*~Ambition and Love Wearing Boxing Gloves~*

~ E L E V E N ~

Jumpstart

"What if I do... this!" Michael stomped on the gas pedal and the car lurched forward, sending them flying back in their seats.
Everything moved in cyberspeed, flashing by her eyes in blurs.

Her hear was racing and her eyes were wide open in pure adrenaline... or fear.
When she could finally get her voice to work Y/n screamed, "Stop!!" Gripping the edges of the seats.

Michael was smiling widely and slowed way down, soon making the car stop.
Y/n was panting and gripping the sides of the seat so tight, she'd have to yank her fingernails out of the leather.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" She whispered-screamed.
She was in such a state of fear, she still couldn't get her voice to function.
He rolled his eyes. "Come on, we're fine."

He gestured grandly to the giant, vastly empty parking lot that was mostly overtaken by weeds.
This used to be the parking lot for the amusement park beside them, but now the amusement is gone.

It's just a vine filled dirt patch.
Unless you count joy riding as amusement.

And the Cruiser was sitting now in the middle of the 26 year old parking lot.
"We could've-"
"We could have what?" He shrugged, his face still holding a calm smile.

She was at a loss for words.
Nothing really could have gone wrong here.

But her heart was still racing and her head was still pounding, that much she knew.
She felt her voice, her head, her hands and feet... all of it shut down.

It all shut down with her inability to make a reasonable come back, or be anything other than afraid. Like a defense mechanism.

And then the car cut out.

The head-lights flickered dimly and the car's engine stopped humming.
The only illuminance was the orange color of the sun setting behind the spruce trees.

Michael's smile vanished from his face.
"What the hell just happened?"
He tried cranking the car, to no avail.

Y/n stared at the radio knobs, that were no longer glowing.
The adrenaline filled feeling of dying, was gone.
Now she was filled with the feeling you get when you don't want your parents to catch you.

Michael sighed and popped the hood, hopping out of the car and walking around to the front of the car.
Y/n sat there and watched him, trying to contain the feeling swirling around inside her.

Because if she didn't, she might throw up...
Or the car might explode.
There was no telling what she could do... or if it was her doing it!

She had no idea what Michael was doing out there, but she needed to get out of the car before she suffocated.
And blew chunks on his leather interior.

She threw open the door and stumbled out of the car, practically falling on the broken up asphalt.

Y/n took a few deep breaths of brisk air, providing no comfort to her shaking hands.
The brick wall.
The penny bank.
The teacher's lamp.

As her mood dampened, so did the Cruiser's headlights.
Michael jumped back and Y/n flinched.
Could she really be doing this?

Her downward spiral of swirling thoughts were unexpectedly interrupted.

"Hey!"
The unfamiliar, gruff voice behind her made her jump, something she'd been doing a lot recently.

When she spun around, there was a ragged looking man approaching the two kids from the broken amusement park fence.

It was full of holes from people coming in and out.
It wasn't exactly open to the public, but it wasn't illegal.
Ergo... homeless people.

And that was the only way to describe how this man looked.
He definitely didn't look like a safe person.
From his broken shoes to his shifty expression, covered by greasy hair and an unraveling beanie.

"Do you have the time kid?" He called from far away.
Y/n leaned against the open car door and watched him apprehensively.

Michael looked up from the engine and slammed the hood shut.
The homeless man was steadily approaching the car.

"Hey man, could you stay over there?"
"I just need to know the time!" He called, still walking closer.
His voice got gruffer... or angrier. One of the two.

Y/n shifted to behind the open door, and Michael walked around the car, out in front of her.
"Hey, stay right over there."

But the man did not stop walking.
He got closer, and reached into his coat pocket.
"I just-"

"Stay right over there!" Michael shouted, the situation getting more and more tense by the second.
The man stopped abruptly, startled by Michael's hostile tone shift.

Y/n watched as Michael shouted at the man, and she suddenly didn't feel like she had to hide as much.
At least not behind the door. Now she was hiding behind Michael.

"Stay right over there... and don't walk any closer."
"I just need-"
"I know what you want! And I'm telling you to go find it somewhere else."

The two stared at each other for a long time.
Michael's young brown eyes peered into the man's tired, blue eyes.

Until he backed off, his broken shoes clomping on the road until he had made his way back to the amusement park gates.

Michael let out a sharp breath and his entire hostile demeanor dissolved in milliseconds.
He turned around to look at Y/n, who was gripping the open door and staring at him.

He smiled awkwardly... but sweetly.
"You okay?"

Her grip on the door relaxed and she felt at ease by him.
Almost giddy.
"Yah... yah that was awesome."

In a split second, the headlight flickered on and the engine turned over.
The faint radio played behind them and the car hummed with giddy energy.

The car had sprung to life.