When Jill Met Marcie
Chapter 2: The Getaway
As the cars were leaving the racing meet, Caesar jumped into his Galant while Tony ran up to his open window. "Regular meeting place?" he asked.
"Your crib?" asked Caesar.
"You got it." said Tony. He ran over to a red Saturn SC1 and climbed in.
On her way out, Jill pulled up next to Marcie's Tiburon. "Can you lead me out of here?" she asked. "I don't know the town all that well yet. It's my first day."
"You sure know how to make an entrance, then." said Marcie. "Follow me."
Meanwhile, Scott and his entourage were already on the streets. They quickly caught the attention of a passing LAPD cruiser. A chase ensued.
"This is unit twelve. Have made visual contact with a group of street racers. Are now approaching the 710. Leader appears to be driving a white Mitsubishi. Can't identify model at this time. Over."
Pete took off down the surface streets in his Paseo. No one was chasing him. "See ya, coppers." he said.
He then turned down a road that was closed for repair.
"Looks like a clean getaway." he said. "Just have to keep it going and..."
He then hit a pothole and lost control of the car. He ended up heading for a parked backhoe loader and crashed into it.
The car jacknifed and went hurtling towards a concrete barrier. The car smashed into the barrier tail first causing major damage to the rear end.
Inside, Pete removed his hands from his face to assess the situation. He noticed the airbag in the passenger side of the dashboard had deployed while his aftermarket steering wheel had none. "Hey, I'm over here." he told the airbag.
He slowly opened the door and shakily climbed out of the totalled car. He took a few steps, then saw approaching headlights. They turned out to belong to Steve's Probe. Steve stopped next to him and said "Get in."
Pete ran over to the passenger side door, opened it, and dropped himself into the passenger seat. Steve was off before he could close the door.
"Sorry about your car, man." said Steve. "You got a backup?"
"No, that was it." said Pete.
"Well, that sucks." said Steve.
"You free for taxi service?" asked Pete.
"Do I look like Travis Bickle to you?" asked Steve.
Scott hammered it down the freeway. It was now down to just him and the police cruiser.
"This is unit twelve again. I have an I.D. on the white Mitsubishi. It is a Japanese market vehicle called an FTO. His friends have all taken prior exits. Still in pursuit. Over."
Scott looked at the cruiser in his rear view. He then looked at the highway ahead of him. He saw a group of tractor-trailers ahead of him. He quickly formulated a plan in his head.
He swerved around the first truck, then cut past the second. The police officer pulled onto the shoulder to pass the trucks.
Scott pulled onto the opposite shoulder to pass the third truck. He then saw his opportunity to implement his plan.
The officer made his way past the last truck and saw the highway. However, he did not see Scott's car.
"This is unit twelve again. I've lost the Mitsubishi. Returning to base. Over."
After the chase was called off, Scott pulled out from behind the truck and took the next exit.
Marcie led Jill to a Taco Bell parking lot and pulled in. They drove around to the back and hid next to the drive thru.
Jill climbed out of her Civic while Marcie got out of her Tiburon. "You see those cardboard boxes?" asked Marcie. "Take a couple, flatten them out, and cover your car with them."
"Why?" asked Jill as she went to the dumpster.
"Your car is white." said Marcie as she joined her. "It's easier to see in the dark."
"Oh, that's right." said Jill.
She grabbed a large cardboard box and dragged it over to the Civic. She flattened it out and used it to cover the Civic's hood. Marcie took another box and used it to cover the Civic's rear.
"Now, where do we hide?" asked Jill.
"Over here." said Marcie as she ran to the shade of a tree.
Jill ran over to the shade as well and leaned against a fence. Marcie was already there.
"So, how was your first day?" asked Marcie.
"A little crazier than I expected." said Jill.
"Why?" asked Marcie. "What were you expecting?"
"I dunno." said Jill. "Zombie outbreak or something."
Marcie laughed.
"I'm kidding." said Jill. "Truthfully, it's not much different than it is back home."
"What's the racing scene like in Alabama?" asked Marcie.
"Like I said, not much different." said Jill.
"So, what are you doing here?" asked Marcie.
"I wanted to break into racing and I thought this would be a better place to get noticed." said Jill.
"What kind of racing? NIRA?" asked Marcie.
"Yeah." said Jill. "Maybe someone will show up at one of these races and give me the chance I need to make it."
"That could take a while." said Marcie. "If you want my advice, find another job until you make it."
"I think I'll get settled before doing that." said Jill.
"Good idea." said Marcie. "One more thing, if you need a decent tuner, you can call me."
"Really?" asked Jill.
"Sure." said Marcie. "When we get out of here, I can show you what I've done with the Tiburon."
The next morning, the police had come to Steve's house. Two cops were talking to Pete while Marcie and Steve worked on his Probe.
"We checked the registration on the Paseo we found." said one of the cops, a dark-haired man. "Care to guess who it belonged to?"
"Um, me?" asked Pete.
"That's absolutely correct." said the other officer, a blonde woman.
"Wow, how about that?" said Pete.
