The Hard Truth

After a beautiful day on the California coast, Corey Brennan learns the lessons of humility.

“Whatever you do, just be careful.” The only other time Paul Brennan had felt nervous for his son since bringing him into this world was the night of his senior prom. In the week leading up to it, Paul overheard his darling boy talking with a friend on the phone about how he totally expected to finally take a visit to the old flower shop with his date. Luckily for the mental well-being of Paul and his wife, their son’s prom date turned out to be a devout purveyor of celibacy in the name of the good Lord, and proceeded to storm out of the house after prom at two in the morning with his underwear-clad son in tow, begging for forgiveness. From then on, it seemed as though Corey had matured into a young man and caused all the trouble he was going to for his parents. He was 19 now after all, so technically any of Corey’s problems were solely his own. Paul could rest easy knowing that his son could take on the world as a grown man and reap whatever consequences were to come. 

 

That was, of course, until Corey took off from their quiet, peaceful street in a cloud of tire smoke and the sound of a V8 engine slamming against its rev-limiter. With his wife so angry that he even let Corey purchase the car in the first place that she wouldn’t even go outside to watch her son marvel in his achievement, Paul found himself in a moment that his own father warned him would occur the day that Corey was born. A moment described as a being caught between an angry wife and a happy child, which in this case was all the more severe due to the metal death trap that his son was barreling down the street in. All he could do was stop, take a deep breath, and let out one inexorable “f**k”.

 

Corey on the other hand had been dreaming of this moment for years. From the day he started studying for his learner’s permit, every nickel and dime he received for Christmas, his birthday, and high school graduation had been carefully counted and saved in anticipation of this very moment. Combining that penny-pinching with three long summers of mowing lawns, scrubbing driveways, painting houses, and a horrific stint closing down the local movie theater twice a week let Corey put just enough money away to afford his dream car. Four wheels, five speeds, eight cylinders, and an endless amount of the brisk, refreshing air of freedom that came with it.

The first thing Corey did was take a cruise down I-280, a five-lane artery of pavement that ran on top of the surrounding mountains, passing a reservoir and intersecting a tunnel that lead straight to the Pacific coast. The landscape was layered with a bronze lacquer that absorbed all of the warmth in the air as the sun began to set. In the midst of all the natural beauty around him, Corey could only think of how nice the jet-black paint on the car must have looked glistening in the sunset. After managing to shift the car into fifth gear for the first time, Corey glided down the highway without a thought as to where he was going, passing other cars and turning down two impromptu street races from imports begging for a romp. 

After thirty miles the highway banked left and was absorbed by the interstate, which would take any wandering soul as far as the Mexican border if they let it. Corey took the last exit before it crossed over and turned back towards home, ready to sit in the driveway and stare at the majesty of his achievement. The sun had completely set and the black paint and all black interior had turned his car into a shadow speeding through the night. With no lights on the freeway, the only thing Corey could see was the muted green glow of the lights on his dashboard and his headlights carving into the dark in front of him. Until a bright rectangle in his center console lit up the entire cabin. 

Hey wyd 

Corey grabbed the phone and managed to keep one arm on the wheel while he opened it and turned the brightness down so the wandering eyes of any highway patrolman posted up on the freeway couldn’t get him for texting while driving. The message came from his friend Maddie, one of his newest and closest friends. They became close during a class they shared at the local community college, and the subsequent study sessions they had after school to try and pass it. She ended up becoming like a sister to him, and they were nearly inseparable. 

Nothin, whats up? 

“Did you guys see what Laurie posted on her Insta today? That guy she’s standing with hooked up with both her roommates last quarter and she still is with him,” said Maddie, “She has issues all day.” 

She was seated at a table at the local bowling alley with two of her best friends from high school, Henrique and Caroline. Henrique was two years older and a superstar academic that finished his undergraduate degree in a measly two and a half years, and was beginning to enjoy the final summer he had before entering medical school. Caroline, on the other hand, was home from her very first semester at the University of California, San Diego and enjoying not being surrounded by the debauchery and calamity of college life. Each one of them was receiving a fiery cyber sermon from the cell phone they had their respective faces buried in.

“She has the audacity to post on her public IG dressed like that and here I am with perfect skin sitting at a f*****g bowling alley,” said Henrique. 

“Honestly your skin really is perfect,” said Maddie, “Ever since you started using that new toner, you’ve been glowing.” 

“Thank you so much,” said Henrique, “I’ve really noticed a difference, especially under this ridiculous blacklight.” 

It was the bowling alley’s weekly Glow Night, and every lane, pin, and ball was irradiated in a neon glow.  

“My mom just sent me a text of a picture of our dog wearing a chicken hat, look!” said Caroline, shoving her phone in the air. 

“Oh my god, that is so cute,” said Maddie, in the sort of half-hearted way that hinted at her true lack of interest in the ninth dog picture Caroline showed the group thus far in the week. 

“And look, my dad just responded in the group chat that they’re going to have to change the saying to “barka-doodle-do!”, said Caroline, trying to contain her laughter. 

“I love that Charles is a typical white Republican dad,” said Henrique. He secretly lamented the traditional nuclear family that his parents always idolized and tried to create in their own little perfect image. He’d randomly vent to Maddie over text about them and complain that they might as well take his picture off the wall in the dining room and replace it with the cast of Malcolm in the Middle, “It’s so cute.” 

“He really is one of a kind,” said Caroline, “You really can’t make up the stuff that comes out of his mouth sometimes.” 

“What did he tell everyone when we went out for your mom’s birthday again,” said Maddie, “I was dying.” 

Caroline nearly dropped her phone as laughter overcame her body. “He...he...he told everyone to raise their spirits and toast my mom for her birthday!”. 

Maddie squeaked with laughter. 

Henrique stared at them both. “I don’t get it.” 

“Like, raise your spirits,” said Caroline, holding her hand up in the air, pretending to toast. “Spirits? Booze? You raise it like-never mind. You had to be there.” 

“Oh got it,” said Henrique, “It’s a pun.” 

“Yeah, it’s fine,” said Caroline, “I just won’t ever speak again.” She looked defeated and returned to browsing the endless amount of feeds her phone had to offer. 

“I’m really just trying to get something to eat” said Maddie, eyeing groups of people walking around with chicken tenders, nachos, and pitchers of beer. 

“Remember there’s that little café up in the back?” said Henrique. “The one we walk by every time. That makes you say you’re hungry when you see it. Every. Single. Time?” 

“Do you think they have fries?” said Maddie. 

“Um, they better,” said Henrique, “I’m fading just sitting in this chair.” 

Maddie motioned to the ramshackle café that was ran out of a back room in the bowling alley. “Will you go with me to get some?” 

“Obviously,” said Henrique, “It’s right next to the bar, and I need a drink anyway. Should we get a lane? All the teeny-boppers in their mom’s Birkenstocks are starting to show up.” 

“Will you go get a lane?” said Maddie, turning to Caroline, “I’ll give you cash. Tory gave me $20 before I left the house.” 

“Yeah that’s fine,” said Caroline, “Also will you get me a red Icee?” 

“Of course,” said Maddie, “Small or large?”

Caroline winced. “Small I guess? Don’t need all that sugar.” 

“Still trying to impress all those boys at Cal Poly?” said Maddie. Caroline blushed. “Jk. Also make sure you get a lane big enough for all four of us. Lizzie is on her way.” 

“Got it,” said Caroline, still reeling from the memories of every traumatizing encounter she had over the previous semester with an eclectic yet commonly ineffectual group of emerging men that employed a nearly grotesque way of interacting with the opposite sex. Although, not much else could be expected from a platoon’s worth of eighteen-year-old boys. 

They got in line at the café and Maddie pulled out her phone. On her lock screen was a double text from Corey. Shoot. Forgot to text him back. 

? 

He picked up on the fact that she always had her phone on her and would pull it out and check notifications almost compulsively. He called her on it once, and it gave him license to call her out whenever she didn’t reply to his text in a timely way. “Corey texted me. Should I invite him?” 

Henrique’s face soured. “I don’t know, if you want,” he said. Henrique had an on-and- off, love-hate relationship with Corey. One minute he wouldn’t stop asking about him, the next, he wanted to punt him off a cliff, all while he wasn’t even in the room. They always got along in person, though. In a way, Corey looked up to Henrique because he was on the fast track to becoming a doctor, something Corey always wanted to do, just like his dad. 

“I think I will,” said Maddie as she pulled out her phone, “He said he was out, anyway.” 

We’re bowling, you should come 

The oceam place, right? 

Ocean*

Yeah, Fishbowl

Whose there?

Me, Henrique, Caroline, and Lizzie’s on her way 

Corey nearly drove his car off the road as he felt his heart sink into his stomach. His mind started racing. Caroline was going to be there? She was home already? Maddie didn’t tell him. He had to go. But he couldn’t respond quickly. He had to make it seem like he didn’t care. He learned that trick the last time he tried to hit on one of Maddie’s friends. His lightning-fast replies and anxiety-driven double texts were the talk of the town for months afterward. 

“I feel like I’m contracting food poisoning just standing in this place,” said Henrique, “Now I know why we never came up here before.” 

“I know, I know,” said Maddie, “But I just really want fries.” 

“I tried this detox thing a couple months ago where all I did was eat meat for a two weeks,” said Henrique, “I know it doesn’t sound like a detox because ew red meat, but let me tell you, I felt so much better. More energy, better skin, better mood, everything. The first time I had carbs after, I broke out and felt like I had been hit by a truck. It was a nightmare.” 

“Oh, really,” said Maddie as she scanned around the café. It was full of cheap, hard plastic chairs and tables that had been glossed over so many times over the years by store brand window cleaner that they shined under the florescent lights. Maddie could feel herself slipping off of them from the other side of the room. 

“Yeah, I had to exfoliate for days just try to get back to normal. I was so embarrassed I didn’t want to go outside and almost missed a med school interview.” 

Maddie was still looking around and observing her fellow café goers- consisting of groups of teens, an elderly couple eating soft serve in the corner, and a young mom trying to wrangle two kids to behave while holding a toddler on her hip. She gave them all a sour look. “That’s crazy,” she said. 

“You’re not even listening,” said Henrique, “Go order! You’re next!” 

Caroline finished ramming her right foot into the soft, battered leather shoe she traded out for her own at the counter as she reminded herself why she normally stayed at home when her friends went out to the FishBowl. On a normal night, she would be at home, on the couch, under a blanket, watching reruns with a small glass of white wine that her mom would sneak her after her dad went to bed. Never too big- she wasn’t twenty-one after all. Just enough to make her a little drowsy. Instead of that unbelievably pleasant evening that she was pining for, 

Caroline found herself in the middle of a hot, sweaty bowling alley with dingy purple carpeting and wearing shoes that probably had every type of fungal infection discovered by modern medicine crawling all over them, aimlessly wandering around looking for the lane she haphazardly rented for the next hour. 

