**Ren**
It was on a hot Friday afternoon that I was under the hotter than hell sun working in the cotton cages fixing up the busted fences.
I was tightening one of the bolts when I heard someone calling my name.
"Yo Ren, you got a visitor!" Ryan, another employee at the mill, yelled out to me. Wiping my brow clean of sweat I look over my shoulder, squinting at the sun in my eye, at the older brunette man.
"Who is it?" I ask confused, I don't remember any of the guys saying they were gonna stop by my work to harass me. As an answer Ryan shoots me the biggest smug shit-eating grin and motions his head to the side of the cage.
"It's the wild child. I didn't know you were hitting that, you into the easy type, huh? Hey you think when you're done with her you can point her in my direction?" the lanky man laughed.
"What the hell? Get back to work asshole. Never look or think about her again." I barked ignoring his questions as he walked away like a kicked dog. I crawled over to the side of the cage to see for myself who my 'visitor' was, having a vague idea. Looking down I'm met with the sight of Sammy's heated glare pointed in Ryan's direction. With a sarcastic grin Sammy snaps back.
"Real funny Ryan, why don't you sit on on a cactus and twist?" Sammy asks as she flips Ryan the Bird with a smile. Ryan doesn't respond just gives the angry girl a wink as he turns around and disappears back inside the building. Dropping her hand to her side she turns and looks up at me with an arched brow. "He's a bit of an asshole, ain't he?"
"Who, Ryan? Yeah he can be a dick." I reply leaning my forearms on the railing and smiling down at her. She smiles back with an agreeing nod of her head.
"Anyway. what's up cityboy?" Sammy asked sliding her hands in to the back pockets of her shorts. The question was so random after the scene I just witnessed that I just could help laughing.
"Ah well you know just here working, making an honest man out of myself." I replied gesturing to the general area around us. Playing along she looks around us, taking in the area with an interested nod.
"You don't say. It sounds soul wrenchingly boring. What are you even doing anyways?" She asked meeting my eyes again with a curious gaze.
"I'm fixing the cages." I said with an easy shrug.
"Yup, defiantly boring." She laughs. "Hey, help me up. My necks killing me looking at you at this angle." She says then holds out both hands to me expectantly.
"You want to come up in here? You know there's cotton in here right." I asked unsure but still leaned over to grab her hands.
"Uh yeah I kind of got that." Sammy answered, smiling waving her hands back and forth at him.
"You know there's cotton and pointy little stickers in here right?" I asked again pulling my hands away just as she was about to grab them.
"Are you gonna help me or not?" Sammy asked, crossing her arms and jutting out hip. Flashing a smile full of sass.
"Alright fine but if you get stickers stuck on your butt just remember I told you so." I sighed down at her with mock exasperation then lean over and grabbed a firm hold of her hands.
"You know Ren you're almost as funny as your buddy Ryan." She said with a smirk as I pulled her up the side of the cage.
"Is that your way of calling me a dick?" I asked as I brought her up to the railing. With a teasing smile on her pretty full lips she leans in close barely a breaths length away.
"I'll let you interpret that however you want." She said with a saucy wink. "And since you're so worried about my butt and the threat the stickers has on it, I'll just sit on your lap to avoid the danger all together."
**Samantha**
Ren was quiet after my sentence before giving a mock growl and snapping his teeth close to my lips.
"Tease." He replied and I couldn't help myself, I started laughing. I was still laughing as I climbed up and swung my leg over the rail sitting on it once I was up there. Once I had calmed down I noticed that Ren had gone back to messing around with the busted fence he was trying to fix.
"So... what brings you here? Not that I'm not enjoying your company and all." I scoffed and shake my head at him.
"Unbelievable… " I muttered. "You love my company. In any case, I was in the neighborhood. Figured I'd stop by and say hello."
"Hm... right, I believe that." Ren sarcastically replies.
"You don't believe me?" I asked, brow arched. When he shook his head no, I held back a laugh.
"And why not?" I asked as I stood up and moved over on the railing so that I was sitting next to him. From my new spot I could see his face as he talked instead of his back. "You think I'm stalking you or something?"
