D is for Driver's License
Tori fidgeted with the shoulder strap of her seatbelt; worrying her lower lip with her teeth as she checked her mirrors for the fifth time.
"You know if you want to do any actual driving, you have to start the car." Beck prompted with a sideways smile.
"I know, I know!" Tori responded with an exasperated sigh. They had been sitting in the empty school parking lot for close to thirty minutes and all Tori had managed to do was put the keys in the ignition. Beck was being nothing but patient with her, but she still couldn't shake the nearly overwhelming sense of panic that bubbled up every time she thought about reaching up to turn the key.
"Tori look at me." Beck hooked his finger under her chin and tipped her head towards him. "You can do this. There's nothing to be nervous about." He reassured her. Tori pulled away from his touch and shook her head, her long chocolate tresses partially obscuring her face from his view.
"There's a lot to be nervous about Beck. I could… I could really hurt someone." Tori's voice cracked with emotion.
Beck's dark eyebrows arched with interest. Finally some progress! He had been very careful not to push her about her issue with driving, but he knew Tori would have to face it eventually. It looked like she was finally ready to talk about it. He was surprised when the girl faced him again, eyes bright with tears. In front of everyone else Tori made a joke out of her refusal to get a driver's license, but there was obviously something deeper that kept her from passing an otherwise typical teenage milestone.
"You know you can tell me anything." Beck prompted gently.
Tori dissolved into tears, leaning sideways to hide her face in the crook of his neck. He held her for a few moments and let her cry herself out, his muscles straining from the awkward angle from leaning over the center console of his car.
Finally she found her voice again, though it was still shaky. "Once when I was nine years old, I was at the park playing kickball... I kicked the ball out of the field and my friend Amy chased after it onto the road. She ran right in front of a car. I saw it hit her, I…" Tori's voice broke again and Beck hushed her, stroking her soft hair as she wept.
"It's all right, I'm here. Everything's going to be all right." Beck murmured, consoling her like he might a frightened child. At least now her aversion to driving made more sense. After a few moments Tori sat back up and wiped her eyes, taking a shaky breath. Beck smiled and gently patted the girl's knee. She was ready to try now.
"Okay. What do you say we try turning the car on?" Beck prompted. Tori glanced at the ignition and back to his face. She blinked back lingering tears and squared her shoulders.
"You're on." She responded, a determined look in her glistening eyes. Tori reached out and turned the key.