Naturally, the only lane that was left open on this bustling Friday night was tucked all the way in the corner, beginning Caroline’s march through the very sort of debauchery that made her consider not going back to school and joining Maddie at the local community college. On her way through the chaos she survived the gawking stares of a pod of sweaty old men wearing matching polo shirts, a mob of tweens yelling at each other trying to coordinate a group Boomerang, and two teenage girls not a day over sixteen dressed in all black combat boots, chains, miniskirts, and fishnets devouring each other’s mouths against the back wall next to the woman’s bathroom. 

Eventually she reached the end and found the sole empty lane next to a group of women in their fifties, each with a cheap margarita in their hand and elated looks of euphoric relief from the absence of their husbands and children on their faces. 

“Caroline!” said a voice behind her. Caroline whipped around and saw Lizzie bounding down the stairs towards her. 

“Hey, how are you?” said Caroline. Caroline found Lizzie more and more exhausting every time they interacted with one another. They had been friends since middle school but had grown apart ever since high school graduation and only saw each other when Maddie sanctioned it. 

“Great!” said Lizzie, “This place is bouncing tonight! Where are Maddie and Henrique?” 

“They went to get food. Did you get your shoes?” 

“I brought my own, well, my brother’s old pair. They still fit,” said Lizzie, “Did they say anything about getting fries?” 

Caroline sighed. “That’s exactly what they went to go get.” 

“Oh thank god, I’m starving!” 

Lizzie sat down on the row of plastic chairs afforded to each lane and began re-lacing her shoes to have a tighter fit. “So, what’s new? I haven’t seen you! How’s San Diego?” 

“Well, nothing much, really,” said Caroline, sitting down on a small folding chair behind the computer station that helped keep score, “It’s a whole different world down there. San Diego I mean.” 

“Yeah four-years are wild,” said Lizzie, “My brother almost got kicked out of his school barely a month into freshmen year from bad grades and partying too much. My mom and dad threatened to stop paying his tuition.” 

Caroline’s stomach began to turn. “Wow, that’s horrible! I’m glad he finished.” None of her friends could know it, but she was almost jealous of Lizzie’s brother. Caroline’s first month away at school was one the most miserable she had gone through in her life. Every day she found herself utterly homesick and friendless. Unlike most of her peers in her classes, she was actually excited when final exams came around because that meant when she was done, she got to go home. As soon as she walked through the front door upon arriving back home she broke down in tears and begged her parents not to make her go back. 

“Hey look who finally made it,” said Maddie as she descended down the stairs holding a tray with two mounds of freshly re-heated French fries piled high on it. “We have to talk about what I saw on Instagram today.” 

“Oh my god was it Laurie’s post?” said Lizzie, lighting up like a firecracker. 

“Oh my god you saw it?” 

“Um, yes!” said Lizzie, “You know I turned notifications on for her posts as soon as that guy hooked up with roommate number one.” 

Maddie squealed and nearly dropped the fries. “Ok good, let’s talk while we bowl.” 

Henrique, clearly exasperated from hearing about all of the boy drama that alluded him and his perfect skin, walked right passed the two harlequins of gossip and took Caroline in a warm, almost relieved embrace. “Here’s your Icee,” he said, “They were out of red, but blue is less tacky anyway.” 

Caroline chuckled. “Thank you.” The zip of sugar that came from that hunk of blue ice was the only thing that was going to keep her sane that night. 

Corey was nearly sick to his stomach out of nerves. Maddie couldn’t just drop that she was hanging out with Caroline and that he was invited, and then just ghost him like that. He was still barreling up the freeway, swerving around every car he saw. Sometimes he would drop a gear or two and punch it just to get thrown back into his seat one more time. He could just imagine pulling up to his friend’s house and getting out. The look on their faces. Man, it was going to be great. 

But no time for that now, the exit that was closest to the FishBowl was coming up. He nervously puled into the right lane, veering off the freeway and onto an intersection that gave pass to both sides of the area that the freeway bifurcated. Tract homes on the left, and the rougher side on the right. FishBowl was the one place where people from both sides of the freeway congregated at the same time. He turned right. Eventually he stopped and pulled into a Wendy’s parking lot and checked his phone. No response.

Hello? 

Maddie felt her phone go off and pulled it out of her back pocket.

We’re here, come 

Corey tossed his phone down on the passenger seat and threw his car into gear, nearly stalling is as he pulled out of the Wendy’s parking lot he stopped in while waiting for a reply. 

“He’s coming,” said Maddie. 

“He is?” said Lizzie with a smile. She had a secret crush on Corey since one warm night the previous year that caught them going at it on Maddie’s back porch during a party. She would never admit it though, even with a gun to her head. “Is he going to be in that new car he got?” 

“I don’t know, maybe,” said Maddie, burying her face into her phone to hide from the impending interrogation. 

“What new car?” said Henrique, looking up from his Twitter feed. 

“I saw on his Snapchat story that he was sitting in the driver’s seat of a car I’ve never seen him in before,” said Lizzie, “It was all black, not like that off-brown thing he normally drives around.” 

“How do you know it was his?” said Henrique. 

“There was a caption on it that said something about hard working paying off,” said Lizzie, “Maddie, do you know?” 

“I think he said something about wanting a new car,” said Maddie, knowing perfectly well that every day during class Corey spent his time looking at cars on his laptop instead of paying attention to lecture. Most of the time, he would bounce ideas off of her. By the end of the semester, she actually knew a little bit about cars. 

Groins are quivering over here, you better hurry 

Corey looked down at his phone and swung his car over to the curb to respond. 

What do you mean? 

They know you got a new car, and are feeling things 

What on Earth was she talking about? Corey’s mind started to race. He looked around and saw the faint glow of FishBowl’s neon signs bouncing off of a neighboring building. 

“What kind?” said Lizzie, “It looked small on the inside.” 

Maddie popped her head up straight from her phone screen and stared at the ceiling. “Elizabeth Marie, he is on his way. When he gets here, just ask him,” 

“It looked like a sports car,” said Lizzie as she turned to Henrique, “I think there was a stick shift.” 

Lizzie and Henrique both shot each other a look and then turned their gazes onto Maddie. Corey had a reputation for being a little bit of a rebel, even to the point where he tried way too hard and became a little obnoxious.

“Is he going to show up and remind all of us how white and masculine he is?” said Henrique, “Because I’m literally leaving.” 

Maddie rolled her eyes and buried her face back into her phone. The entire time, Caroline had been playing tag with her eyes trying to decipher the conversation unfolding before her. 

“Who’s coming?” said Caroline. 

“No one,” said Maddie. 

“Corey,” said Lizzie. 

“Maddie’s friend from school?” said Caroline. They had briefly met an Lizzie’s birthday party the previous December, but through the mess of high school friends, fellow churchgoers, and members of Lizzie’s family, they didn’t really interact all that much. Not to mention the fact that Corey was shaking at the knees just looking at her and couldn’t muster up the courage to go so much as utter a syllable past “Hello”. 

“Yeah” said Maddie. The morning after Lizzie’s birthday party, Corey bombarded Maddie with questions about Caroline. Who she was, where she was from, and most importantly, was she single? Maddie would casually mention Caroline throughout the semester, and Corey would go nuts every time. She thought they might be a good match, as long as Corey didn’t blow it, but was always hesitant to introduce them. He would always get too excited around girls, and either scare them away or end up acting like a total jerk. She recently thought that he had gotten better, at least compared to how he was when they first met. After inviting him, however, she realized that it was a bad idea and that he wasn’t ready for a girl like Caroline. Was it too late to tell him they left? 

Corey sped up the street going twenty over the limit, flying past an elementary school, small brick warehouse, and finally slamming on his brakes and popping the car into neutral just in time to make it up the small curb cut that lead into the shopping center where FishBowl was. After turning the wheel, he jammed the shifter into first gear, and gassed the car a little too much, and sent it squirming across the pavement in a folly of tire screeching and smoke. He panicked and threw it in neutral coming to a stop. The smell of a burnt clutch filled the air as Corey looked around to see if anyone had witnessed his blunder. The coast was clear. Now to find parking. 

The car hobbled into the lot, still smelling like smoke, and Corey found the spot farthest away from any other cars, didn’t want any dings now. He hopped out and started walking away before it dawned in him. He turned around and gave the car one look up and down. It was all his. Surreal. 

He walked into FishBowl, and immediately remembered why he hated it so much. Barring the fact that he got stood up there after the homecoming dance his junior year of high school by what he deemed was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen in his life, this little bowling alley was one of his least favorite places on the planet. He would have rather been at his great-aunt Terry’s house listening to her wail back at Rush Limbaugh through her radio about how liberals were taking over and driving the country into the ground than be there. The people, the music, the food...and the smell. Oh, the smell. A potent combination of cheap beer, body odor, and floor wax that never changed no matter how many generations passed through the place. 

“So then I told Maria that I didn’t want to stay in the area for med school” said Henrique, “Broaden my horizons, you know? See different parts of the country? Things are becoming so backwards right now that I feel like I have to go and teach others that it’s not that big of a deal if you have to pick between English and Español at the ATM.” 

“How’d she take it?” said Caroline. She was getting clammy like she always did when she heard about the drama in other families. 

“She nearly lost it,” said Henrique, sipping on the well vodka and soda he bought at the bowling alley’s bar with his fake ID. “Kept going on about how I had to be around to help protect my sisters and earn my place in the family, whatever that means. I’m so over it.” 

“Corey!” said Lizzie loud enough to get the attention of the group of ladies in the lane next to them. Before he knew it, Corey was standing at the top of the stairs with seven pairs of eyes boring a whole right through him. He looked around at everyone until he froze at Caroline, taking in her bright blue eyes and nearly fainting right on the spot. As he walked down the stairs, he reckoned she was the most beautiful thing he ever saw, for real this time. 

“What’s going on guys?” said Corey, trying to avoid eye contact with Caroline to try and trick everyone that he wasn’t completely infatuated with her. 

Lizzie was the first one to run up and give him a hug. Then Henrique, who wrapped his long, muscular arms and huge frame around him like he hadn’t seen him in years. The entire time, Maddie just stared. He finally made his way to her. 

“Corey, how are you?” she said in a fake warm and welcoming tone that only her sister could recognize. “How’s that new car?” 

“I’m good,” said Corey, hugging her, “It’s so dope, I almost got into like two different street races on the way here.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw Caroline, patiently waiting a greeting too. He thought to himself that she almost looked nervous. Nah, couldn’t be. 

