Worst Impressions

Chapter Twenty Seven

Dad had no objection to Jenny coming to stay. He loved her like she was his own daughter. Our house was small by Netherfield Academy student standards. It had three bedrooms and a large garage beneath it. I didn't mean like a little private place for us to store our cars. I meant a professional garage complete with petrol pumps outside and sweaty mechanics working with precision machinery.

The sweaty mechanics were exactly why I didn't let Lisa join us.

Our home was in a small seaside town. Most of our trade came in the summer, when the tourists brought cars that weren't designed to cope with tight, winding cobbled roads. There were a lot of collisions, breakdowns, and nasty arguments with insurance companies to be had during those months. Dad was always on hand to come to the rescue. The summer always helped us to keep our heads above water.

It wasn't what he'd wanted to do for a living, nor the career he'd started out in. Still, he enjoyed it well enough, and it paid for us to live without having to rely on my mother for money. Sure, she paid for my education, but that was all.

'Hey, welcome back!' Eric greeted as I stepped out of my cab at the end of my journey.

I was tired, but he didn't care. He wrapped me up in a hug so tight that my feet left the floor and all the wind was crushed out of me. Eric was about Wyatt's age, but he hadn't bothered with university. He said that all he wanted in life was to earn enough to survive and to be free to surf in his spare time. Well, there was no shortage of surf on the beach. The owners of the local café had a store where visitors could rent boards so they didn't need to invest in their own equipment for the sake of a few good days of surf.

I wriggled free of Eric and was immediately scooped up by Max. His mohawk had been dyed with flecks of green amongst the black. The last time I'd seen him, it had been pink. Thankfully, the hug didn't last long. His girlfriend Poppy was coming by to meet him. She called, 'Put her down! You're scaring her, idiot!'

'Nah, I'm not.' Max let me go and ruffled my hair with one of his oily hands. 'Welcome home, missus. How's school?'

'Boring. Hi, Poppy! I missed you!' I hugged her around the middle.

'Oh, I see,' her brother Lewis said. He shoved his hands down into his pockets miserably. 'You missed her, but not the rest of us?'

'Yeah, got a problem with that?'

'Of course, you missed me. I'm the only sane person around here. Well, besides Cassidy. She said she's sorry she couldn't come by, but you know how newlyweds are.'

'Yeah, and I can't believe I missed the wedding! So unfair!'

Poppy patted my shoulder. 'Don't worry. Bill took a million photographs. I'm sure you'll be subjected to them before you go home.'

'I can't decide if that's a good or a bad thing.'

'Well, while you're thinking about it, why don't you go in and greet your Dad? He hasn't shut up about you coming home.'

It was only natural that he'd missed me. I wouldn't ever let on that I felt the same, but given he was the best parent I'd ever known; it was strange to be away from him for most of the year. I promised to catch up with the others later and dragged my case inside. Dad was in his office. He hated paperwork because it kept him away from the vehicles. All his life, he'd been around cars. I don't think it had been his intention that I ought to have been brought up in the same way, but things had a funny way of turning out. The garage was mine if I wanted it when I was older, but I had more of a creative mind. No, I wasn't that brilliant with music, but like Gideon had said, I didn't put in much effort.

Perhaps it was because I was a realist. I thought that dreaming about becoming some kind of superstar was for children. Or maybe I just used my guitar to mask how utterly directionless I felt in my life. Either way, I was questioning whether it ought to remain my chosen path after school, or if I should drop the whole idea of university and get a job so I could help to support us both.