“Any idea what’s wrong with your car?” I asked as I walked up behind her. The car didn’t seem to fit her. Most of the students drove cars that were worth more than the teachers here made in a year, but Corrine’s was a classic Mercedes. Old, but definitely classy.
She jumped and screamed, turning to face me with wide dark eyes.
I put out my hands in a gesture to show her I wasn’t a threat. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
She took a deep breath and relaxed a bit when she saw it was just me, although I could see she still trembled slightly. “It’s my mom’s car. Or one of them. I think it sat too long in the garage up here. We haven’t been to the house in years, and I think they were neglected. I actually had to brush off dust when I finally found the keys.”
“Did you check the oil?” I asked, considering the obvious culprits. “Gas?”
She nodded. “Yes, I did that on day one, but I think all the plugs and stuff need to be changed. Or maybe it’s the battery.” She looked at me. “Can I get a jump?”
“Let me get my car,” I said as I turned and walked over to my own vehicle.
The air was getting cool as the sun lowered over the horizon, and I really didn’t want to be dealing with this, but it wasn’t like I could just leave the girl stranded in the parking lot either. Especially knowing she didn’t have any parents to call for help. I had to hand it to her. At least she tried to be somewhat self-reliant. She could have been sitting in her car helpless, crying, and calling Daddy for help.
“All right,” I said, as I got out of my car, yanked out my jumper cables, and clipped them on the posts of her battery. “Go ahead and try to start it.”
She tried multiple times, and nothing. I was far from being a mechanic, but I didn’t think it was the battery. From the clicking sound, it seemed to be more the starter than anything, and if that was the case, we wouldn’t be able to fix it in the parking lot.
“I think we need to call and get it towed,” I said, knowing I was in for a much longer evening now that I would have to take her home after waiting for a tow truck to come.
“I have AAA,” she said as she pulled out her phone and dug around in her glove box for the card. “Unless my mom let it lapse or something,” she added under her breath.
I walked over to my car, turned it off, and leaned against my hood while she was on the phone. When she hung up, she looked up at me and smiled.
“Thank you. They should be on their way soon. You don’t have to wait here.”
“Someone needs to give you a ride,” I said, crossing my arms across my chest and settling in for the wait.
“I can call someone,” she said, but I could tell she was lying. She was still the new girl in this school, and I was pretty sure I had only seen her interact with a couple of people. She wasn’t exactly the loner type, but the school was brutal when it came to trying to fit in to any of the social circles. I’d seen no evidence that she had a best friend close enough who would be willing to drop everything and come help her.
“I’ll wait and then take you home,” I said.
As I had done, she closed her door of the car and braced against the hood. “Well, thank you. I appreciate it.”
“So, do you have any other family who live in Black Mountain?” I asked, deciding now would be a good time to try to pump more information out of her in a non-threatening manner.
“No. The house we have up here is just one of many vacation homes. It was one of my favorites, though. I really like the area. It’s pretty.”
“So, did you come here by yourself?” I asked.
She looked at me skeptical at first, but then nodded. “I needed a change. My mom was on set when I decided to make the move. She was cool with it though.”
“Where did you go to school before that?”
“L.A., but I’ve been to a lot of schools.”
“What about friends and family in L.A.?” I asked.
“It’s just me and my mom. No family, and friends come and go.” She looked around as if she was praying the tow truck would arrive and save her from the interrogation. I supposed that since no huge truck appeared, she felt compelled to fill the silence. “I have one friend who lives here. We went to school together in L.A. too. Kevin Stevenson. He’s like me. His mom and dad are in the movie business as well. So, he understands… well, we have a lot in common. He was the one who gave me the idea about finishing out the year in Black Mountain. He said he was, since his family has a house up here too, and I thought it was a good idea.”