Flight Risk

Capitulo Diecisiete

My phone startled me awake at eight o’clock the next morning and I probably would have rolled off the bed if it weren’t for the arm that was curled around my side. Temporarily disoriented, I froze and took in my surroundings, hoping something in the unfamiliar room would give me a hint as to where the hell I was.

I slowly rolled over to see who the arm belonged to and suddenly it all came back. Brad’s overdose, Sam’s predictable blow up, and Brian’s offer for me to spend the night. He mumbled unintelligibly in his sleep as I inched my way out from under his hold. I didn’t have it in me to be angry because he was fully clothed and face down on the bed with his head half covered by his pillow.

With a sigh I snuck out of his bedroom, slipped my shoes back on and quietly let myself out, making sure to leave his spare on the kitchen counter before I left. My phone began to buzz again and I automatically answered it.

“Where the hell are you?”

“A friend’s house,” I replied as I began walking to the nearest gas station which was a five, maybe ten, minute walk from Brian’s apartment.

“What friend?” she continued to ask impatiently, “Derik, Kristy and I have been worried sick! We’ve called your phone like 20 times since yesterday and when I spoke to Kristy this morning after her shift she said the kids told her you never came home last night.”

“It doesn’t matter where I was, but where I am now. I’m at the gas station over on Heber. Once I get some caffeine, I’m going to call a cab to take me to the hospital.”

“Don’t bother. We’ll be there in five.”

Trishka didn’t even bother to say good bye before she hung up on me. Despite my foul mood, I couldn’t help but smile at her attitude, though I doubted I would still be smiling later when she came to pick me up.

Naturally my assumption was correct, because she looked pretty murderous as she approached me with Derik ambling behind her.

“You lied to me!”

“I’m sorry,” I sighed, “It’s just that he made me promise not to say anything.”

“I know.”

“And it really-” I stopped midsentence as her lack of temper sunk in, “You’re not mad at me.”

“Oh, I was pretty livid when I first found out, but your best friend here wouldn’t have it. He had the nerve to come up with logical explanations for your dishonesty and took the angry wind right out of my sails.”

She gave me a small smile that managed to reach her hazel eyes as she shook her bangs out of her line of sight. Upon hearing the understanding humor in her voice, my eyes flickered to my best friend who stood quietly behind his fiancé.

“C’mere short stuff,” he said quietly as he opened his arms to me for a hug.

I willingly embraced him and tried my hardest to absorb the reassurance he seemed to emanate.

“I’m sorry D. It was wrong of me to lie to you even if it wasn’t to your face. I just freaked out and didn’t know what to say, so I lied.”

“It’s alright,” he told me as he rubbed my back comfortingly. His hand stilled on my back when he asked, “So where were you last night?”

Ducking out of his hold, I avoided his eyes and conducted an in depth study of the scuff marks on my shoes. “Promise not to be mad at me?”

“Trini, you straight up lied to my fiancé knowing she would tell me. Did I come guns blazin’ demanding an explanation?”