Party Next Door

06 :: beer run

A BEER RUN.

That's what Zach asks Chelsea to do. Since he was restricted in his travel and his normal beer guy was off sick, it meant the party would be running low on refreshments.

Chelsea finds herself in a black SUV, another thing which Zach didn't have the liberty of riding, his sigh of resignation had said enough. He doesn't bother giving instructions on where to go which is why Will is stationed in the passenger seat. His neck is oddly bare of his usual headphones. He isn't listening to any music so Chelsea attempts to make conversation to fill in the silence.

"You can't drive?"

He turns to her with a wry smile. She wonders if her tone sounds too accusing. "It's not so much that I can't. I'm learning, I just haven't taken the actual test yet."

"Right, sorry."

"Don't worry about it. It freaks me out a bit, to be honest. You know, driving, having that responsibility of not just your life, but others."

Chelsea tenses without realising. But Will does. "Not that I don't trust you. You seem like the type that could save  a life."

She relaxes a bit at his talk. "Thanks for trusting me."

"But I guess it has to be done. Driving vehicles, I mean. Otherwise, we'd all be cramming it on public transport." He pauses in thought. "Which is much more friendly for the environment."

"An environmentalist, huh?" She cautions a sideways glance to see him grin.

"Aren't we all in our heart of hearts? Turn right here."

Chelsea obeys. He knew the path to wherever they were going off by heart. It seems he's made this trip many times.

When the pair arrive at the destination, Chelsea's expecting to see a shady warehouse with an equally shady guy with tattoos and maybe even a gap in his teeth, breath smelling of years of cigarette smoke. Her imagination's run away with her on this occasion because what she comes to face is just a shop, like the one you'd see around the corner when you wanted a magazine or a pack of gum.

There's a bored looking man behind the counter, the farthest looking human to what she'd conjured in her mind. When he spots Will and Chelsea he simply goes into a back door and after a few moments returns with a cardboard box. And then another and another. She wonders if Zach really needs this many drinks. But then again she didn't stay long enough the last time to find out.

Will helps her file the boxes into the trunk. Once they're done, he makes his way to the passenger seat. "Don't we have to pay the guy?"

"It's already been wired to him."

Right, Chelsea thinks to herself. Technology.

The rumours that Zach has a rich daddy seem more plausible by the minute. On the way back, they drop by Will's place. It doesn't look all that different to Chelsea's place on the exterior. There's no tree in the front but other than that all the houses in Belmont look the same. She likes the uniformity of it all.

"You can come in." Will points a thumb towards the door. Chelsea shakes her head.

"I'm fine waiting here."

While she does just that she sees the lights are already turned on inside. There's a figure moving inside in addition to Will's. She makes a note to ask him when he returns.