"OI!" Ellis turned around to be nose to nose with the returning Keith. "Who's she?" He demanded jamming a thumb in the direction of Zoey.
"Oh, that's Zoey, she got in a lil accident and I'm fixin' up the car." Keith nodded looking at the flawless brunette.
"Coo." He nodded and took a step back.
"I gotta go drive her to the Brown's." Ellis told him and began to pack up his things. "I'll just go for the night." Keith shrugged and blew a kiss in Zoey's direction. She nodded and jogged to catch up with the exiting dirty blond.
There were three cars parked out back of the shop, two rusted old trucks and a old Volkswagen bug that no longer had the paint on it.
"Here we are." Ellis opened the passenger door to one of the trucks. It was white but had brown splotches from rust. Zoey thanked him for his gesture and stepped into the car. There was only strap of cloth for the seatbelt and it strapped around her waist far to loosely.
"Ah, don't bother with those." Ellis chuckled as he stepped into the car and threw a bag into the back seat. "Keith broke them a while ago." He smiled at her as she uncomfortably shifted her weight. "Now, we'll be at the Brown's soon and you'll have me out of your hair soon enough." Zoey yet again uncomfortably chuckled.
"No, no it's alright. You've been more than enough help!" Ellis beamed,
"Well that's good to hear."
They arrived quickly enough, Ellis had had several failed attempts at conversation and Zoey seemed much too uncomfortable with the boys friendliness and stories.
"Oh, why don't I walk you inside, make sure there wont be any problems?" Zoey smiled at the offer but didn't reply other than a quick:
"Thank you." Ellis grinned and walked her in.
"Oi! Mrs. Brown?" He called into the small lobby and in return a large rat ran over his foot and a broom struck him in the head.
"Marry! It's a big 'un!" a squinting old man yelled rearing back to strike again. This time aimed at Zoey. She screamed and put her hands up to block her face. When nothing hit her she found Ellis with the broom clenched tightly in his left hand and his right out to block Zoey.
"Howdy Mr. Brown!" Ellis smiled Zoey stood up straight again and Ellis slipped the broom out of the elderly man's grip.
"El? Boy is that you?" He asked scratching the top of his head with arthritis ridden hands.
"Yep." Ellis shrugged and walked the man by the front desk and sat him on a chair behind it. "Hey, Mrs. Brown, are you here?" Ellis yelled into the shop. A busty woman walked out holding a shovel that had splatters of dirt, mud and blood on it.
"Oh hello dear." She smiled. "Mathew are you bothering these poor people?" She sighed, Mr. Brown dipped his head slightly, perhaps he couldn't bend it farther. "What can I do for Mr. Martin today?" Ellis presented Zoey,
"Zoey here needs a room." Zoey waved to the old woman and blushed.
"Oh no!" Mrs. Brown moaned. "Ellis, honey, we've had a rodent problem as you can tell from all the rats scurrying around here, I'm afraid that I can't give you a room, I would feel terrible putting you in those conditions." Ellis frowned obviously and turned to Zoey.
"Well dang." He cursed. "I'm sorry Zoey." The girl flushed red and turned away from the boy, please, please, PLEASE, just get me out of here! She prayed, Ellis scratched his neck. "Well, Mrs. Brown can I use your phone?" He asked politely this caused Zoey's eyebrows to pull together. Mrs. Brown nodded and scurried out of the room,
"What are you doing?" Zoey asked almost sounding angry.
"I only have one spot that I can think of a reasonable distance from the shop." Ellis began. "If you don't mind, we have an extra room at my place. It's just me and my mom there and she likes using that room for crafts and such, we have a hideaway bed in there and you could sleep there…for free!" He added and with a smile "Complimentary breakfast!" It was Zoey that frowned this time.
"Alright, I guess it couldn't hurt, but it's only for a couple nights!" She insisted.
"Yes ma'am." Ellis smiled and with that, as if on cue, Mrs. Brown walked in with a cordless phone in her hands.
"Here you are." She smiled. Ellis thanked her and dialed a number he must have known by heart.
"Hey, Ma, yeah it's Ellis. Yes I'm calling from the inn… No I'm not in trouble… No, nothing like that." Ellis blushed and shot a look at Zoey, "But hey, I tried to get an…um… friend a room at the Brown's but it ain't working out so I was wonderin' if they could use…yeah that… Okay thanks Ma, you're the best…yeah you too…bye." With that he hung up the phone and placed it back into Mrs. Brown's open palm. "All good to go." Zoey gave the best smile that she could. Ellis snickered and patted Zoey on the back, she wanted to flinch away but that would be rude, he was giving her a bed to sleep in after all "Alright then." He smiled and walked out of the shop waving to the Brown's as he did.
"Thanks." Zoey muttered once they were well on their way to Ellis's house. Ellis looked up from the road.
"Ah, it's no big deal. Ma loves company." Zoey sighed in relief at this, she hoped she wouldn't be as friendly as Ellis, maybe less social too.
"Oh well, still I'm sorry to cause you so much trouble. I mean all the gas you're using up!" She made up as an excuse, this car did look like a gas guzzler though.
"It's no big deal. I mean really, what kind of man would I be if I let someone get stuck out here in the middle of no where!" He smiled. Zoey smiled too, it might not be such a bad next couple of days anyway.
"MA!" Ellis yelled into the small house as the two entered. A short round woman with brown hair with large amounts of gray streaks, cut short turned the corner, she had an apron on and a bowl of something in the other hand. "Hey, this is Zoey." The woman grimaced and motioned for the boy to enter the kitchen,
"Wait there, Miss." She smiled falsely. Ellis sighed silently and followed her into the next room.
Zoey tried not to eavesdrop on their conversation but she couldn't help it.
"Boy what were you thinkin'?" She growled
"What do you mean ma?" Ellis groaned.
"She's a girl!" She hissed.
"Don't matter, she needed a place to stay and we have an extra room!" Then she heard a grumble of some curse word.
"Fine! You're a spoiled brat you know that."
"Very much so." Ellis had a smile in his voice. Zoey snorted. SHE was spoiled, ELLIS was NOT, she had seen the car, the house, and the way he was dressed and spoiled was not the first thing to pop up on her list to describe that. Not even number one million, hell it wasn't ON the list. And brat was certainly not on there either.
"Well does she have clothes?" Ellis's mother demanded.
"Umm…no…" Ellis choked.
"Give her yours for now, I'll fish out some of my old clothes later."
"Thank you ma!" Ellis kissed her on the cheek and began to walk back into the front room but his mother's hand stopped him.
"No kissin' you hear me!" She growled.
"It's not like that ma. She's just a friend." Zoey blushed furiously when she saw Ellis walk in.
"Come on, I'll show you around."