Page 18 of Jockstraps & Newspapers

Chapter twelve

Going to Dinner

Cassiopeia

O h, what did Cassiopeia get herself into now?

How did any of this happen? Did she confidently walk her way into a predicament.

Head held high, always ready to fight her way through, bite first and apologize later, Cassiopeia Darling was squished between two minotaurs—and no, it wasn't some porno on the crystaltube.

She was smooshed between two wide hips, ducking slightly to keep from being clocked by double the horns.

This really was her taking the story by the horns, so to speak.

She was about to see where Elliot Bonesaw came from.

He looked painfully uncomfortable, but she couldn't tell if it was the space of the truck, the clear tent in his sweatpants and sweat drenching the fur around his neck, or the situation.

Cass would have gladly taken care of the pressing problem back on the field, but her golden retriever athlete of a minotaur had called his family to come tow her car the first moment he could.

She considered the problems with having him railing her over a bench in the locker room when the massive, red tow truck with horns, a bull ring, and a fake tail strapped to the crane rolled into the parking lot.

They take this branding pretty seriously.

Cass glanced at Rex, the smaller minotaur at her left.

While his baby brother wasn't a baby, Rex was smaller in comparison.

A mostly white minotaur with a singular red spot around his neck like a permanent scarf.

He flashed her a goofy smile with a pair of thumbs up.

She chuckled, looking back at Elliot. So the himbo nature is a family trait.

Was it weird? Trapped in the truck with the family of the man she'd let fuck her in the backseat of her busted car?

Or was it weirder that she liked how they didn't stop talking the whole ride.

Jessie, Titan, Rex, and Elliot all bickered non-stop.

Not like her and her sisters. They were all smiling, batting at each other without elbowing her in the face.

They ribbed at each other, teasing the others for anything under the sun.

It wasn't like her family. Everything was spiteful.

Everything was sharp. Everything was a stab.

Her parents didn't allow them to play like the boys did.

Her father never would have joined in at the stoplight, slapping at his son before ruffling his fur.

And her family would have never been able to squish into a single car ride.

An unhealthy ache filled the concave of her chest as she sat back.

Was this something they could have had? Was this what family should feel like? Or was she just looking at it like the grass was greener?

"You've been kinda quiet, you okay?" Elliot breathed in her ear, dropping a hand to her knee.

"You ever see someone have something and all of a sudden the grass is greener on their side…and you're trying to figure out if that's true or if you're just seeing it through rose-colored glasses?" She raised a brow, ducking to avoid a swing of Rex's horns.

The smaller minotaur let out a soft breath, "Yeah."

Cass caught the small glance cast Elliot's way before he reached forward to flick Jessie's ears. So the grass isn't always green… She shifted to stare up at Elliot. He shrugged, whispering to her, "Grass is grass, if you want it green, you gotta treat it good to get it."

"Damn, that's a good line, hold on." She ripped out her phone, immediately typing the line, mumbling it slowly to herself so she didn't forget it.

Elliot snorted, shaking his head. The truck finally rolled up to a long, flat metal building with a red roof and blue walls.

The paint wasn't flashy or new, but the sign was clean, the lights worked perfectly, and there was a gaggle of people coming in and out of the shop.

A four bay garage full of tires, barrels, tools, and so much more blocked out the sun as they drove down the driveway.

To the left was a waiting room, where a couple was talking with a mechanic in overalls.

The massive bugbear, seven-foot-tall mechanic with floppy ears, brilliant tusks, and muscles for days, leaned against the front of the shop and talked with their hands.

Elliot pointed at people, starting with the bugbear mechanic.

"That's Nikolai, he's worked for Pops the longest." He pointed to an ogre lady helping a tiny dwarf into a pickup truck, "That's Kaci, she's the newest, just got out of engineering school.

" He pointed at a skinny elf teenager skittering across the floor, running after a rolling tire. "And that's Oats, he's the shop baby."

"Speaking of," Jessie huffed, leaning his head out the window. " Hey, Oats! What the fuck are you doing with the tires? I told you to rinse the bay! "

Oats caught the tire just as the tow truck pulled up to an empty bay. "Oi! Chillax, my guy! I wasn't doin' nuthin' with the tires, old man! I was catching this one, it fell off Nikolai's car."

