[Hyde POV]
After the principal apologized to the teacher, the school ended and I left casually.
I met with Barbara in the parking lot and drove back with her in my Nova. A lot of people wanted to see the Celica, but I put that in the garage.
"Why did the principal call you? I heard he called you a cheater and wants to retest the exams?"
Barbara asked worriedly.
"Gossips sure travels fast huh?" I joked. "Yeah, I did take the test again. I nailed it again, and
shoved the papers to his old, slimy face."
Barbara giggled and said flirtingly, "You're so bad." She hugged me slightly and then asked,
"Steven. Are we dating?"
"Do you want to be my girl?" I asked. "I really do." She replied.
"Then, we're dating." I grabbed her hand. She swooned and leaned in for a kiss. "Should we go
somewhere?" She asked.
"Ooh, I actually have to go to work. I have a De Tomaso coming today for me to paint."
"Oh." She was slightly taken aback. "Well, can I visit you at your workplace?" She asked, not discouraged.
"How about, I go home early and pick you up at 8? We can go to dinner and watch a movie." I
suggested.
She beamed up and said, "Yes! I love that."
After sending her home, I went to the autoshop. I bumped into a pretty girl as I came through the
door. Our shoulder's hit, and she was knocked down. I held her hand quickly and stabilized her.
"Are you alright?" I asked with concern.
The girl has curled red hair, wore a tight blouse and jeans, and she also wore red frame glasses.
"I'm fine." She grumbled. "Who are you? People can't come in here without an appointment. You look poor anyway, so you shouldn't be here."
Megan shouted at her urgently from afar, "Bitch! That's the boss!"
"Really?" She looked at me skeptically. "The boss is poor?"
I shrugged and ignored her. "Tyrell." I called. "How is she?"
Tyrell shook his head. I smiled at the girl and said, "Sorry. It seems it's not going to work out. I'll pay you for the hours you worked today."
"Wait. I'm fired?" She was startled. "Why?"
Tyrell said firmly. "You didn't clean up even though it's your job. You told Megan to do it instead.
You complained it's too noisy even though you know we're an autoshop. You hit on the customer.
You're lazy. I could go on, but out of my respect for Megan, I'm not going to."
Megan looked quite depressed after hearing everything. "Sheila, just go home." Megan sighed.
Sheila looked offended and said, "Fine! I don't want this stupid job anyway! I don't need a job.
All I need to do is marry a rich man."
She stomped away angrily.
"Put on the help wanted ads for the shop assistant job. Find someone good this time." I told Tyrell
casually and walked to the De Tomaso.
Megan slumped her shoulders as she worked today. Seeing her downcast made me feel bad, but I didn't want to keep a useless person in the shop just to spare her feelings.
Tyrell made a few calls, and a tall, brunette woman came to the store. She rang the doorbell and I
answered.
"Hi, I'm Brooke Rockwell."
I was surprised to see her. She was the one Kelso knocked up in the later season, played by the
actor Shannon Elizabeth.
"Wait, are you here for the job?" I was confused as I shook hands with her. "What? No, I'm a
librarian." Brooke was taken aback.
"Ah That made sense. We haven't put out the help wanted ads yet…" I paused, "That still doesn't
explain why you are here. I'm Hyde. We went to the same school."
"Oh. Really? I don't think I've seen you before." Brooke was surprised. "Are we in the same grade?"
Megan interrupted and said, "No. He's still in school. He's a junior."
"Megan!" Brooke greeted her affectionately, hugging Megan despite her wearing a slightly dirty
mechanic outfit.
Megan explained, "She's here because her car won't start. I figured I can check it for her since we
don't have any projects right now. Is that okay?"
"That's fine." I waved casually.
"By the way," Brooke stopped me before I could turn and walked away. "Are you the boss here?"
"Yes." I replied. "Just bring your car in, Megan can take a look."
"How do I bring it in if it won't start?" She said teasingly. "It's back at my house."
"We have a tow truck. I charge 20 bucks per tow." I said flatly. Brooke was taken aback, not
expecting me to be so disinterested in her.
Megan and Brooke went to get the car. It was a 1970 Ford Fairlane, silver in color.
