you said forever now i drive alone past your street ✧ ONESHOT

you said forever now i drive alone past your street

With chilled air rolling up his spine in waves and surprisingly, stone-cold sober, John Murphy was walking towards a destination that he was yet to pinpoint. Raven Reyes had blown him off for reasons unknown and he didn't want to be alone and vulnerable to his high school peers. That had happened once before, and he wouldn't put himself in that situation ever again.

The air was cold and biting since it was already November and Murphy hated himself for not wearing more layers. Murphy shivered and his head hurt like a bitch, but he continued to put one foot in front of the other on the cracked pavement.

That night was the night that John Murphy met Bellamy Blake. Well, it wasn't necessarily a literal meeting considering that they had met before, going to the same school and all. It was more like the kind where eyes met eyes instead of fists meeting his face which was entirely expected during an interaction between Bellamy, a semi-popular kid, and Murphy, an outcast.

Murphy was always suspicious of cars slowing down when they saw him on the side of the road, as were most. So, when Bellamy pulled up to Murphy in his average white car, his shoulders grew tight and he walked a little faster.

"Hey," Bellamy greeted, rolling down his window. "You're John Murphy right?"

Murphy slowed down but didn't make eye contact with Bellamy. "Yeah?"

"Why're you walking home?" Bellamy asked. "You coming from the party at Jasper's too?"

"Can't drive." Murphy did a sort of half-shrug, looking at the ground. "And yeah, I was gonna get a ride home from Raven but she ditched. Don't even think she came to the party."

Bellamy was silent for a moment, but then said, "I could give you a ride?"

Murphy looked up, meeting Bellamy's eyes. "Why?"

"You're walking home alone in the dark and you're friends with my friends. If you get murdered on your way home in the darkness I won't be able to live with myself," Bellamy said. "And even if I did want to live with myself Raven would probably murder me in my sleep over the whole thing."

"Fine," Murphy sighed, waiting for Bellamy to stop the car so he could walk around it and sit in the passenger seat. He was surprised by the interior of Bellamy's car, expecting it to be plain but instead observing the pins, patches, stickers, and colored lights all over the dashboard, floors, ceiling, windows, and everything that he hadn't been able to see from the angle he was at on the street. "Nice car."

"Don't be an asshole," Bellamy grumbled.

"I'm not," Murphy said, defensively. "I actually do like it. I was expecting something more... boring."

"Well I'm glad that I was able to defy your expectations then," Bellamy smirked. Murphy just sighed and watched as Bellamy came to a stop at a stoplight. "You still live in the same house you did when you were a kid?"

Murphy nodded. It didn't even cross his mind to ask why Bellamy knew where he lived, but they lived in a relatively small town, so Murphy didn't think to ask. "Yeah. Mom can't be fucked to try and move somewhere better." Murphy smirked, but he didn't smile. "Not like we'd have the money anyway."

Bellamy opened his mouth to speak but closed it promptly after the light turned green. Murphy felt his shoulders became a tad looser. Even though he was sober, he always tended to get extra touchy and emotional after three am, always saying stupid shit that'd make people worry about him.

"Why don't you have your driver's license?" Bellamy asked. "You're a junior right?"

"Yeah. I turned sixteen a couple months ago. I just haven't really gotten around to it. I don't know."