☾

she will rise.

[alanabrook-blog1]

* .  ∙ •✧ * FAITH MILLER —

           faith gave the smallest huff–not in anger at 

       the woman herself, but rather with her luck. 

           “ i guess it’s not worth puttin’ a whole

       new battery in an old car like this?? ”

                        Alana smiled in consolation.                    Nothing was more frustrating than                 having an old car, because you never                  knew when you were being cheated.                 She made an effort to run an honest                   business — especially so with such                                       situations.

         “ That depends on how much you can or want             to spend on it. If you trade it in as is with a                dead battery, you won’t get much to buy               a new one. On the other hand, it is much            more likely that you will face problems in the                          near future with this one.

      “ But if it were me, I would just put a new battery        in this one. It seems to be running fine and you         shouldn’t need a new one for a while, as long        as you drive it regularly. Get it fixed up little by         little so I could trade it in and get a car that I                  really want. But I’m a car person. ”

[alanabrook-blog1]

* .  ∙ •✧ * SCARLETT BURNS —

“Ya got no idea how well I know that.“  She said with a soft giggle.  A stripper finishing up a Masters?  Oh come on now, who believes that?  No, she’s just some dumb hoe who doesn’t have self respect and probably didn’t finish junior high.  “Oh, no.  Only been on one once, an’ I was not a fan of the lack of control an’ protection in the event my face collides with the freeway.“

                   “ I don’t doubt that for a second.                             People infantilize things that scare them. ”

           Alana laughed at Scarlett’s explanation and nodded her head in                    complete understanding.             “ I remember that, ” she said, crossing her arms and leaning back                  against her work table. “ The first time I rode was with my father, and            I was so scared I could hardly stand afterward because my legs were      shaking so badly. But every time I saw him stop in front of the house            and swing his leg over the bike I couldn’t stop thinking about how                  cool he looked, and I wasn’t going to rest until I mastered it. My father            used to say that I was dedicated. I think I was just STUBBORN. ”

[alanabrook-blog1]

* .  ∙ •✧ * CASSIDY BRIGGS —

                                   “ cable got SHUT OFF . ” he was quick to respond ,   his words drenched in indifference as he let his gaze wander .                              many would think it had been because the business owner           didn’t have the money to pay his bills or ,  perhaps ,  he pissed off the company with an angry phone call or two . NAH .  he just                   didn’t think to pay them off when he was WANTED FOR MURDER .

“ think ya could FIX it ? ” he said with a smug grin ,                    obviously referencing the idiocy of fixing a dead battery .

              “ ‘m probably gonna be sendin’ ya some business here soon .    ya see uh … someone took a BAT to my hood . ”

          Alana was half-surprised at the way in which Cassidy delivered                 the news about his cable, and she arched an eyebrow.           Almost every member of the club that she could think of would                  have been furious — some even red hot with rage —        should something so frustratingly mundane have happened to them.                   She couldn’t help but be CURIOUS about the reason               ( after all, in this town, there was a reason for everything ).

          She laughed when he teased about being able to fix his cable.             “ Who knows, ” she shrugged, “ it sounds more likely than                          anything else I’ve been asked to do today. ”

                                She walked back to an old junker                                   ( all too common in Bumfuck )           that she’d already stripped of all four tires and tucked her grease          towel into her back pocket. “ Someone took a bat to your hood? ”       she asked, surprised, and stopped just short of the vehicle to face him.        “ Something tells me they are going to regret that. But I appreciate the               business, as always. As long as there are no cops. I had a... ”               she paused, trying to remember the word Edy had taught her,             “ a rookie officer here a week ago asking too many questions. ”

[alanabrook-blog1]

* .  ∙ •✧ * CARA KNOX —

                             ❝ ah, let me guess. customer trying to shake                           you down? happens a lot, they don’t trust women                          with wrenches, it drains their testosterone to know                             we actually know our way around an engine.❞

            “ And most of them — ”                          Alana looked pointedly at the customer in question —             — “ Don’t even know how to jumpstart a car. ”

                         The man started spluttering what probably should          have been words but ended up being no more than incoherent            noises. Alana crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow & when                      she asked, “ Are you done? ” his face reddened and           his blusterings turned into a string of insults and threats               that could have made his mother cry, and he stormed out            of her garage.

