TRIGGER WARNING: MENTION OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Radiator Springs

As fall approaches, the excitement is everywhere. The colors change, we give our thanks to those before us, we celebrate our founder, and of course, haul-o-ween! I can't wait to see what everyone dresses up as.

Red looks on, happy to see that McQueen and Mater seem to be happy and excited for the upcoming season, but his happiness didn't last for long as Rose sighed with sadness.

However I have seen this change in Rose. She seems to have less energy than usual. Ramone says she has something called seasonal effective disorder. I wonder why.

"I remember when I had a best friend... I wish I had one still. To go out and do things like Lightning and Mater do. But... things don't work like that. The justice system is bull." Rose sighed. Remembering the good times that she'd rather forget.

Red turned to face her and gave her a look of fascination, yet curiosity. Rose understood this as Red saying, "I would like to know more."

"Back before 2015 I had a best friend like how Mater is to McQueen. We grew up together, went to church together, went out and had fun, we were so close." Rose smiled remembering the good times.

She pulled over a picture of her and a jade green Porsche. They were smiling with a hang glider type amusement park ride in the background. It was one of the few pictures of her youth where she smiled.

"But then, Sophomore year started. I was excited to begin another year of school with her but...she didn't show up that day. Or the next. Her and her moms phones were shut off. There was no way of contacting her. No way of knowing where she was. Nothing." Rose remembered as the tears began to roll down her face.

Red wished he could understand. He felt her pain. He knew what that would've felt like.

"That continued until my mental health got so bad that I ended up in the hospital. After that she started calling me from burner numbers. I felt confused. I felt that it was not...her. The her I knew at least." Rose remembered.

"Things only got worse. I wanted to know what was going on. Why she left. When she was coming home. But...she wouldn't tell me." Rose explained through tears.

Red knew what that felt like. People hid things from him to try not to hurt his sensitive feelings, because after all, he knew he had a heart of glass, and he sees that Rose does too. It hurt more knowing things were hidden from him. It hurt worse.

"After a few months she told me what happened." Rose started to explain.

She took a deep breath to keep herself from getting too angry too quickly. She didn't need Sheriff busting in on them again. Not now anyways.

" The US justice system is bullshit, you know. Need proof? Well the reason why my best friend left is that her psycho of a father threatened to do some really bad things to her and her mother. They ended up in court at least but then... he lied to their faces about owning weapons." Rose explained, feeling the familiar burn of anger.

Red felt the anger burn inside him as well. He began to shake violently out of pure anger.

"That's perjury and it's a felony. A FELONY! And on top of his stupid threats do you know what they did? THEY PLACED HIM ON HOUSE AREEST! NO JAILTIME WHATSOEVER!" Rose screamed. At this point she didn't care if Sheriff barged in.

Red began to kick the garage door. Hard. He too felt her anger strongly. He too was mad. He too wanted justice.

Rose took a deep breath to let herself cry, then continued.

"I wish he were dead. I WISH I COULD RUN HIM OVER AND SEND HIM TO THE PITS OF-"

Rose was interrupted by Reds gentle lips meeting with hers. She felt his tears. She knew this is something she wanted justice for and something she went through every year.

"WHAT IN THE HECK IS ALL THIS RACKET OVER-" Sheriff opened the garage door to find Red and Rose embraced in a kiss. He was annoyed at being awoken from his nap, but the sight before him made him decide to leave them alone. He backed away slowly into his annex and went back to his nap.