chapter 6

Vanessa's POV

"You SHUT YOUR MOUTH—and what are you even fighting for? I bet that's not even your car," the guy sneered, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, but that's my friend's car—" I started, but he cut me off.

"Ahh, friends," he smirked. "So you can't even afford a car yourself? You have to borrow from a friend?"

WHAT. THE. ACTUAL.

"So what?" I shot back, exasperated. Just pay for the damage and leave, dammit.

"So what?" he mocked, tilting his head like I was some clueless idiot. "You were questioning whether my car was stolen, but at least it's mine—not borrowed from a friend like yours."

I clenched my fists. I swear, if murder weren't illegal—

"Well, your parents bought it for you, didn't they?" Kova, my best friend, suddenly chimed in. "Why would they let their jobless son borrow a friend's car? Wouldn't that be embarrassing for them?"

Oh, damn. Kova was on fire. I had to bite back a grin.

The guy's smirk twitched, but he didn't falter. "Well, well, this just proves how desperate you two are for money. Let me guess, this was your little plan? Get into an accident with an expensive-looking car, then guilt-trip the owner into paying you off?"

He scoffed and turned to walk away.

I just stood there, my brain lagging as his words echoed in my ears.

Did he just—

Did he really just—

Oh, hell no.

I glanced around, needing something, anything to prove to him that he just messed with the wrong person. That's when my eyes landed on a construction site nearby.

More specifically, a toolbox.

Perfect.

I walked over and grabbed a yellow screwdriver that was sticking out from the box. It felt firm and solid in my sweaty grip.

Kova's eyes widened when I turned back to him. "Nessa… what are you—?"

"Just get in the car," I muttered. "The moment I start running, start the engine. And don't stop. Got it?"

Kova blinked. "Nessa, I swear if you're about to—"

"JUST DO IT," I snapped.

Kova hesitated for a second but then sighed and got in the car, starting the engine.

I took a deep breath and marched toward the guy. He was standing next to his car, chatting with someone on the phone. His back was turned to me.

Big mistake, buddy.

"Hey, mister!" I called out.

He turned around, eyes narrowing—until they landed on the screwdriver in my hand.

His face instantly paled. "What the—what are you doing with that?" He shoved his phone into his pocket and took a step back. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

I didn't answer. Instead, I raised my arm and—

SLASH.

I dragged the screwdriver across his car door, leaving a long, ugly scratch.

Then I did it again.

And again.

The guy let out a strangled noise of rage.

"WHAT THE F—!"

I didn't wait. I threw the screwdriver and bolted.

"KOVA, START THE CAR!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Kova, already prepared, hit the gas.

I sprinted toward the passenger door, but—

Oh, shit. He was chasing me.

And damn, he was fast.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU PSYCHO!" he roared.

I barely managed to yank open the car door and dive in. "GO, GO, GO!"

Kova slammed his foot on the accelerator, the tires screeching against the pavement.

The last thing I heard before we sped off was his furious scream—

"YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THIS, YOU CRAZY B—!"

Too late. We were gone.

Third-Person POV

The car sped down the road, the only sound inside being their heavy breathing.

Neither of them spoke for a solid minute, the reality of what just happened sinking in.

Then—

"YOU ARE AN IDIOT!" Kova finally exploded. "A **STUPID, RECKLESS, PSYCHO B—! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT, VANESSA?!*"

"STOP YELLING AT ME!" Vanessa yelled back. "HE SAID SO MUCH SH*T! HE DESERVED IT!"

"But DID YOU HAVE TO GO FULL CRIMINAL MODE?! When you picked up that screwdriver, I legit thought you were gonna murder him! I was already planning where we'd bury the body! I was even wondering—how do we carry him? He's probably heavy!"

Vanessa snorted. "Easy. You take his arms, I take his legs, and boom—dump him in the car."

"Or we could kidnap him and demand ransom."

Kova blinked. "Wait. That's actually a good idea."

"I know."

There was a pause.

Then they both burst into laughter.

"Dude, I was ready to see your face on tomorrow's news," Kova said between laughs. "'17-YEAR-OLD STABS A GUY'S CAR WITH A YELLOW SCREWDRIVER IN A FIT OF RAGE.'"

"'WITH HER PARTNER-IN-CRIME WHO HELPED HER ESCAPE.'" Vanessa added dramatically.

"You are dragging me to hell with you, aren't you?" Kova groaned.

"Obviously," Vanessa smirked. "We can have tea with Daddy Lucifer."

Kova sighed. "Yep. No heaven for us. Only VIP passes to hell."

They laughed again, but the humor faded as reality set in.

"Okay, but seriously—what do we do about Charlie's car?" Kova asked, pulling over to the side of the road.

Vanessa groaned and hit the tire in frustration. "Why did you have to remind me?"

"Because I enjoy watching you suffer."

"Jerk."

"Love you too," Kova said sweetly, pulling out his phone. "Okay, let me Google a garage nearby."

After a moment, he found one.

"'CAR-WASHING ROBO,'" he read aloud. "Sounds cool. Let's go."

At the Garage

Ava, the blonde receptionist, was stunning.

"Damn, she's hot," Kova whispered as they walked in.

Ava glanced up and smiled. "Good afternoon, sir! How may I help you?"

Kova smirked. "Actually, it's Kova. And we need a quick fix—our car has a nasty scratch."

"Well, Kova," Ava said, her blue eyes twinkling. "It depends on how deep the scratch is. Michael will check it out."

"Michael?" Vanessa asked.

Michael, a burly mechanic, returned after inspecting the car. "Clear-coat scratch. Easy fix. Should take an hour."

Vanessa sighed in relief. "How much?"

"Fifteen to twenty dollars."

"WE'RE SAVED."

That Evening

By 7 PM, the car was as good as new.

Charlie inspected it and nodded. "Looks fine. Thanks."

As soon as he turned away, Kova whispered, "Should we tell him?"

Vanessa elbowed him. "HELL. NO."

As they walked home, Kova nudged Vanessa. "By the way, why were you smirking back there?"

Vanessa grinned. "Remember that girl Jonathan wanted me to set him up with? She's into girls."

Kova choked. "WHAT?!"

"And to get the ticket, I had to agree to a date with her."

Kova gasped. "You got yourself a date?!"

Vanessa smirked. "Jealous?"

Kova grinned. "A little. But also? This has been the weirdest. Damn. Day."

.....

Well, another chapter of 18 to 80.

i hope you are liking the story, i hope you stick around with Vanessa and her journey.

have a good day.