            Alana turned back to face Cara and sighed. 

                        “ Men. ”

[alanabrook-blog1]

＊* — EDY CABALLERO ∙・◦  - ̗̀ ✴︎

MUCH to his surprise– he didn’t recognize her. Although, he wasn’t really trying hard enough. ( The club probably would have chewed him out if it was anyone else. ) It was just one of those days where he’d much rather be left alone, despite Alana being one of the few people he actually liked.

A small sigh escapes his lips as he leans forward on the counter, chin in hand. “It’s been a long day.” He lies. It’s ALWAYS a slow day in the shop, with his free time either spent sketching, cleaning, reading, or taking ridiculously long lunch breaks. ( Something he should have done today. ) “Besides, you never come in here looking for a tattoo anyway, Lana. So why are you here?”

     Alana nodded and nodded and nodded as he talked, feigning            increasing impatience. “ Mhm, excuses — ”

     She whipped off her hat and hit him with it playfully, then tucked it            under her arm and took off her glasses. “You are too grumpy, Edy.          You’re going to scare away all your clients if Stella doesn’t do that            all by herself.”

    Alana sat on the couch in the client waiting area and crossed          her long legs, putting the hat down next to her and dropping     her glasses inside. “Maybe I just wanted to say hello. Did you ever think about that?” She grinned and patted the couch next to     her. “Come on, you’re not busy. Sit with me.”

[alanabrook-blog1]

＊* — SCARLETT BURNS ∙・◦  - ̗̀ ✴︎

“Most people don’t know what shit’s worth.  Ain’t no one wastin’ time on the research, even though it only takes a few minutes or a call or two.“  She smiled.  “It really is pretty.“

     “It works even better when you pretend to be as            ignorant as they are,” she said, and leaned forward            as if sharing a secret                    ( though it was a secret that all women knew ).       “People — especially men — have a habit of underestimating a             woman’s intelligence.”

    Alana motioned to her bike and nodded at Scarlett, smiling.         “Do you know how to ride? I’ve never seen you on one, but         you do have a good eye.”

[alanabrook-blog1]

＊* — LEVI GUNNER ∙・◦  - ̗̀ ✴︎

“yuh pick up quick,” he teased, a chuckle warming his lips. 

                                             he didn’t recognize her, a category levi found most people                 in this town fitting into for him. soon he would know more than                                ten names, including him and his brother. “wha’ gave it away this time?”

     levi was about to fix her drink before he remembered— he and his brother never had                        customers. let alone customers who drank sangria. “so— we ain’t got real sangria. i            tell yuh what– i’ll throw somethin’ togeth’uh, an’ if yuh don’t warm up to it, s’ free.”

       Alana smirked at his tease, raising an eyebrow. “You laugh,                but it’s not often you find people in this town that are not        from this town,” she explained, then leaned forward on the bar.

                       “Your accent. It may not be as — well, let us say foreign —               as mine is, but it is still more than noticeable.                       But I’m sure you know that, anyway.”          She smiled coyly. “So where are you from, stranger from a strange land?”

       Alana watched as the man moved to make her drink, and she                suspected what he would say next before he even stopped.        She laughed and shook her head. “That’s fine. A fake sangria sounds                        exciting. Let’s see what you can do.”

[theclassicsreader]

those who escape hell, however, never talk about it & nothing much bothers them after that.

Charles Bukowski, from “Lost” (via theclassicsreader)

[galgadotgifs]

[alanabrook-blog1]

＊* — JESSE TATE ∙・◦  - ̗̀ ✴︎

          “ whatever it is you think i used to do, you’re wrong. now fuck off.” he attempted to drive the person off, after at least an hour of badgering. he was on his break, which usually meant he just wanted to enjoy some peace and quiet with a drink.

           In such a small town word got around fast, and while there were                  many secrets, everyone knew they existed. Living here was like            being told not to think about something — you spend more time                  thinking about it and trying not to think about it.

