Reckless Entitlement

Chapter 13: Maya

"Do you have anything less...foreign?"

Nick and I stood in his sprawling garage, that looked more like a showroom of a car dealership. His car, or cars, were all shiny and new, some didn't even look used.

Nick allowed me to walk among the convertibles, sedans, and suvs to look for my new set of wheels for the next few weeks. I still found the idea to be ridiculous, but he insisted that I would be dead if I continued to drive my car. So with very little choice, I agreed to drive one of his fancy cars.

"You mean like a Prius?" he asked, scrunching his nose up.

"Yes, like a Prius," I responded. A prius would be lovely, even a station wagon would be great. Don't get me wrong Nick's cars are nice, but it's a bit suspicious for me to go from driving a car with mismatched hubcaps to a brand new Porsche overnight.

He scoffed, "No. I don't think I have any domestic cars." He said domestic like it was a dirty word. What a snob. "Do you not see anything that you like?"

"It's not that," I sighed stopping in the middle of the garage. "It's just....why do they all have to be so flashy? Why can't you have something more subtle?"

He looked at me with raised brows, before chuckling. He was laughing at me?

"Why are you laughing at me?"

"Because anyone else would be excited to be able to drive a Porsche for a few weeks, but you're asking me if I have a Prius." He laughed, "It's funny."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Well, I'm not anyone else, and I don't feel comfortable driving a Porsche."

" Oh, Maya, you're not like anyone I've ever met in my entire life."

"I'll take that as a compliment. But seriously, Nick, what am I going to drive?"

He sighed looking around, before his eyes landed on something in the corner. "I think I have something that you'll like. Follow me."

He brought me to a simple black car. He was right I liked it better than any of the other cars I had seen, it was big enough for groceries, and the flashiest thing about it was the silver mercedes emblem on the hood. I loved it.

"So what do you think?" Nick asked me looking like a young James Dean. The fronts of his jeans now had oil smudges on them, and a dirty rag stuck out of his back pocket.

"I like this one," I replied, opening the car door and slipping inside. It still had that new car smell, like clean leather and fresh pressed plastic. I breathed it all in, I have no idea when I'll smell it again. I ran my hands over the smooth black steering wheel. The seats were soft with no cracks in the leather, I loved it.

"Good," he said before going towards a panel covered in car keys that was displayed on the wall. I admired the way his t-shirt stretched against his back, tight against every muscle. "It's yours."

"Just until my car is drivable again," I reminded him.

"Yes, Maya," he sighed. "Just until your car is drivable again." He dropped the keys in my hand. I'd have to put my pepper spray and house keys on the key ring when I get home.

"I'll take good care of it." I wasn't going to eat or drink in here, and I'd be extra careful not to leave any of my trash. And I'm going to talk to Tasha, who would inevitably ask for a ride, to keep it clean as well.

"I know you will," he said. "I trust you." How? He barely even knows me, and he's already been nice enough to help me move and get me a graduation card. Which was completely unexpected, but also nice. It had a cute cat in a graduation cap on the front, and it was yellow which is my favorite color.