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Rick did not know how this happened. He had convinced Mrs Feldson to let him stay in the chemistry lab just a little later, and suddenly it was 11pm. He ran out the door, rummaging around in his pocket for his keys, when he remembered.
Shit, I need to get it fixed.
He sighed, letting his head fall back before he straightened his back.
You’re almost an adult, you’ll be fine.
He made his way to the parking lot, where he saw a familiar car.
“Beth.”
“Ohmygosh!” Beth jumped away from the hood of her car. Rick flinched.
“Sorry, did I scare you?” Beth turned, a smile on her face.
“You snuck up on a girl, alone in an empty parking lot in the middle of the night. No, of course you didn’t scare me.” Rick chuckled.
“In my defense, I didn’t sneak up on you.” Beth tilted her head, squinting up at him. “Well, that wasn’t my intention.”
“If you say so.” The disbelief evident in her voice. Rick shook his head.
“What are you doing here?” He spoke after a moment.
“I lost track of time. And now my car won’t start.” She gestured to the open hood which made Rick lean forward out of curiosity.
“Did you ask Chuck?” He questioned as he stepped closer. Beth shook her head.
“I left him at the house today, I didn’t realize I’d be here so late.” Rick raised his eyebrow.
“You left Chuck at home?”
“Yeah, why are you so surprised?” Beth crossed her arms defensively.
“Because you never leave the house without him.” Beth shrugged as Rick dropped his bag, taking a few steps forward to get a better look inside the hood.
“I had a tough test in physics today and didn’t want to be tempted to use him.”
“Beth Chapel, tempted to cheat?”
“What? It takes effort for me to be this smart.” Rick turned and gave her a grin over his shoulder before turning back to the car. Beth playfully kicked his heel.
“Hey!” He yelped, picking his foot up.
“You deserved that.” They fell into silence after that. Beth awkwardly shuffling her feet as Rick spent a few minutes tinkering with something. After what felt like ever to the young girl, Rick finally spoke.
“Why don’t you try turning it on now?” He stood up before gesturing to the driver’s seat.
Wordlessly, Beth slipped into the front seat, turning the key aggressively. After a moment the engine roared to life. She rolled down the window and flashed him a smile once he closed the hood of the car.
“Thank you!”
“No problem. He nodded, reaching down to pick up his bag, turning, and slowly walking away.
“Hey.” Beth called out. “Where’s your car?”
“I’m waiting for a new part, it broke down this morning.”
“Want a ride?” Rick shook his head.
“It’s out of your way, I’ll be fine.” Beth rolled her eyes, inching towards him.
“Come on, it’s the least I can do after you saved me.”
“You’re just being over dramatic.” Beth gasped, placing a hand on her chest in mock offense.
“How dare you! That’s Courtney’s job!” Rick laughed.
“Okay.” Beth beamed up at him, tilting her head towards the passenger seat.
“Hop in.” Rick opened the back door, tossing his bag in before shuffling around and sinking into the seat.
“Thank you.” He turned to look at her, she brushed it off.
“Seriously, Rick, it’s not a big deal.”
“Well, it’s a big deal to me.” Rick spoke, all amusement in his voice gone. Beth stopped at the edge of the parking lot, the ticking of her signal the only sound as she stared at him.
Rick felt his heart speed up after a moment of staring at her.
Had she always had those glasses? They really brought out her eyes.
Finally, he coughed, breaking the moment. Beth turned back to look out the windshield, slowly turning the wheel and starting the drive to his house.