"Yeah, actually, I do." He replied putting down whatever tool he had in his hand and leaning towards me again with a smirk on his face trying to call my bluff.
"Don't flatter yourself, city boy." I retort with a smirk, giving him a mock slap on the cheek.
"You know you're always calling me that, City Boy. And I'm starting to think that the reason you do is because secretly you envy me." Ren gave me a smirk.
"Excuse me?" I looked at him.
"It's okay to admit it, Samantha, I won't think less of you. In fact I think I'll take you to the city one of these days. Show you what it's like." he commented smirking at me in the process. I just stared at him. He was flirting with me!
"Uh huh and is that your roundabout way of asking me out on a date?" I find myself smiling as I asked.
"In a roundabout way, maybe." he replied, a grin and a wink flashed in my direction.
I shook my head. This boy thought he was so smooth. "Well, in a roundabout way, I might accept."
"Good." Ren replies so smugly and so confident that I can't help the laugh that tumbled through my lips.
"But anyways, back to the topic, I honestly was in the neighborhood. I was dropping something off to Andy. From my grandma, in case you were wondering." I commented, shifting in my seat to get comfortable.
"From your grandmother?"
"Yeah, they're dating."
"How weird is that?" Ren asked.
"Not that much actually." I grinned. "They met through me when I used to work here at the mill."
"Really? Shut up, you worked here?" he asked with a curious brow.
"I did. I worked mostly inside, using the machinery and fixing it when it broke down, not out here, mending fences and developing a framers tan." I taunted him, teasing him about his current situation.
"Cute. You're cute." Ren deadpans, face blank and serious, rolling up his sleeves and showing off said framers tan out of spite.
"Thanks. It's nice to know that you think I'm cute." I told him. "I worked here as a freshmen up to the summer of my junior year when I quit and started baby-sitting your cousins for your aunt and uncle. Honestly my babysitting gig is so much better and way more fun. You're cousins are awesome by the way. They're so sassy and spunky! And they can dance too, with a little help from yours truly."
"You taught them how to dance?"
"Sometimes, when we run out of games to play or movies to watch, I teach them I few moves. Nothing special but they love it." I shrug.
"So I guess is if I ever see Amy and Sarah dancing around imitating headless chickens, I have you to thank?" Ren said so casually, like he was talking about the weather, that it took me a few seconds to process the words. When his words finally sunk I open my mouth to retort but any words I was going to say die on my lips when the same guy that showed me to Ren walks over to us. Stopping halfway towards, Ryan graces us with the slimiest creepiest smile I've ever had the displeasure of receiving.
"Well aren't you Mr. Popular? Hey Ren let me ask you a question, between Samantha and Ariel who's better in the sack? Personally I'm willing to bet that Samantha is what with all her practice and experience." Ryan spoke leering at me the whole time.
"You'll never know, will you Ryan? I wouldn't give you the time of day and I bet no other would or has either. You're a nobody and worthy of no ones time." I snap back not missing a beat. The smile Ryan had earlier died a quick death on his lips. Not saying another word Ryan turned and stalked away back into the depths of the mill. After the jerk-off left Ren and I moved over to where we heard the sound of approaching footsteps.
"Ariel, what are you doing here?" Ren asks from beside me.
"Were you just in the neighborhood, too?" I ask, glancing sideways at Ren with a smirk, nudging him in the side.
"What?" Ariel asked with clear confusion on her face.
"Nothing... inside joke. Where's Chuck? He let you off your leash?" I muse as I smile down at her. The look in her eyes and the sound of her voice when she spoke showed her frustration.
"Oh. Ha. Ha. You're hilarious." Ariel drawls with a sarcastic smile on her lips.
"I know I am." I grin. Rolling her pretty eyes at me she faced Ren ignoring my presence completely.
"Chuck Cranston wants to see you at his daddy's racetrack tomorrow. At 2 O'clock, and bring your friends."
"Why?" I asked, interested in why Chuck wanted an audience with Ren, or any of us for that matter.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" she replied happily.
