The next several days were very busy days for Sally. She didn’t have time to go joy riding in her car. School needed her undivided attention. For once, she understood why the school didn’t encourage people to bring their cars on campus. Once busy, they just sat in place taking up space. No matter, Sally knew that she’d be behind the wheel of her car soon.

One particular evening, while walking back to the dorms, the sound of a modified exhaust caught her attention. It was a throaty low hum of a well tuned four cylinder machine. Different from most of the cat-back exhaust hack jobs many guys did. This one sounded good.

Turning to look, it was the low to the ground Civic that had created some headache for her a few days prior. A bit of frustration flushed up from within. That boy had made her think her car was on fire. There had been way too much smoke for her comfort.

The car passed without much fanfare, which made Sally feel better. On a few rare occasions, when she wore a skirt, boys had been known to catcall her. Sally hated being treated as a piece of fantasy. At least this boy in his Civic was not such a jerk.

Letting the thoughts clear her mind, Sally continued her journey. At the last crossing she needed to take, she was pleasantly surprised to see the Civic once again. This time, it was turned at some odd angle in the center of the street.

Crossing, she just looked at the darkened tinted windows with curiosity. The light was not in her favor and she could not see what was going on inside. No sooner she finished crossing, the driver gently revved up and took off.

From the sound of things, this driver had very keen control of his clutch. Unlike most others who over-revved to get going this driver understood how stick shifting worked.

Sally quickly dismissed the idea that this driver was the same one who had rescued her. Thinking positively about him was not going to help anything. The fact was still the same, her car would never had gotten stuck if he had not blocked her the way he had.

The Boy in the Civic

Troy knew enough about Sally to know she was unlike most women on campus. Very smart, very academically focused, Sally was a few years ahead of her cohort. Mature, driven, and fiercely independent. Not exactly your typical college dorm girl, but Troy didn’t like the average typical woman.

Having had seen Sally demonstrate her intellectual prowess in class a few times, Troy understood that a typical romantic approach was destined to fail miserably. Sally was the new post modern feminist type. She wanted to be seen for her mind and not her body. Not that most would fail to miss her mind.

As Troy drove off, he knew his friends were going to tease him badly. Sally was not exactly the type most men ran to. She dressed plainly in clothing a bit too big for her. If anything, some would say Sally had not found her adult female frame yet. She was not tiny or small, just average at best. With no interest in fashion, Sally blended well into the sea of students.

What Troy noticed more than anything was how confident Sally was in her abilities to handle any and everything. The day he saw her stuck in the dirt was pure coincidental magic. It was not intentional that he blocked her path. He had been handling an awkward set of conversations over the phone as he was helping his friend step up to his girlfriend. He needed to let traffic by as his mind focused on the conversation.

Seeing Sally get stuck was purely accidental. Was he ever glad he did. Sally handled the machine perfectly. The only problem Sally had was lack of experience. Any gear-head would know that a nose heavy rear drive car would not have had enough traction to back up over such a steep curbing to park on a dirt parking spot. Had Sally gone in nose first, the outcome would have been very different.

The way Sally approached this with full confidence and determination caught Troy’s imagination. This gal was fearless. Most gals would have given up and found another parking spot, let alone attempted to go off asphalt, or given their boyfriends a call to be rescued. Sally was different. Her feminist ideals made her a relentless fighter. That had a lot of advantages.

This trait reminded Troy of a teacher he once had. On who drove a Cougar as well. She was a devout strong independent feminist type as well. Winters were serious distractions for Troy. After school, when everyone was leaving… Troy would find an excuse to be one of the last students to leave.

Ms Benton would stoically fight the good fight of driving her Cougar in the snow. The school Troy came from was not known for it’s snow removal or budget skills. The students got a good education but all the extras had to be fund-raised for. Ms Benton would work away relentlessly to get going. She refused help. She got annoyed when men tried to tell her how to drive her car in the snow.

The fight varied in length. Whenever Ms Benton managed to get free, the look of intense relief and pleasure was very clear on her face. Troy was marked by this. It had shaped his childhood fantasies. It had molded his expectations of women. No other woman seemed to be so dedicated to independence and winning behind the wheel. That was until Troy saw how Sally approached her stuck situation. The same drive, the same body language. The same determination. The same reluctance to accept help. The same confidence. The same relieved facial expression. It was like watching sex… as far as Troy was concerned.

Boy Meets Girl… again

Later that night, as Troy was returning from grocery shopping, the silhouette of a woman carrying too many shopping bags caught his attention as he made his way onto the campus. It had rained earlier that afternoon. This woman was heavily burdened.

Chivalry dictated he help. Not sure how this woman would react, as many didn’t take to kindly to a highly modified street racers pulling up to them at night, Troy understood from past experience, he slowed and rolled his window down half expecting the worse.

“Pardon me, is your boyfriend coming to pick you up?” Troy asked.

The woman turned and flicked her head back to remove her hoodie. It was Sally. Her face was red. It was clear that she could use some help.

“As a matter of fact, he his on his way” Sally replied.

“Great. Hope he arrives quickly. I would hate to offer you a ride and he show up and get the wrong idea” Troy joked.

As recognition settled on Sally’s face, she inhaled and exhaled deeply.