Brooke said with disgust, "It broke three times this month alone. I had to go to the mechanic near
my place, and he's so sleazy."
I was taking off the interior of the De Tomaso and heard her clearly since Megan parked her car
right next to my bay.
"Is it because you're a pretty girl, so he didn't really fix it since he knew you're going to be
back?" Megan guessed.
"I think so." Megan shuddered. "He kept asking me out. It's horrifying."
Megan checked the car for a while and frowned. "Boss, can you come here for a second."
I walked over there casually and looked at the wire Megan was holding. "It's cut by a clipper." I
said with disbelief.
"I thought so too." Megan gasped in horror. Brooke asked, panicking slightly, "Wait. What do you
mean? Someone cut my wire?"
"I guess it's the guy who wants you to come back to his store." Megan guessed. "You should move
away."
"Damn." Brooke bit her lips in frustration. "This is the third time I have to move now."
"Boss, should we call the cops?" Megan asked with a whisper.
Tyrell interjected, "Since there's no evidence, it's hard to convict him– if he was the one who did
it. He can retaliate with even worse stuff, so it's better to just leave."
"Another way is to scare him pretty bad. Make him think he's going to die if he continues. Then,
he'll be the one who'll move away." I muttered casually.
"Huh? Scare him? Like how?" Brooke was taken aback.
I smirked and said, "Rough him up a little."
"That's… criminal boss. Don't get caught. I still need the paycheck." Megan said with disbelief.
I grimaced and said, "I don't need to do it myself. I know just the perfect guy for the job."
Using my walkie-talkie, I explained the situation to Red. Red knew a few veterans with nothing to
lose, and he said he'd handle the situation.
These sorts of things were quite common in small towns. The police weren't really useful in this
situation, so many people opted to do things on their own.
This wasn't even the first time Red did it. Hell, I did it before.
Brooke said, "Thank you Steven. But I think I'm going to move anyway. Just to be safe."
"I don't care. It's 30 bucks for the fix, 20 bucks for the tow. The total is 50 bucks. Pay up
front."
Megan, Brooke and Tyrell were dumbfounded. They didn't expect me to still charge the pretty lady in trouble. Most people would just fix it for free, just out of sympathy or their chauvinistic value.
I didn't really care much. I need to keep the place alive.
Brooke actually laughed afterward. "Right, of course I should pay up." She said and took out her
checkbook.
I ignored her and went to the supercar. Tyrell looked at me with disbelief.
"What? You have something to say?" I asked with annoyance.
"No. Nothing." He quickly helped me pick up the chair and brought it to the cleaning bay.
The paint job was going to take a lot of time compared to our other work. This was a basecoat-and-clearcoat job, not single-stage paint.
The silver Pantera was going to turn maroon, with gold racing stripes running down the hood.
Bruce wanted a full refresh—new tires, sound insulation, and anything else I thought the car
needed. He trusted me completely, so I didn't question it.
I started by stripping the car down fast. The interior came out first, then the trim, glass, and
lights. By the time the engine crane rolled over, the Pantera was already bare inside.
I pulled the engine cleanly, disconnected everything in one smooth sequence, and set it aside. What remained was just the shell.
With modern tools and good lighting, surface prep went fast. I stripped the old paint, corrected
the problem areas, and cleaned the body thoroughly.
By eight o'clock, the car was masked, wiped down, and sitting in the booth. The first coat of primer
went on smooth and even.
It had only been a few hours, but the hardest part was already done.
"I'm late." I muttered as I took out the painting suit and cleaned myself up hurriedly.
It was 8.30 when I got out of the shop and drove to Barbara's house. I rushed to her door and rang
the bell.
Her dad opened it up with an angry face. "Look who it is. A boyfriend who's 45 minutes late to his
first date with his girlfriend."
"I'm sorry. I got held up at the paint booth." I explained slightly.
Barbara rushed to the door and pushed her dad away. "Steven. You're here." Her face was full of
relief.
"I'm really sorry, I got held up. I think my reservation is gone now." I said with a guilty look.
"You look really nice by the way."
She wore a simple blouse and jacket, pairing it up with a long skirt. "You look… awful." She
teased. "Your hair is all frizzed up."