"That's why I'm asking." I replied with a fake sugary sweet smile on my face, cocking my head to the side, curbing the urge to roll my eyes at her.
"Okay, what happens at two o'clock?" Ren cuts in, stopping a potential cat fight.
"Come and find out." Ariel told him getting ready to leave when Ren next question stopped her.
"How come he sent you to tell me?" Ren asks.
"He didn't send me, I volunteered." Ariel replied mater-of-factly then turned on her heel and strutted away, an obvious sway in her hips as she went. I wasn't going to say anything, really I wasn't, but I could stand her having the last word either so I mockingly threw in my response.
"Woof!" I say to her retreating figure.
"What was that?" Ren asked, turning to look at me.
"What was what?" I shot back innocently.
"Don't play dumb." He replied.
"It's really nothing. Silly girl stuff." I tell him trying to shrug the whole thing off but he was not having it.
"Really?" Ren asks giving me the 'Do-you-really-think-you're-fooling-me' look. Sighing in resignation I give him the short and sweet version of Ariel and I's situation.
"No, not really. We just don't get along. We're mad at each other. I'm mad at her trying to be something she's not and she's mad at me for not accepting the fake her." I told him. "We use to be friends a few years ago. She didn't have this Hell-on-Heels attitude back then but when her brother passed away she started pretending she was something she's not. For a while she blew off her friends and started rumors about me behind my back."
"Wow."
"Yup... like I said, silly girl stuff." I mumbled covering my eyes from the blinding sun.
-The Race Track-
"So... why are we here again?" Willard asked, shutting the passenger door to Derek's truck.
"Hell if I know." I said as jumped out the back seat and slammed the door behind me. "All I know is that Ariel said two o'clock at the race track. Beyond that it's anyone's guess." I reply. My cousin huffed, dissatisfied with my non answer.
"If that shithog tries anything, I'm gonna pound him." Willard threatened, threading his hand with Rusty's when she came around the truck and slipped her hand into his.
"No fighting, Willard." Rusty's stern voice ordered.
"No promises, Rusty." Willard retorted.
"If you don't stop talking, I'm gonna pound your face in myself, Willard." I said as we all made our way to the entrance of the stadium where Ariel, Chuck and the rest of his posse were waiting. When we made it down to the track Chuck and all his buddies were smoking it up by his truck. Ren, Woody, Etta, Willard, Rusty, Derek and I were all standing on one side of the dirt track while Chuck's group was on the other. The whole thing kind of made me feel like I was in some kind of western standoff. And I forgot my gun at home.
"You guys, keep the smoke away from her now. Her daddy smells that, he'll never let her hang out again." I heard Chuck ordered one of his friends that was smoking a joint next to Ariel, who was waving the smoke away from herself.
"High school field trip's here." Some blonde girl announced from where she was sitting, leaning on a tractor.
"Twinkle toes." greeted Chuck as he threw down the end of his joint, "Watching you dance the other night that was real entertaining." He looked at me and I him undressing me with his eyes. "Especially you, Samantha. Watching your body move was... very nice."
"Unfortunately, looking at you makes me want to vomit." I replied with a smile on my face which dropped when he had the nerve to wink at me.
"I love when you talk dirty to me, Sweetheart." Chuck laughed giving me the up and down look, before addressing Ren. "We thought we'd invite you out here. Maybe you'd put on a show for us." He slurred slightly obviously a result to whatever the hell he was smoking not 5 minutes ago.
"Chuck, didn't you hear? He's into gymnastics." Russell told him, taking another hit from his blunt.
"Gymnastics? I thought only fags were into gymnastics." Chuck asked Ren with a look of fake confusion on his face.
"I thought only assholes still used the word 'Fag'." Topped Ren and I couldn't help but smile as Chuck's friends 'oohed' at him.
"Touché." Chuck chuckled "Why don't you try dancing with this?" Chuck asked, jumping down from his truck and climbing to the seat of the tractor parked next to it. Taking a seat and turning it on, he stares straight at Ren, eyes glaring smugly as he shifts the machine in gear and drove the tracker right towards Ren.
