The Secret of Ella and Micha(57)

He tucks a strand of my damp hair out of my eyes. "I know it does, but you'll be okay - we'll be okay."

I nod quickly and then move away from the wall, straightening my shoulders. "Are you coming back after you change?"

He plants a kiss on my forehead. "Where else would I go?"

I move out of his way and he walks out the door in his towel, like he's not embarrassed at all. He leaves the door cracked behind him and seconds later I hear the sound of Lila's shocked voice followed by the laughter of Ethan. A few seconds later footsteps head my way.

"Oh Ella," Lila says through the crack in the door. "Can I come in?"

Holding the towel on, I open the door about half way. "Could you go get me some clothes, please? Mine are soaking wet."

She covers her mouth, stifling her laughter. "Sure. I'll be right back."

She comes back with a pair of red shorts and a grey tank top. I get dressed and we meet Micha and Ethan out in the garage. Micha's wearing a pair of loose fitted jeans and his favorite Pink Floyd t-shirt, and he tries not to smirk when he sees me, but Ethan doesn't hold back.

"Have fun this morning?" he asks me and I punch him in the arm.

"Ow," he fakes hurt and then glances down at the engine. "Dude, you ripped this thing to shit. What the f*ck did you do to it?"

"I took it down to Taylor Bay and drag raced it," he says with a shrug. "I guess I pushed it too hard."

"Then where'd the dents come from?" I question, peering underneath the hood.

"I had an unfortunate run in with another car," he says, with a twinkle in his eye as he captures my gaze. "But I still won."

Ethan sighs and slams the hood shut. "Get in and we'll take it to the shop."

We pile into the car and Micha drives it up on the grass to maneuver it around Ethan's truck parked in the center of the driveway. We drive down the road toward the shop holding hands over the console, listening to Lila and Ethan chat about their day, something so simple, but so meaningful.

When Micha pauses at a stop sign, Mikey's cherry red Camaro rolls up to the side of us. He points at Micha's car and then one of his friends mockingly waves.

"Fucking *," Ethan mutters from the backseat.

I roll down the window. "Is there a problem?"

Mikey laughs and aims a finger at the hood. "What'd ya do to that poor thing? It sounds like it's dying."

"It sounds a lot better than your piece of shit car on a good day," I retort, sitting up and sticking my head out the window.

"Ella," Lila says from the backseat, shocked.

"Let her go," Ethan says. "She's very entertaining when she gets this way."

Mikey's greasy black hair shines in the sun as he pokes his head out of the car. "You can keep talking, but it ain't going to do no good since you're both too chicken shit to race me. You guys proved that at the last race."

"Only because your small size was unimpressive," I say with an innocent bat of my eyelashes.

That pisses him off. He jumps out of the car and Micha pulls me back in and leans over the console, resting an arm around my shoulder protectively, knowing that Mikey's the kind of guy that would hit a girl. Mikey glances up the street before crouching down next to the door.

"If you two think you're so tough then prove it," he says with a venomous tone. "The Back Road, nine o'clock."

"I'm pretty sure she already explained to you that your car isn't worth our time," Micha says evenly. "So back the f*ck off and get back in your car."

"The Back Road, nine o'clock," he repeats slowly before backing away and climbing into his car. "And I'm sure with the noises your car's making, it should be a pretty fair race."

He revs his engine, proving something, before speeding off through the intersection, leaving tire marks on the asphalt.

"What a jerk," Lila says from the backseat. "Getting in your face like that - who does that?"

I turn to Micha with a guilty face. "I'm sorry."

He delicately sketches his finger along my lips and sighs. "It's okay. We'll figure something out... Besides you can make it up to me later."

"We can't fix your car that fast, man." Ethan leans over the console, shoving the sleeves of his black shirt up to his elbows, revealing several tattoos on his arms. "It's nowhere close to being in racing condition."

"I know," Micha replies and starts driving again. "I guess we'll just have to go in there blind."

"It could fall apart if you push it too hard," Ethan cautions. "Then you'd be back to square one with it."

"Wait a minute." Lila holds up her hands in front of her. "You guys aren't seriously going to race him, are you?"

"We have to," Ethan and Micha say at the same time.

Lila glances at me for an explanation. "Why?"

Ethan slumps back in the seat and brings his knee up as he turns to Lila. "It's how things work around here. If we don't, then we'll get hounded for it for the rest of our lives."

"Okay..." Lila says jolting in the seat as the car hits a pothole. "What's wrong with that?"