nine

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But now I realize
At this rate, I'll be all alone  

The sun burned on my skin, right up to my rolled-up denim sleeves

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The sun burned on my skin, right up to my rolled-up denim sleeves. Vernon snapped his fingers in front of my eyes.

I blinked, recoiling from his snap, and frowned, making him chuckle. "Sorry. Had to check if you were paying attention."

"Sure." I muttered, fingering my collar. The heat was up, and I sighed dully. "Keep going."

"If you're tired, we can stop by one of the garages." He glanced over at me, eyebrows furrowing with concern. "I mean, it's not like they're air conditioned, but at least there's shade."

"Maybe I'll just go over there myself." I said. "Check out how they modify their engines—with any luck, maybe mechanics will actually help."

"You sure?" He asked, but he looked pretty unbothered. "I'll be right out here if you need me."

"I'm not a preschooler."

"Just saying." He half-smiled. "Have fun, honey." He grinned, imitating Seulgi's sultry tone.

I slapped his shoulder lightly, smiling, and set out towards one of the open garages from the file lining one side of the road. Kicking aside the smaller tires that were strewn across the floor, I sighed and sat down heavily on one of the bigger ones.

Glancing at my wrist for a split second, I looked over at the lone car on the end of the place, the hood of which was open, up in the air. The boot was covered by a long, off-white sheet, hanging off the tail and creasing with its tail against the dirt-infested floor.

Red paint peeked out from under it, the centre lined by a single black stripe. My eyes narrowed, and I glanced at the open hood. A tiny silver stingray decorated the v-line.

I straightened, my heart thundering in my chest. 

Suddenly, I felt as if I'd been doused in cold water. The hood shut with a bang, and the person who had been standing behind it earlier, hidden from view, coughed into his fist and raised an eyebrow in my direction.

Not sure what to do, I stared back like a deer caught in the headlights. Almost literally.

For a few moments, he didn't say anything, and I wasn't capable of speaking. His arms were bare, nothing but a plain white wifebeater covering his chest. His skin pulled taut over his biceps as he crossed his arms, looking less than impressed by my presence.

"So you decided to join." He started, almost conversationally, surprising me. I'd thought he would have said something unwelcoming like, what the fuck are you doing here? "Funny."

I frowned, a bit offended. "Why should it be funny?"

"Never mind." He muttered, looking over through the windshield of his car. "What the hell are you doing here?"

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