“Oh. My God.” Piper said, jaw hanging open.
“Wow…” Dakota said, eyes wide in awe as she drank in the sight, one hand sliding down into the bag of chips that Piper and her had picked up on their way over and gently crunching on it to fill the silence.
“I know right? Pretty sweet,” Zack said, running a hand through his sandy hair as he slammed the door to their new car shut and leaned back against it, crossing his lean arms and smirking as though he’d just been declared the Homecoming King.
“What the FUCK is that thing?!” Piper practically shouted as she began to storm over to Zack, fists clenched, the blonde’s smug grin dropping in an instant.
“Wait. WaitwaitwaitwaitWAIT,” He panicked, holding his hands up in front of his face, “Let me explain!”
-------------------
“Whoa…” Zack said, eyes widening as he drank in the car he now knew that he was destined to buy. The Craigslist ad hadn’t done this thing justice.
“Yeeeeeup,” Said the owner as he walked up and extended a hand. “Name’s Joe. Diamond Joe.”
Diamond Joe was an older man, clearly tanned by years of sun, surf, and a general distaste for hiding his torso. His short-sleeve button down was left open to reveal a modest paunch and he wore a pair of sunglasses so dark it would be a miracle if even he could see out of them. He looked like the kind of man who would consider that outfit as being ‘Dressed up’. Some well-worn flip flops slapped at his feet as he finally reached his potential
Zack wrenched his attention from his sweet future ride and shook the man’s hand noticing that it hadn’t been the… best handshake of his life- it was a bit too greasy. “Zack Tyler,” He said confidently, fully prepared to talk business, doing his best not to seem to eager. He knew that you had to play hardball to get a solid deal. He’d seen enough movies to know how to negotiate! “So, this is the car, huh?”
Said car was a van, and not the sort in which a suburban mom would ferry her brats to and from playdates and soccer games, no. This was a really, honest to god van. Like the kind you’d see in old pictures of Woodstock!
Of course in those old pictures the paint wouldn’t be peeling and the sea air wouldn’t have rusted the roof quite so much. Zack walked over to the front and looked for where to pop the hood. “Uh, can I get a look at the engine?”
Joe just grinned, motioned with one tanned hand towards the other end of the car. As Zack walked past the cracked, whitewall tires, Joe popped open what Zack had assumed to be either the trunk or an emergency exit, like on the bus he took to school. But no, down there sat a small engine engine… Even with Zack’s limited knowledge of cars the slightly dusty looking engine down there didn’t seem like much.
“Yup, this girl is THE Type that got me through the summer of 1972." Zack didn't know what happened that year, but he could tell it was the best year of this man's life. “Shame I’ve gotta sell her, but you know what they say… ‘All good things must come to an end.’ And, you know,” He paused and cleared his throat, saying a bit more softly, “Don’t bet money you don’t got.”
“Now, I know what you’re thinking,” He said, abruptly changing the subject as he closed up the engine bay, “And no, she ain’t the fastest and her brakes ain’t the best… But this car? She’s got character.” He said, thumping the side of it, “Style.” He extended his hands in a flourish before stopping and sliding open the back door, revealing, "And shag-carpets that are one-hundred percent guaranteed to get you as many girls as you can handle. The ladies love this car."
----------------------
Zack finished his presentation, grinning excitedly as he took in the deadpan Piper and worried looking Dakota: Two ladies who did not seem to love that car. “I can’t believe you blew Dakota’s graduation money and most of my savings on this… Thing.”
“But… Personality! Style!” Zack said again, nodding enthusiastically, “Carpets!”
Piper crossed her arms under her big bust and sighed, shaking her head.
Dakota swallowed the last fistful of chips and offered, “Well, Zack did help pay for it. And besides, the carpets are pretty cool.”
Piper looked at her and then Zack and raised an eyebrow. “Uh-huh.”
“But wait, there’s more,” The blonde said, strutting up to the front door and swinging it open. There, in the bottom of the door was a large speaker apparently retrofitted into it. “Custom speaker system. Boom!”
Piper nodded at this, sighing. “Okay fine, that part is pretty cool.”
“So,” Dakota piped up, feeling excitement well up in her chest, “Where should we go first in our new ride?”
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