I checked my hair quickly. "Well, I wore a hood in the paint booth."
She laughed for a bit and said, "You must've rushed here. Well, I think it's too late for dinner
and a movie. How about, just dinner?"
"Sure. We should go now, cause your dad is kinda creeping me out. And I'm starving."
Her dad was staring at me the whole time. Barbara laughed and grabbed my arm. "We're going now."
She said cheekily. "Don't wait up."
"No! Your curfew is at 11! Don't be late." The dad yelled.
"I got it Mr Manson." I said casually.
…
We went to dinner at a nice restaurant. Red Lobster. It was the only place that could take us
without a reservation. I was starving so I made a fast decision to eat there.
We sat at the booth by the window.
Barbara widened her eyes when she saw the menu. "Steven… are you sure you want to eat here?"
"Why?" I asked. "You allergic to seafood?"
She blinked, caught off guard. "No. It's just… never mind."
I studied her for a second, confused, "What?"
She hesitated, then let out a small breath. "I've never been taken somewhere like this before. Not
by a guy. Well, my dad brought me here once.."
She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "So… it's nice." "Oh."
I ordered first, then set the menu down and looked at her. "Didn't you have boyfriends before?"
"Yeah." She nodded. "They just didn't take me out to restaurants."
"Where'd they take you?" I asked.
She shrugged. "Bars. Cars. Back seats." Her voice was casual, but her eyes flickered slightly. "That was usually the first date."
"That's stupid." I frowned slightly.
She let out a small laugh. "That's one word for it."
There was a pause. She stared at the table, then said quietly, "I think they saw me as someone you
have fun with. Not someone you keep."
That one landed. I didn't joke. Didn't argue. I just shook my head and comforted her. "They're
idiots."
She looked up at me and laughed slightly.
"And when I didn't let them touch me," she continued, "they'd get mad. One guy made me walk home from Mount Hump because I wouldn't let him kiss me."
"That's messed up," I said, sympathizing with her. "Some men are just idiots."
She nodded, like she'd been waiting for someone to say that. "Yeah."
I reached for another roll, pushed one toward her without looking at her. "You don't owe anybody
anything."
She froze slightly.
I added, quieter, "If someone takes you out, they should actually take you out. They shouldn't
expect to get anything back. It's having a nice time together, not a transaction."
Her shoulders eased a little. When the lobster came, she didn't touch it for a while. "You okay?" I
asked.
She nodded. "Yeah. I just.."
"You don't know how to open it?" I said and added, "Me too. I have no idea how to eat this." I
played with the lobster claws.
She burst into laughter and said, "Use the breaker. I'll show you."
We had a nice time together at dinner and I sent her back home since I needed to get to the store.
I wanted to finish putting on the base and clear coat tonight.
I told her that and she understood me.
"That's too bad. I kinda want to take you to Mount Hump now." She said teasingly.
I smirked and pulled her by the waist, kissing her deeply. She smiled and blushed after I pulled
back.
"You're a good kisser." She blushed.
"You too." I smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "See you tomorrow at school."
She waved goodbye as I drove my car away. I sent her home exactly at 11. We talked for almost two hours in the Red Lobster restaurant.
As I returned, I immediately went back to work. Tyrell and Megan were still there even though I
told them they were done at 10.
Tyrell said he already told her wife he'll be late and wanted to help me. Megan didn't have anyone
waiting for her. The sisters could take care of themselves without her now.
We finished up the painting at 3 am. Tyrell quickly went back home. Megan went to sleep in my office while I continued alone.
I went home at 4, and had to get up at 7.30 to go to school. It was exhausting. I continued
sleeping in class, and no teachers even cared to say anything to me.
I even snored in class. Fez has to wake me up to stop the snoring.
…
On Friday, Bruce came to the store. He saw the new color and was really excited. The paint job took
two days since I had to do the stripes too.
"It's 1700 bucks for everything." I told him. "There's not much to change except for some wires. I
did put in the sound deadening you want."
"Nice!" He exclaimed in satisfaction. I even took pictures of him with the new car. It has before
and after shots, which he really loves.
"By the way. There's a problem with the TransAm." I told him. "Huh? What's the problem? You can't
turbo it?"
