over here. Mouse's on the phone about your car,"

Carl walked away with Ken while Crystal looked towards Lucy, "Problem?"

Lucy sat down while mumbling how they all were the same.

Once Crystal walked away, she shook her head, "Don't let'em get to you."

"I can take care of them," he said, looking back to his phone.

"You do stupid things when you say that."

[][][]

Walking back to his car, he seen the paper on his window. Written in pink pen were the words 'Bitch Car'.

Looking to where the jewels stood beside their own, Ryan had a good guess who did it.

Shaking his head, he pulled the door closed and started the engine. His radio began playing Barbie Girl on full blast. Everyone around started laughing while he struggled to find the hidden mp3 player.

Tracing the wire lead him to a cheap piece of plastic taped under the dash. Shutting off the ignition, he stepped out of the car and hurled the player into the pavement.

The only way for that joke to work meant hotwiring the ignition and messing with the radio. He felt his blood begin to boil and his vision began to shake.

Walking across the parking lot, he ignored the group of people following him yelling, "Fight!" and focused only on Carl. Carl was still in an attack of laughter along with his lackey, Sal.

Ken looked up and seen Ryan and the spectators approaching. He tossed his phone into his car and ran to intercept him.

"Hey, what's-" was all he could get out.

Ryan pushed him hard, nearly knocking him over. Carl stood from his car and started towards him.

"It's one thing to mess with me, messing with my car is another," Ryan yelled, his throat growing sore.

Carl pointed across the lot, "It's a stretch calling that piece of shit a car."

Ryan rushed forward to hit him, but felt someone grab him.

Ken pushed Carl back, "What'd you do now?"

"Just making sure he remembered his place."

"What's going on?" Crystal asked as her and Ruby ran toward the group.

Ryan struggled against the strong arms holding him back, knowing all too well he wasn't going anywhere, "Me and you, right now!"

"I'll fight you," Carl yelled back, pushing against Ken.

"No. Not a fight, a race."

Carl burst into laughter along with a handful of the group behind him, "Man, that's the funniest thing I heard all day!"

Ken yelled for him to shut up and turned to Ryan, "Come on, think this through. If you want a race, I'll race you."

Ryan shook his head, "No, you'd take it easy on me."

"Then I'll race you,"

Everyone looked to Crystal and Ruby who were glaring at Carl.

"Are you serious?" Ken asked his sister.

She nodded, "It's the only to solve this. Get your car and park by the entrance."

Ryan shook himself free and walked toward his car, the crowd splitting to let him through.

[][][]

He cranked his radio, heavy metal blaring instead of Barbie Girl, and waited, dreading the sound of the Lancer pulling beside him. Sal and Ruby left to distract the security guards and clear the track, leaving Ken to pace nervously.

He pictured it in his mind. Around the entrance, down the side of the auditorium by the football field, then around the outer parking lot back to the entrance.

He revved his puny engine, knowing he didn't stand a chance. The people grouped behind them cheered, most of them for the Lancer engine, a few showing love to the GEO at last. Ken took his place in front of them, his face showing he didn't think this was a good idea.

He held his arms up. Looking to both the drivers, he dropped them.

The Lancer's front wheels spun, smoke billowing outward. Ryan slammed the pedal to the floor, launching forward violently instead of his wheels spinning.

He checked the mirror, amazed he beat her off the line.

His lead didn't last though, she passed him as they entered the first turn and stayed ahead. Coming to the second, however, she braked hard to make the tight corner. Instead of braking, Ryan swung around her and used his momentum to enter the corner.

Ripping the e-brake, the front end dove and the rear tires chirped as they slid into the corner. The people gathered there were cheering while he corrected and sped down the road.

Looking in the mirror, he saw he had a decent lead on her. Looking forward, he seen the auditorium coming into view.

Braking, he swung to the left around it and approached the field.

Checking his lead, he seen he was still a bit ahead of her. He didn't think she was taking it easy on him, which made him feel a little better.

Looking forward, he seen the football players watching him approach, not sure what was happening.

Ryan attempted to take the corner without braking and cut the wheel, proving to be a bad idea. The rear end swung more than he wanted and the driver side began to lift. Panicking, he let go of the wheel and covered his face.

The car rolled over twice, leaving a trail of body panels and glass in it's wake. Ryan felt himself go weightless for a moment before being tossed around by the impacts. The football players scattered as the car careened onto the field, coming to rest on it's side.

His vision began to blur and darken as he adjusted to his new view. The engine wasn't running and his radio had stopped playing.

He heard yelling from far away, though it could have been close. He unbuckled his seatbelt, dropping him onto the passenger door.

Amid his tumbling vision, he remembered what he read in the manual. He began kicking the vinyl roof over the front seats, tearing a hole in the material while he felt something run down his face. He put his hands out to pull himself free but was grabbed and pulled out by several of the armored and worried players.

The coach was over him, looking in his eyes with a small flashlight on his key ring.

"Can you hear me?"

Ryan nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You are for now," the coach said as he stood up, "Help me get him to the nurse."

[][][]

Crystal slid to a stop beside the brick wall of the auditorium, watching the GEO slide to a stop in the field. She ripped her seatbelt off and opened the door. Standing behind it, she looked to the corner of the wall where the camera was swiveling toward the field.

After thinking about it a moment, she hopped back in and followed the example of the scattering students.

She backed down the road, cutting the wheel and shifting into first, she sped away back to the front of the school.


Alright, seems like a good stopping point.

Thanks for reading.