Street Heat

Chapter Seven - Crossing the Line

With a sigh, I rubbed my temples, hoping to soothe the tension that seemed to cling to me. I knew Magnus well enough to sense his seriousness through a text. He was always so careful with his words, never wanting to upset me, which made me even more anxious. I tossed my phone onto the bed and swung my legs over the side, trying to shake off the lingering emotions from the accident. I made my way to the bathroom and brushed my teeth, staring at myself in the mirror. Afterwards, I made my way to the kitchen, needing something to distract me. The comforting aroma of coffee filled the air, a familiar warmth that usually eased my nerves. But today, it felt distant, as if everything in my world was slipping out of focus. I sipped a cup of coffee as I sat beside my mom in the kitchen. I turned to her and sighed, trying to act casual. She still didn't know anything about what happened. I'm surprised it wasn't on the news or something.

"Can I hang out with Magnus today?" I asked as I put my mug on the counter. She giggled, looking at me through her glasses.

"You know you don't have to ask for that. Just keep me updated, and it'll be fine." She answered. I hugged her and ran to my room, getting dressed quickly. I practically slid down the hallway, threw my shoes on and barged out of the house, getting into my car. I started up the engine and checked my rearview mirror, backing out of the driveway carefully. My car soared down the street and glided around each turn. Magnus didn't live too far, it was a five-minute drive and a fifteen-minute walk. If traffic was good. I turned down the last corner and cruised down his street, then pulled into the driveway. I was excited but also nervous. I didn't know what he would look like with all the stitches. I exited my car and jogged up to the front door, knocking in the familiar pattern we always did on each other's front doors. I waited for a moment, the silence was deafening. But the silence was soon pierced by the sound of the knob turning, and it opened. I paused, there was Magnus, in a wheelchair. His left eye was swollen, and he had stitches just above his eyebrow, and along his jawline. His arm was in a cast, along with a sling to add extra support. My eyes shifted down to his leg, where he had a large splint wrapped around his knee. He smiled warmly despite all his injuries and invited me in, I closed the door behind us.

"You should have gotten someone else to open the door, Magnus," I said, giving him a knowing look. He smirked.

"Oh really? Like my brother? He'd kill me for interrupting his big win in Fortnite." He replied, I grinned. I quickly grabbed two drinks out of the fridge, just in case. We went towards the living room and I sat on the couch, he was just in front of me. I looked at him, sympathy radiating through my eyes.

"How are you, really, Magnus?" I asked, looking at him intently as I waited for his response. He nodded subtly, smiling.

"I'm as good as I can be, Char." He replied. He hadn't called me that since middle school, and it was always when something was serious. I knew that the thing he wanted to talk about wasn't going to be a light subject. We sat there for a moment, just basking in each other's presence, a refreshing feeling compared to the intensity of the day before. 

"So what did you wanna talk about? You had me worried," I chuckled, trying to address the situation lightly. Magnus's smile faded, and his eyes shifted down. Studying his face, I still couldn't tell what his expression meant. He then used his good arm to grab his phone out of the pocket of his jeans, and he unlocked it.

"They were uh, at the party we were supposed to go to after the race. To celebrate." He said, scrolling through his phone anxiously. I frowned.