Hands Off! The 100 Day Agreement

by Candy J. Starr

  Holy Shitola.

  That was not good. Luckily, I was on a bit of a slope so I could just roll to the side of the road. Because I’d taken the long way home, the road wasn’t exactly busy either. I didn’t think I’d seen another car for a while, driving through the industrial estate.

  I grabbed my phone out of my bag and called Jayne, figuring she’d be able to come up with a solution.

  “Call roadside assistance. It’s not like I have any idea about cars,” she said.

  That didn’t help me at all.

  “I don’t have roadside assistance. I can’t afford it.”

  “Well, where’s Chad? Shouldn’t he be tagging along with you?”

  “I’ve been at work.”

  I sighed. I could call Chad but that would be the worst possible option. It’d look like I needed him and that I actually wanted him tagging around with me. I couldn’t call Tristan because he knew even less about cars than Jayne. Instead, I searched online for a tow truck service.

  I rang the first one I found.

  “I need a tow truck,” I said. “My car is dead.”

  “No worries, love. Let me know your location and I’ll send someone out. You’ll need to have cash or card to pay him.”

  I was afraid of that though I had been hoping my sincere gratitude would be payment enough.

  “How much?” I asked. I mean, surely a tow truck couldn’t be that much. It might make my night’s work a write off though.

  “Well the standard fee is $250 but then there’s the night call out fee… that’s usually an extra $300 but I can round it off to $500 if you like.”

  “Can you round it to $130 because that’s as much as I have in my bank account at the moment.”

  The guy just laughed and hung up on me. How rude.

  After a few more calls to tow trucks, I realised that was an impossible dream if I wanted to eat for the rest of the week. Holy crapola. If I quit art school and bought a tow truck, I’d be swimming in money.

  I couldn’t just sit in the car waiting for fate to save me. I’d never noticed how dark and gloomy that area was when I drove through it but, sitting alone in my car, it gave me the creeps. All those deserted warehouses hulking around the place probably full of rats and maybe gangs of roving thugs.

  I double-checked that all the doors were locked and picked up my phone with a resigned sigh. If I didn’t want to walk home, I’d have to call Chad. Or a taxi. The abandoning my car bit worried me though. I’d have to get it sorted some time but if I left it there, it might be stripped for spare parts. Anyway, if I didn’t get home, I’d have Chad thinking I was out screwing around or doing something against the agreement.

  But the rotter didn’t even answer his phone. What the hell? If there was one good thing about Chad, it was that his entire life revolved around me. Except, obviously, when I needed him.

  What did he do when I was at work anyway?

  I left a message, figuring he’d call me back when he got it, and then looked for something in the car to amuse myself with. I threw my phone in my handbag and tried turning the key again in case it’d just been playing silly buggers with me and would suddenly work.

  That hope soon died within me.

  I decided I should check under the hood. I had no idea what to check for but there might be something obvious. There had to be a button somewhere to pop the hood. I’d never actually done it before but, if I couldn’t find it, I could surely google it.

  Ha, I found a button that looked likely and sure enough, the hood popped up a little.

  I jumped out of the car then thought I should try Chad’s number again. I reached in and pulled my handbag over, getting out the phone and redialling. Still no answer. That useless bit of man flesh. All muscles and no help in a bad situation. I threw my phone back into my bag and sighed loudly, hoping the strength of my frustration would get through to him. I’d so tell Grandmother about this.

  I was going to slam the door shut. That would’ve been satisfying but I checked out the shadows of those warehouses. Maybe I’d need to run for safety if something came crawling out of the darkness. I could jump in the car and lock the doors.

  I tried to open the hood but it wouldn’t budge any more than a small gap. What a stupid car. Why would you want the hood to come up just a few centimetres? I grabbed it and pulled with all my might but it did nothing. So, instead, I kicked the car. That would teach it a valuable lesson about being a stupid car that didn’t work.