“You remember my friend Caroline,” said Maddie. 

Corey extended a hand and took hers. “Yeah of course, how are you?” 

“I’m well,” she said with a smile that almost made him turn to pixie dust right on the spot. He was more handsome than she remembered. A little skinny compared to her usual suitors at school, but the faint hint of a rebellious streak he gave off made up for it. 

“Welcome back from school,” said Corey, “I didn’t realize UC San Diego let out this early.” 

“Yeah they’re on the quarter system, so I’m done in early May,” said Caroline. He had a perfect smile. 

“Nice,” said Corey, turning to everyone else, “Did you all just get here?” 

“We’ve only been here for like 20 minutes,” said Henrique. “I’m still on my first vodka.” 

“I’m so jealous you have a fake,” said Lizzie, “My friends from church all had them when they came back from school and keep going out without me.” 

“Lizzie, the last thing anyone needs is you running around this bowling alley drunk,” said Maddie without even looking up. She resigned her self to hide behind the nearly-impervious shield of staring at her phone screen- partly because she wanted absolutely nothing to do with the current social climate she was in, and to reply to a barrage of Snapchats she was receiving from boys in three different states. 

“So Corey, how are you? Tell me everything,” said Henrique, clearly beginning to feel the zip from his drink. 

“Oh, I’m great,” said Corey as he sat down next to Henrique, “Just on the usual non-stop school and work cycle.” 

Henrique nodded. “Good, I’m glad! And yeah, I’m starting to feel the school crunch too. So many things to do, I feel like I’m going to need a Xanax just thinking about it.” 

“Oh yeah, how did the LSAT go?” said Corey, “The last time we talked you were getting ready to start cramming before you actually took it.” 

“It went well,” said Henrique, “I scored a 173.” “Is that good?”

“Yeah, a perfect score is 180.”

“Wow, that’s awesome!” 

“Thank you. What about you, did you declare a major yet?” 

Corey squirmed in his seat. “Uh, nah not yet. I’m not that worried. Hopefully I’ll get to the LSAT one day.” 

“Yeah you totally will, don’t even worry.” said Henrique, “You have plenty of time. By then I’ll give you all of my notes and annotated books, so you don’t even have to work. So, tell me about this new car.” 

Lizzie overheard and walked over to join them. “Well, it’s great. I just picked it up today, and I’m in love.” 

“It looked really nice from that snap you posted,” said Lizzie. 

Maddie noticed the three of them talking and walked over to butt in. “Are you guys ready to play? The rental time started already.” 

“Oh my god yes, relax” said Henrique, “I’m not even done with this drink yet.” 

“Ok, well let’s start,” said Maddie, “Corey, will you set it up?” 

“Yeah, no problem.” He stood up and heard Maddie start to mumble something to the other two. 

Corey walked over to the computer that controlled the games and began punching in names. He entered everyone’s except for himself and Caroline’s on purpose. If they were the last two in the game, that meant that they bowled back to back, and that would make plenty of time for small talk. He looked up from the faded, dirty touch screen that barely looked and made eye contact with Caroline. He motioned her over and she walked to him, not breaking their locking gaze. 

“What’s up?” she said. 

“I have a very important question.” 

She smiled. The head tilt. She did the head tilt. He saw it. “What’s up?” 

“Is your name spelled with an I or a Y?” he said. 

“An I!” she said, laughing. “I’ve never actually met anyone that spells it with a Y.” 

“Well now that I know how you spell it, neither have I.” 

“Guys, let’s bowl!” said Henrique as he set down an empty plastic cup with a lime in it that also used to hold vodka. “I’m feeling fantastic!” 

Lizzie laughed. “I love drunk Henrique.” 

“He’s not drunk, he’s just being annoying,” said Maddie under her breath. Her eyes were fixed on the two at the computer as they started to laugh, transfixed in their conversation. 

“Well aren’t you in a good mood,” said Lizzie. 

“Just peachy.” 

The band of teenagers each tried their hand at bowling over two different games. Simply put, Lizzie was not very good, and her pitch of the ball down towards the pins could only be likened to a contortionist attempted a blindfolded shotput. Maddie was better, only having thrown a gutter ball four times out of twenty. Much to his enjoyment, Caroline and Corey were neck and neck throughout both games, turning it into a friendly competition between the two that went all but unnoticed by their three friends. 

“Someone go rent them a f*****g room right now,” said Henrique right before he bowled his last strike on the last frame. “If they keep this up we’re all going to have to go outside and smoke it off.” He bowled more than everyone else combined in both games, finishing at 207 in the last one. Maddie looked like she was about to vomit. 

Corey lined up his last shot of the game, trying to hit the three pins that were left. He was trailing Caroline 86-88, so if he hit all three, that would render him the winner of their contest. 

“Alright, I’ll make you a deal,” she said, walking up next to him and placing her hands on his shoulder and arm, nearly sending him into a fit. “Whoever wins this has to pay for the other person’s shoe rental.” 

Corey looked her up and down and finally landed on her eyes. “Deal.” Never in his life was he more determined to lose a bet. He adjusted his line and fired a ball at the gutters as hard as he could, acting like he was disappointed in the result. Maddie, Lizzie and Henrique began to walk up the stairs towards the counter. 

“I win!” said Caroline, laughing as she ran up to him. “Good try though, that gutter ball really looked like it was going to jump out and get the spare. 

“Yeah next time I’ll make sure the balls we’re using are the same weight,” said Corey. “Trust me, I’m an expert in balls of all kinds.” 

Caroline’s face soured. “What?” 

“It was a joke.”

“Oh...”

“Because like, balls.” 

Maddie was perched herself up above against a rail and surveyed the two. “He’s blowing it. Look at her face.” 

“Maddie, why do you care so much?” said Lizzie. 

“I don’t think he’d be good for her.” 

“But why?” Henrique joined them with another vodka soda. 

“I just don’t, trust me,” said Maddie. 

“He really is smitten,” said Henrique, “And cariño she’s falling for it, I can tell even from here.” 

Caroline’s eyes widened. What on Earth was he talking about? Those are the kind of jokes her little brother made. Was he 15? 

“Anyway,” said Corey as he was suddenly overcome by the horror that he might have just blown it, “Let’s get rid of these shoes and get out of here, I think I saw mushrooms growing on them.” 

Caroline laughed. A good sense of humor can make up for a lot. They reached the rest of the group and were met with two stares of wonder as to what they were up to, and one of complete contempt. 

“What’s up?” said Corey.

“You tell us,” said Henrique, vodka in hand.

“We’re- well I- am going to pay for our shoes,” said Corey. 

“Caroline will you come with me to the bathroom?” said Maddie. 

“I wanna play arcade games!” said Lizzie. 

“Ok well you go, and we’ll meet you,” said Maddie. She turned and started walking with Caroline towards the bathroom. Corey turned around to talk to the others and found that they had already departed towards the arcade at the other end of the bowling alley. Alone. Great. 

After paying the bill for his own shoes, the less-than-enthusiastic middle-aged woman behind the counter gruffly informed him that she couldn’t give him Caroline’s shoes until she gave back her bowling shoes. He finished lacing up his sneakers and stood up in time to see Caroline and Maddie walk out of the bathroom and start towards him. She really was beautiful, he thought. But she didn’t know it. That was what he liked about her. She was absolutely stunning in nearly every sense, inside and out, but was totally oblivious. It kept her grounded. He couldn’t get enough. 

He looked over the counter and called for his new friend that was working behind it. She quickly tucked away a plastic cup filled with tequila and soda and grabbed Caroline’s shoes. 

“Perfect timing,” he said, motioning behind the counter, “You gotta give back your bowling shoes before they return yours.” 

“Oops, I forgot,” said Caroline, “That icee was so strong, I can barely stand let alone think straight.” 

Corey was sent into a tornado of laughter as Caroline bent down to untie her shoes, also trying to stop herself from the social suicide of laughing at one’s own joke. While she was bent over, Maddie widened her eyes and smiled without her teeth, nodding up and down to signal to Corey that Caroline was into him. He knew that’s what they talked about in the bathroom. 

Caroline put her shoes back on and the three met the others at the arcade. It was filled with a eclectic collection of pinball machines, shooters, claw games, and classics like Pac Man that ranged anywhere from faded and tattered to brand new out of the box. The hour was getting late, so not many small kids were left running around in it. Caroline did notice that the two girls that she encountered earlier making out had taken their activity for the night into a more private setting; a photo booth in the corner of the arcade with open curtains that didn’t seem to bother them in the slightest. 

“D****t!” said Lizzie as she threw her hands up in the air, “I was so close. So close to beating my brother’s score.” 

“Your brother?” said Henrique. He had sipped down his vodka and just came back into the room with another. 

“Yeah, he’s had the high score on here for three years, see,” said Lizzie, pointing to the top of her screen. 

“Glad to see people are putting in just as much effort into their lives as I am when I read the stack of pre-med books in my room,” said Henrique. 

Lizzie laughed. Her brother was a regular at FishBowl, and most Monday nights could be found over in the bar taking advantage of the dollar beers with the rest of the bowling alley’s blue-collar patrons. 

Corey scooted up next to Maddie and gritted his teeth. “Come over here,” said, muttering under his breath. They walked over to a change machine that Corey stuffed a dollar bill into to look like they were actually doing something. 

“What?” said Maddie. Naturally, she had pulled Caroline into the bathroom and cross examined her as to what was going on between her and Corey. 

“What’s the word?” said Corey.

“About?”

“Oh, don’t give me that. You know what about.” “Caroline?”

“Yeah.” 

“Corey, we didn’t talk about you. There wasn’t anything to talk about.” Maddie started to walk away as the machine dispensed four worn, fake gold colored tokens. 

“Then what was that look all about?” 

“What look? 

“When she went to tie her shoes!” 

“That wasn’t a look!” Maddie stared at Corey for a few seconds and then shrugged and walked away. 

Caroline found herself wandering over to a claw machine filled with turtle and fish stuffed animals. She pulled a quarter out of her pocket and started to finagle with the joystick, slowly bringing the claw into striking distance. 

“Careful now,” said a voice behind her. She jumped and slammed her thumb on the claw, making it fall with impotence on top of the stuffed animals. She turned around to see Corey standing with his mouth to the floor. “You scared the heck out of me! And I lost my turn!” 

Corey opened up his hand and showed Caroline the four coins he just forced himself to buy. She looked up at him and grabbed them and popped one into the machine, restarting her search with the claw. 

“Man, I’m just doing everything tonight,” said Corey, “Paying for your shoes, buying you four rounds at the claw machine. You better win!” 

