STAMP OF APPROVAL - a selection story

garage

A B R I

"You forgot to tighten it all the way!"

Onyx guffaws. "You'd like to think that was me!" he yells back.

I refrain from rolling my eyes. He can't even see me anyway. I pull myself out from under the Fiat Hatchback, sitting up on the creeper seat. I slide my way over to Onyx, who sits at the computer, helping an older man get his receipt. I wait until the man leaves before I clear my throat. Onyx looks my way, stands, then pushes the creeper seat all the way back to the car with little to no effort.

If only I weighed a bit more. Then he couldn't toss me around.

"It's a good thing I was the one who put the jack stands under the car, Onyx, or else you would have been put in charge of all my funeral arrangements," I tell him, ignoring the hit I made to myself for mentioning a funeral.

"Abri!" I hear Levi scold. He doesn't like when I joke about that.

But I don't think it's about Mom's funeral, or even Dad's. I know he's been to a lot more funerals than I ever will, even if he doesn't talk about it.

Levi pulls himself out from the car next to the one I'm working on. "I thought you were hanging out with Emmie today?" he asks, wiping the sweat from his brow. He doesn't look annoyed, mostly curious, and I take that as a good thing.

"I couldn't miss out on the opportunity of fixing this fine lady's car." I motion to the pretty blonde sitting in the waiting room. I give Levi a grin, then wag my brows at him. His face falls, and he glares at me.

"Don't even think about it, Abri," Levi starts, standing.

"Oooh, perfect, stand up straight. She can see you now."

He doesn't move. "Abri..."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to talk to her," I mutter, grabbing a wrench off of the table. "But I could, if you want me to."

Onyx perks up behind me. "He definitely wants you to."

"Destornillar, Onyx." Levi glares at his friend. He says that word a lot, and I don't exactly know what it means, and I've never taken the time to find out, but Onyx knows exactly what it means, and what usually happens is they go into a verbal war, but it's all in Spanish, so none of us really know what they're saying.

"Maleducado," Onyx mutters. "Solo estamos tratando de ayudar." He gives me a look, winks, then looks back at my brother.

"Por qué no vas y buscas a tu propia novia?" Levi shoots back.

"Translation, please!" I yell from under the car.

"He's telling me how badly he wants her, Abri," Onyx fills me in.

I laugh. "Ha, I knew it Levi."

I only hear Levi's groan, and then, "Los dos son imposibles."

When no one else says anything, and the garage gets quiet, I pull myself out from under the car, and watch Levi continue to work on the car. "You know, I only say it because I don't want you to die alone," my tone is serious, but I know how he'll take it. But he has to know the only reason I do it is so I can see him happy in an actual relationship, and not in the one friendship with Onyx that's filled with useless banter.

I think deep down he knows I mean well.

But he doesn't always express it, and sometimes it unnerves me. I can't always tell what he's thinking. There's always so much he doesn't tell me.

There's so much he never will.

Levi looks down, clenches his jaw, and turns back to his work.

When I think he's going to keep ignoring me, he only smiles and says, "I won't be alone. You'll be there with me."

I scoff. "Are you kidding me? As soon as I can find a man, I'm out of here. You'll be on your own. And no, you can't come stay with us."

"It won't happen, Abri, because I won't let any dude come near you until you're eighty."

"Well, by then, hopefully you'll have passed."

"Hey! I'll only be ninety-one."

"And super frail in your old age that it won't even matter. You wouldn't be able to stop them from coming when you're all bent over and weak."

"Nah, they still wouldn't get near."

"I pity any man who would have any intentions toward Abri," Onyx mutters, butting into the conversation with his own opinion. I give him a look and he only shrugs.

Levi grins. "He knows."

I roll my eyes. How did this get on me? We're supposed to be talking about Levi finding someone, not me. There's no way I'm dating anyone any time soon, if I'm being honest. Most dudes I meet are meatheads with no brains.

"Let's make a deal, Levi," I start, catching my brother's attention. "I'll stop teasing you about finding a woman, if you stop saying you'll frighten away any male prospects for me." I give him a grin.

He doesn't even look like he'd consider it. "Nope. Sorry."

I grin. How did I know?