"You look like you've slept well," Tyler's sarcastic voice crept up beside me as I was putting on my beat up black boots.

I finished tying my laces and stood up straight. "I had some pretty fucked up dreams last night," I muttered.

"Where are you headed so early on a Saturday?" He yawned with a sleepy posture drooping against the wall.

"Well I figure I should go see if Tony really is still alive or if that's just a rumor." I grinned.

"You're sick," Tyler grumbled under his breath. "Are you really sure it's a bright idea to work there again after all the shit it got you into?"

Of course it was a good idea. I had to get my fix of chaos from somewhere.

This was a new look for Tyler. His golden brown hair was mangled, sporting a nasty bed head. Perhaps he got laid this morning; He'd need it. He wasn't wearing his business attire. I missed the days where he would look like this more often than not. But Tyler was a business man now and image meant everything. Sad.

I had a look to me too, but it was anything but a suit and tie.

"It wasn't the shop, it was the people. I can set boundaries with myself and them." I nodded to myself. I knew what I was saying was bullshit and he was onto something. Just because I got released from the loonie bin doesn't mean I'm some gospel spilling whack job that's found the light of purity. I was anything but and the thought of keeping a piece of my past was too tempting to pass up.

In the asylum, they attempted to contort me into a completely different person, and forget everything about myself. I'd play along with them to keep my sentencing lowered but they were fools to think that I was transformed. Therapy was a waste.

"Well. I have something for you," Tyler walked up to me with his fist clenched. Was he going to throw a punch?

I stood in a straightened posture, mentally preparing myself. I could be proud of my friend for finally showing me how angry he's been with me over the last year or two. It was a change of personality since the last time I've seen him. Although I deserved it, it'd hurt inside. I actually liked this friend.

As he approached, he stopped right in front of me and lifted his clenched fist at chest level. "I think you're going to like it," The tired look fell off his face and he smiled bright. He still had sleepy tears coated in his eyes.

"Oh yeah..?" I raised an eyebrow. Perhaps a new guitar pick - something small enough.

Tyler threw the small object up in the air, which I caught on instinct. I looked in the palm of my hand where a set of keys attached to a key ring rested.

"I thought you might want to have this back," He grinned, flashing his teeth.

I looked up at his proud face. "You're serious?" I asked in disbelief. I looked back down at the keys, excited for the first time in a long time. I was almost certain this thing would have been sold by now; I would have pawned it off the second I was alone with it if I were in his shoes.

"Yeah, I wouldn't have sold it. It was yours for when you came back, and now that you're back," He glanced at me. "You might need it for work."

"Thank you," I said. I Maybe they were more forgiving than I anticipated.

He nodded. "No problem, buddy. Use it for good."

I nodded slowly with a squint to my eyes. I still needed to prove trust.

Luckily, Tyler learned and came to terms with my inability to show emotions. My simple words had meaning but my poker face remained present at all times.

"Do you have plans tonight after you get your job back?" He asked me, lazy.

"If I get my job back," I corrected.

"When. Your boss loved you and you have this... Psychotic charm to you that makes people fall under your spell." He waved his arms in front of my body. I was unsettled by the perimeters of his fingers. "You'll do fine."

Tyler rolled his eyes at his own words.

I couldn't help but darkly chuckle. The way he described me reminded me of Ted Bundy and how he would "charm" his victims in believing he was innocent when he wasn't. I suppose it wasn't all too far off if you took out the brutal rapes and murders.

"Is that a good thing?," I asked, narrowing my eyes. "Why though, do you need me for something tonight?"

"No, no, I was just curious if you've thought about rekindling any former relations with people before you left." Tyler shrugged.

I made a face. "Do you have amnesia?"

"Well there's always Tony."

I laughed, "Hah! Do you not remember how we left things off? I'm pretty sure you'd like the opposite of that."

"Oh, I remember. I'm almost certain that's the main reason why you want your old job back in the first place." He narrowed his eyes.

