vegas | robin buckley

9. cars

***

Jackie blows her nose in yet another tissue as she sits on the ledge of the window in between the front and back room of Scoops Ahoy.

Dustin's pacing in front of her and Robin and Steve are sitting across from each other at the table.

After the events of last night, the group decided to come together the next morning and debrief, and try to decide what they should do next.

Dustin's telling them what he saw when he scoped out the area earlier, but Jackie doesn't really understand over the blowing of her nose and with her plugged ears.

"That just might work," Robin's voice is the one that catches Jackie's attention in between Dustin and Steve's sudden bickering, and she doesn't protest when Robin pushes her to the front through the window, follows after, takes their tip money, and grabs Jackie's hand to lead her out the door.

"What?" Jackie trails behind nasally, confused how her uniform is still wet after running it through the dryer three times yesterday.

"We'll be right back!" Robin calls to Dustin and Steve who stare confused.

"I feel like it's faster to just tell me what the plan is before you drag me around everywhere," Jackie says, dodging people as Robin continues pushing them forward.

"Yeah, but that's not as fun," Robin just continues on as Jackie has no choice but to follow.

"Woah, where are you going?" Jackie sniffles as Robin's about to lead them past the parking lot.

"To the bike stand," Robin answers, stopping so Jackie can catch a breath.

"Robin, I drive here," Jackie stares.

"You have your license?"

"You don't? And it's a permit, but no one ever checks," Jackie then clarifies.

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Robin looks very excited at this news. "Which one is yours? The Mercedes?" Robin looks around excitedly.

Jackie unlocks her '73 Kia.

"You drive stick?" Jackie has trouble reading Robin's voice.

"Don't remind me," Jackie leads them over to her car.

"Oh my God," Robin's definitely. . . excited. . . for some reason. They open their doors, sitting in the car as Jackie takes a solid five minutes to start it up. "Can you teach me?"

"Um," Jackie pulls out of the lot carefully, since her sensors are totally broken. "Like, right now?"

"Well, no," Robin sits back, still taking in the white car's black interior and broken AC vents. "Right now we have to go to the County Recorder's Office, but, y'know, at some point."

"Sure," Jackie nods. Why not. She stops at a red light and now notices Robin struggling in her seat.

"How do you, um. . ." Robin's still grabbing at the side of the seat.

"Here," Jackie reaches over to put her hand in between Robin's legs, pulling at the lever at the front of the seat.

It moves forward suddenly, Robin falling forward onto Jackie's arm and both girls' faces centimeters away from each other's.

"Thanks," Robin is the first to pull away, and Jackie also moves to shake her head like it was nothing.

"Yeah," Jackie drives on as soon as the light turns green and the girls head off to the office in silence since Jackie's radio is broken too.

They get there, Robin bribes the lady with $20 to get a blueprint of the mall, they drive back, Robin adjusts her seat on her own this time, they walk back into the mall, and spread the blueprints out on the table in the back room for Steve and Dustin to see too.

Robin starts pointing to things and Jackie turns away to sneeze into her own arm and get her tissues again.

"Toss me a marker, Jackie?" Robin asks the girl who's closest to the white board now because for some reason walking while blowing her nose makes her feel better. Jackie easily does what she asks with her free hand, sniffing one last time before deciding she could go back to the group and watch Robin circle on air duct and draw a line to the secret room's.

They then take the next step with Steve grabbing a screwdriver to take the vent off the duct on the wall and Robin and Dustin sliding a ladder over to stand on, Jackie needing to sit down with how easily tired she gets when she's sick.

"Flashlight," Steve mumbles around the screwdriver he's put in his mouth now. Dustin does as he asks and Steve then scopes out the area. "Yeah, I mean, I dunno if you can fit in here, man. It's like. . . super tight."

"I'll fit," Dustin assures as Steve climbs back down. "Trust me, no collar bones, remember?"

"Um, what?" Robin stares as Dustin starts climbing the ladder.

Steve starts giving some long winded response and Jackie just interrupts him: "he's missing bones and shit."

"He can bend like Gumbo," Steve then adds.

"You mean Gumby?" Robin stares after nodding at Jackie for her response.

"Pretty sure it's Gumbo."

"Steve, shut up, and push me!"

"It's Gumby, right?" Robin sits across from Jackie as they watch them figure that out.

"Probably," Jackie says not remembering the last time she's ever agreed with Steve on something. "Hey, stop groping my brother!" Jackie then realizes what the scene in front of her looks like.

"He asked me to!" Steve defends, but both Jackie and Robin are distracted as the bell at the front starts ringing.

"Ahoy, sailors, all hands on deck," Erica stares, continuing to ring the bell. "Ahoy."

Jackie and Robin both turn to look at each other, the same thoughts running through their heads.

a/n:
next chapter is the soft, person a is sick and person b has to take care of them stuff so b excited