Stay Positive.

"Not again!"

Damon slammed his head back against the head rest of his seat, looking up at the closed sun roof of his car. This was not happening. Not even a month before, his car had broken down on him. Now it was happening again. Taking a deep breath as an attempt to cool down his boiling blood, Damon peeled his hands away from the steering wheel and into his pocket, fishing around for his phone.

As he climbed out of the hollering car to step away so he could hear the other end of the call he was making, he glanced back at his puppy who was wide awake and alert in the backseat. "Stay, baby, stay," he cooed gently before he closed his door and stepped away to make his call. He glanced around the almost empty gas station sheepishly, seeing a few people who had stopped to fill their cars staring at him. Some with sympathy, others with complete annoyance. He quickly averted his gaze and dialed the number of his close friend, Kyle.

Not even ten minutes later, Kyle arrived to attempt to fix the problem. He had fixed Damon's car in the past, and he was hopefully going to be able to fix it tonight. As Kyle walked up to Damon, he gave him a quick hug. "Hey, man. What's going on with you?"

Damon gave him a sheepish smile and cleared his throat. "Well, my car just sort of freaked out. I don't know - you're the car guy, not me. Can you fix it?"

Kyle shrugged, walking around the car to the hood and popping it open. "I don't know, man. You haven't really done anything for me lately." He looked at Damon, a small smirk on his face. Damon just stared at him, blinking once or twice before Kyle sighed. "Lighten up, Damon. It isn't the end of the world. I'll try my best to fix it, don't worry."

Damon thanked him for coming before he scooped up his puppy and made his way towards the small convenience store at the back of the gas station.

Pushing the door open, he nodded to the clerk behind the counter before he began to walk about the small store. He wasn't looking for anything in particular - he was probably going to be stuck at this gas station for a while, so he figured it wouldn't hurt to get something to pass the time.

When he exited the store he had a small box of dog treats, a can of Arizona Tea, and two candy bars. He walked over to the Mustang, tossing Kyle a Snickers before he walked back to the sidewalk near the store and sat down, setting his puppy beside him. She sat obediently, looking up at him with wide, pleading eyes. He looked down at her with a loving smile before cracking open the box of treats. He gave her one before he opened his own treat, taking a bite out of the Twix before closing it and setting it beside him on the curb.

After an hour or two had passed, all of the snacks were gone along with Kyle's ambition. When Damon had walked up to see the progress, Kyle was packing up his tools. "Did you fix it?" Damon asked hopefully, though the look on his friend's face had already said it all.

Kyle shook his head.

Studying his friend for a moment, Damon looked down at the small brown puppy in his hands and sighed. "Well, it looks like we need to get a cab then, sweetie." Damon thanked Kyle again before closing the hood of his Mustang and taking a deep breath. Tonight just wasn't his night.

"Hey, are you sure you don't want a ride?"

Damon looked back at Kyle, who was now sitting in his car. "No, don't worry about it. You have to work tomorrow and I already kept you up past midnight. Just go home and get some rest."

Kyle looked at him for a few more seconds before he nodded and pulled out of the gas station.

Damon set the small dog in the back of the car once again before pulling out his phone. Dialing the number to the tow truck company, he tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for an answer. When he didn't receive one, he hung up and ran a hand through his hair, beginning to pace. Getting home wasn't the problem - doing something with his car was the problem.

"Hey, do you need some help?" Damon raised his head, meeting the gaze of the person that had just addressed him. She was tall, slender, and beautiful. Her dirty blonde hair fell just past her shoulder blades, her blue eyes sparkling under the dim gas station lamps. Her makeup-less face wasn't necessarily perfect, but Damon still couldn't take his eyes off of her. She wore a baggy t-shirt, yoga pants, and slippers. Her forehead was creased with worry, and Damon honestly didn't know how to respond to her previous question. He did need help, but she wouldn't be able to help him.

"Um.. no, I don't think..." he sighed. "My car's broken and I need to find a way to get it - "

"Oh, I can take you home."

He was silent for a few seconds, studying her. Why would she jump to taking him home? She didn't seem like the person that was dumb enough to just take a random stranger home. "That's really nice of you to offer... but I just need to find a place to put my car."

"Did you try the tow truck company?"

Okay, maybe she wasn't as bright as he had first expected. He gave her a soft smile as he nodded.

Her expression turned puzzled for a few moments before she shrugged. "I'm sure it will be here in the morning. Besides, it's broken anyway; nobody can steal it. Why don't you just let me give you a ride, then you can have someone take you back for it tomorrow?"

That wasn't an entirely horrible idea. He stood there for a minute or two, looking at his dog through the tinted window of the Mustang before he slowly nodded. "Okay." He glanced up at her with another nod and she returned it, walking towards her car. He pulled out his puppy and walked after her, making sure his keys were in his pocket.

God, please don't let this night turn out worse than it already is.