Trust

✍ Confession

"Do you want a ride back?"

March sniffed and lifted her head from my shoulder. "No, but I want to break something."

"Sorry, Ems, but I think I'm fresh out of trophies," I said with a grin. It didn't work. March just gave me a blank look. I sighed. "Never mind. C'mon. Let's get you home, alright?"

"No. I wanna stay." March stood up on wobbly legs. "If I can't break something, I want to get piss-drunk and do stuff that I won't remember tomorrow. God knows, I don't want to remember anything that's happened tonight." She swallowed, her bottom lip quivering for a second.

I frowned. March tottered to the sink and began wiping away the ruined makeup. "What're you sitting there for?" She turned to look at me, lipstick in one hand and mascara in the other. "Lend me a hand, will you? I need to get this mess off my face."

A muscle in my jaw ticked. Every fibre of my being was screaming at me, telling me that this was wrong; March was hurting and this wasn't the way to try and fix it.

"I've got another idea," I said.

March looked at me warily. "What?"

"Let's go break something."

*****

"Can't you drive any faster?" March snapped.

Chase shot me a wry look. I winced and turned around so I could look at my best friend. She was glaring at the back of the driver's seat, arms folded across her chest. "He's just following the speed limit, Ems."

"I don't care," she shot back. "I can't believe I agreed to let him drive us. He'll probably end up driving us into a tree or something, being the bloody juvenile delinquent he is."

My jaw clenched. I sent Chase an apologetic look and he just smiled and reached out to squeeze my hand. His eyes were calm, gentle, speaking volumes louder than anything he could have said with his mouth. It's okay. I'm okay. I don't mind.

I smiled a little. It was silent for awhile more. There was only the sounds of the car engine as we sped along the highway, and the song playing softly on the radio.

If I lay here/If I just lay here/Would you lie with me and just forget the world

"I'm sorry."

I froze, still holding Chase's hand.

"I'm sorry, Chase. I didn't mean what I said earlier. I'm just… I'm sorry, alright?"

I peeked over my shoulder. March was staring out the window, tears in her eyes. She saw me looking and smiled, wiping her eyes. "You two make a cute couple."

"Thanks," I said. I turned back to face the front, lacing my fingers with his. He glanced over at me as I placed my free hand over his.

Okay?

I smiled.

Okay.

*****

We pulled up in front of Russell's house. It looked like a sleeping giant, dark and foreboding. No one was home. Both Russell's parents were overseas and, according to March, his two sisters were staying over at a friend's house several streets away.

March practically jumped out of the car the moment it came to a complete stop. She'd taken her heels off so she was running barefoot to the front door.

"Do you wanna come in?"

Chase was watching March with a slightly bemused expression. He turned his attention back to me. "Do you want me to come in?"