The Drive

The sun had set by the time they loaded the box into the back of Lina’s Honda Civic.

The drive to Oak Creek was quiet, the only sound the soft whimpering of the sleeping puppies in the backseat and the hum of the tires on the highway.

Ty sat in the passenger seat. He had tried to clean up in the bathroom sink, but he still had dirt on his cheek and a paw print on his white undershirt. He looked more handsome to Lina in that moment than he ever had in his uniform.

"You're really good with them," Ty said, breaking the silence. He was watching her drive.

"I want to be a vet," Lina admitted. She had never told anyone that. "Sports medicine is fine, but... I like the helpless ones better."

"I'm sorry I scared you," Ty said. "With the secrecy. I know how it looked."

"Yeah, well," Lina gripped the steering wheel tighter. "I definitely thought you and Vanessa were... studying plays."

Ty laughed softly. "Vanessa? No. She's intense. Not my type."

Lina glanced at him. "What is your type?"

Ty looked out the window, watching the telephone poles blur by. "Someone who isn't afraid to get dirty. Someone who fixes things."

Lina felt a blush creep up her neck. She kept her eyes on the road, but a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

They dropped the puppies off at the shelter. The volunteer was overjoyed, calling them heroes. Ty signed the paperwork while Lina said goodbye to the runt of the litter, the one that had peed on Vanessa.

Walking back to the car, the night air was cooler. The humidity had broken.

They stood by the driver’s side door. Ty didn't get in immediately. He leaned against the roof of the car, looking down at her.

"Thanks, Lina," he said. "For not quitting. And for the ride."

"Anytime," she said.

"They have visiting hours," Ty said. He kicked at a piece of gravel with his sneaker. "The puppies. Until they get adopted."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. The lady said they need socialization." Ty looked up, meeting her eyes. "I was thinking of coming back on Saturday. After the game."

"That's a good idea," Lina said, her heart doing a slow, hopeful thud.

"It's a long drive though," Ty said. A slow grin spread across his face—the one that usually ended up on the jumbotron, but this time, it was just for her. "I might need a co-pilot. You know. To handle the navigation."

Lina unlocked the car doors. The beep echoed in the quiet parking lot.

"I'm free Saturday," she said.

"Cool," Ty said. "Cool."

He got into the car. Lina slid into the driver's seat.

As she put the car in gear and pulled out onto the road, the stadium lights of Redwood High were just a glow in the rearview mirror. The hierarchy, the rumors, the divide between the quarterback and the trainer—it all felt miles away.

Lina turned on the radio. Ty hummed along. They drove into the dark, not knowing exactly where they were going, but knowing they were going there together.