"Maybe I'm going back there to apologize, you know... Take the "thirteen steps in recovery."" I used my hands for quotations.

"Considering there's only twelve steps in recovery, I'm going to call bullshit on that."

"Hm."

"Pah..." Tyler replied. "Well, either way, can you make yourself available for tomorrow?"

"What's tomorrow?"

"Lace has a friend coming over that she wants you to meet."

"Oh...?" I asked, bored. "Who?"

"Her name is Aria. Her and Lacey have grown considerably close over the last year," Tyler mentioned, a casual tone to him.

"Ah, so in other words, she replaced me."

"Because you're replaceable," Tyler sarcastically said. "No, she's just been a really close friend to Lacey for quite sometime now. She usually comes over almost daily but she's been giving space for the last week or so, you know. Lacey invited her over tomorrow, and she hopes that you can make yourself available."

I made a face at him.

"Yes?" He asked.

No.

"Yeah, fine."

Space. They were still walking on eggshells around me with bare feet. Good.

"Also, can you be on good behavior... You know, not scare her off or be a dick." He gave a scolding stare.

I narrowed my eyes, unsure how to respond. Brutal honesty, I enjoyed it. He wasn't wrong to be concerned over my actions, that was obvious.

"Is that such a chore?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Depends."

"On?"

"Her, I suppose." I pondered.

I exited out of the house and traveled my way into the garage, where my matte black Truck rested. I immediately felt relieved. I opened the door, coming to the realization that the only thing that changed was that was cleaner than when I left it. I fiddled around with the sun glass case at the roof and slumped back at the empty compartment. Nothing.

The sight was new.

I thought back to when I first bought it, about a year after living with Tyler and his lap dog girlfriend, Lacey. This was the only truck in the lot that had a matte black finish and it was my first major purchase that had responsibility behind it. I would've never expected to see this thing again after all the dumb shit I've pulled including driving under the influence of god knows what almost daily.

I peeled out of the parking garage, a sense of muscle memory automatically kicked in as I made my way down the fresh roads, slicked shiny with rain. I felt uneasy as I got closer to the shop I once worked at. It would go down one of two ways. Everyone would shame and disgrace me for coming back or welcome me back with open arms and miraculously forget all that I've done.

The ladder?

I only really talked to Tony, Sam, and my boss, Shawn. Other than that, the rest of the scum was used for a connection to party.

I couldn't help but take in the scenery of the town I lived in once again. Everywhere you looked, you were surrounded by green. Green grass and green forests - a perfect place for wildlife to roam freely in. Beaches with white sand that led you to crystal clear waters. Paradise for a lowlife.

It was weird to look around the town and see it practically deserted. Tiny population - Considerably different than Florida. Ah, I've missed this place. Even the mild weather where it was rainy a lot of the time; That's what was nice about it - it kept the nature looking fresh.

I needed a place with few faces.

"Fuck," I muttered. When I first ran away to this place, I hated everything about it. I hated the fact that I had to come to a new place once again to start over again. I hated that it was so small here that everyone automatically knew your name. I hated that I had to leave my life behind me.

I didn't even mean to end up here, but somehow I did and when I did, I've grown rather accustomed to it's scenery. I actually liked wildlife.

They'd never find me here.

It was early June and the sun was actually shining today instead of the usual gloom this town seemed to never escape from. If you looked up, you could see nothing but a baby blue color with no markings or clouds to ruin the scene.

My nerves spiked up as I pulled into the sandy, rocky parking lot of the shop that was practically in the middle of nowhere. The only reason why this shop made such good business is because it was the only mechanic shop in the area. It was a family business - Shawn's dad owned it before him, and his dad before him.

The shop had two sides to it, one side being strictly for road vehicles, the other side for boats. Considering we lived surrounded by beautiful water, we had a lot of business.

I learned how to fix cars up since I was quite young, becoming interested in it when I was around fifteen years old. Boats, on the other hand, I only learned about within the last four years by being an apprentice with the shop owner.