“I think I will break my rules and take your offer… if you don’t mind a jealous fit from my tardy boyfriend” Sally said flatly.

Troy reached over and opened his door. Jumping out, he ran around to help Sally place her goods into his car. She seemed slightly annoyed by his actions but said nothing.

Later, as his headlights skimmed across the entrance to Sally’s dorm, Troy understood why Sally was walking back with so many bags. Not wanting to make Sally feel awkward, he didn’t comment on the fact her Cougar was buried in the mud. So much so that the rear tires were barely visible.

“Aren’t you going to ask me anything?” Sally asked.

“Yeah… Can I buy you a cup of coffee and get to know you better?” replied Troy.

Sally gasped. Grabbing her bags, she quickly mumbled some gratitude and attempted to jump out of the Civic. The low clearance was new to her and threw her balance of. Sally stumbled and fell.

Troy, quick on his feet, came to Sally’s rescue. While helping her gather her things, he noticed how flushed her cheeks were and how much anger was welling up inside of her.

Once the clean up was done, Troy hesitated to say something. This was not going well for his plans to impress Sally.

“Listen. I’m sorry about throwing your focus off. Really” Troy said genuinely.

“Forget about it. Forget everything” Sally implored as she tried to leave as quickly as she could.

Troy, unburdened, quickly skipped over to the dorm entrance door and held it open for Sally.

“I could have managed alone you know… but thank you kindly” Sally sheepishly whispered as she entered the open door.

“I know. You definitely would have managed just fine” sighed Troy.

Sally took notice of the sadness that crossed Troy’s face. He was different. He was no jerk. Maybe his intentions were noble. But, didn’t matter. Sally had another problem to solve. Her car was badly mired in mud. She didn’t have enough money to hire a towing company or pay off a few guys to dig her out.

Ever glad that the boy in the Civic had not mentioned her car, Sally settled herself in her room. There was only one thing to do. Wait until the mud dried up. Then, she’d have enough traction to get free. This had never happened before. This was not the first rainy day either. It must be the fact this boy parked her car in reverse much further than she’d ever done. She always parked nose first. Did this boy do this to her on purpose?

As Troy left, his heart felt conflicted. Sally didn’t know his name. She didn’t know him. He knew a little about her from her presentations in class. But this was not enough to justify what he was feeling. He wanted to rescue her again, but something told him he was better off not pressing his luck. Such strong independent women usually spelled bad news for guys like him. Good guys always managed to finish dead last with these types of women.

RPM

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For more chapters like this… from a growing list… and others created in the future… keep checking below…

1. Sally’s College Parking - Chapter - 1 Sally thought she found a solution to the college parking challenges Then, a 'boy' in a Civic shows up... Car troubles ensues... blushes follows... Dive in to read more
2. The Boy in the Civic - Chapter - 2 Sally was glad that the boy in the Civic had not been a distraction.... she had been humiliated enough that one time. Fate had other plans however. Little did Sally know that she would meet him again. Memories of past stuck scenes... made the boy in the civic more eager to get to know this woman he had seen stuck on campus.... Dive in to read more
3. The Great Escape - Chapter - 3 Nothing like a bit of stern lip from a lady to make a fella wish he wasn't being a helpful gentleman Troy was trying to do the right thing. Sally was trying to get to her car and get free early. Now, facing each other, flutters and butterflies were flipping tummies Worse... Troy feared he appeared like a stalker. Sally wondered what was wrong with the boy in the Civic. They meet again... and this time... it's more than rubber that gets heated No good deed goes unpunished... it seems.... Dive in to read more... of this tale
4. Formal Introductions - Chapter - 4 Sally is confronted by a rude Mustang driving fella who is determined to prove that women can't drive. Little did Sally know that Troy would be spoiling factor But first, lots of revs, tire burning, drag racing action Sally must face Troy, the boy in the Civic that she's not been formally introduced to... and understand why her blood runs hot whenever he's around Dive in to read more
5. Capricious Starts - Chapter 5 -The adventures of Sally and Troy take a very cold twist of fate as a motor gets revved hard. Will Troy come to the rescue, or will Sally figure it out on her own? Jen, worried sick, finds out that there's chemistry between Sally and Troy Will the high revs and tire spinning bring a new chapter of romance or leave them out in the called... stalled
6. The Ice Storm - Chapter 6 unfolds in the Troy and Sally saga A snow storm comes over campus. Sally and Jen find the ice to be more than they can address and handle. Feelings grow hot. Troy makes an effort to be a hero. The night heats up a lot of emotions as tires search for traction. Two ladies uncover a dark secret too hot to handle as well.
7. The Buddy System - Chapter 7 - Troy has his hands full. He's trying to be a gentleman and come to the rescue of Jen and Sally. However, the snow storm not only is serious, he meets a new lady who is very happy to be rescued by Troy Will this woman draw Troy's attention so much that Sally is left in the cold? Sometimes, you need a buddy to help you stay on the path when ice is all over the road
8. New Starts Require Heat - Chapter 8 - A brutal snow storm paralyzes the town. Troy, a new local hero, turns his attention to Sally. However, Jen and Aiden need his help. This time, it's his turn to be the damsel in distress... or is it? His long held secret threatens to be revealed... Troy now must think super fast and free himself from ice.