"What the hell, Chuck?!" I shouted over the noise backing up when Derek grabbed onto my shoulder and pulled us away. Still driving towards Ren, Chuck hit another lever that lifted the loader up off the ground and into the air, right at eye level with his face. But Ren didn't move he just squared his shoulders and stood there as the tractor got closer and closer.
"Stop dicking around, asshole!" I heard Willard yell, worried about our friend just as I was. But if Chuck had heard him he didn't give any indication as he drove right up to Ren, the loader mere inches from his face before he turned the wheel to the left and drove past Ren instead. Parking the tractors and turning it off he jumped down and pointed off in the distance the row of customized school buses.
"Now, we race these buses every weekend at the Derby Mash-up. We race them in a figure eight, you can see the tracks." Chuck explained squatting down to the dirt to draw exactly what he was talking about. "Two things you have to worry about. Your corners and your intersection. You fall behind, you're gonna get hit by the leader, but if you try to pull ahead, you might get slammed by the guy in last place." He finished, looking up at Ren. "What do you say, city boy? Ready to race?"
"Yeah, I'll race." Ren told him causing Chuck to smirk.
"Well alright. Let's go get ready." Chuck said then stood up and headed towards the buses to pick his ride, Ariel and his posse following him.
"Ren, you don't have to do this just because of Chuck. This is stupid." I muttered softly.
"And don't forget dangerous." Rusty added.
"I know I don't have to but if I don't he'll just keep messing with us if we don't play along."
"This is gonna end so badly." I groaned.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sammy." Ren deadpanned. "Look you guys go wait up in the stands and I'll go pick out a bus, okay? Wish me luck?" Ren asked, meeting my eyes with a cheeky little smile on his face. He was trying to be cute.
"I'm not gonna kiss you." I told him then wrapped my arms around him and pulled him to me in a hug. "Good luck." I whispered into his ear, pulled back and placed my lips to his cheek in a brief chaste kiss.
"I thought you said you weren't gonna kiss me... Thanks Sammy." Ren said.
"You're welcome." I grinned releasing him and stepped away from him completely. "Now go get them, City Boy." I teased him pushing him in the direction of the buses before turning and grabbing the girls and leading them to the stands as the guys followed Ren.
As we walked Rusty and Etta started giggling and teasing, both reenacting what I said to Ren.
"Wish me luck?" Rusty said making her voice deep like a guys would be. Etta playing the part as me said the next line."
"I'm not gonna kiss you." she said, making her voice sound slightly higher than her own, imitating me. "Good luck." Etta said goofing clinging on to Rusty and jokingly placing a sloppy kiss on Rusty's cheek. "Now go get them, City Boy." the two said together barely containing themselves.
"Real funny guys. Really mature." I drawled and they bust into hysterics. A while later the guys rejoined us and the race began.
"How do, all you Pissants? Welcome to the Cranston Motor Speedway! Looks like a lovely day for a bus racing competition, we've got one lap before the green flag drops, folks. It's a three-lap race to the finish line, or the last man standing. Lady and Gentlemen, start your engines! Let's go! On the outside, we've got the new kid, racing in the FunZone, Ren MacCormack." One of Chuck's friends announced.
"Woo go Ren!" I yelled from the stands.
"GO FUNZONE!" Willard hollered from beside me doing a bad impersonation of a cheerleader.
Then out of nowhere Ariel, who's in the pickup driving in front of the racers, is stripping off her green blouse leaving her in nothing but her pink bra, and starts using it as a makeshift starting flag. She then waved the flag back and forth signaling the start of the race.
My heart jumped in my throat as right away that crazy bitch Caroline slams Ren's bus. She keeps on Ren, smashing and smashing away in to the side of his bus. She was about to slam into him again when at the last minute Ren hits the breaks causing Caroline to speed past him and go crashing straight into a dirt mound. A relieved smile stretches across my face as Caroline's bus was now out for the count.
"Russell and MacCormack are duking it out for second place." Russell the imbecile that he is also gets bumped out of the race.