"Can you explain how your car ended up wrecked in a construction site?" asked the male cop.
"Not really." said Pete.
"Well, until you can come up with a reason, we'll be watching you." said the female cop.
The two cops returned to their cruiser.
"Do I at least get my car back?" asked Pete.
"We already crushed it." said the male cop. "It was totalled anyway."
"Ah, damn!" said Pete.
As the cops drove off, Pete walked over to Steve and Marcie.
"Ooh, Pete looks mad." said Steve.
"Can you give me something to break?" asked Pete.
Marcie handed him the stock camshaft she had just removed.
"Something breakable?" he asked.
"Relax." said Steve. "At least you made out better than Ted. He got grounded AND they crushed his Accord."
"Oh, that's a pity." said Marcie. "He could've beaten you guys with that someday." She added under her breath "Just not within my lifetime."
That was right around when Jill pulled up in her Civic.
"Now, for someone who can handle a Honda." said Steve.
Jill got out of her car and walked over to the others.
"Hey, what's up?" asked Pete.
"I just wanted to come by and see what was going on." said Jill.
"So, how'd it go last night?" asked Marcie as she wiped her grease-stained hands off on a rag.
"Well, Mrs. Rafferty either doesn't know or doesn't care about my nighttime hobby." said Jill. "I'm looking out for a place to work, but I think I'm also going to need a place to pick up performance hardware."
"Yeah right now, I want a place to pick up lunch." said Marcie.
"I'll be sure to take you as soon as you clean your hands." said Jill.
As soon as Marcie cleaned the grease off of her hands, Jill drove her to lunch.
"So, how is Speed Zone when it comes to service?" asked Jill.
"Not bad." said Marcie. "I've got a long standing account there. Tony and Caesar are always helpful."
"What do you think I should upgrade this with?" asked Jill. "Greddy? HKS? Apex Integration?"
"I see you've done your homework." said Marcie. "Maybe you should take a look around and see what works."
"Maybe we'll swing by after lunch." said Jill.
"Do you also want advice on styling the car or do you want a sleeper?" asked Marcie.
"Oh yeah." said Jill. "You think I wanted this thing to look stock?"
"Luckily, you've got a Civic." said Marcie. "Your car has like a million options."
"I just need one." said Jill.
"Here's a good place." said Marcie.
Jill pulled into the parking lot for a burger joint. She parked in a space and she and Marcie climbed out.
"This place have good burgers?" asked Jill.
"Oh, the burgers are great." said Marcie.
"Tyrant?" yelled the shift manager to a waitress. "What do you mean 'tyrant'?"
"Can't say the same about the management." said Marcie.
They took their seats at an outdoor table. The waitress walked over to them. "Hello, my name is Amber." she said. "I'll be your server today. Can I get you something to drink?"
"Orange soda, please." said Marcie.
"I'll have a Sprite, please." said Jill.
"Coming right up." said Amber. She then walked away.
"Does this happen often here?" asked Jill.
"Sadly, yes." said Marcie. "I think those two used to date."
"Guess it didn't end well." said Jill.
"I don't know why she keeps working here." said Marcie.
Just then, there was a somewhat inaudible argument in the kitchen.
"I see eating here isn't boring." said Jill.
They then heard a punch followed by a clatter of dishes. "Consider that my resignation!" yelled Amber as she stormed out of the kitchen and tossed her apron to the ground. She then climbed into a Ford Escape, started it, and peeled out of the parking lot.
"Does this mean we're not getting our drinks?" asked Jill.
The manager staggered out of the kitchen while holding his bleeding nose. "I don't accept your resignation! You're fired!" he yelled.
"Jill, opportunity knocks but once." said Marcie.
"So?" asked Jill.
"Pounce." said Marcie.
Jill quickly understood what she meant. She got up and walked over to the manager. "You alright?" she asked.
"Yeah, it's just my nose." he said.
"If what I just saw is right, you have a job opening." said Jill. "Well, the thing is I just got into town and I'm in need of a job."
"You're a piece of work, you know that?" he replied. "After what just went down, you're thinking about your future income?"
"Girl's gotta eat." said Jill.
"Well, tell me this." he said. "Are you good with people?"
"I'd like to think so." said Jill.
"Can you endure multiple hours on your feet?" he asked.
"I used to be a floor clerk at a supermarket back in Montgomery." said Jill.
"Can you carry and balance a small load?" he asked.
"I know what you're referring to." said Jill. "I know I can carry that much, but I can try to balance."
"I suppose we can see if you can." he said. "Can you write in this pad while you're holding it?" he asked while sliding her a paper pad.
Jill picked up the pad and wrote on it. She then handed it back to him. He took it and saw that she wrote "Does this answer your question?"
"Okay." he said. "Amber had a day off tomorrow. I think I'll see you on Friday."
"Then I'll see you then." said Jill. "My name's Jill by the way."
"I'm Chris." he said.
"Nice to be working with you, Chris." said Jill.
"Oh, one more thing." said Chris. "You're not expecting a romantic relationship from this, are you?"
"No!" said Jill.
"Good." said Chris.