Mr. Skull

Installment 3: Bars

      ═══════ ೋღ 🌺 ღೋ ═══════      

"...and.....blow out." said Nick as he tentatively held a breathalyser in between my lips. I blew with just enough pressure to make my cheeks swell, as I watched the clear tube condensate from my hot breath.  After a few seconds of exhaling, the machine beeped and he gently shook the machine to prompt my lips open. 

"O.3 BAC," his face scrunched up in confusion as she shook the device aimlessly in his hand, tossing in from one hand to the other. "You have barely any alcohol in your system," his voice trailed off as if he was pondering other factors; Pearl obviously didn't fall under any premature procedure that he followed.  

"Am I free to go then, sir?" she pushed herself off of the the metal of the door that she was leaning on, but before she could catch her balance, Nick had barred his forearm in front of Pearl and forced her back onto the door again.

"No. You were driving the wrong way. I will have to bring you to the detention centre for the night." He withdrew a pair of hand cuffs from his belt, "Hands in the air, turn around, and face the car."

"Yes sir." Pearl felt the coolness of the metal handcuffs wrap around her wrist, it's tightness pinched her skin as she grimaced in annoyance. Despite her discomfort, she made no effort to protest. She was already in trouble, there was not point in acting petty.

She bounded towards the patrol car with the help of Nick's guiding hand. He pulled the door ajar and motioned for her to sit inside, urging her forwards with the left hand on her right shoulder. Without much resistance, Pearl hoisted herself into the car; almost jumping to the 10 inch elevation of the vehicle and landing on her belly. Her movements were thwarted by the awkward position, and by the time she positioned herself comfortably, Nick had already retrieved Pearl's belongings from her car. 

"You're an adult now, so there is no need to call your parents- unless that's what you want- but you will need to call someone to pick up your car," he commanded, his booming voice intimidating Pearl- contesting with her small and frail voice. 

"I can call my friend Amanda. She might be able to drive it home for me." She said. Nick held out her phone in front of her, and she leaned towards the phone to unlock it with her face. 
"She is one of my contacts." 

Nick took a few moments to navigate through her phone, as Pearl worried that he unearthed dodgy messages between one of her exes. Whilst scrolling, she saw him lift his eyebrow, and flushed a dark crimson. He took notice of her unusual behavior, and chuckled when he saw her beet red face. "Hey, I'm not here to judge you. I'm just looking for Amanda-" he lifted the phone, "is this the one?"

The brightness of the screen pierced her eyes, as Pearl squinted to deduce the contents on the screen; there presented the iPhone interface of one of her contacts, which consisted of an array of circles and beveled squares. In large print, was the name Amanda with several hearth emoji's next to it. Pearl's heart panged as she couldn't remember the last time she spoke to this long lost friend.
"Yes, please call her."

"You try to keep it to yourself in order to contain the suffering. But little do you realise that the people around you suffer as well."

      ═══════ ೋღ 🌺 ღೋ ═══════