A Lost Soul

Words and Actions

-You're not calling Nate.

I saw that coming. Jasper's cousin is still outside the car. He's tall, his hands are in his pocket, and he's walking; not going anywhere, he's like, turning in circles. Chilling. While I'm under stress.

I sort my options in my head: I can get out of the car and keep walking, or let Connor drive me home and be done with it. Asking again for Jasper's phone is going to give him the satisfaction he needs, so it's off the list.

I want to stay there, rest my back on the leather seats and drift off to sleep, but I'm never gonna be depending on the one person I hate the most; so I push myself out of the car but then out of nowhere Connor pushes me back and I find myself back in the car.
Great. Now all I can do is sit there, because I'm too weak to fight back. And he's somewhat around Nate's age, so yeah, I'd rather not take my chances.

-You know, Laurel's parents never liked me. And I doubt she ever tried to make them.
-I can't see why. Please, do tell.
It's not that I'm interested or I care in any way, but I have nothing better to do, until Connor decides to take off, and drag me with him. Unless he ends up kicking me out of the car, I don't know about that either.

-She never thought I was worth the argument. If her parents told her I weren't the one, she was more likely to agree with them rather than defend my cause.
We broke up a while ago. Did she ever tell you about me?
-Enough to make me hate you, yeah.
-What did she tell you, exactly?
-I'd rather be talking about something else right now.
-I'd rather be talking with someone else right now. But I'm not throwing you back on the road. You're weak.

So now he's worried I'm not gonna make it. I'm almost tempted to believe him.
But I don't.
-You're such a sweetheart. But I'll do fine on my own, thank you very much.
-I'm sure you will. But I'm not done.
You think I'm the bad guy here. You think I'm here to hurt you or break you up with Laurel or whatever evil plan you think I have. Let me tell you something. I do have an evil plan. And I am filled with great hatred. But none of this is towards you.
-Then why am I even here?
-You were in the wrong place at the wrong time, i suppose. But now I'm here to help you. You're not going back home alone, and specially not on foot.

Should I trust him? I mean, why would I not? He obviously doesn't care about Laurel and isn't trying to get back at me. And he was once my friend.

-I don't understand. Why the change of heart so suddenly?
-My heart never changed. It has always been that way. You still mean something to me, Daniel. And now I'm going to repay you. I'm sorry for your leg; I was only trying to stop you, and me being here now is a proof that I'm willing to make up for that.
Maybe I judged him too fast. Maybe I was so lost in myself that I was convinced of the truth. And maybe I just know nothing.
-So what is it that you want?
-I want you to stay out of everything, because I don't want you to get hurt. You might feel concerned at some point and you might feel the urge to do something, but don't.
He takes a deep breath, then he says, taking his time on every word; " Stay out of it. "

And I'm willing to. I don't care what he's planning since it's neither against me nor Laurel. He can do whatever he likes. I only care about going home.

I try to think of something to say, but my thoughts are cut right there by a blinding light coming from the flashers of a car right in front of us. When the light becomes less intense, I look through the front window. And I can hear Jasper saying with a soft voice, unlike the rough one i got used to, "We didn't let you call Nate, because we had called him first."

I look at him, and I don't understand anything. My head is heavy and my heart is pounding fast. Jasper's proving to be a good guy. But what if all of this is just a game? Then as I'm getting out of the car, I can see Nate shaking hands with Connor and I hear him saying, "Thank you for calling me."

I'm pinned on the floor. I can't move. That's too much to take in, in just one night. Connor smiles at me, gets in the car and drives away. Then it's all about me, standing where I am, and Nate, who's looking at me with eyes that even I cannot read through. I've never been happier to see someone in my life. But he's not moving. He's still staring at me.
It's like we're each waiting for the other's step, so I choose to start walking. And that's where he turns his back on me and starts walking towards the car.
I'm stupefied. The only person in the world I'm mostly glad to see just turned his back on me. But then he stops right there. He turns again, and looks at me with passionate eyes. The next second, he's right in front of me, and i can feel my face pressing on his chest. I feel safe again. I feel home.
I can feel his heart beating, and it's beating fast. He's wearing a simple T-Shirt, but it's warm; warmer than I would be wearing a sweatshirt. Then I let go. He looks at me and studies every detail. He removes some remains of tree leaves from my hair, and then he speaks; not to say something really important, but these kind words that make you thankful you have him in your life. His voice is really comforting. "I'm glad I found you before the police did."

Now we're in the car, but the music is off, and the windows are closed. The whole car smells of him, so I feel like I'm already partly home. I try to stay awake.
But there is still something on my mind.

-Why would Jasper and his cousin think of helping me?
-Because Connor has been my friend way longer than Jasper has been your enemy.