Please Let Me Go (dnf)

Letting Go

Wind was rushing through the car, all the windows completely down, welcoming in the muggy air. The twist and turns of backroads were lit only by the stars. You couldn't see stars like this in the heart of Miami- you couldn't see stars like this practically anywhere in Florida. Dream ignored his phone that vibrated furiously in his pocket, more than fully aware it was just George calling him again. He needed this time alone, this time to sit and reflect on the advice George gave Karl, still unsure if George was trying to say it applied to them too. He needed this time to himself before his night was overtaken by whatever predicament Sapnap had gotten himself into. Warm night air, lightning bugs flashing in the fields on either side of him, and the peace of being the only car for miles on this backroad. Signs for Dade County came into view, only a few more miles of solitude before Dream would have to clean up Sapnap's mess.

There was nothing quite like the peace of driving to pick up your roommate from the police station.

"Yeah, um. Dade County police station."

"What?!"

"Can you come get me or not, Dream?"

"That's all I get? No explanation why you're at-?"

"I'll explain when you get here, just, please don't tell Karl. Just tell him you're getting me from a bar or something."

"Sap-"

"Promise me. Promise you won't tell him."

"Fine, I promise. I'll see you in thirty minutes, idiot."

Dream thought back on each word, on the shame and guilt in Sapnap's voice. Whatever he did, he was clearly already beating himself up over it. Dream was still debating between cutting him some slack or dropping him off ten miles away from their house and making him walk home. The lights of the city came into view, his GPS guiding him directly to the police station. Dream was still debating his options as he pulled into the parking lot. Weird, Sapnap's car wasn't there?

Dream's engine stuttered as he turned over his keys in the ignition. The night had cooled off from the unforgiving heat of the day, the air offering a warm breeze against Dream's skin as he stepped out of the car. The fluorescent lights from inside the office illuminated the walkway up to the front door, Dade County Police Department written in bold letters across the glass. The electric hum from the lights competed with the rushing sound of the air conditioning, the chill making goosebumps rise on Dream's skin. Dream stood at the front desk for a moment, anxiously tapping his fingers against his leg while he waited for the receptionist to get off the phone.

"Hi, um, I'm here to pick up Sa-, um, Nicolas Armstrong? He said he was here?" Dream was painfully aware of the tension in the room. The woman's raised eyebrow, the smell of sweat and stale coffee lingering in the air, that goddamn unbearable buzz from the fluorescent lights.

"All fines need to be paid before we can release him. If you cannot pay the fine, the alternative is 60 days in county jail." She looked up once she was finished reading a file concealed by a manila folder. Wait- jail time is on the table? What the fuck did he do?

"Oh- yes, of course. How much is the fine?" Dream could feel an anxious sweat beginning to slide down his back, despite the air conditioning continuing to blast away. He reached for his wallet, quickly pausing as the woman spoke up again.

"The $500 fine can be paid by mail or online. If you register online now, we can have him out in a few hours. You'll also be responsible for the tow truck costs of getting his car here and getting it out of impound." Her words were icy cold, the chill of the AC clearly rubbing off on her. Dream slowly moved his hand away from his back pocket, moving it instead to his front pocket and pulling out his phone. "You need to register on a computer, not a cell phone- you can use the one we have in the waiting area." She pointed, looking away and back down to her stacks of paper.