“Only counts if I get this turtle!” she said. Turtles were her favorite animal, she had to get one. Finally, she lined up what she thought was a good shot and pressed the big red button on the joystick. The claw dropped down and grabbed a turtle right around the head. 

“Yes!” said Caroline with her hands in the air. She turned and wrapped her arms around Corey. He returned the favor, and before they knew it, they were locked in each other’s grasp, and neither really wanted to let go. Caroline could have sworn she felt Corey’s heart begin to race a mile a minute. Eventually, she loosened her arms around the back his neck and took a step back. His cheeks were red as a rose. They were lost in each other’s eyes for what seemed like an eternity. She was stunning. He was scared. 

“Guys, hello!” said Maddie from across the arcade. They both snapped back into reality and turned to see their friends all staring at them. Maddie had her arms crossed and was leaning on one hip. Lizzie was shoving French fries into her mouth. Henrique was looking back and forth at both pairs with his mouth open. 

“Are we leaving or what? They’re about to close,” said Maddie. Corey and Caroline looked at each other. 

“Yeah, let’s get out of here. My dad told me to have the car home before midnight anyway,” said Corey. 

“Well let’s go then. Caroline?”

The three turned to walk out and Caroline started to follow.

“Hey, wait,” said Corey, putting a hand on her arm.

“What’s up?” She did the head tilt thing again. That’s twice. It was officially on. 

Please ask me, she thought to herself. Please?

“I was wondering if I could get your number?” he said. Caroline’s heart lurched.

 “Yeah, of course,” she said, blushing, “That would be great.” 

He took his phone out of his pocket and handed it to her. In the second moment of victory he achieved that day, he took those fifteen seconds that Caroline was punching in her number to his phone to look around. Crappy food, stench in the air, and run-down arcade games aside, Corey Brennan was on top of the world. 

She handed the phone back to him. “Text me?” 

“You know it.” 

The five friends walked out in front of Fishbowl and said goodbye. Corey was once again nearly suffocated by Henrique, but even more this time because of the three vodka sodas. Lizzie was sheepish, and all seemed to be going fine until he got to Maddie, who gave him a half-hug and a curt “Bye”. Caroline was last, although they both had a silent agreement to keep it quick to keep the others from talking. 

Lizzie yelled another farewell after him as he was walking to his car on the other side of the parking lot. “Well, how’d it go Caroline?” she said, “He something isn’t he?” 

“A little bit of a fixer upper,” said Henrique, “But I love him.” 

“We’ll see how quickly it takes him to mess it up,” said Maddie. 

In the distance, the roar of an engine coming to life pulsated through the air. Two lights appeared the direction Corey walked, and a black specter on four wheels came prowling towards them. The car rolled right in front of them and exploded with sound and speed as it raced away. Corey was gone. Lizzie just about fainted. 

“Yeah, we’ll see,” said Caroline. 

 

II 

Two days had passed since Caroline punched her number into Corey’s phone. Three long days of staring at his phone, drafting text messages, and eroding in agony over when the perfect amount of time had gone by to finally drop a line. Corey consulted with every member of his friend group, his older cousins, and even his 68-year-old neighbor about when to finally text her. On the end of the third day, after he and his dad finished putting a coat of wax on his car, Corey sat down in his driveway to watch the sunset bounce off of the ice-black paint and pulled out his phone. 

Hey, it’s Corey! It was nice to see you the other night! Hope you had a good day! 

Caroline was sitting on her bed crocheting a scarf when her phone screen lit up. She put her hook down and grabbed it with jolt. She had been checking her phone non-stop for two days straight waiting for Corey to text her. The text was a from a number that wasn’t in her contacts yet. Finally. 

“What is it?” said Maddie from the other end of the video chat coming through Caroline’s laptop. 

“Nothing,” she said, looking straight down at her phone. She became more and more excited with every word she typed. 

Hey! Yeah it was good to see you to! How’s your day been? 

“Sorry, what’s up?” she said, looking back up at her laptop.

Maddie could smell the guilt through her screen. “Who were you just texting?”

“No one. My mom.”

“Isn’t she in the next room over watching Housewives?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“So, how’s Corey then?” Caroline’s face turned red as a ripe tomato. Maddie had her.

“You know, he was raving about you the other night,” said Maddie.

“What do you mean?” 

“Oh, just going on and on about how pretty you were and how he’d wife you up in a second if he had the chance. 

Caroline became ill with the memory of the stalker she had at school the previous semester that followed her all the way back to her dorm room and tried to force himself in. “Wait, what?” 

“Yeah, don’t worry though,” said Maddie, “It was super cute.” 

“Maddie, that’s not cute,” said Caroline.

“Oh relax, it’s fine. He’s a good guy. Wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“I don’t know-“ 

“Look, Caroline. He just gets really excited, especially with girls. But with anything. You should have seen him when he was looking at cars. He’s harmless, I swear.” 

Seeing that car blow out of the parking lot did shift Caroline around in places she didn’t know she had before. “That is quite the car.” 

“Yeah, I know. I was there when he found it online for the first time.” 

Corey’s phone was the only thing actually able to take his attention off his car while he sat in his driveway. 

My day was good! Just finished putting some wax on my car with my dad. Boutta go eat dinner. What have you been up to? Still recovering from how messed up you got from drinking that icee? 

Caroline looked down at her phone and laughed. “He is pretty funny.” 

“Is he as funny as that frat boy that kept hitting you up during Rush Week?” said Maddie. 

“Oh god,” said Caroline, shivering, “You know he is always still top five that looks at my stories? On any account! It’s like dude, don’t you have a girlfriend to go try and cheat on again?” 

“Oh I know the type all-too-well,” said Maddie.

“Feels great on the old self-esteem. Anyways, I think I’m going to go, I’m kind of tired.” 

“Alright,” said Maddie, “Just, do what you’re going with Corey, but remember he can be a lot. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried too hard and came off stupid or like a jerk, or both.” 

“No worries, we’ll see.” Caroline hung up the call and closed her laptop. 

LOL yeah I’m still in bed recovering. My parents cornered me and told me they think I have a problem. Nice car, btw! I didn’t see it all the way cuz it was dark, but I’m sure it’s beautiful! 

“What’s with that s**t-eating grin on your face?” said Paul. He had watched his son completely glue himself to his phone since he scraped him off the driveway to come in for dinner. 

“Nothing” said Corey, smiling into his phone.

Thanks lol the car is great. I love it a lot. Can’t wait to get out on the open road and smoke all the Civics haha 

“If it’s nothing then why do you keep looking at it?” said Paul. 

Corey locked his phone and put it face down on the table. He was so pre-occupied with crafting the perfect texts to send to Caroline that he only took two bites of the steak and eggs his dad cooked up. “Why not?” he said.

Paul’s eyes narrowed. “What’s her name?” “What?”

“You heard me.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

 “Bullshit.” 

“Really.”

“Steak is your favorite food.” 

“Yeah.”

“You barely even touched it.” 

“Not hungry.” 

“After the wax job we just put on that thing? I don’t buy it.” 

Corey stood up. “Thanks for dinner! And for showing me how to wax! Looks great!” He turned and started walking up the stairs towards his room. 

“Your mother told you it was your job to clean up after dinner while she was out of town!” said Paul as his son disappeared upstairs with a faint “I owe you one” traveling through the air after him. He looked around at his dining room table with two full plate settings and then peered into the kitchen where a mountain of pans, utensils, and a greasy skillet waiting for him to clean. “F**k.” 

What on Earth did smoke Civics mean? Was he some renegade street racer? Caroline just imagined herself getting arrested or being hosed off the road and nearly turned her phone off for the rest of the night. She laid back on her bed and sighed. This guy was weirder than she expected. 

Corey opened up his phone once he got in his room and plopped down on his bed. Nothing. She didn’t respond. That was only four minutes ago. No big deal, right?

Nope. It was a big deal. He opened up his phone and discovered that he had been left on read. He was now on red alert. He had to say something. But wait. Double texting. But wait. He had to talk to her. He laid back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. This is why he didn’t ever try to talk to girls. He let another few minutes that felt like hours go by before reaching for his phone. 

Lol do anything fun and exciting today? 

Caroline nearly flew right off her bed when she felt the vibration of her phone. Thank god. Come on man, get with the program. 

Not really! My family and I went to church and then came home, and my mom made soup. I video chatted with Maddie earlier, and now I’m just laying on my bed 

Great. Maddie and Caroline sat and talked about him for hours on end this afternoon. Oh, the stories that were told. 

Lol same! Not the church part, or the soup. My dad made steak because my mom is out of town for work. She normally doesn’t like to cook red meat. How’s Maddie? 

She’s good! Same old Maddie. Love her. I love steak! You go race around the neighborhood at all today? 

Get it out of your system before you kill me or get me sent to jail, please. 

Not today haha but my dad took it out for a spin. I almost think he likes the car more than he likes me. I caught him out in the driveway drooling over it more than once and I’ve only had it for three days lol cant blame him tho 

Oh good, he comes from a family of psychopaths. 

I feel that. I know for a fact my parents like my big sister and our cats more than they like me. I’m the ugly stepchild of the family 

I don’t know if ugly is the word I’d use 

What would you use then? 

Quite the opposite actually. Heck, I’d even say pretty 

Caroline began to blush. He was a little wild, but very sweet. 

Why thank you. 

You’re welcome. Hey, I have a question 

Shoot 

Well I wanted to take my car down the coast on Saturday, and I wanted some company. Care to join me? 

She smiled. In all that she had to go through last semester, not one boy asked her on a proper date. At least, she hoped it was a date.

I’d love to 

Corey’s face grew hot and his stomach began to turn. She said yes. The same s**t-eating grin his dad caught him with at dinner came back onto his face. He grabbed a pillow and clutched it around his stomach, rocking back and forth. 

Pick u up at 2? 

Sounds good! 

The next six days were the most agonizing of Corey’s young life. During every class he just racked his brain trying to think of places to go, things to do, and googling what and what not to do on a first date. He expected Maddie to be prickly all week, but she turned out to be just as pleasant as usual. They even hung out after class a couple times, and she didn’t mention

anything about their date, which none of the three parties involved ever confirmed was in fact a date. When he thought about it, she didn’t mention much of Caroline at all. 

Corey slept in on Saturday, not waking up until nearly noon. The day was warm and had a wisp of a breeze so he decided to go for a run through his neighborhood. A mile and a half later, he took it upon himself to do as many pushups as he possibly could- which were not many- in order to look as pumped up for the date as possible. Was it a date? He showered and threw on a little bit of aftershave- he had not a single hair growing on his face- and examined his body in the mirror, going over it with razor sharp precision. Not a thing could be out of place. He threw on a button-up his grandma had gotten him for Christmas and found a pair of sneakers that hadn’t been beaten around too bad compared to the other pieces in his ragged collection. Showtime. He checked the clock on his wall and nearly fainted. It was 1:41. He had 19 minutes to get all the way down the freeway and in front of Caroline’s house. 

