Superior

Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Delaney

I waited on a bench at a bus stop a few houses down from mine. Trai had agreed to pick me up there, since my parents would be excessively inquisitive about any boy coming over. Once again, I lied, telling them I was going to Lizzy's (who, by the way, still was having nothing to do with me).

As seconds ticked by, I was shrouded in the evening light—or lack thereof. A bus pulled up and a few late workers began getting out. For a few minutes, I was surrounded with the sounds of rustling feet and conversation, but as the people dispersed, it quickly became quiet again. I became increasingly nervous; it was getting dark, and I didn't want to be out alone. Seattle's nightlife could be questionable.

To pass the time, I pulled out my phone and started fiddling with the brightness settings. I was so focused that I didn't notice the car pulling up until it came to a stop and the window began rolling down.

"Come here often?" a deep voice asked gruffly. I flew to my feet and began backing away, but quickly ran into the bench again and landed hard on my backside. Someone began to laugh.

Trai was sticking his head out the car window, staring at me with an amused smile on his face. "Don't look so tense," he snorted.

A jolt of annoyance ran through me, adding to my already present discontent over having to wait by myself for so long. "I don't know what you think is so funny," I snapped. "You could at least to try to take this seriously."

Contrary to what I expected, he didn't get mad; he just smirked. "Jeez, killjoy," he muttered. "Got a stick up your butt?"

I felt my face and neck heat up. "Whatever," I grumbled. "Let's just go." Without waiting for a response, I stalked around the car and dropped heavily into the passenger side, making sure to slam the door behind me. Much to my annoyance, Trai just shook his head, still smiling.

He cranked up the volume of the stereo and hummed along as he plugged in the directions to Rascal's Diner. As the car began to glide smoothly down the street, I sat tensely, clutching my phone in white-knuckled hands. Trai, who had his eyes closed and was leaning his head back against his seat, didn't seem nervous at all. Thankfully, the trip went by fairly quickly, and it seemed like only seconds had passed when an automated voice came out of the speakers, announcing that we had reached our destination in a robotic cadence.

Trai opened his door and stepped outside, but I was frozen to my seat. After a moment passed and I hadn't moved, he stuck his head back in.

"Are you experiencing a sudden bout of paralysis?" he asked in a serious tone. It wasn't funny—it shouldn't have been funny, but, probably due to nerves, I laughed before I could stop myself. Trai glanced at me quickly, his expression surprised.

"I admit, didn't think I'd get a laugh out of you," he remarked. "There's hope for me yet!"

Rolling my eyes, I opened my own door. "Shut up."

Looking around, I saw that we were on a quiet street filled with various restaurants and convenience stores. There wasn't anything wrong with it at first glance; it seemed like something we'd see in the more suburban areas of Seattle. But it was nearly empty. Only a few people milled around, and they were teenagers in gang-like clothes who leaned against a nearby building looking dangerous. The stores themselves were open, it seemed, but apart from a bored sales clerk I saw through one window, they were devoid of life.

"How long do we have?" Trai asked suddenly, jolting me away from my observations.

I glanced at my phone. "About five minutes," I reported. "Where's the diner?" I stood on tiptoe and looked around, but couldn't find a sign depicting our location.