"We got fireworks! God bless America!" the guy yelled as the back of the FunZone suddenly burst into flames.
"Chuck Cranston holds the lead with one lap to go!" Rich narrated from the PA system, "Oh, we've got use a regular Mexican standoff, folks."
It took me a moment to realize what he meant, until I noticed Ren and Chuck playing chicken towards the intersection. Neither of them stopping only pushing their busses faster until Chuck turned into the intersection first only to have Ren slam into the side of Chuck's bus sending the thing tipping over and crashing onto its side. With Chuck's bus out of the way Ren took the lead.
"MacCormack takes the lead! Yeah!" the announcer hollers over the mic.
"Fire!" I yell being the first to noticed the flames.
"Guys, Fire! He's on fire!" Etta yells at the guys pointing at Ren's bus driving around the track with the back end on fire.
As Ren rounded the track and was driving towards the stands when he stuck his head out the bus door. "I got no brakes!" Ren yelled as he passed by us.
"Run! Hurry!" Etta yelled Willard, Woody, and Derek started rushing with the fire extinguisher then one by one jump onto the burning death trap, and Rusty was screaming for them to hurry. We watched anxiously as Ren lost his brakes and the boys ran after him. Willard, Derek and Woody disappeared inside the bus. I don't know what they were doing in there but the bus wasn't stopping. If anything the bus went faster heading straight for Chuck's turned over bus.
"Oh my god." I breathed, covering my mouth. I watch in shock as the two came closer and closer. Then as the bus headed closer to the other Willard, Woody, Derek and Ren all ran out of the bus. I whooped in relief as I saw all four of my boys jump out of the bus, each jumping out and landing with a rough thud on the ground.
When they caught sight of the bus, all of Chuck's gang scattered away from the bus. With a resounding BOOM Ren's bus smashed into Chuck's causing an explosion of fire. Somehow through the danger and seriousness of the matter, I smiled. The bus freaking exploded! I'm in awe.
"Girls c'mon!" I yelled grabbing Rusty and Etta running down the stairs and towards the guys. As we got closer I could hear Willard's voice.
"The wheels on the bus go boom, boom, boom! Yes, sir! Get some! Fire it up!"
"Shut up you, idiot!" I yell at him.
Etta and Rusty broke off from me and ran to their respective boyfriends. Slowing down to a jog I stop first by Derek making sure he's okay. Crouching down to his level I hold up three fingers to his face.
"Derek, how many fingers am I holding up?" I ask in my best doctor impersonation. Derek don't answer but instead he gives me a look that says 'why-am-I-friends-with-you?' and slaps my hand out of his face.
"I'm fine, my ass just hurts from the landing that's all." He says pushing himself to his feet to stand. Standing with him I place both hands on his shoulders and look him straight in the eye.
"You want me to kiss it better for you?" I ask in mock seriousness finally getting my long time friend to crack a smile. Rolling his eyes Derek grabs my wrists in his hands pulling them away from his body.
"Really? I'm fine. Thanks for your concern, but why don't you go check on city boy, huh? I know you're just dying to kiss his boo-boos away." He says wiggling his eyebrows at me suggestively.
"Pssh, you're delusional." I scoff pushing him over.
"Am I wrong though?" Derek asked as he caught himself.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I said to him, cracked him a huge wink that he mirrored in return. Patting his shoulder one last time I get to my feet and look around for Ren. When I spot him he is standing a few feet away, hands on his hips, staring at the destruction of the two busses.
"Hey, Evel Knievel!" I yelled, running towards him. When I reached him I jumped up and on his back. "You're crazy, Ren. Do you make it a habit of crashing into busses and destroying them?" By instinct he grabbed my thighs, hopping a little to reposition me on his back.
"What are you talking about? I had everything planned out." Ren replied with the biggest shit eating grin on his face.
"You're crazy." I mumbled shaking my head at him then turning away and rested my chin on his shoulder watching Chuck and his friends run around the burning bus.
"You like it." Ren teased bouncing me.
"Well it don't suck." I said leaning my head on his.
