Take Me Home | ✔

Chapter Ten

UNEDITED :)

- x - 

[ ten ] - red convertibles

        ↠  saturday - six days before graduation   

Have you ever gotten that feeling deep in the pit of your stomach where you take a good look at something and instantly you feel like you shouldn't go anywhere near it? Kind of like how you picture stumbling across a haunted house with chainsaws dangling from the roof. Even if it isn't obvious, you still get the feeling of running away and never coming back? 

Well, that was kind of how I felt about Jeff's Repair Shop. As Elliot yanked my arm and started dragging me across the asphalt, I saw the rundown building attached to a garage. Rusty cars were everywhere, and half a gas station was sitting in the parking lot, which was filled with weeds. The sign was dirty white, and it was missing half of the 'h' in Shop, so it made the word look like 'Slop' instead. 

It kind of fits. 

I stared at the building, and instantly wondered if this was the place kind Elisa wanted us to go. 

"Elliot, I don't think this is... right," I started for lack of a better word, my hand still tightly gripped in his, and when he noticed this, he quickly dropped it, and grinned sheepishly, blinking. 

"What do you mean? It's Jeff's," he pointed to the cracked sign resting above the slanted roof. 

"But... all the cars don't even look repaired," I pointed out. 

"Well, there's gotta be one car that works." 

Before I had a chance to protest, Elliot soon walked into the parking lot and led me towards the main building, which looked like the size of a living room. The door opened and we were instantly whacked by the faint scent of molding cheese. My nose wrinkled, but I decided to give it a chance. 

"Hello?" Elliot called out, and my eyes turned to the many doors in the back of the room. Fabric sofas were placed in a haphazard way, with tables and outdated magazines. The front desk was just a small rectangular table with a few papers shuffled around and a silver bell that was also rusting. 

Elliot reached forward and was about to ring it, when someone came behind us from the front. I turned quickly, stepping on Elliot's foot in the process. 

"Well, hello there!" 

A middle-aged man who I assumed was Jeff, came lumbering in holding a dirty wrench and a toolbox. 

"Who do we have here? Ya looking to drop off a car?" The man grinned widely, making the stubble over his lips wriggle and revealing four missing teeth. 

Elliot and I looked at each other. He and I were obviously having the same hesitant thoughts, but what I learned about Elliot was that, regardless of whatever he was feeling, he went for it anyway. 

"Um, we were actually sent here by Elisa," Elliot told the man, stepping in front of me with a friendly grin. 

Jeff's eyes soon widened and lit up like a Christmas tree. "Oh, Elisa!" he exclaimed, setting down his tools on a table and wiping off his hands on a dirty, grease-covered cloth. Then, he extended a hand towards us. 

"The name's Jeff! Any friends of Elisa are friends of mine! We're family, of course." 

Elliot blinked at Elisa's brother, who looked shared none of her gentle traits. He was more enthusiastic, like a young child. But nevertheless, he shook the man's dirty hand, and looked at me blankly. I covered up with a smile as best I could and shook hands with him too.