             Most people had their curiosity under control. Others, not so much.                              With them, it was hard to keep your life private.

          The worst place to fall victim to them was in a BAR. Their                      self-control was even less limited when inebriated. This,           of course, meant that Jesse fell victim to it. Often.

                            “ I do believe he was coming on to you, ”                              she teased, sliding onto the bar chair next to his.

[alanabrook-blog1]

＊* — FAITH MILLER ∙・◦  - ̗̀ ✴︎

            “ You can’t just…bring it             back to life??” she asked              with the tiniest bit of              desperation in her voice. 

  Alana couldn’t HELP but laugh — and she did so in good heart.            

               “ I’m relieved to say                        I cannot. If that were                 possible I would be                            out of a business. ”

[alanabrook-blog1]

＊* — COLETTE YOUNG ∙・◦  - ̗̀ ✴︎

Colette barely resisted the urge to hit the woman. She needed the goddamn battery, because there was no way her family would be able to function without a working car for more than a week. Forcing herself to stay calm, she bit out her next words. “Fine. I understand that.” She ran a hand through her hair, calculating the number of extra shifts she would need to take to pay for this bill on top of the overdue heating bill. “Jesus fuck, that’s the cheapest battery right? Like there’s not a shittier one that would work and cost like.. fifty bucks less?”

     Alana could see and hear both anger and desperation in Colette’s            voice — something she recognized from a long time ago — and she            sighed, looking down at the ground for a moment before facing            the woman once more.

           “ Alright, ” she said.                  “ The least expensive I have here costs seventy dollars. I do not               carry any cheaper because they will die again within the year &                you will be back sooner than you like. I can give it to you for fifty,               if you come back for your next repair. ” 

[alanabrook-blog1]

＊* — SCARLETT BURNS ∙・◦  - ̗̀ ✴︎

Scarlett sighed when the woman grabbed her wrist.  She really needed to stop this incessant need to touch things.  Sensory needs were a bitch.  “Yeah, pro’ly not.  Can’t help but wanna though…”  She mumbled before yanking back her arm from the womans grasp.  “Must be ya own since ya so protective, yeah?”

      At first, Alana was stricken with the way Scarlett         handled the situation — both accepting and defensive —                     and she realized she was no longer that bothered.

           “ You’re right, ” Alana crossed her arms and smiled.                      “ As of about four years ago. It was in terrible condition                       when I got it. Previous owner died and her son had no idea                       what it was worth. ”

[alanabrook-blog1]

＊* — CASSIDY BRIGGS ∙・◦  - ̗̀ ✴︎

                     “ who’s this COMMON & what’s this SENSE            he’s talkin’ about ? ” he walked up slowly ,                                      eyeing the man who had been giving the woman                             a hard time . “ i’d say go to KNOX but i’m pretty                         sure she’d say the same damn thing . ”

the man didn’t give a response ,  only a mumbled                 complaint and an agreement to her price before trudging off . 

                       Alana watched Cassidy approach with all the CONFIDENCE          of a man who had dealt with far worse than a haggling                  imbecile. She knew she could have just as easily dealt with               the trouble-customer                                              ( something she’d had to do many times before )            but she also knew better than to be insulted by                    Cassidy’s help. She probably would’ve kicked the man out with         a bruise or two — at least this way she got paid.                            Alana smiled.

                 “ To what do I owe the pleasure, Cass? ”

[captainboomerangs]

[colleenwing]

[alanabrook-blog1]

＊* — ELISSA HART ∙・◦  - ̗̀ ✴︎

         “you alright?” her tone was gentle, soft and worried as concern etched itself into dainty features. elissa reached up, placing a small hand on their shoulder with a tender touch.

                              “don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re not lookin’ too hot.”

      Alana was more transparent than she liked to often think.                     She always got this way when her mind traveled to a time                    that was easier to forget.

         She was surprised by the soft tone,                the sound of genuine care in the woman’s voice that seemed to be lacking elsewhere.

           “I’m fine, thank you,” Alana lied.            “I guess my mind is getting away            from me today. Thank you, though,            for bringing me back.”

      She’d become a good liar. She hated it.