DAILY PROMPT RESPONSE – FICTION SHORT SERIES
Top 5 Ways to Ask a Girl Out: Rule #2
Don’t insult her car. Even if it deserves it.
We walked down the driveway in silence. Not the comfortable, romantic kind of silence. More like the kind where you know you’re about to meet something terrifying and no one wants to be the first to scream.
Her car came into view. If a rusted toaster had anxiety, it would look like this. The paint was more of a suggestion. The bumper was being held on by what looked like hope and duct tape. One of the side mirrors was missing entirely, probably in protest.
“This is it,” she said, completely straight-faced.
I nodded slowly. “Cool. Vintage… apocalypse chic.”
She raised an eyebrow.
Damn it.
“I mean—it has character. You don’t see this kind of structural chaos every day.”
She laughed. “It’s a piece of crap. You can say it.”
“No! I mean… yes. But lovingly.”
Smooth.
I crouched down to check out the front wheel, pretending to know what I was doing. Which I mostly did. I watched a lot of videos. Some had music. That counts.
“So what’s it doing?” I asked.
“It makes this… sound,” she said, twisting her face like she was bracing for judgment. “Kind of a high-pitched… squeal? Or a scream? It’s hard to describe. Definitely not a sound cars are supposed to make.”
“Got it,” I said. “A banshee vibe.”
She nodded. “Exactly. Like if a haunted violin and a blender had a baby.”
I popped the hood. Steam hissed out like the car was sighing in defeat. I was immediately sweating. From heat, stress, and fear that I was about to electrocute myself in front of someone I liked.
“You don’t have to actually fix it,” she said. “I just thought you might know a guy or something.”
“I am the guy,” I said, way too confidently.
I was not the guy.
Still, I grabbed a wrench like I meant business. Tools make you look legitimate. I tapped something metal. It made a sound. Not a good one.
She leaned over my shoulder. “You sure this is safe?”
“Totally,” I lied. “I’ve done this… dozens of times.”
Once. On YouTube. At 2AM. After searching “how to fix car without dying.”
The gnome wasn’t there anymore. I kind of missed him.
I’m laughing … are you?
Let me know when you are ready for Rule #3
Here’s the link to Rule #1
Memoirs of Madness 