  From somewhere, in one of the buildings, I could hear a grating noise like metal scraping against metal. It set my teeth on edge. I tried to block it out before it drove me mad.

  I told myself to stop being paranoid. There was nothing there. It was just the wind. There was no rustle like someone sneaking up on me.

  “Hello?” I called out then realised how stupid that was. It’s not like someone would answer me.

  I tried to open the bonnet again, pressing down on it because sometimes that works for some things. Why the hell hadn’t Chad answered? Was he out on some secret meeting with his secret girlfriend? I hated his secret girlfriend, taking him away when I obviously needed him. I could just imagine her, tall and willowy with really expensive designer shoes. She’d be running her hands all over those sculpted abs. Man. I hated her perfectly manicured fingers on those abs. I wanted those abs for my own manicure.

  No I didn’t. I did not want those abs in any way other than a fixing my car kind of way.

  Before I could even give up and call a cab, a flash of movement headed toward my car.

  I screamed and my screams echoed off the buildings with no one to hear them. I waited for hands to grab me. I’d be kidnapped. I froze on the spot. My body wouldn’t move at all. I could only pant with fear.

  As the streak ran off, I realised it wasn’t me he wanted. He’d grabbed my handbag off the driver’s seat.

  “Stop! Stop now,” I screamed and stamped my foot.

  In the blurry light of the few street lamps that weren’t broken, I realised it was a kid.

  “Hey, you little shit, give my bag back.”

  The kid kept running. He was going to disappear down the cracks between the buildings and I’d never find him. I took off running after him. I mean, I had to. My bag had all my valuables in it. My phone, my wallet and my One Direction key ring. Hey, don’t judge me.

  “Come back,” I screamed again. For some reason, it had no effect on the little shit at all. “You’ll be in so much trouble when I catch you.”

  I should be able to outrun a little kid, you’d think. I’m older and have longer legs. But I’d worn my heels to work and running in heels is difficult. My run was more like an off-kilter shuffle. Still, I was primed to teach that kid a life lesson.

  As I pounded into the hard concrete footpath though, pains shot straight up from my heels through my entire body. I could ignore the pain. I was strong.

  I could still see the kid running ahead of me, my bag under his arm.

  “Oi, kid, at least give me back my phone,” I yelled. Well, I tried to yell between panting breaths. “It’s not even worth anything.”

  He kept running.

  I tried to pick up speed. Then the footpath rose up and slammed into me. Everything went black and I was on the ground. What the hell?

  A second later, a red-hot fiery pain shot through my body starting at my ankle. I screamed again, and again no one answered.

  I could hear the echo of the kid’s laughter coming from between the warehouses. I’d never get my bag back now. I tried to get to my feet but the pain made me gasp. When I put weight on my left leg, I crumpled to the ground again.

  Since I couldn’t stand, I did the only thing I could do. I sat on the ground whimpering. My ankle had started to swell and the strap of my shoe dug into my skin. I had to unbuckle it.

  I was screwed. I was totally screwed. I couldn’t make it back to my car and I couldn’t even call a cab now. I’d have to sit on this footpath until someone turned up to
work the next day. That would be what, six hours or more? What time did people start working at warehouses?

  Maybe I could survive that long out there exposed to the elements. That metal scraping noise rang out from one of the buildings again. It made me shiver and I realised how cold it was. After work, I’d thrown my jacket on the back seat of the car.

  The car seemed an insurmountable distance away though. If I wanted to make it there, I’d have to crawl and who knew what kind of manky shit was on the footpath.

  My eyes prickled but I refused to cry. I could figure a way out of this situation. A cold breeze flew down the street, cutting through me. There wasn’t even a handy cardboard box nearby. All the sounds around me became louder. If there were thug kids around, maybe there were adult thugs as well. I hugged myself, hoping I’d survive.

