Off the Rails

Chapter Six

Dakota
As I stared in the mirror and added a final touch of mascara that night, I heard a knock at the door.

"Dakota!" My mom called upstairs.

"Coming!" I said. I slid my cell phone in my back pocket, smiled once more in the mirror, and walked downstairs.

I walked towards the door wearing a dark pair of ripped skinny jeans, a v-neck grey sweater that showed off some cleavage, topped with a stylish black jacket. I had done my hair in waves, and wore slight eye makeup. I felt pretty confident.

When I walked downstairs, I saw Liam standing in the entry way talking to my mother. He wore a tight long sleeved gray shirt with a flannel on top. His blonde hair was pretty messy, but in a completely adorable way.

"Hey, there," he said, somewhat quietly, looking up at me as I walked down.

"Hi," I smiled. As I reached the bottom steps, Liam reached his hand out. I took it.

"You look amazing," he grinned.

"Not so bad yourself," I replied.

"You guys have fun," my mom said.

"Thanks, Mom. I won't be too late."

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Brooks." Liam extended his other hand.

"You too," my mom shook it.

We walked out into the night and walked across my lawn to Liam's fancy Mercedes. He lead me over to the passenger side and opened the door for me.

"Thanks," I smiled. "You're certainly on good behavior tonight." I added when he got into his seat.

"Hey, I can be a very nice guys every now and then." He grinned.

"Is that so?"

"Absolutely," he began driving. "So, do you only live with your mom?"

"Yeah," I replied. I didn't feel like explaining my whole family situation, and when he didn't inquire any further, I was relieved.

We drove down Main Street on our way to the party. "Man, I love it here." Liam said softly. "Especially at night, with all the lights up. All the shops and restaurants. Looks like your stereotypical, American small town, with all it's charm."

"I like it, too," I said. "It's a big change from the city. But I don't mind it. Out here, it's like everyone breathes better and is there for each other. It's actually like a community. That's just so nice."

"Yeah," he agreed. "I love the feeling of community. Just about anywhere you go, you feel like you have a friend."

I smiled and paused. "Speaking of friends, did you notice anything up with Drake today?"

He thought for a moment. "Can't say I did. Why? Did something happen?"

"He just seemed kinda distant," I replied.

"Yeah, he usually is. That's why I was so surprised he opened up to you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He acts like he's some big shot, and he is, but he never uses it. He doesn't go around flirting with girls and making a ton of friends. And he doesn't share very much about his personal life to anyone except me." He paused. "But it's good for him, that he's opening up. Just remember, every time he goes out of his way to share something with you, or go out and to something, it's against his nature. He likes being a loner."

"Oh," I said. I never thought about that. "What about you? You like being a loner?"

"Not necessarily. But I'm okay with it. I'm sure you heard about my family by now. When you have that much power, you're usually on the outside."