He darted out of his house, only offering his dad a simple “Bye” and roll-started his car as it backed out of his driveway. As soon as it was straight, he gunned it and yet again sent poor Paul Brennan into an existential struggle as to whether he was a good father, or trying to live vicariously through his son as he innocently stood there looking at the window while scrubbing the skillet he used the night before. 

Corey raced down the freeway at a crisp 85 miles an hour, which didn’t feel like much considering the car was only churning around 1200 RPM’s. Towards the end of his speed-fueled journey he narrowly missed clipping the front driver side fender of a tractor-trailer as he veered across three lanes and took the offramp towards Caroline’s exit. She lived in one of the nicest towns in the entire county thanks to her father’s real-estate career and a mother with a line of cookbooks that were in the top ten on digital bookstores for the last half a decade. He weaved his way through a maze of houses that made him feel bad about himself just to look at and finally reached his destination. 

Her house was a picturesque, well-groomed tan and brown craftsman that sat on a little over half an acre, flanked by a flower garden on one side and driveway that ran to the backyard on the other. It wasn’t the palatial estate he imagined, but when he parked his car and started to walk towards the front door, he couldn’t help but feel intimidated. Before he even got his foot on the first step leading up to the porch, the door opened, and Caroline was standing there grinning. She radiated the sort of perfection that he only thought was possible in movies, and he felt giddy just looking at her. 

“Hi,” said Corey, returning her grin from ear to ear.

“Heard you pull up.”

He looked back at the car. “Oh, yeah.” 

“Right on time too,” she said. He looked down at his watch. Two o’clock on the dot. That had to be a record. “Will you come in for a second? My mom wants to meet you.” 

“Yeah, no problem”. Corey walked into the house and stood in the foyer while Caroline hollered for her mom. The inside of Caroline’s house was just as picturesque as the outside, perfectly manicured to welcome any guest at any time. Corey almost bent over and started taking off of his shoes out of fear of bringing dirt in the house but just stood in the foyer instead, nearly wrought with fear. He had never gone into a girl’s house to meet her parents before. 

“Mom, he’s here!” said Caroline. Her mom appeared from the back of the house with a cloth rag in one hand and a glass bowl in the other. She introduced herself and gave Corey the usual rundown of questions he received whenever he met anyone’s parents for the first time. Where he lived. Where he went to school. Did he work? If so, what did he do? A small frown cracked on Mrs. McCarthy’s face when he told her that he was at the local community college and he earned his living doing odd jobs around his neighborhood and checking tickets at a movie theater.

 

“Well, it’s a great thing that you have a strong work ethic,” said Mrs. McCarthy, trying to convince herself that there was an ounce of dignity in blue-collar work, “Saving all of that money is going to be well worth it in the future.”

 

“Actually I just spent everything I saved up last week,” said Corey, pointing out the front window, “See that car? It’s all mine.”

 

Mrs. McCarthy shot Caroline a look of anger and disgust as she silently condemned her daughter for fraternizing with a boy- yes, a boy- as irresponsible as Corey.

 

“Do you want to go check it out?” said Corey, not taking the hint, “It’s really sweet. It’s got a-“

 

“Ok well we better be going. Bye mom!” said Caroline as she tugged on Corey’s arm and opened the front door. “See you tonight!”

 

Mrs. McCarthy stared at the door, dumbfounded as it slammed shut. Her husband was not going to be happy about any of this. 

“Sorry about that,” said Caroline as they walked down her front steps towards the car. 

“Sorry for what?” said Corey, “It’s no big deal.” 

“My parents can be a little much, especially my mom.” 

“She seemed plenty nice, and besides I’d want to meet the strange boy that showed up at my house and wanted to take my daughter on date.” 

Caroline smiled. “Oh, so this is a date?” 

Corey hesitated. Was she being serious? “Well, yeah. Of course it is.” 

“Good.” 

“Besides, I wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble waxing this thing for just anybody.” 

There he goes talking about the car again. “It does look nice.” 

They got up closer and Caroline started nearly started to skip. “Ok, I am so excited!” 

Corey unlocked it and she flung open the passenger door and plopped down in the seat. The interior was all plastic and rattled when she shut the door, but it was all in perfect condition. A giant black eight ball of a shift knob stuck out from the transmission tunnel and nearly covered up an aftermarket stereo that had been installed in the car. 

“Alright,” said Corey as he sat down and plugged his phone into the console, “I have a very important question for you.” 

“What is it?” 

“What kind of music do you like?” 

She had a feeling the true answer of hip hop played at the typical club downtown would be a quick way to ensure there wouldn’t be a second date. What kind of music did he like? He was a white guy. He drove a muscle car. 

“I like a lot of stuff,” she said, “But rock is my favorite.” 

“Oh thank god,” said Corey, “I thought you were gonna say that crap they play on the radio. I woulda kicked you out of the car.” 

Well sheesh, good thing I kept my mouth shut then. “This is a Mustang, right?” 

“Yep,” he said as he jammed the clutch into the floor and turned the key. The engine roared to life and began to rumble throughout the entire chassis of the car. “My favorite car since I was a kid.” 

He threw it in reverse and worked the clutch to slowly back the car out of Caroline’s driveway. How did he do that so well? The only time Caroline ever had a chance to drive a stick was on her cousin’s pickup truck, and that little adventure cost her dad over $1000 for a new clutch. Corey reached for his phone and put on a playlist of songs from a rock band that Caroline had never heard of and took off down her street. 

Corey thought about driving like he was trying to set a lap time at Daytona in order to impress Caroline, but figured that she would get too scared. He played it cool until they reached the freeway onramp, in which Corey took it upon himself to slam the throttle into the floor and rev the car to redline through every gear. Caroline was already nearly having a panic attack when Corey missed a gear when trying to shift into third, sending a screeching sound through the cabin that sounded like a banshee tossed into a woodchipper. Caroline was thrusted forward in her seatbelt and prepared to meet her maker when Corey, who was nearly sweating with panic and embarrassment, tried it again, recreating the screech and thrust forward. 

“Ok can you just stop?” said Caroline, almost gasping for breath. “You don’t need to drive like that.” Talk about a little much. Maybe Maddie was right all along. 

Corey shifted the car into fifth gear in defeat and was afraid to even peer over at her. Fifteen minutes in and he already blew it, great. Eventually, he turned down the radio and broke the silence with a faint “Sorry.” 

She sighed. She could tell he really was new at all this. “It’s ok,” she said, “Just- please be more careful.” 

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky around I-280, and as the car climbed onto the freeway from the onramp and began to weave south, they could see the mountains bulging out of the Earth for miles ahead. Caroline was used to weather like this down south at school, but when she looked over at Corey she saw his eyes wandering all around the landscape in awe. She followed his gaze and saw the reservoir that ran parallel to the freeway was glistening and twinkling in the heat of the sun. 

“It’s a beautiful day,” she said.

“Yeah, it really is.”

She smiled. “Perfect for a cruise.” 

They looked at each other. Corey smirked and looked back at the road. “Oh yeah.” He decided to give it a little gas, nothing crazy or loud, just enough to get the car into a brisk drift down the road. 

“I really do love this highway,” said Corey, “Can’t beat the view.”

 “You clearly have never gone down the PCH before.”

“The what?”

“The Pacific Coast Highway. Highway One.” 

“Oh, yeah. That. Never done it.”

“How do you know you can’t beat the view then?” Corey paused. She thought she had him stumped. 

“Well, the way I see it, is that my whole life I’ve been driving down this freeway. In the back of my parent’s car. In the passenger’s seat of my friends’ cars. Behind the wheel of the hand-me-down junker my dad gave me. Well finally, I get to do it all on my own. By myself, in my own car, without anyone holding anything over me. Just me, the road, and this view. Oh, and a little bit of company. But yeah, that’s why you can’t beat it. To me, at least.” 

She smiled. “Well, I guess I can’t argue there. Where exactly are we going?” 

“There’s this great little coffee place down in Point Santiago,” said Corey, “Do you like coffee?” 

“Only on days that end with y,” said Caroline. Since going away to school, she had become an addict, and had multiple cups a day. She even had a cup of coffee while Corey was on his way to pick her up and had to go brush her teeth again to avoid coffee breath. 

“Well good,” he said, “Because the s**t they have there will blow your f*****g mind.” 

They went down the freeway, soaking in the view and sunshine and every bit of relief the warm air could have offered them, and eventually reached the tunnel that bore through the mountain and would lead them to Point Santiago. The coast was just as warm as it was on the freeway, and Corey parried every curve in the road he could with swift and gentle ease. They passed trees surrounded by dirt and sand and fields of ice plants littered all around. The company was good, the ride was good, and the view was even better. Looking over at Corey, Caroline couldn’t help but think to herself that she wouldn’t mind being chauffeured around like this more often. 

After passing a small cluster of homes with surfboards and outdoor equipment scattered on the front lawn and paint that had been eaten away by the salty air, the two arrived at a quant shantytown with a downtown district composed of a single street that was flanked by an eclectic collection of shops and restaurants. It just might have been the cutest little town Caroline had ever seen. 

“Oh boy, here we go,” said Corey. “What?” said Caroline.

“Watch this.” 

A dark grey convertible Mustang pulled into the empty parking spot on the driver’s side of Corey’s. The occupants of the car were clearly a little older than Caroline or Corey, and had been looking for trouble all day. 

“Nice car,” said the driver. He was wearing a backwards baseball hat and a blue hoodie that was covered in grease. 

“Thanks man,” said Corey, “Right back at you.”

The passenger looked the car up and down. “That thing stock?” 

“Except for the stereo and the shift knob, yeah” said Corey. They both looked at each other and smirked.

“I just got mine,” said the driver. 

“Me too,” said Corey. 

“Just finished putting a supercharger in it about an hour ago.” 

“Oh, nice man.” 

“Yeah, but yours is a newer model than this so it’ll handle better,” said the passenger, “Wanna take it out on the road and find out?” 

Corey put a hand up. “Nah, I can’t man, got a lady in the car.”

Caroline leaned forward to look around Corey and waved at them.

“Nice, my man’s got a girl,” said the passenger.

“Ya’ll from around here?” said the driver.

“Nah, we’re from the peninsula. Other side of the mountain,” said Corey. 

