Outcasts

18: Apologize

Chapter 18

Getting home late and seeing my angry mother and worried sister was certainly something I wish to never relive ever again. Even though my mom is usually a caring and sweet woman, when she raises her voice it's like nails on a chalkboard and it scares you to the seven realms of hell. 

By the next morning, mom was still pissed at me. Didn't even bother waking me up when my alarm clock failed and told my sister not to as well. I was just lucky that I heard it ring the second time around. But I still missed the bus. 

Crap.

That means, if I really want to make it to school today, I have to call someone to pick me up. And I don't have a lot of choices.

Let's see, the ones with cars that could fit more than one person were Sollux, Damara, Kankri, and Eridan. Not a lot of people that I can really call that were nearby. If I remember correctly, Sollux lives only a few streets down, but I know he gets to school when it opens to work a bit in the lab. And Damara is out of the question. It's awkward enough with not knowing the perverted things she says. 

Kankri may be happy to help me. But, there is the fact that he lives on the other side of town, where he has to be up at five in the morning to get both him and Karkat ready to drive to school... And Karkat would be in the same car... Double Crap.

Glancing down at my phone, which was flipped open and my contact list ready for me to pick my fate, I clicked on the one name that was probably going to get even more awkward with: Eridan.

Sometimes I wish I didn't have short nails all the time. I would love to chew on them at the moment. Listening to the long, droned ringtone was making me anxious and jittery. I felt like I could do the jig with no problem with how nervous each ring on the other side gave me.

The ringing stopped, the line being picked up on the other end.

"Nepeta?"

"Hey, Eridan..." I trailed off. This sure wasn't weird."So, I know this is odd to ask, considering how things are between us, but I... I missed my bus. Do you think you could swing over and pick me up?"

"Um... "

"Please! You're the first person I called and I really don't want to trouble Sollux to drive--"

"All right, love. Hold your horses, I'm close by so I don't have to turn around as far to get you. Wouldn't want Sol to one up me, now do I?"

I laughed a little. "Are you only coming because I mentioned Sollux?" I was greeted with silence for a few seconds before I got Eridan to speak to me again.

"J-Just hang on, okay? Don't make me regret picking you up!" 

And then the connection cut off. 

This was good. It was a good start. And this could help me apologize to him as well and then we can be happy again and forget that anything like that stupid dance ever happened. Everything will be okay!

Snow still covered the ground, but setting my green jacket on the edge of the curb separated my cold legs from gaining frostbite faster. Our school thinking that a slightly longer skirt and a jumper can help us defeat snow is really stupid. It doesn't.

I didn't have to wait long to see the wondrous "Vedazzler" driving up to my house, glinting under the winter sun and looking much warmer than outside. Eridan parked it in front of me, somehow reaching over and opening the passenger door and letting me inside.

"Thanks, Eridan," I sighed, glad that it was warm and dry in the passenger seat. "I didn't want to walk to school today."

"It was no problem. It... It would be rude to leave you out in the cold," the Brit said, starting the drive to our high school.