Disclaimer: I do not own twilight.
Chapter 5: Stereos and Suspicion.
Ok so this chapter is a lot shorter than the last one, more unsubstantial but still, vital for the evolvement of the story. And again thanks to NinjaHarryPotter4life, I really appreciate the support, and to everyone reading this, please, just say hi and let me know you're out there, just the type of inspiration I need.
My last two classes went on pretty much the same, everyone avoided me and I could almost swear that my history teacher was starting to get a vibe of it from the way he cautiously referred to me for my homework. I only smiled kindly as I gave my essay. It was fun with the students, embarrassing with the teachers.
Once history class was over I went on to the parking lot, normally this hour would be of Spanish class for me, but seeing as I could speak it more than perfectly, the principal gave me this hour for "R and R" (rest and recreation). An evil smile came to my lips as I approached Amber's car. Rest and Recreation indeed.
I got to the old silver-ish Honda and opened the door to the passenger seat to then proceed to search in the cup holders for the keys. After a minute I found them near the break under the steering wheel. Probably dropped them while trying to catch me this morning. Poor girl would lose her head if her neck weren't holding it in place.
I got out the car and began to consider every possible outcome of what I was about to do. I must say, I was looking forward to seeing Amber in another hour. I opened the trunk and pulled out a big luggage bag from in between all of the useless stuff Amber had in there. The thing was heavier than I remembered but I still managed to carry it to the back seat.
I leaned the front seats all the way down to give me enough space and started emptying the old bag on them. Once everything was out and in a specific order I began my work with expert hands.
I remembered the procedure, even thou I'd only seen half of it and all backwards, but I was still very confident in the results. My confidence kept me going up until the point I had the entire dashboard dissembled. I made a long uncomfortable pause.
-Oookaaay.
I stared at all the wire and screws. I took a look at the time on my old cell. I had half an hour to have this done. I signed with disappointment. I would only be able to do half the job.
I took the shiny stereo and began to but everything else away in the bag, I would have to wait another day to put the rest of the sound system in. While I worked I faintly remembered the conversation I had with Amber regarding this. She'd refused to the single mention of the subject, so I was forced to use my lowest methods of persuasion and got her to agree… or something like that.
Amber had driven me back home each day from the first month I'd been here for free. So, I had the right of a retribution of some sorts, and this was it, a complete surround system with amplifiers and vicious subwoofers I'd brought from my brothers car from Mexico that would literally, make this thing bounce on its wheels. Or break its windows at its least.
But for now, I would only be able to install the stereo and the crappy Honda speakers would have to do. Putting the bag back into the trunk I cheeked the time again, 15 minutes. I hurried to get that effed-up radio out and to connect the thing before Amber came. She'd agreed to this but seeing half her car torn apart would defiantly set her mind on a different direction. So if she got here before I was done, I was completely positive that she wouldn't have the guts to move anything once it was already installed.
I worked in utter silence until the first students started to fill the parking lot; some noticed my presence and were curious of what I was doing. Some that actually saw what I was doing looked about ready to call the principal… or the cops.
I ignored them the best I could while still watching out for any signs of Amber. Soon enough I was done and leaned against the door frame to examine my work. It looked almost professional.
-Now, everything back to its place- My eyes traveled along al the discarded parts of the dash board and sighed- Damn.
I quickly started to put everything back together while being absolutely certain that I wouldn't be done before Amber got here and began to mentally prepare for her reaction. She wouldn't die, that was sure, and heart attacks aren't entirely fatal if they are treated in time. And the parking lot was filled with possible paramedics.
I was about done with the first piece that involved the A. C. vents when I spotted Amber walking over here… with Jamal.
I froze for a moment, and then continued my work twice as fast. If something described my friendship ways would be "know it all". So when my friends in México talked about a detective vein, it wasn't just a form of expression. The people I befriended became objects of observation and after a couple of weeks I could tell what every simple gesture they made meant. That was just my way of getting to know people. And Amber wasn't an exception.
So when in the cafeteria I spotted the first signs of a crush I wasn't entirely happy about it. It wasn't that I didn't like Jamal, on the contrary, I found him to be a very kind and handsome boy, but, I didn't know if he felt that way for Amber too. She had a very frail self-esteem and I didn't want to see her hurt over this.
I raised my eyes again in search of Amber and I was surprised to see that they were no longer alone. There were some overly grown, bronze skinned men talking with them.
I remembered what I'd been told in lunch, the jokes about steroids and Al Pacino rip offs. Still, I was a little surprised they were true. Not only were they humongous but they seemed somewhat coordinated, as if they gravitated around the oldest one. One who was heatedly talking to a panicking Amber.
I picked up the speed on my process with one eye on my job and another on the scene before me. I wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying but I could try to read their expressions and make theories.
The man, I suppose that was Sam, said something and Amber looked mockingly confused.
Amber asked something with the same face and Jamal laughed, and then tried to cover it off as coughing.
The men looked at each other while "Sam" responded with a passive face.
Amber turned to Jamal and he turned to survey the parking lot.
So fast that I slammed my forehead to the bottom of the steering wheel I duck out of sight. The reason? I had no idea. I waited another second, rubbing gently my throbbing forehead, and slowly went back to attaching dashboard parts and James Bond impersonation.
The "Sam" spoke, face blank with a very upset Amber while Jamal observed, appearing offended.
Amber shook her head and began to speak long and hard with her face red with anger.
Another one of the men, third tallest, started to negotiate with Amber, or so it seemed, and Amber listened intently. He finished with an almost pleading expression and Amber sighed, nodding in resignation.