  I blamed Chad. If he’d answered his phone, I’d have some hope of being saved. Even if he got the message, he’d have no idea where to find me. I hadn’t told him in the message and I hadn’t even told Jayne. I’d just told her that I’d broken down. I was so stupid. I should’ve appreciated my phone while I still had it. Why had I thought I could even open the car bonnet?

  My entire foot throbbed and looked like a big swollen watermelon. My life sucked. It sucked so big time.

  If I could curl up in a ball, maybe I’d stay warm but I really did not like the idea of lying on the ground. There was broken glass under me, cutting into my skin.

  Maybe if I got up, I could hop back to the car. I wasn’t sure if I could get myself back up again though without putting weight on my foot. There was a street light pole not that far away. I could maybe crawl that far.

  I got on my hands and knees, praying no one would drive passed and see me crawling. The grit on the footpath dug into me. I couldn’t do this. I folded the hem of my dress up to cushion my knees and inched my way to the pole. It beat the hell out of just curling up on the street. At least I was doing something to help myself.

  I used my arms to pull myself up the pole. Wow, I was really unfit. At least I wasn’t cold any more. All the exercise had me sweating. My dress was ruined from my crawling but at least I was on my feet. I tried hopping but, as soon as I let go of the pole, it was hard to keep my balance. I staggered and I put my foot down without realising until the pain shot through me.

  I whimpered but I couldn’t give up. I needed to get to my car. I hopped some more, resting my left foot on my right so I didn’t put it down again. I figured there were about 30 hops until the next pole. And there were only ten or so poles to my car. I hopped a few steps then I heard a noise and had to stop so I could work out what it was.

  Headlights were coming down the road towards me. I could be rescued. I could wave them down. Then my heart sank. Alone and injured, I could end up a sitting duck for any deviant sicko. Instead of waving, I crouched down, trying to make myself inconspicuous. I had to use my swollen foot to balance myself. I bit my lip to stop from sobbing with pain, hoping the car would hurry up and pass me.

  The car didn’t pass though. It stopped right behind my car. I had nowhere to hide. I’d never be able to run away. My heart pounded and I trembled, hardly able to stay upright.

  The car door opened.

  Shitola.

  It had to be some creeper.

  “Lucy?”

  It was Chad. Oh my god, it was Chad.

  I tried to stand and stumbled.

  “Chad! I’m over here.”

  He looked around then spotted me on the street.

  I tried to keep on my feet as he walked towards me but I almost toppled.

  “Are you okay?” His arms closed around me.

  I shook my head. So many questions hit me. Why was he there? How did he know where I was? But I couldn’t even open my mouth to ask.

  When I did, instead of words, a jumble of noises came out. I wanted to say thank you but I couldn’t even talk.

  “Let’s get home,” he said.

  “I can’t walk.”

  He swept me up in his arms and carried me to his car. I never imagined that he could make me feel so safe. My whole body heaved from the relief of being saved. Chad smelt really good. I didn’t want to even smell him but that expensive aftershave wafted up my nose regardless. I rested my head on his shoulder just because it was easier for him to carry me that way.

  “My car…” I said.

  “It’s okay. We’ll sort it out tomorrow.”

  He opened his car door and lifted me inside. I curled into the corner, wrapping my arms around myself.

  I blurted out my story in a rush of words. He didn’t even laugh which I really appreciated. He just kept his eyes on the road and nodded at the right places.

  “So, how did you find me?” I asked.

  “Lucy, you think you are so clever but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t know these things.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  “Ha, I win. You landed on Park Lane and I have a hotel on it. You can’t pay. I win. I win.” I’d have jumped up and done a victory dance if I could use my foot.

  It was infuriating how Chad didn’t even get ruffled when I beat him. It took some of the joy out of it. I wanted him to give more of a sign. Not just a flare of his nostrils but some real loser angst.

  “Wanna play again?”

  Chad shook his head.

  “What’s wrong? Are you scared? Scared I’m going to whupp your ass.”

  Chad nodded and shot me a grin.

  “I was thinking of heading to the gym. Board games don’t count as real exercise.”

