Charlie's journey back to Hurricane was overall quite eventful, even if it felt inappropriate to do the things that she did like go to her dad's house and technically trespass, to being inside Freddy's and actually trespass. Or what used to be Freddy's anyway, she was still coming to terms how different everything was in Hurricane, sure nearly ten years is a big enough gap for wars to come and go, but it was still jarring to her, she was only a child when she left and came back as pretty much an adult (17 but whatever). But it was nice to see her friends again, they changed as well but she still saw the same kid that she knew years ago in them. Jessica, the now New Yorker primly girl, is still the same high stepping material girl that she once was. Carlton was the same geeky no soul ginger kid, and John may have looked clean and awkward these days, but she still felt he was the same dirty clown boy that she loved all those years ago. Yes, she could go as far to say that she loved him back then, but maybe needed a little bit more time with him to see if it still held. After visiting Freddy's, and the ceremony, she feels like she needed a break, so she agreed for him to come with her back to her dad's old place. Pulling up to the place was less intimidating and inappropriate than it was by herself, she even admitted that herself it was not for her own nose to peek into her father's things, but the pressure seemed to wear away when John came with, he did come over all the time back when they were little, but when they pulled up, she immediately looked over to him,
"Where are we going first?" John got out,
"Garage, get the tough stuff out of the way first." She was confused on how he assumed that was most painful for her, of course he was right, but she was surprised she still knew her that well.
"Ok, I don't know how much stuff is still in there so we should be cautious."
"Only one way to find out." They reached over to the door.
The garage door opened with a bustling sound, a grunt accompanying from John as the light shun into the voided workshop, Charlie was nervous still, she felt awkward opening the gates to her dad's garage, as it was basically the nursery for the robots. The room was even more gloomy than she remembered, her dad purposely painted all the windows in the garage black, as he was quite discreet with his work, all of his tools, bolts, spare parts and computer was by the desk in the corner of the room, Charlie smiled to herself as her dad's old motorbike in the corner, she always laughed to herself as she never really pictured her dad to be the type of guy to be into motorcycling, but she knew that her dad worked on the bike as his random hobby and so people would see that as his work rather than the creations he made instead, John however seemed very intrigued.
"Yo! a 69 CB750?!" she didn't stop him from taking it out from the corner and kicking the stand down, "I didn't know your dad was a biker guy!"
"He was a motor guy…" she smiled, "He liked cars and all alike, but it was a hobby for him." She loved how immersed he got with it, he was rather cute when he got excited, he always was…wait did she really think that aloud?
"Let's take it for a spin!" he sat on the front with his hands up on the bars,
"Wait, we don't know if it still runs or not, or needs gas, or who even knows how bad the oil is."
"Charlie, do you not trust me?" he asked, normally he wouldn't be this upfront, but now that they were alone, he had a sudden burst of confidence. Even Charlie was taken aback by his sudden power voice.
"I do…but…I…" John stood back up,
"It's ok Charlie, I understand if your dad's stuff is sensitive to you nowadays, but…" he gave her a smile, "Under these circumstances, I don't think he would mind." She smiled; he knew everything that she thought up.
"I'm gonna go grab the keys." She smiled as she ran off to do just that, they were right where he kept them, on a hook on the wall next to the kitchen counter, while there, she opened up the cabinets where her dad kept helmets, even though it was very unlikely, if she rode on that thing without one, she can picture Aunt Jen having gone into cardiac arrest from her fear, when she stepped back out into the garage, John seemed to have done things to the bike in order to prep it.
"Since when did you learn how to work on motorcycles?" she asked him with a sassy look,
"One summer a few years ago, my cousin and I helped my uncle rebuild a car, it's not that different." He stood up and took the helmet, and sat on the seat, "Come join me, my grandad let me ride on his all the time." Charlie rolled her eyes,
"Alright hotshot, knock yourself out." She handed him the keys and sat right behind him, he flicked on the gas tank and put his foot on the clutch as he twisted the key, the thing fired up with no issue, Charlie jumped slightly, the thing hummed and revved with no issue, John turned around to face her,
"I think she's in good shape." He had the most shit-eating grin ever,
"Showoff…" she scoffed, putting her helmet on and holding onto his shoulders, "If you crash…"
"Would you relax?!" he kicks the stand up, "Sorry…" he looked back, she put her head on his shoulder,
"Now that sounds like proper you…" they giggled, "Now lets go around the block!' she put her visor down,
"You better hold on tight!' he winked as he launched them to take off...
She squealed and laughed as she wrapped her arms around his waist and they took off down the driveway and onto the street, John smirked, now it was his time to shine! He turned down the side streets to the main road, purposely dramatically leaning the bike to the side on purpose, Charlie was very confused on her feelings, she had a great time holding onto John as he drove, as much as she might never admit that in the next few minutes, at the same time her excitement may or may not have been confused for a panic attack with how chaotic he drove,
"AHHH John you're gonna get us killed!" she slapped his shoulder as he stopped at the stop sign. "This isn't one of those motorcycle games at Freddy's!"
"Ow!" he jolted the bike forward for her to stop.
"Ok I'm sorry, but still!" She pouted,
"Don't be grumpy." He revved and smirked, "You haven't seen my signature launch yet!"
"Don't you daAAAAAA" She grabbed his waist as he banged a wheelie and took off down onto the main road, "YOU DICK!" he chuckled as she held onto him for dear life. They didn't go on the main road that much, he just went around the loop and back onto the side streets of her neighborhood, eventually pulling back into her driveway, she hopped off stumbling.
"That was fun wasn't it?" John smiled and took his helmet off, she gave him a half-glare other half smirk that she was trying to hide.
"Yeah…except you almost killing me on the open intersection." She turned away from him,
"Oh, don't be grumpy, you still gotta show me your old toys."
"I prefer to call them friends, but whatever." She mumbled while walking up the stairs to her room, even then she seemed more at ease with him around in this unsettling setting, the floors had rotten boards, the paint was turning an almost golden yellow, no mold…at least not on the surface level of the walls or the celling. But one thing that she could know for sure, she and Jen needed a lot of work done to this place in order to sell it. But the novelty of that it was one of the last things that had her fathers essence into her childhood years….