The Fix

04

    Minutes seem to tick away briskly as Isaac cruises along my dim, endless neighborhood. My mind is still scattered, and unable to piece together its thoughts properly. I've never once dared rebel against my mother. I've always pulled my every string to remain on her good side. Something in Isaac brings out an unknown fire, a sudden craving to rise up. I ponder on the thought, realizing that perhaps his personality shows me that I take almost no risks in life. The two of us are so similar in mindset, yet so dissimilar in every other aspect. I think, but he does.

     It quickly becomes evident that I'm jealous of Isaac. I'm envious of how he's able to speak his mind so simply, how he's seemingly fearless in the things he does or says. To him, the opinions of others means jack squat. Isaac is the human embodiment of my thoughts, the truest form of myself. And he's able to be that way so easily.

     "Sinclair, wake the hell up! You're scaring me." Isaac shouts, interrupting my thoughts and causing me to jump higher than the Empire State.

     "Christ, I should be the one scared! I'm surprised you don't have a job at Howl-O-Scream, damn!" I retort. Isaac lets out an obnoxious laugh in response. Before I know it, he's pulling into a driveway. A dark, eerie, suspicious-as-hell-am-I-going-to-get-murdered-tonight driveway. It appears abandoned, which would usually excite me, but the vibes of this one only cause me to feel queasy. I trust Isaac enough to feel that I won't die tonight, but I still wish that I came a little more prepared, with, for example, a taser.

     With a reassuring hand on my back, Isaac leads me into the deserted, tiny building. As I inch closer to it, I hear soft muffled music, and let out a slight sigh of relief.

Probably not dying today.

     As we enter, I notice that this room gives off the same feel of the debate room, being lightly accented with fluorescent lights, and bright colors. I could best describe the aesthetic as "Futuristic Themed Bar That Tries Too Hard to be Hip." But it's oddly comforting and nice to look at.

     We're greeted with cheerful grins from the other "debate club" members, and naturally, a disapproving stare from Jay.

"What are you doing here?" She sighs.

     I decide to ignore her crudeness, and treat her with just as much respect as I'd give a best friend, mainly out of curiosity for her reaction. Perhaps being too nice would be the most fun method to entertain.

     "Only here to enjoy your lovely company, obviously!" I say with a blatantly forced, wide grin. She scoffs in response, topping it all off with an eye roll.

She really is such a ray of sunshine.

     I thought that after her reassuring speech to me earlier, that she'd put away any hatred left towards me, but I am clearly mistaken. At this point, I can't find any reason for her to dislike me. I tell myself that her distaste doesn't phase me, but I can't stop thinking about it. I can't stop pondering what her deal could possibly be.

     "Listen, Aubrey's had a rough night," Isaac states in a serious tone, referring to me by Aubrey for the first time. His tone must be what prompts Jay to actually appear to care for me.

For a second.

After Isaac finishes speaking, she rips her gaze from me.

"What happened, love?" Amira inquires.

     I contemplate whether I should tell the group, but take a moment to pause. Isaac is probably going to spill it without my consent anyways, knowing him.

     Contrary to my prior assumptions, Isaac shoots me a look, his expression asking me if it's alright to let them know. I give him a meak nod, hoping that the others are somewhat supportive. I'm still unaware of their views on these kind of things.