  “It’s totally exercise and you can’t leave. What if I need something?”

  Chad grabbed my crutches from the corner and sat them next to the sofa. “You can get up and get it yourself. It’s just a sprained ankle. It’s not like your legs have dropped off.”

  I screwed up my face.

  “It’s a severe sprain. You were there. You heard the doctor.”

  I poked my tongue out at him but he just pointed to the crutches.

  “Well, can you get me some supplies to tide me over? I need things in reaching distance. Like if you made me a coffee in my travel mug, it’d stay warm until I needed it. And some cookies would go nicely with that.”

  Chad sighed but he went into the kitchen to fetch my supplies. He was good like that. Then I curled up and hugged my pillows. Maybe Chad could arrange them in a more comfortable position for me before he left.

  “Here’s your coffee,” he said and sat the mug down in front of me. “And here’s your snack.”

  “No way. That’s not a snack.” I picked up one of the carrot sticks. “That’s a vegetable. There’s no comfort in that.”

  “You’ve not moved off the couch since you hurt your foot. You can’t keep eating snack foods all the time. You’ll get too heavy to use your crutches.”

  I threw one of my cushions at him. Then regretted it. I needed that cushion. Damn him.

  “Anyway, you are supposed to be here spying on me not going off to the gym. It’s your job.”

  Chad picked up the cushion and sat it back on the sofa.

  “My job is to make sure you stick to the arrangement with your grandmother. If you can’t get off the couch, you can’t break the arrangement, so I can go out for a few hours. I could probably even take the week off.”

  I picked up my phone.

  “Hey buddy, I have a whole address book full of numbers here. I just need to call any one of these guys and they’d be over here in minutes with a nice big tent in their pants. You don’t need a functioning ankle to make sweet, sweet love.”

  “You’d have to get off the couch to have a shower first. You stink.”

  He went in his room to get his gym gear and left me sitting there sniffing my pits. It might’ve been a while but there are a lot of men in this world who don’t care about personal hygiene if it means getting their dick wet. Chad was just jealous.

  “I totally could you know. You understand nothing about men if you think a litt
le stink will put them off.”

  Ha, that told him. He’d think twice about going to the gym now. Not that I wanted Chad hanging around with me but you can’t play Monopoly by yourself. And, since I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t do much more than play Monopoly.

  We’d watched all the Harry Potter movies and Star Wars and every season of Gossip Girl. We’d even watched a bunch of old Kung Fu movies that Chad was into.

  “Don’t you have some study to do?”

  Chad had his gym bag slung over his shoulder. It made me totally want to get laid so that I could prove him wrong but then I thought about it. I’d only be hurting myself if I did. Man, he was trying to psych me out. By saying I couldn’t get laid, he planned for me to want to challenge him. What a cad. He’d planned this all along. I was way too smart to fall for his tricks though.

  I’d stay on the couch forever if that’s what it took.

  “I can’t study. It’s not like I just have to read some boring textbook. I need to be on my feet to create things.”

  ***

  “I can’t watch Harry Potter again. I really can’t. Don’t we have anything else to watch?”

  “Nothing we haven’t watched already. You could’ve picked up some DVDs on the way back from the gym.”

  “I got you snack foods. I got so much sugar, you’ll probably end up diabetic before your ankle heals.”

  Chad sat down beside me on the couch so we could both reach the chocolate goodies. I’d put a cushion on the coffee table and had my foot resting on it. I spread out my blanket so it covered Chad as well.

  “Okay, I suppose we can watch some more Harry Potter. Did I tell you that my cousin lived next door to Daniel Radcliffe?”

  Obviously not since Chad never told me a thing about himself.

  “Really! That’s so freaken cool. How can you just throw something like that into the conversation? If it was me, it’d be the first thing I tell people about myself. It’s like your cousin lived on Privet Drive. What, do you have any dirt?”

  He scratched his chin.

  “Nothing I can really tell you about.”