Baby come back

𝓣𝔀𝓸

"Anyone want the rest of my burger?" Carmen said carelessly, pushing her food to the centre of the table.

Without hesitation Kenickie grabbed it and ripped it with his teeth like some wild animal, Carmen rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the window.

"Baby, what's up?" He asked a little more humanely.

"The sky." She muttered in a dreamlike state, to which the boys laughed hysterically.

"Uhhhh. I gotta go." Danny said stiffly, looking up at the clock.

"God what have these two been drinking?" Kenickie asked sarcastically, smirking a little at his own joke.

"Yeah why ya leavin' zuk?" Doody asked the boy who was becoming ever more agitated.

"He's got a girlfriend." Carmen stated nonchalantly, grabbing a fry from kenickie's hand and placing it in her mouth.

"What?!" The rest said in unison.

"Come on man. Zuko's don't date." Kenickie said to his best friend.

"I'm not dating. She's just yanno. Something." Danny said simply, speeding off, out of the dinner.

Before long the rest of the gang had left saying things like "I'm going on vacation" and "I got work", all excuses that you only hear during summer.

"You got anything planned?" Kenickie said as he finished everyone else's food.

"Nah. You?" Carmen asked, resting her head on her hand.

"I'm thinking of getting a job. You know so I can get some wheels of my own. You learnt to drive yet kid?" He asked, keeping the conversation going.

"Nope. But if I can get a decent amount of money soon my mom said she'll go halves on a car, but you know I'm not really sure if I want a car from my mom." She admitted.

"Hey, uhhh. Baby, you wanna job?" He said, finishing the burger.

"What?" Carmen said looking back at Kenickie.

"Well, it's only if you want it. I mean I got a job down at that hardware place, you know the one, yeah just heavy lifting's all. But uhhh they could do with a cashier." He said awkwardly, scraping around his wallet to pay the bill that the rest for him to pay.

"I'll consider it. I got a couple shifts cleaning up this place but I could do with a little extra cash." Carmen replied, reaching into her bra to pass him a spare note she carried just in case she was ever left in his position.

"Umm thanks kid." Kenickie said quietly, watching her leave the frosty palace.

She left the diner and the hot California summer air hit her face, it was getting later but the sun hadn't yet set. She knew she'd have to walk home as all her friends with cars had already left. Her only chance of getting a ride this summer was if someone taught her to drive her parents spare car left out on the drive.

*

"Hello..." Carmen trailed off as she answered the phone.

"Baby?! Are you asleep?" Her panicking mother screeched down the line.

"Well I was until you called."

"Oh my goodness! It's nearly one o'clock! You better get up and make something of your day." Her mother rambled.

"Why should I, Ive got another 61 days to do something of my life and today is not the day." Carmen said sharply.

"Well that's not the attitude of a young lady. Please Carmen, get your act together. Remember we have the family dinner on the last day of summer and I would like for you to have some nice wholesome stories of your summer to tell your grandparents." Her mother pleaded.

"Okay, okay. I'll go and do some wholesome things." Carmen said in an almost sarcastic tone, too vague for her mother to notice.

Before her mom could open her mouth to speak again Baby put down the phone. Dialling the number of her cousin almost instantly.

"What? I'm just about to leave." Danny said in a hurry, yet again.

"Give me something to do. My mom's on my back about doing something with my day and I haven't got work for another week."

"I don't know Carmen, meet up with French or Marty." He offered halfheartedly.

"I can't they're both on vacation."

"Uh well... I really don't know kid. There's always Kenick." He said, really wanting to leave.

"Seriously?" She asked a little annoyed.

"I mean yeah, he's not doing anything this summer either. Just go speak to him, say I sent ya. Just anything to get you off this goddamn phone." Danny begged.

"You sound like my mother." Carmen said before he hung up on his baby cousin.

Sighing, Carmen trudged her way out of the door knowing the walk to Kenickie's was mostly up hill. Passing her parents other car, a thought came to her head.

Sure she didn't actually know how to drive but she knew what did what. I mean how hard can it be.

*

"What the fuck did you do?!" Kenickie yelled looking at the car that miraculously appeared on his driveway.

"My parents are out of town, I thought you knew."

"Oh sure Baby, I knew. But why the fuck are you in their car? What if you crashed? Have you even driven before?"

"Well... it's not crashed yet and no, well I have now." Carmen stated simply, moving her glasses down on her nose to look up at Kenick.

"What're you even doing here Baby?" He asked in a more gentle tone, leaning over the car door.

"I'm bored." She said, slipping into the passenger seat. "Drive me somewhere."

"You know I can't just do that." He said looking confused at the girl.

"Oh come on Nickie. I thought you were supposed to be fun." He looked back down at the smiling girl, rolling his eyes at her pretend quivering bottom lip. "Please."