There they were, people I recognized from before, along with a few unfamiliar faces. I didn't even care for most of the people here, they were all pawns that I picked and chose to play with when I needed them.

There was going to be accusations today about my disappearance and I didn't even think up an excuse. Stupid. Seeing the open grounds, I parked my truck on the side of the parking lot, prepared for an interview.

I opened my truck door and slammed it behind me, making it known that I was here. I watched closely with a fresh cigarette as a few men turned their hands around and immediately started whispering in confusion. When I saw him, I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows and smirk, impressed that his face healed up so well. Not bad.

Tony threw his tools on the ground and charged towards me, attempting to scare me with his body language. A few men started getting rowdy as he approached. I stood my guard and stared him down; A statue.

"You've got to be fucking with me!" Tony spat out. His nose healed crooked. Tony stopped in his tracks, not even a foot away from my stance, and stared up at me, seeing as his eye level reached about my nose. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Tony," I kept calm. "Your face healed nice," I said, cracking my cold facial expression into mocking laughter.

"You son of a-" He huffed out and raised his fist towards me.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you really going to attempt to hit me?" I scratched the side of my face and cracked a smile which only made him more angry. "Alright."

I opened my arms in surrender and stepped closer to him.

Tony's fist started to clench harder, but then softened, and he slowly released his fist and puts his hand back to his side. A wise move on his part.

"You've got a lot of nerve Kingsley," He muttered, staring me down as if he wasn't afraid of me. Funny.

"Is that not what made us such a good team?"

Tony's eyes flickered and it was at that point where I knew I've got him. Tony cracked a smile to which I extend my hand out towards him for a truculence handshake. "You're a fucking psychopath. Where the hell have you been?"

I pulled him by his hand, into a one sided hug. I didn't want to fight; not on my first day back.

"I took an unexpected vacation down in Florida." I answered short while we walked towards the shop.

"That's quite a long vacation..." Tony wandered off.

"I heard you took a vacation too," I changed the subject.

"My vacation was me in a coma in the hospital for a week, I would hardly call that a vacation, you dick." Tony's upbeat behavior loosened up.

"Ah, well. You had time off work and still got paid for it so I think you'll survive." I've always had a fun time picking on Tony just to watch him get angry with me. He reminded me of the Tasmanian Devil because he was always full of energy and up for a fight. I think that's what grew my liking towards him.

He laughed at my comment, shaking his head.

Tony was Italian or Spanish - maybe both even. Either way, he was slightly shorter than the average adult man, and he was also thin because his habits kept him too busy.

Most people wouldn't bat an eye towards Tony, and it'd be extremely likable that he would be completely invisible if his personality wasn't so large.

"Where's Shawn?"

"Are you coming back?" Tony asked. He attempted to muffle the excitement in his voice.

"I plan to."

"He's in his office around back last I saw him. I think he was organizing a schedule for his next client, I don't know." He replied. "Fuck man, we never thought we'd see your face around here again." He stated more to himself.

"Me neither."

Tony and I's relationship had always been interesting - confusing to most people. We'd start by chirping each other at work, then do a bunch of blow together, get fucked up, fight, wake up and forget most of the night before, and continue our day like nothing happened.

It was a friendship that I hated to admit that I cherished. I needed to strengthen my fists somehow.

There would be days where he'd say something that'd set me off and we'd fight, then cool off our energy by partying. It could be as simple as I took my comment too far with him or he ended up fucking me over by taking my money for blow. Or I was bored.

There had been so many nights where I'd come home with a couple bruises and he'd hobble to work with a black eye from the shit we put each other through. The main thing that kept Tony and I civil was the fact that we had common interests which were continuously getting fucked up and letting our last two brain cells work out the conflicts for us.

I walked into the shop which had all of it garage doors wide open, exposing the inside and I felt a strong sense of familiarity. I made my way swiftly into the back room of the shop where Shawn's office was and just stood in the door frame, waiting for him to notice me.