Jamal took Amber's arm and started pulling her away with a semi-decent good bye to the men who just stared unmoving, one or two a little anxious at the exchange between Amber and Jamal or whatever deal they come to.
I put the last part in place and gave the whole form a couple of soft punches, checking for loose pieces. Amber saw me after she waved goodbye at Jamal and smiled to me. I immediately threw my tools under my seat and the old radio under the back one before Amber opened the driver's side door and got inside with the same pleasant face. I smiled and handed her the keys.
She took them and was about to say something while starting the engine. Then she froze, staring at the Sony master piece that came to life with colorful letters. I took my IPod and plugged it in; playing the same song I had that morning. The speakers were a little busted, but decent enough. Handing a shocked Amber a small controller I said in the most cheerful tone I could achieve.
-Enjoy.
She dropped the thing as if burned her and her hands flew to the luminescent stereo that suddenly unfolded a small screen. Amber squeaked and jumped deeper into her seat. I picked the controller from under her feet and placed it again in her frozen hands.
-This here- I said, as if talking to a baby-, not floor.
Then she blew.
-What the hell did you do?
I stared with total innocence straight into her blue eyes.
-What I told you I would. My tone hinting the unspoken "duh". Amber began to make her famous fish faces and doodled in the air for a little while. I let her vent and just as I saw she'd recovered from the initial shock I started talking, cutting her before she got all reasonable on me.
-Amber, we'd talked about this and you said go, and you know I can't really go to your house to do this so I'll do it on my free hours…
Amber huffed; I shut up and stared at her, confused, before she turned to me with childish deception.
-I thought we were going to do this together.
I laughed: - And here I thought you were backing down.
Then it was her turn to laugh: -Did you really think I'd pass up an opportunity to get a good set of acoustic in this old thing?
I mock glared at her to finally shake my head condescendingly.
-Well, I can't finish it tomorrow, not enough time but the next day we could start here and see if we could finish it in your place- I paused my "planning on the go" to look at her in the eyeball, serious now and not to happy-, but that would mean you'll have to skip your last period class.
Amber signed, fake heartbreak: - P.E., medieval torture, what a loss.
I rolled my eyes at her and turned to see out the window as Amber backed out the parking lot. She had to stop behind another cheap Sentra as a line formed to exit the school. That's when I spotted the giant men were still here next to an old classic red car… talking to the guy who flashed us.
My eyes widen when I saw him, he hadn't been around when they'd been talking to Amber, thank God. He must've just gotten here.
I looked at them as he frowned at what the third tallest said with an excited face. He seemed impatient until something the other guy said caught his attention. Shock paled his otherwise dark skin and cut the guy in the middle of a sentence.
Groin boy, Paul, if I remembered correctly, began to make all sorts of gestures, first a height, making a cutting signal just about half his arm, then something like a halo around his head to then go crazy on front of his face and body.
Amber advanced a couple of inches and stopped, then decided to try out the stereo, poking at the screen as if expecting it to be a touch screen. I let her on her own and continued to observe the oh so interesting specimens before me.
The rest of the men had their eyes so wide with a face that said "oh shit" when the oldest asked something, recomposing himself right away. The skinniest one started gesturing too, signalizing the spot where they'd talked with Amber and Jamal, then made a height cut on his arm, inches to get to his shoulder, a shorter halo over his head and then nothing made sense, he started talking and moving his hands a lot as this "Paul" guy looked each time closer to homicide with a big neon sign that said "Defecate here" pointing at his head.
All the other men put on sorry faces as the guy covered his face with both hands, looking desperate. I frowned and turned to ask Amber what she'd talked about with them, so maybe I'd understand something when she shot up the volume on the stereo, and, cheap speakers or not. I was nearly left deaf.
I jumped at the sudden assault and covered my ears for a short second, to retrieve the control from her hands and press the mute button.
-Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. Cried Amber, covering her ears and a great part of her red face. Embarrassed. I laughed under my breath and raised the control to her eye line and began to press each one. First I lowered the volume and then raised it to a normal level, paused it, stopped, played, changed songs, turned it off and started it on again before giving her back the controller. Sometimes practice is better than theory.
Amber smiled shyly and changed some songs until she found something she liked. I smiled back and turned back to my analysis of species while beginning to understand where Darwin got his idea that us humans came from apes, recalling all the hand show and silly faces they'd made, trying to communicate. The line of cars finally advanced when my eyes found the groin kid and Co. They stared long and hard at us, all a little surprised and the first one alarmed.
I looked away as we left the parking lot and listened to Amber sing along to some pop song, thrilled with her present and I didn't have the courage to tell her what and who I'd seen there. She was in her happy place now. Promising myself that I'd ask her tomorrow I waved goodbye as she dropped me of in my house and drove off, still singing.
I walked up to my front door and searched my pockets for my keys when I heard the sound of a loud engine taking the corner of my street. I found the keys and began to open the door while taking a distracted and not very interested glance to the source of the noise. Maybe Mr. Reynolds finally fixed his car… but instead I found a red old classic car pass with a bunch of muscled men squeezed comically in the minimal space, al sitting on top of each other, members almost hanging out the opened windows.
As soon as I saw them I opened the door and slowly went in, pretending not to take interest and steal one last, discrete look at the car that turned right on the next corner and out of sight…
In the same direction Amber went.
Yup, so this is it, I'm going to try and make longer chapters and update sooner but a can't promise anything, I'm also starting a new story too, but I won't post it yet, not entirely sure I can handle two stories at a time. So I'm going to dedicate myself to this one for now. Please review and I'm still open for questions. Happy 2011.