The occupants of the convertible looked at each other and then back at Corey. “Oh, I see,” said the driver, “Well, you two have fun now, and enjoy your shift knob. Maybe I’ll see you on the road later.” 

The driver whipped his body around and reversed out of the spot. The lack of any legitimate muffler made the convertible burble and crackle all the way down the street until it finally took off in a roar and flew out of sight. Corey faintly heard the whine of a supercharger as it sped away. 

“Does that happen to you all the time?” said Caroline, as she brought her fear of being killed or arrested in a street race back to the front of her brain. 

“Not really yet,” said Corey, “But with a car like this, it kind of comes with the territory.” 

“That sounds annoying and best and horrifying at worst.” 

Corey smiled. “Nah, it’s kind of fun. It’s a big community, that’s part of the reason I wanted it. Come on, the coffee shop is right over there. I’m seriously undercaffeinated.” 

Maybe being chauffeured around like this more often wasn’t such a great idea. 

They passed a souvenir shop and a surf store and finally reached the front of a small coffee shop with a patio out front littered with aluminum tables and chairs with yellow wicker seat and a giant yellow umbrella covering every one. The inside was decorated with a few plants on shelves scattered throughout the white stucco walls as well as a painting of the single street in the downtown district that the shop was on. A small counter and espresso bar with mid-century equipment sat at the back of the storefront behind a couple tables and a long oak picnic bench that had been stained a deep brown. 

“This place is so cute,” said Caroline as she examined a baker’s rack full of framed newspaper clippings about the town, seashells, and a pre-World War II era coffee maker. 

“Yeah, it’s one of my favorite little places to come and just relax,” said Corey. 

A man in his mid-forties with a long ponytail and circular spectacles was behind the counter waiting to take their order. He was pleasant enough. Corey had come there he learned that he was actually the owner’s son, who was an elderly woman that had lived in the town since it was an almond farm. Caroline ordered an iced latte with low fat milk and Corey got his usual- a triple cappuccino and chocolate croissant- make it two chocolate croissants. Caroline convinced herself that she could splurge every now and again and it was fine. 

“A triple?” said Caroline, “I don’t know how you do it, I’d be up all night even though it’s barely three o’clock.” 

“A lot of practice,” said Corey, “I have a serious need and affinity for caffeine.” 

“You say need, I say addiction.”

“If I was scared, I’d go to church.”

Well, he just made fun of me and my entire family. Great choice there, Caroline. 

“Do you want to sit?” said Corey, “Inside or outside?” 

“Um, I don’t know,” said Caroline, looking around, “I never have good answers to questions like that.” 

“Inside?” 

“Sure.” 

“Outside?”

 “Sure” 

They both stood in stalemate in the middle of the coffee shop and got the attention of two older men that were sitting against a wall drinking Cuban coffee. They looked at the two teens and then each other, sharing a laugh and a few words in Spanish. 

“Let’s sit outside,” said Corey, glancing at the two spectators, “It’s a nice day anyway.” 

“Ok,” said Caroline, hoping that the umbrellas would save her sensitive Irish skin from getting roasted. 

Corey hadn’t been on a proper date since high school- that is, if weekend trips to the mall and sneaking into a rated R movie to make out was considered a proper date. He hardly thought it to be, so this was the first proper one. 

So far, he had nearly scared the living daylights out of her, been challenged to a street race by two people had appeared to have zero problem at the prospect of bringing him physical harm, and been quietly mocked by two old creepers who, due to Caroline’s undeniable beauty, would quickly take his place at their table without question. Things could only go up from here. 

“This really is pleasant,” said Caroline, “Normally at school there’d be a bunch of drunk people flailing about in the middle of the street.”

“Man, San Diego really sounds like my kind of town,” said Corey. He sat down on the side of the table facing the sun, forcing him to squint. 

“No trust me, it’s bad,” said Caroline, “One time in my Wednesday 8 a.m. some guy came in drunk as a skunk and threw up all over his desk. The professor saw it happen and started throwing up too, along with some other kids sitting near him.” 

“Jesus,” said Corey, “Sounds like someone was having a good time.”

“At 8 a.m.,” she said, “It was rush week, so nobody was really surprised. Although I kind of was that night because I walked into the pizza place right down the street from my dorm and he was standing there behind the counter, chipper as could be.” 

Corey clenched his fist in the air. “Yes! What a friggin’ champ!” 

“If that’s what you want to call it.” 

The ponytailed spectacled gentlemen arrived at the table with a tray holding their drinks and croissants. Corey thanked him and asked for two glasses of water. 

“That is really good,” said Caroline after her first sip. 

“I’m telling you, best coffee around,” said Corey as he pursed his lips up to the steaming hot mug of espresso. 

“You’re very confident, you know that?” said Caroline. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well you know the best highway to drive down, the best coffee, what else do you know that’s the best out there?” 

Corey smiled as he looked off in the distance. “I know a lot.” 

“Like?” 

“Well I, know where to get the best burger within a hundred miles, the best Italian sub, the best pizza, and the best burrito.”

 “You should start your own show on the Food Network then.” 

“Oh but see that’s just getting started. Surface level stuff. None of that really is worth a damn.” 

“Educate me.” 

“I know the best place to go when you’re happy. When you’re heartbroken. When you feel like you’re on top of the world, and when it all comes crashing down a second later. I know the best place to find love and sex and death and despair. You name it, I know it.” 

“How?” 

He looked at her. “Because I’ve been there before. Every single thing, every single place.” 

“Wow, how philosophical,” said Caroline.

“Eh, I try,” said Corey, “Anyway, like I was saying, all seen it all, felt it all, done it all.”

 “You’re a modern-day hedonist.”

“Thank you,” said Corey, pretending to know what she was talking about, “It’s all about keeping yourself open to new experiences.”

“Well please tell me,” said Caroline as she rested her chin on her hands, “Where did you learn about all these different places?”

“That’s the trick isn’t? They’re everywhere, all at once.”

 “What do you mean?” 

“I mean that you create all those places anywhere you go. I could be thinking about offing myself right here on this beautiful summer day on this beautiful patio with this beautiful girl sitting in front of me, and I could be happy as s**t on the side of the road in the pitch dark without the slightest f*****g care in the world. What I’m saying is, is that you create your own world, your own destiny, just with your attitude.” 

“Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out then,” she said. 

“Maybe.” 

“Well maybe I used the wrong word. Maybe I meant cocky.” 

“Cockiness is just confidence confirmed with time,” said Corey as he took a bite of his chocolate croissant. 

“Or maybe it’s confidence mixed with self-delusion.” 

Corey smiled. “Well, I guess we’ll have to wait and see then.” 

A barking dog ran out of one of the stores down the street and began towards the patio, wagging its tail in delight as a woman in overalls stepped out of an old pickup truck and began to pet it. 

“So, what about you then?” said Corey.

“Me, uh oh.”

“Yeah uh oh. What’s Caroline McCarthy’s take on the world?” 

“The world? I never really thought about it,” said Caroline as she shuffled in her seat. “But for me. I’m still trying to figure me out. You know? With school and my parents and friends and everything, it can get a little overwhelming.” 

“What about school? You like it, right?” 

“Honestly, no. It is absolutely miserable. The people suck, the classes suck, the food sucks. It isn’t like they make it look in the brochure, I can tell you that.” 

Corey put down in mug. It was nearly empty. “Uh oh.” 

“Yeah, uh oh is right. When I got home a few days ago I broke down in my living room and pleaded with my parents not to make me go back. I’m so lonely and bored.” 

“What did they say?” 

“They convinced me to give it one more shot. They both went there, it’s where they met, so they were pretty adamant about it,” said Caroline as she looked at the floor. “My mom tried to convince me to rush the sorority she was in, and I think I might, just to finally have some friends.” 

Corey had a hard time believing that a girl as smart and pretty as Caroline had problems making friends. There had to be a story in there somewhere, but he didn’t want to press the issue. “Well I hope it all works out. That Greek life looks pretty fun.” 

“Yeah from everything I saw it looked cool, a little wild, but cool,” said Caroline, taking a sip of her coffee. As much as she didn’t want to massage his ego, it probably was one of the best lattes she’d ever had. “Oh my god, did you finish your coffee already?” 

“Yeah,” he said, “I told you, I have a serious affinity for caffeine.” 

The spectacled man returned with two plastic cups full of ice water and left them on the table. Corey lackadaisically thanked him as he walked away, but he was too far away to hear. 

He began to examine the moldings in the wood around the doorframe and upper floor of the building the coffee shop was in. It was old. Very old. He could tell by the way it was carved. Straight out of a single block of wood, by a single set of hands. He appreciated craftsmanship like that. 

Caroline was watching him. He was so inquisitive. So distant. She could feel that there was so much more going on in his brain than he let on. It made her want to crack him like an egg. 

“What are you thinking about?” said Caroline. He had held his gaze on the building behind them for a solid minute at that point. 

“The guy’s that built this place. I wonder if they knew that all these years later it would still be here,” said Corey, “And that people would still be enjoying it. The building is from the 1870’s, you know.” 

“Maddie didn’t tell me you were a woodworking connoisseur,” said Caroline jokingly. Corey looked with raised eyebrows. She caught his stare. He scoffed. 

“I’m sure Maddie told you a lot of things about me,” he said. 

“She’s always full of stories,” said Caroline. She was getting antsy. “Never anything bad, though!” 

 “Yeah, I’m sure,” he said, taking a drink of his water. Maddie seemed to have a story for everyone, whether she even knew them personally or not. 

Eventually Caroline recovered from her blunder in conversation and started to get him talking again. She couldn’t figure him out. He had all the makings of a normal, perfectly happy life- two parents that loved him, a solid group of friends, and he was plenty smart, but despite all of that, he seemed to be longing. Like something was missing, or he was waiting for a part of himself to wake up. It brought out a sort of aloofness in him that presented itself in conversation from time to time. It was so sporadic that she couldn’t tell if his silence was from indifference or insecurity. Talk about a tough egg to crack. 

They ended up sitting in that little patio for nearly three hours. Talking and laughing and drinking coffee- they each ordered a mug of straight brew for a second round- and eating and exploring each other. To both of them, it seemed as though they had been friends, if not more, for years; there wasn’t any tension, no awkward silences- when there were silences, they were comfortable. No need for filler conversation or small talk. Caroline had an inkling feeling that by the end of the evening, they would be absolutely enamored with one another. 

“Jesus, we’ve been here for hella long,” said Corey. 

“What time is it?” said Caroline as she finished her second pastry. To hell with diets anyway. 

“Almost seven. Heck, the sun is about to set. If we hurry, I know a really cool spot where we could watch it sink over the horizon.” 

“Is it the best spot to see a sunset?” said Caroline with a smirk.

