Aftertaste [COMPLETED]

Chapter 13 :: Kit Kats and Crack

BERLIN'S P.O.V.

**

"I HATE MATHS!," I said, letting my head drop into my open calculus book. I mean, sure. I had always been good at it, it came came natural even. But once I started attending university, things got out of hand. I mean, when am I ever even going to use sigma or pi or logarithms in actuality?

"Save meee." I let out a low groan, muffled by the pages of the ridiculously thick book. My phone rang and I quickly snapped my head up. "Well, that was fast." I answered it and the first thing I heard was what seemed to be the sound of traffic in the background.

"Hello?" I plugged my opposite ear and strained to hear Rory on the other line. "Berlin?... Hear me?....the highway...went out....spun out...police."

I tried frantically to piece the fragmented sentences together to make them whole again." "Rory." I raised my voice. "I can't hear you. There's too much noise in the back ground." "Hold on."

There was some rustling then Rory placed his phone to his ear again. "Hello? Can you hear me better?" "Yeah. What's wrong? Why are you on the highway?"
"My brakes went out on me. I was just driving and...they just stopped working. I had to swerve to avoid hitting the car in front of me and ended up spinning out of control. The police are here now, but I need someone to come and pick me up."

My heart hammered in my chest at the idea of one of my closest friends almost being killed in a car accident. With a dry mouth, I asked, "Logan didn't answer his phone?" There was a brief pause. "Uh, I didn't call him. I called you first. But I mean if you want me to call him instead, I can." "No, no. It's just that I didn't assume I'd be your first choice. But tell me where you are, I'm on my way."

**

I pulled over on the main highway before putting on my hazards and stepping out of the car. "Rory." I said almost breathless, I ran up to him before he could see me and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him in to a tight embrace. We separated and, still a little frazzled, he gave me a wavering smile.

"Berlin." He pulled me back in, hugging me tightly. I looked over his shoulder and gasped at the wreckage. "Rory." I pulled away to look at him in his eyes. "Your- your car. It's..." He shook his head solemnly. "They say its a total loss."

The car was now a mangled piece of scrap metal, smoking, the entire front end nearly unrecognisable. "It's a miracle you made it out alive." He stepped back with a wry smile and held his arm open. "Without a scratch. It's a miracle really." "I'll bet," I said still in awe at the situation.

"They gave me a sobriety test even though I told them well over ten times that I felt my brakes go out on me." He rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his palms. "I just want to go home."

Just as he said that, an officer began to approach us from where he had been talking with some others at the site of the crash.

"Alright, Mr. Crest, we've pretty much got things under control here. You're free to go." Rory sighed, relaxing his chest and shoulders in a verbal sigh of relief. "Thank you." He said. The officer gave a stern nod, and before walking away, said, "We'll be in touch."

It was silent as Rory and I loaded into my car and drove off. "I gripped the steering wheel uncomfortably tight as I felt the distress, which seemed to seep from Rory's overactive mind, fill the car completely.