"No, I'll use Supercharger instead. It's not that issue. The issue is, we don't have a TransAm."
He raised an eyebrow and said, "What do you mean?"
"The car owner took back his words. He didn't want to sell, so I need to find a new TransAm, and it
will take a lot of time." I explained.
Bruce understood my trouble and said, "Alright. I'll bring a TransAm here later."
"You have one?" I asked.
"Nope. But my brother has one." He grinned. "By the way, my brother watched the show– Well, I
forced him to watch. He said he's sending a car to you next week to fix up."
"That's good. More business meant more money." I chuckled.
I got two more requests to fix Ferraris and two more for Porsche. The word of mouth was really
strong, since the rich people community was close-knit.
I hired a guy to be the shop cleaner. He was a bit of a mama's boy, but he has good work ethics.
Although he did request to wear headphones when it was noisy.
"Jeff," I called him. "Find a space for us to do the older Rockwell's car next week."
"Alright boss." Jeff gave me a thumbs up.
Brooke also has the last name 'Rockwell', but she wasn't from the same rich family. I thought they
were related there for a few hours.
Bruce said suddenly, "I'm thinking about opening a shop here. I already bought a place."
"You bought a place?" I asked with confusion.
"Yeah, a strip mall." He smiled childishly. "I'm opening a RadioShack here. Already run two in
Kenosha. This town didn't have one yet."
"Oh, that's pretty good." I was taken aback for a bit. The name RadioShack was really nostalgic.
"CB radio is getting pretty popular nowadays." Bruce said. "I'm stocking those mostly."
I nodded in agreement with him. "Did you buy the entire strip mall?" I realized something.
He smirked and said, "Yup. I don't like to rent."
I cursed him inwardly, 'Fucking rich people.'
The place had good foot traffic and it was close to town. There's a pharmacy, dry cleaner, and a
dojo there.
Bruce brought me to the place to check it out. Since he was a good patron who had spent over 10,000 dollars in my shop, I didn't reject his invitation.
The strip mall was pretty new. I saw it was close to Sacred Heart, one other high school in town.
There were a few girls there, wearing a schoolgirl uniform.
They were whispering as they saw me and Bruce, since Bruce drove his Tomaso, and I drove his
Porsche.
There were a few closed shutters in the 10 shop strip mall. The place has ample parking space,
although it was basically empty at the moment.
"I'm opening it here." He showed me the empty store lot. "What's the rent here like?" I asked.
"I don't know," he replied. "How much do you think I should charge?"
I thought for a moment. "Well… historically, a strip mall store in a small town like this would go
for about $450–$600 a month, especially with guaranteed foot traffic from a nearby school."
Bruce snapped his fingers. "$500 a month. Done."
I thought about my own shop. I was paying $600 a month for the auto shop, which had almost no foot traffic and wasn't really a commercial spot. It was somewhere I could work without disturbance.
Curious, I asked the dry cleaner and the pharmacist what they paid. Their answers shocked me. $750 a month each.
"The previous landlord charged them extra because he didn't have any other tenants," Bruce said,
astonished. "So he just raised the price exorbitantly?"
I shook my head. "No. That's not exactly it. These stores can survive with $750 because there's a
lot of foot traffic. The real issue is that the rent was set high in the first place. People didn't
want to take the risk, so the units stayed empty."
"Ahh." Bruce exclaimed in realization. "So he's just greedy."
I saw the corner shop at the mall. It was a closed down restaurant. There were green and white
striped awnings on every window. I think it used to be an Irish restaurant.
"Hey, do you have the keys to that place?" I asked Bruce.
He checked it out and said, "I do."
We entered the place. It was quite dusty. There was some furniture here and there. Wooden booth
that wasn't taken away.
When I saw the single line road beside the window and behind the mall strip connecting together to the main road beside the corner, an idea popped into my mind.
"Hey, I want to rent this place." I told Bruce.
"Sure. It's 500 a month." he agreed casually.
We signed the contract, and I hired the two college girls to be cleaners for the shop.
Then, I bought all of the stuff I needed for the cafe through the internet.
"With the streets design, I can create a drive-through option too. I have to talk to
Bruce about it, but I'm sure I can get permission."