"Don't throw me under the bus!" Nikolai whipped around to face the teenage elf, "I told you to keep a hand on it while I talked to the customers. You can't hold still for two minutes?"

"Bah!" Jessie huffed, tossing himself out of the still moving truck.

Pops shook his head, chuckling. The truck lowered Cassiopeia's car into the bay before everyone hopped out.

She stood to the side while the men unhooked her car.

Pops drove the tow truck into a parking space and she was led by Elliot into the waiting room.

"They're going to figure out the full extent. "

He pulled the front door open for her and she was greeted by a frosty room.

Cold, porcelain tiles, dark blue walls, a singular television hung on the wall silently playing a movie to a room full of strangers.

A mother bounced a toddler on her knee while reading a magazine.

At the water cooler, two older elves with bushy, silver beards chortled to each other.

There was a pixie with a bow in her ponytail floating on fluttering dragonfly wings behind the counter, chewing gum and popping bubbles.

The Pixie glanced up from their massive book and beamed, "Elliot! How's it hangin’?"

"Hey, Penny, this is Cassie, she's the one with the tow."

Penny the Pixie gasped, looking up into the massive windows that overlooked the bay. "That hunk of junk? Elliot! Why are you lettin' your girl drive around in that?"

Cass flinched, "It's not that bad."

"Oh, sweet, delusional summer child," Penny shook her head, tsking as she returned to her book.

She flipped a page and popped another bubble.

Cass glanced up at Elliot who shrugged, motioning for her to join him on the massive leather couch.

He sank into it, draping his long arms along the spine.

Cass slid onto the cushion next to him, her eyes glued to the car in the bay.

With the static noise of other people in the background, she waited.

The other mechanics came and went, speaking with people in the waiting room, and over time people filtered out till it was just her.

The sun set over the building, leaving the night sky behind them.

The other bay doors were shut and Penny left.

While the other mechanics cleaned up the shop, Pops finished writing on a clipboard with Jessie confirming.

They'd lifted her car and she watched anxiously as they pointed at multiple things.

When they finally came into the waiting room, she was ready for them to tell her the worst news.

Then Jessie sighed, leaning against the door frame.

"She's driveable, but you got maybe five years on her max.

We can get her fixed up in the next few days, gotta special order that tire and get that cap replaced, of course, a good oil change, flush, yada-yada.

But, by next Friday she should be back in your hands.

I gotta check with my guy about the parts, they comin' from outside of King's Fall, but shouldn't take too long. "

Cass exhaled heavily, "Oh thank the dragons."

"Now," Pops clapped his hands, "dinner."

"What?" Cass blurted out. Dinner? What? She blinked, looking to Elliot, he flashed her a sheepish, apologetic look. Oh, oh no, what have you gotten yourself into now, Cassiopeia Darling .

"E lliot! My big man! There you are!" Cass had barely stepped through the back door when, possibly, the prettiest dwarvish woman came to hug Elliot.

She was five foot even with a bush of silky salt and pepper hair, high cheek bones, a glorious beard that hung down her jaw line decorated in beads, shapes, and bobbles.

Dressed in healer's robes, she hoisted Elliot off his hooves by an inch before setting him back down.

Mrs. Bonesaw took one look at Cassiopeia and it nearly broke Cass in half.

She gave the Fae woman the most motherly mom look that ever came from a mom as she sauntered up to Cassiopeia. "Hi! You must be Cassie."

Cass would have burst into tears. Cass would have broken down into sobs, rattling like a skeleton in a hurricane.

Cass would have never let that woman go.

When Mrs. Bonesaw came up to her, Cass dropped to her knees to give her a hug and it was the warmest, sweetest, most loving hug she'd ever had.

It stung deep in a part of her chest that she'd never be able to heal.

Rubbing her soft hands on Cass's back, smelling of warm sugar and clean laundry, Mrs. Bonesaw pulled Cass in tight and squeezed her.

"Ooo, look at you," Mrs. Bonesaw pulled back to cup Cassiopeia's cheeks.

"You look like you haven't eaten. Please tell me you're staying for dinner. "