Page 40 of Kiss Collector

She lets me go at two, with instructions to be back the next morning. There’s a bounce in my step when I leave, and I feel more grown-up and independent than ever before.

I text my friends before I leave the mall parking lot:I love my job!

Kenzie:Yay!!

Me:Where’s the party tonight?

Monica:IDK but we’ll find one.

Lin:

Kenz:Hey, guys?

I wait for her to say something else, and when she doesn’t, I get a bad feeling.

Me:Plz say you’re going.I pause and grit my teeth, then type,Vin can come, too, if you want.

Kenz immediately responds:Yay! He’s out of town part of break, but on days he’s here I’ll bring him. Thanks!

Oy. Just what we need. A guy in tow. A shy, seemingly nice guy, but a guy nonetheless, cramping our style, infringing on girl time.

I’m bitter and grumpy as I start the car, and before I can make it out of the lot, the minivan starts doing this weird bump, bump, bump thing on one side. My heart accelerates as I pull into a space and get out.

Oh, my freaking gosh. One of the tires is half-flat! What do I even do?

I text Mom and she calls right away from work, panicking.

“We can’t afford a new tire, Zae!”

My eyes well with tears. “Well, I’m sorry! It’s not like I did it on purpose!”

“I know.” She sighs and then uses her matter-of-fact tone. “Look, I can’t leave work. I’m the only one here and there’s sourdough in the oven. I’ll give you the number of the insurance company. You have to call and tell them where you are. They’ll take you to Ruddick’s Auto, and you’ll need to tell them I’ll come in after work to pay.”

“I don’t know how to deal with insurance stuff and auto shops!” Now I’m panicking. “What about Dad?”

“He’s at work, too. I need you to be a big girl, Xanderia.”Ugh!“I will text you the information now. Take care of it.” She hangs up.

I stare down at my phone, shaking. This is grown-up crap. I am way out of my comfort zone. She texts me the insurance phone number, our policy number, and the phone number of the auto place.

My hands are trembling as I call the insurance company. The lady who answers puts me at ease right away and takes care of everything for me. She says she’ll have a tow truck to me in twenty minutes.

I sit in the van, feeling annoyed by the unexpected waste oftime, until the tow truck guy comes and hooks it up. He’s an older man, small and skinny. He seems nice enough, but I’m still weirded out when he points to the old tow truck and tells me, “Hop in the cab.”

Yikes. It smells like dirt and something sour. I spend the entire drive to the shop going over ways to defend myself if Old Dude tries to make a move. But he’s quiet and polite.

When we pull up in front of Ruddick’s Auto, my heart speeds up again.

“Um, do I need to pay you?” I totally don’t have any money.

“Nope,” he says. “Your car insurance covers the tow.”

“Okay, thank you.”

I breathe a sigh of relief before walking into the shop. The first thing I see is a familiar face wearing a stiff, blue Ruddick’s Auto cap and matching blue button-up shirt with the logo on the pocket. It’s that Joel guy from school, the possible drug dealer slash guidance aide. The uniform makes his eyes look really blue. But I have to laugh at how his shirt is untucked and his pants hang a little low.

When he sees me walk in, he freezes for a second, then turns to look at the window to the shop where two men work on a truck on a lift. Before he turns back, he takes his hat off and turns it backward. Then he looks at me.

“Zae Monroe.” He glances out at the tow truck driving away. “What kind of trouble’d you get into?”