Towards noon Vince was going nuts. He had a feeling that guy was there, right next door, talking to Ebony and Mia as he sat there and thought about them. He did his best to keep himself busy and his mind preoccupied. O'Connor came back a few hours after he arrived. Everyone else was already there by then and thank God they were or he'd probably have killed the boy. Brian still managed to crawl under Vince's skin even after a year. If Mia didn't love Brian so much he'd probably have beaten the shit out of him by now. But Vince didn't want to hurt Mia's feelings so he kept it bottled up inside and let Brian slide by as much as he possibly could without losing it. That was hard for him since he hated Brian with a passion. And this morning he had pushed the wrong buttons. If Dom hadn't gotten in the way…he didn't even want to think about what would have happened.

Vince continued to keep cleaning the car, waxing the hood over and over until it was a mirror he could see himself in. He kept glancing at the store wondering what was happening inside. He looked over his shoulder at Brian and saw Brian was sitting in a chair, leg bobbing up and down, chewing at his fingernails, and staring at the store. Oh yeah, he was tempted to get up and go over there too, no doubt about that. Vince was feeling the same way. But he just kept cleaning the car, waxing it over and over.

"If you wax that thing anymore it's going to be transparent," Asher said, leaning against the car. He had been watching Vince clean the same spot about eight times in the past hour and a half. "Right now it's so clean if you lean against it you'll fall off. My God, I can see myself," he added, gazing at the hood. He stuck his tongue out at the hood and could see the ball in his tongue.

"I just want it to be clean is all, dawg," he mumbled under his breath, waxing the hood some more.

"No, you're just trying to stay busy so that you won't think about what's going on next door," Asher gave him a sly smile. "I'm stubborn not stupid, Vince. I know what you're doin'. I'd be doing the same thing if it were Violet over there talking to that guy. But I trust Violet. You should trust Ebony."He leaned against the hood and slipped off it do to the wax. He smiled and shook his head at Vince.

Vince turned to him, it was his turn to smile, "Violet is over there."
The smile was erased from Asher's face and in its place was a look of disbelief. "What?"

Vince nodded, "Uh-huh, she went over there about," he glanced at his watch. "Thirty minutes ago I'd say. She hasn't come out yet."

"That son of a bitch," Asher muttered and started towards the store. Vince grabbed his arm and pulled him back into place. "You trust her remember?"

Asher shook his head and laughed a little. He looked at the store angrily. "You bastard…you're right. I trust her." He leaned against the car. "I trust her." He gazed around the garage thinking about what was going on with the girls next door. What they could be doing. He shook his head. "Got an extra rag I see a spot."

Vince grinned and pulled an extra one from his back pocket and handed it to Asher. The boy begun to clean the car furiously the same spot over and over.

"Summer's over there too. That's why Leon is putting the hammers and screwdrivers in order by height," Vince said cocking his head in Leon's direction. Asher looked and sure enough he was measuring the tools and setting them in order. "Pretty soon he'll be counting the nuts and bolts and putting them in numerical order." Asher laughed.

"Looks like everyone is worked up about this."

"Except Chaz, Damon, and Dom. They're girls are all here," he jerked his chin over at Damon and Chaz. They sat talking with the girls and each other in one big conversation since there were no costumers yet and their jobs were already done.

Asher turned away and kept at the car. Vince noticed he was still mad arguing with Chaz and they were apparently still mad with one another. The hate was thick in his eyes and body language.

Vince felt bad for him, "You two still aren't getting along are you?"

Asher shrugged, "He's an asshole."

"Probably thinks the same of you. It's pretty bad to se old friends become new enemies," Vince shook his head and continued rubbing the car with his rag.

"You and Brian don't get along," Asher pointed out.

Vince stopped and looked at him, "Me and that prick were never friends. We've been enemies from the get go and neither of us has any interest in becoming buddies. If he wasn't Mia's boyfriend I would have gotten rid of him long ago. Thank God he has no brothers or sisters. I'd go insane with the killing rage," said Vince as he continued scrubbing the car again.

Asher nodded and stopped. His wrist was starting to become sore and if they waxed the car anymore the paint would come off. Leon came over then.

"I can't take this," he said frantic. "I'm going nuts here."

Vince glanced at the store, "Nothin' we can do."

Asher smiled as an idea hit him. He looked at Vince and Leon. "You guys getting hungry. I could use a bag of chips or a candy bar or something."

Vince and Leon grinned, catching on to him. Leon spoke. "Yeah I could use a beer and a candy bar. How bout you Vince?"

He shrugged, "Sounds good to me."

Asher smiled and looked over at the fidgeting Brian. "Hey Brian!" he called out. "You hungry or anything bro?"





Wanna know what happens next...find out soon!