"Kingsley?" Shawn looks up at me from his chair with confusion written all over his face. "I'll have to call you back." Shawn said on the phone before hanging up. "We've got quite a lot to talk about." He frowned, suspicious.

I stayed leaning against the wall, my foot crossed over the other and looked down at him. "How have you been?"

"Oh, Fuck off, Eli." Shawn waved his hand in dismissal which made me smirk. Shawn and I have always been good with each other. "Sit." He motioned towards the chair in front of him. "Where the hell have you disappeared to?" He asked, rasp from smoking for over thirty years caught up in his throat.

"I've taken some... Mental health time off." I casually said, plopping into the seat on the other side of his desk. "Miss me?"

"I had my money on jail. You look to be doing better," He wasn't amused. "So what are you doing here?"

I observed him momentarily. He was practically bald, the only exception being tiny white hairs that stuck up from the base of his head. He looked pretty much the same - bald, dirty, slightly overweight.

"I think we both know that James told you exactly where I was." I said. There was no point beating around the bush. James wouldn't risk my career, business was his main concern - even over his children.

He gave me a blank look.

"Shawn, I could get into all the details of why I left, and what I've done and been through in the last year, and how sorry I am even though we both know I'm not... Or we can skip that entirely and you can cave like I know you're going to and let me start working on Monday." Although I sounded confident, I wasn't. I was sorry, and I was embarrassed to be asking for my job back.

"What makes you think that I can trust you again?" He asked, dead.

"I'm the best worker you've got." I replied but he remained silent. "Listen. I know very well that I let you down. But if I wasn't serious about wanting to be back here, I wouldn't have showed up in front of everyone and beg for my job back." I stated, pathetically.

"How long have you been clean for?"

"Almost six months."

Shawn smiled, showing his stained teeth. "Almost six months." He echoed. "That's great to hear, and a little bit... Surprising. You were getting quite out of control towards the end, I'll admit."

"So I've been told."

"I'm glad you got the help you needed, Eli... I'm just unsure why you'd want to come back so bad. I'm not sure being here would be wise..." He hesitated.

"Why?" I asked, cracking a smile. Use your charm, it always works.

Shawn looked up at me then back down to the various items on his desk and began fiddling around with them.

"Tony and those guys? Yeah, sure. I'll be good, I'm only here to work." I convinced. I needed this.

"Eli -"

"I'm not taking no for an answer." I leaned back in my seat and put my feet on the corner of his desk.

He looked at me with what he thought was an unreadable expression. "I know." He shook his head and opened the drawer beside him, pulling out a pile of papers. "I still have you on my pay file. But if anything has changed over the time you've been away, fill it out and get it back to me on Monday."

"Thanks, Shawn." I breathed out relief and shook his hand before taking the paperwork.

"And, Eli?" He said before I walked out. "Keep your shit together. Don't make me regret this outrageous decision." He looked me dead in the eyes for a moment before laughing and turning back towards his phone to start dialing.

I walked out of the office to find Tony sitting on the picnic table outside, casually drinking his energy drink. Waiting for me.

"So I've been thinking," He started when I got in hearing range of him. He was smiling like a child with a lollipop.

"That's good." I muttered.

"We're going out tonight, to, to... Celebrate your return home. Yes. It's gonna be fun!" He grinned, showing off his off teeth and a gap near the back of his teeth, where his tooth should have been.

"No."

Tony stared at me. "What?"

"To be quite honest, Tony, I don't get up to that shit anymore." I said, flat.

Tony's shocked face annoyed me. I shouldn't be defensive when he didn't believe me. "But you could still go out with an old friend, right?" He insisted.

"I mean, yeah. I could," I glanced towards some of the guys I used to occasionally talk to as I walked out of the shop building. They all gave each other confused looks before turning back to their tasks. "For the most part I like to keep to myself nowadays."

"That sounds pitiful." He said.

I walked back to my truck and leaned against the closed drivers side door, Tony following close behind.