FRICTION

Ch. 1: Two Wrongs

-Shawn-

"What the hell were you thinking?" I asked into the tensely silent car, my hands still shaking as I gripped onto the steering wheel. Meghan and Cate were huddled together in the backseats, both teary eyed and unwilling to meet my gaze through the rearview mirror. I couldn't tell if they were rattled because of that douchebag, or if my own frantic reaction had thrown them for a loop.

Regardless, I still couldn't help but feel... remorseful.

For not being there to stop them. For not knowing beforehand, even when I knew well enough to expect something like this. For losing my shit once I finally realized what was going on. There were so many more sensible ways in which I could've handled that at every step of the way.

And yet, I'd tossed reason out the window at the first chance. But holy fuck, what did they expect, really? What if I'd arrived any later? What if I couldn't stop it? What if I never saw my daughter again, all because they were being reckless? I felt hysterical just thinking about it.

"I'm so—" Cate started.

I shook my head, cutting her off with a tense glare. "Don't. Regardless of what she said to make you take her along with you, what would possess you to take a kid to a college party?"

Cate opened her mouth to reply, but then she just huffed out a weak sigh. Yeah, that's what I thought.

I loved my niece, really. But sometimes she truly made me question whether I was making the right choice in letting her come around the house so often. She was just like my older sister, reckless and oblivious. And as much as I treasured her, she was my responsibility in this moment.

"Anything could've happened to you. To both of you," I chastised, trying to keep an even tone. There was still so much agitation boiling up inside me, but most of it was aimed at myself now.

"Dad, I wasn't—"

I narrowed my eyes at Meghan through the rearview mirror, immediately silencing her as well. The last thing I needed was a half-assed excuse about how she wasn't planning to do anything with that boy. What kind of idiot did she take me for anyways?

"I never wanted either of you to see me like that," I muttered under my breath as we slowed to a stop, now that red lights were once again something we paid attention to. "So, I'm sorry... but please."

I let my words hang in the air, releasing a bated, shaky breath. "Please don't pull something like this again."

They both hurriedly nodded their heads.

"I mean it. My heart can't take it."

Meghan teared up a bit more, and my chest ached.

And really, I wanted to leave it at that for now, but it was only right to loop Thea in. I shifted my hand towards my car's touch screen, unwillingly clicking to call my sister and explain things to her. Except, nothing happened.

I frowned down at my lifeless phone in the center console, grumbling under my breath while searching around for the charger; it wasn't until the green light forced my attention back on the road that I recalled how my daughter had removed it a few days ago, complaining that her own charger was broken. I contemplated stopping at a gas station to buy another one before huffing in disbelief when I spared another glance at the center console, noticing my wallet was also conveniently missing, probably forgotten at home in all the haste.