The story of us.

The Driving Story

As we sit crumbled on the cold tile floor he finally regains his senses and he looks back up at me. Tears stail his beet red face and he sniffles before speaking.

"Thank you." He says simply.

I give him an assuring nod and we stand up and walk to the front entrance of the mall. I look at my phone and it says 7 missed calls from Mother. I return her call and she yells at me over the phone that i didn't answer my phone in time so she left me. Great.

"Need a ride home?" Garrin inquires.

"Oh no- actually yeah. If you don't mind that would be great."

He smiles whitholding his delicate, pearlescent teeth. We walk to his car and his host mom unlocks the doors to let us in. The car is warm and smells like subtle lavender and carpet fresh.

"Where to hon?" She says sweetly

"5 Creek Branch Way please." I say as i buckle my seat belt.

"Bermuda estates?"

"Yes ma'am." I reply

The entire ride we talk about current events, political gossip, and the newest viral videos. Garrin sits in the back seat and i sit in the passenger seat. I peek back and he is listening to music through his shiny white earbuds, with his eyes shut. The natural frown on his face is hard to look at yet, so intriuging. It's like looking at the mysteriously captivating cover of the book but never knowing whats inside. I guess after today i got a sneak peek at a chapter. That chapter was the part where everyone reading feels the pain. The kind of chapter that is covered in tear stains that won't come out. I i was part of it.

We arrive to my house and i thank his family before going inside. Just like my mom told me, she had places to go so she wasn't home. I go up to my room and lay on my bed once more. I create theories of what i think could have happened that made Garrin so upset. Maybe his mom is hurt? Maybe his dog died? I sounds a little crazy but i don't know. Maybe he just really loved his dog? As these thoughts pour through my mind i feel a buzz from my phone and look down. I got another Snapchat message from Garrin. I open it immediately and i reads "I had fun today. Thank you for being there for me." My heart soars at his words and i think of a reply. "Any time! If you want to talk about it, you know where to find me". I hit send on the message and wait for a reply. Nothing. 10 minutes. 15 minutes. 30 minutes. Nothing. I guess he doesn't want to talk. I plug my phone into it's coiled up gray woven charger and bend the bottom of the cord until it registers charging and i go to sleep. Even in my sleep i can't help but think about him. Him. Garrin.
I wake in the morning and go the bathroom to brush my teeth. When im finished i go back to my bed and check the phone. I look on my nightstand and my phone is missing. Maybe it fell on the floor? I check the ground around my small wooden night stand and find the charger empty. My phone is gone. I run to my mothers room and ask her if she moved it but she says she didn't touch it. I hurry back to my room and inspect further. I finally find it in my closet under a shelf. How in the world did it get here? I check for notifications and of course its full of them. I have a few texts, a picture tag on Instagram, and a handful of Snapchats. I skim through until i get to one from Garrin. Just as i'm about to open it i get a phone call from a number i don't recognize.

"Hello?"
I answer in an aggitated tone.
I hear a sniffle and quick, heavy breathing.
"Jack? Its Garrin. I.." he says between muffled cries.
"Can you come over? I just really need to talk to you."
"Yes of course! Text me your address. I'll be right there."
I order and Uber and hurriedly get dressed. I hope he's okay. I give the driver the address and we leave. Panic runs through my mind of what might be wrong and then i get a text that confirms all the horrible things that had flowed in my mind. I need to get there fast before he can do anything to himself.
"Can you speed up?" I say sternly to the driver.
This is not good.