“Not normally, depends on the company though,” said Corey. He smiled and walked into the café to pay the tab. Caroline couldn’t help but feel a flutter in her chest. 

So how is it going? 

Shoot. Maddie. She promised she would text her with updates. 

It’s going fine. He’s really sweet.

Dont tell him that, he’ll get way too cocky. 

I promise I won’t

Where u headed now?

Go watch the sunset apparently 

I will call Father Phil and arrange a wedding ceremony

Ha.ha. Very funny. Gtg

She put her phone away just as he walked back to the table. “Ready?” he said. 

She stood up and they started back towards the car. The street lights and neon signs above shop doors and in their windows had lit up and helped the remaining purple and amber sunlight in the sky light up the street in a sea of color and shadow. It reminded Caroline of a theme park. 

“This is such a cool place. I didn’t even know it was here. And that coffee was really good. Thank you for taking me here,” she said. 

“You’re very welcome,” said Corey as he put his hands in his pockets,” There’re plenty more where that came from. Hopefully.” 

They finally got to the car and its headlights lit up as Caroline heard the faint click of the doors unlocking. 

“You know, this really is a beautiful car,” she said. It was much cooler than her mom’s Suburban, that’s for sure. 

“Hey thanks,” he said. Like a smack upside the head, he remembered something his dad told him a long time ago, and he raced to the passenger’s side of the car. 

“What made you want to- oh, thank you!” said Caroline as Corey held the door open for her. “What made you want one of these in the first place?” 

He closed the door and went back to his side. “Well,” he said as he plopped in the driver’s seat, “A lot of reasons. I love the way it drives, and you really do get a rush out of being in this seat with the big tachometer and the wheel with the Mustang logo on it. Not to mention the way the shifter rumbles a little, even at idle. It’s one of my favorite places to be.” 

The car surged to life as Corey rocked the shifter back and forth to make sure it wasn’t in gear and would stall out. His dad taught him that trick they day he got it after he nearly sent the car right through the garage door. 

She looked at the black ball sticking out of the middle of the transmission tumble. It rocked back and forth in sync with the rumble of the engine she heard coming through the dashboard. “Is it hard to drive a stick every day?” 

“Nah, not if your good at it. And besides, it’s so fun!” 

The car reversed out of the spot and headed toward a two-lane thoroughfare that ran parallel to the freeway for a little over a mile and the veered off towards the coast. It cut through more fields of sand covered ice plants and a few small farms as the world around them began to descend into darkness. 

“You know what it really is, though?” he said. 

“What is really what?” she looked over at him. He was slumped back in his seat with his elbow on the door and a hand loosely on the side of the wheel. 

“With the car.” 

“Oh. What?” 

“It’s the freedom. Knowing that because I woke my a*s up every day for three years with a goal and a vision in mind and worked for it and kept my nose on the grindstone, now I’m free. I can get in this thing knowing that it’ll take me wherever I wanna go, without anything holding me back, and that I’m the one who earned it. That’s what it is.” 

They sat in silence for a long time. Corey thought he freaked her out, but didn’t really care. It came from his heart, and it was the truth. A truth he realized he hadn’t told anyone else. “That’s really beautiful, Corey.”

He smiled. “Just make sure when you get home you tell Maddie that I’m able to form a complete sentence that isn’t about beer or sports.” 

“She knows you can-“ 

“Caroline, I was kidding. Speaking of beautiful things.” 

The car turned a corner off of the thoroughfare and stopped at a small alcove paved in concrete bordered by a stone and mortar wall that kept anyone standing there from falling over. Corey parked the car and they were both bombarded by the Pacific wind as soon as they stepped out. Corey grabbed a zip-up hoodie out of his trunk and wrapped it around Caroline’s shoulders. When was standing behind her he couldn’t help but want to wrap his arms around her and not let go until the sun fell behind the horizon. He almost did it, but he was too afraid. 

“Oh wow!” she said as they approached the wall, “That’s beautiful.” 

They stood at the top of a steep hillside than ran right into the ocean and looked out over and endless body of water that seemed to stretch into infinity. The water was illuminated by a single stripe that shot a fluorescent beam into the purple, orange, and red mosaic that became the sky. 

“Isn’t it?” said Corey. “With just enough time to spare too. We should have a good solid half hour.” 

“I could look at it forever,” she said. 

“Well come up so we can get a better view.” He climbed up the wall and sat down on top of it, hanging is feet over the edge. Caroline was terribly scared of heights, but when he turned around and extended her his hand, she couldn’t help but take it and join him. 

They sat in comfortable silence and took it all in. They were far enough from the freeway that no cars disturbed the sounds the Earth was making around them. The breeze whisked around and rustled the grass and plants around them as the mighty ocean crashed against the shore in a percussion no drumline could ever beat. 

“It’s funny,” said Caroline. 

“What is?” 

“I’ve spent my entire life right next to the ocean, and I feel like this is really the first time I’m looking at it,” she said. She could only remember one time when she went and watched the setting sun, and it was when she was very young. Now looking back on it, she thought it almost a crime. 

“Makes you feel really small, doesn’t it?” 

“Yeah.” 

“My mom would always drag me out here when I was little. I hated it at first. Sitting in here in the cold and the wind. I didn’t really start appreciating it until a couple years ago when my grandma died.” 

She turned to him. “Oh, I’m sorry.” 

“It’s ok, it was a while ago. Anyway, we came out here after her funeral and just spent hours staring at the sea. When the sun finally set, my mom turned to me and said that every day when the sun goes down, it leaves all the troubles of that day behind, and gives you a chance to start fresh. Or create a whole set of new troubles. She didn’t say that part, I did.” 

Caroline laughed. “You’re quite the optimist.”

“Always looking for the warm and fuzzies in life,” said Corey. 

A flock of sparrows appeared and flew over the pair in a mass of black dots scattered across the sky. They dove and pitched and yawed all around one another in an airborn ballet, creating a chorus of chirping and cawing that neither Caroline or Corey had ever seen before. They circled overhead a few times and then disappeared over the other side of a cliff. 

“Well, you were right about one thing,” said Caroline. Only a small half-oval breaching out of the ocean at the horizon gave light to the waning day, filling the twilight air with a blue and grey tint. 

“What’s that?” 

“The view is pretty good out here, but the company is what really made it.” Caroline put her and on top of Corey’s and squeezed. He took her hands in his and squeezed back, his face turning hotter than an afterburner and his heart began to thump out of his chest. He turned to her, and they both were lost in each other’s gaze for what seemed like hours. 

Should I kiss her? Do I? No, I can’t! 

Please just do it. 

He broke away and stared off at the last glimpse of light over the horizon. “You’re a really special girl Caroline.” 

He’s not going to do it. Great. Caroline was used to the boys at school trying to get all they could as soon as they could. She’d laugh at three jokes and have a cup of what tasted like gasoline at a party, and before she knew it she’d be in a dorm room or closet with a guy that got handsy real quick, whether she wanted them to or not. She could tell Corey was scared to do it. It was kind of sweet, in a way. 

“You’re not too bad yourself.” She leaned her head on his shoulder and watched the sun finally sink behind the horizon. In that moment, on that cliff, with everyday life on hold, and the almost mystical beauty of a setting sun of the ocean putting on a show in front of him, Corey Brennan couldn’t help but look down at the girl leaning on his shoulder, and feel exactly what he did over a week before in that dingy, dirty arcade- he was on top of the world. 

III 

The car ride home was serene. Corey took a different way that went around the mountain instead of cutting through to I-280 partly because he wanted to do the drive, and more importantly, to spend more time with Caroline. She was getting tired, despite the coffee, and didn’t have a chance at holding Corey’s hand on the drive back because he was working the shifter the whole time. She ended up in a cycle of dozing off and jolting awake.

The road they were on was built half a century before the tunnel that hugged the coast all the way up and around the mountain until it met up with the freeway on the other side. It was pitch black- there were no houses or street lights around, so Corey didn’t even bother trying to drive slowly and enjoy the view. They came over a small pass and dumped down onto a straightaway that was about a hundred yards from the water and opened up into four lanes. They were alone, it seemed, until headlights appeared in Corey’s rearview mirror. They were gaining on Corey’s car fast. Was it the police? He wasn’t speeding. When the lights got close enough, he heard the roar of an engine going full tilt. 

“Hm.”

“What is it?” said Caroline, stirring from her half-sleep. “I dunno.”

The lights turned into a car that pulled up right next Corey’s, driving in tandem down the dark road. It stayed neck and neck with Corey for about a minute, so he knew that it was on purpose. He eventually looked over and saw the same dark grey convertible Mustang that pulled up next to him in front of the coffee shop. How did they find us? 

The passenger rolled down the window and pointed at the road ahead. Behind him, Corey saw the driver poke his head out to see Corey with thumbs up. 

“Are those the guys from earlier?” said Caroline, horrified. 

“Yeah.”

“What jerks. Get a life.” 

The whine of a supercharger filled the air as the car sped ahead of Corey’s car in a flash and ended up fifty feet ahead of them on the road. Eventually, it hit its brakes and slowed back down to start in tandem with Corey again. It repeated the same move two more times, and Corey was starting to get mad. 

“Are you ok?” said Caroline. He wasn’t going to fall for their trap, was he? Not with me in the car. 

The convertible, which had its top put up since the first time they met, stayed neck and neck with Corey until he finally gave the driver a small nod. 

No way in hell those guys are going to show me up right now. “Corey! Wait! Please don’t-“ 

After three honks, both cars took off in a dash down the road. Corey slammed through every gear as quickly as he could, pushing his car to its limit as he hit redline. It wasn’t enough. The convertible overpowered Corey’s stock engine without even breaking a sweat and sped up ahead. That didn’t stop Corey, who shifted into fifth gear and buried his accelerator into the floor. 

“Corey! Please slow down! Please! This isn’t funny!” 

Caroline’s chest tightened as she started to succumb to an anxiety attack. She had never been this scared before in her life. She began to pray to Saint Christopher and asked for deliverance from the danger they were in. 

Corey didn’t let up on the gas and looked down at his speedometer slowly creeping towards 140 miles an hour. The engine sounded like it was about to burst at the seams, and the thermostat even started to inch towards hot. He had to let up soon. 

“Corey! Look out!” 

The convertible slammed on its brakes and slowed down to avoid hitting Corey as the two lanes suddenly merged into one. Corey wondered why it just didn’t stay ahead of him until he saw it. There was a wind in the road ahead where it turned back into the cliffside rollercoaster it had been before. With Caroline screaming in his ear, Corey panicked and threw the car into neutral and slammed on the brakes. Smoke and the smell of brakes came fuming into the cabin from the front, eventually sputtering the car down to 25 miles an hour. 

