Rooftop

7.

I didn't wake up until noon the next day, because I wasn't able to fall asleep until 6:00 in the morning. I couldn't stop thinking about everything that I've just learned about Brad. I wouldn't have ever thought that his father was killed, he just seemed so happy. I guess that he is just better at hiding his sadness than most people. I honestly thought that his life had gone perfectly. How stupid of me.

I go back downstairs to see a note from my mom telling me to pick up some parts for her car that she has been needing, as her car isn't in the best of shape. I look up how far away we live from the nearest auto store, and see that it's about 8 miles away. There is no way in hell I'm walking that far.

I go back up to my bedroom to my already opened window, and see that Brad's window is open as well.

"Brad!" I yell, getting as close to the window as possible, trying to ensure that he will be able to hear me. But despite the volume of my voice, I get absolutely no response from him. "Brad! I need some help from you!" This time he comes up to the window and sticks out his head.

"What do you need?"

"You have a car, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I need you to drive me to the NAPA store. It's about 8 miles away from here."

"What do I get out of it?" I honestly have no clue.

"My infinite love and affection." I tell him this in the driest voice possible so that he gets the point through his incredibly thick skull: he gets nothing out of this.

"Fine, but you owe me one."

"Awesome thank you so much! I'll wait in front of your driveway." I throw on a pair of sneakers, and run out the door, because my pajamas look enough like normal clothes for me to be able to fit in with other people, and not look too incredibly strange. I wait in front of his house, on his driveway, where his car is now waiting. It's a Ford Focus, and looks pretty new, with only a few minor scratches on the sides, probably caused by rocks. I jump into the shotgun seat, and we drive off. I'm just now noticing how little I know about everything outside of the town, and how much I know about Carpinteria. I already know the name of every clothing store, movie theater, coffee shop, and restaurant. This town already feels more like a home than Arizona ever did.

"Do you have any schoolwork today?"

"Yes, that's what I was doing when you decided to start screaming like a banshee this morning."

"Oh, sorry. This shouldn't take very long though. I just need to run in and pick a couple of things up. The you can go back and finish up your homework."

"Don't worry about it. I can just do a little extra tomorrow. I honestly wasn't even slightly in the mood to do it today."

"So my banshee screams were actually a blessing."

"Somewhat." I don't continue the conversation after that, and just give him a little bit of peace. I was honestly expecting for him to bring up last night, which I can remember pretty well, though some of the details are a little fuzzy. I don't think I drank enough to forget everything that happened, and I doubt that Brad did either. He pulls into NAPA's parking lot, and let's me run in and grab the different parts my mom had asked me for. I make sure to keep the receipt safe, so that my mom can reimburse me for the money I spent on everything.