Corey looked in his rearview mirror. The convertible was gone. No more headlights, no more exhaust sound. 

Trying to grind the car to a halt wasn’t enough, and before Corey knew it, the road began to veer to the right. He turned his wheel as hard and as fast as he could, but it was no use. In a chorus of screaming and the screeching of tires, the driver’s side of the car slammed right into a tree. In a giant thud, the frame wrapped around the trunk, and Corey and Caroline were hit with a barrage of shattering glass, plastic shards, and airbags as gravity turned them into ragdolls. 

When Corey came to, smoke and the smell of sulfur bombarded his senses as the horn of the car went off without falter. He looked around. What happened? 

Caroline was in the seat next to him, appearing unharmed, and in tears. “Are you okay?”

She sniffled. “I think so.” 

The gravity of what happened came over Corey like a wave. He wrecked his car. His brand-new car. His baby. The thing he woke up and dreamt about every day for three years. Gone in a flash. And it was all his fault. 

“No!” he said as he undid his seatbelt and tried to open the driver door. It was trapped. The only thing he saw was a tree trunk. “No! No! No!” 

“Corey, it’s going to be ok,” said Caroline, putting a hand on his shoulder, “But we need to get out of this car.” 

They both climbed out of the car on the passenger’s side, and began to look at the wreck. It was completely thrashed. The entire driver’s side had been caved in around the tree, causing the windshield to shatter and the hood to stick straight out into the air. The horn finally subsided, and Corey found himself standing in the middle of the road in the pitch dark, except for one headlight on the car that still worked, with the totaled shell of his dream car and a girl he was crazy about that probably never wanted to talk to him again. In that instance, all Corey Brennan could do was let out one, exhausted and horrified, inexorable “F**k.” 

Caroline’s panic surged into anger. What a jerk. What an absolute f*****g jerk. How dare he put her through that. Just when she was starting to like him, too. Wait till Maddie and everyone else heard about it. Thank God and Saint Christopher that they weren’t hurt. 

Corey walked around the car a couple times and surveyed the damage he had done. He finally made eye contact with Caroline for the first time since the crash. He knew it. It was done. 

Caroline sat down on a guard rail about twenty feet from the crash and took stock of herself. She wasn’t bleeding. Nothing felt broken. Her back didn’t hurt. The only abnormality since the crash was a little bit of a headache, and the freezing cold of the ocean wind at night that Corey’s hoodie could barely hold up against. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, walking over to her. 

“It’s ok,” she said, shivering. 

“Really?” 

“No not really! You almost killed us! So reckless! And selfish! You’re lucky we aren’t dead!” 

“I know. I know. F**k! Caroline, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to- well I- I would never put your life in danger on purpose-“ 

“Well you did!” 

“I know! What I mean is- if I thought it through, I wouldn’t have raced. I don’t know. It’s the truth, I swear! I’m sorry!” In the faint light, Caroline could see Corey’s eyes were red, and his cheeks were covered in tears.

“The truth? You want to know the truth? The hard truth that nobody bothered to tell you is that you aren’t mature enough to have bought this thing in the first place!” 

Her words stung like needles pricking every part of his body. He looked down at the concrete, his face frozen in defeat.

“Sorry,” she said, “That was too far.” 

He sat on the rail next to her. “No, it’s fine. I deserved it. You’re probably right anyway.” 

Why did he have to be such a bozo? He had a good heart, much better than the guys at school anyway. 

“So are you going to call someone?” 

He rifled around in his back pocket for his wallet. “Yeah, I have AAA. They’ll come pick it up.” He pulled out his phone and walked away. 

Caroline called her mom and told her what happened. After a flurry of questions and a minor freak out, she dropped her location from her phone to her mom’s and was assured she’d be there as soon as she could. Caroline checked her notifications where an unread text from Maddie was waiting. 

Text me when u get home

Well, I’m not home, and you’re not going to believe what happened 

“Ok, I called AAA, they’re sending a tow truck,” said Corey.

“What about your parents?”

“Mom’s out of town. Dad said to just go home with the truck. F**k.” 

“How long until the truck is here?”

“’Bout an hour.” 

Great. Caroline and Corey separated during their wait. She flatly didn’t really want to talk to him, and he felt too guilty and distraught to really want to be around her. He spent the majority of the time just staring at the wreck, wallowing in his own grief. 

Caroline broke the news to Maddie and the long block of text, which detailed the rise and fall of their prospects and trying to foster some sort of further relationship over the course of the day, as well as the details of the crash, and was left on read. Caroline was confused as to why Maddie didn’t jump on something like that and start asking her a million questions, until her phone blew up. 

So guys. Caroline has some news. She’s totally ok, so don’t worry, but Corey may or may not have just wrecked his car. 

Maddie had created a group chat with herself, Caroline, Lizzie, and Henrique. Caroline felt ill. Here we go. 

A: OMG WHAT?! Are they ok? How’s Corey?! 

H: i knew he was going to do that! these white boys and their cars 

M: Everyone is fine. Caroline, anything to add? 

Caroline grew ill. The last thing she wanted to do was answer to the court of public opinion after a near death experience. 

C: Yeah, I’m fine, and so is Corey. 

H: what happened? 

M: Apparently Corey tried to street race and wrapped his car around a tree. 

H: ay dios 

A: Not the mustang, it was such a nice car 

M: I’m actually crying for him 

H: but also I felt like he was going to kill himself in it anyway so im lowkey glad its over with and hes ok 

C: Thanks for checking u guys! Ttyl! 

Caroline nearly threw her phone into the trees next to the road. Something horrible happens, she almost dies, and the only thing that the rumor mill starts talking about is that stupid car. Aside from almost sending her through her windshield, Caroline did feel kind of bad for Corey, even though she hated him. He clearly loved that car, but at the same time, it was his fault for not respecting it and taking seriously. She didn’t know how she was feeling, but she knew exactly what she was going to talk to her therapist about on Monday. 

The tow truck arrived thirty minutes late and Caroline’s mom arrived shortly thereafter, just in time to see Corey stand there in shame as the car was pulled onto the back of a flatbed by a man that looked like he’d rather be literally anywhere else. She gave Corey a strong word, and he stood there and took it, figuring his own mother was out of town and he probably deserved it coming from somewhere. 

After the what was left of the car was finished being loaded Mrs. McCarthy looked Corey up and down with a scolding look and told Caroline it was time to go. She got into her car and shined the headlights on them to make sure that this young fool wouldn’t try anything with her daughter. 

“Well, I guess this is goodbye,” said Caroline as she handed Corey his jacket. “Yeah, I guess it is. I know you don’t want to hear it again, but I’m sorry.”

“I know you are Corey.” She turned and got into her mom’s car, and as it drove away, all Corey Brennan could do was let out one, exhausted and horrified, inexorable “F**k.”

 

The tow truck pulled in front of Corey’s house at almost midnight, and because of the noise and yellow lights ricocheting off of his neighbors’ houses, he was sure that someone was going to come outside to see what was going on. He dreaded the thought of being put on display as the wreckage of his only triumph in life was unceremoniously backed into his driveway like a discarded soda can. Luckily, even the beeping noise the truck made when it was reversing didn’t wake anyone on his sleepy street. 

 

He stood there in shame and shock as what was left of the car hobbled into its usual spot on his driveway. The tow truck driver felt bad for him and tried to cheer him up with words of pity. Insurance would cover it. As long as he was ok, forget about the car. There will always be another chance. It didn’t matter. Corey’s baby was dead. 

 

The truck drove away from his house, and Corey stood on his front lawn, unable to move. He clenched his fist in anger at what happened. How could he have been so stupid? He nearly killed Caroline, someone he cared about more than even he realized. She was perfect in every single way. Up, down, left, right, and sideways. And because of his stupid ego and immaturity, he could have sent her to the hospital all while destroying the one thing he dreamed about since he was old enough to see over the dashboard of a car. In all of his shock of his shock and anger, all Corey could do was sit down cross-legged on his front lawn, and begin to cry. 

 

Paul Brennan woke up the next morning and peaked into his son’s room to see if he looked hurt. Corey’s bed was perfectly made like nobody ever slept in it. Paul went downstairs and checked the kitchen- there wasn’t even a freshly-brewed pot of coffee in the coffee maker. Out of the corner of his eye, Paul saw a black heap in this driveway through the kitchen window. No. It was that bad? He walked over and looked outside at the mangled wreck. Where was Corey? He had to have been hurt getting into a wreck like that. Paul ran to the front door and flung it open. Corey was sitting on the front porch with his head between his knees. 

 

“Hey,” said Corey.

 

“Morning,” said Paul, getting a closer look at the wreck, “Are you ok?”

 

Corey looked up. He had bags under his eyes and some small scratches on the left side of his forehead. “Yeah my neck hurts a little. But yeah”

 

“That’s a hell of a wreck. Be grateful you walked away from it.”

 

“I guess,” said Corey.

 

Seeing the car in that shape stung Paul a little. He drove it home after Corey bought it because Corey wasn’t confident enough to drive a stick on the street yet. It was a blast to drive. He even thought about buying one for himself.

 

“So, what’s it like to have an airbag deployed in your face?” said Paul.

 

Corey sat there and thought about it. “I mean, it didn’t hurt. It was loud, that’s for sure. Stinky too.”

 

“Hm.”

 

“Are you mad?” said Corey, afraid to look at him. He was dreading having to face his father ever since he got into the cab of the tow truck to come home. 

 

Paul sighed. “No, I’m not mad. It was your car, you made a poor choice, and there’s going to be consequences. A little disappointed, but I’m just glad you’re ok.”

 

“Sucks.”

 

“Yeah, it does,” said Paul. He stepped off the porch and began to walk around the driveway and survey the damage. “How’s your friend?”

 

“She’s fine, thankfully,” said Corey, “Don’t think I’m going to get a second date, though.”

 

Paul snorted. “No, I’d imagine you’re not. You’re both lucky just to be here and be ok.”

 

“Yeah.”

            

            Paul and Corey spent the next half an hour going over every part of the car to see what was salvageable. The frame was clearly bent, the entire driver’s side had broken body panels, and the hood was somehow cut in half. Broken glass shards were scattered all around the otherwise perfect interior, barring the deployed airbags of course. 

 

            “Well, it’s totaled, that’s’ for sure,” said Paul, finally breaking the silence. 

 

“Yeah, all that hard work for nothing.”

 

Paul turned to his son. “It’s not for nothing. You learned a lot. Cars and girls can be replaced Corey. But what can’t be replaced is you, and don’t you ever forget it.”

 

Author's Note

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