Naomi's POV:
I don't know where I'm trying to go. The base is too far from where I live to walk home, not that I would want to anyways. I'd gotten in a fight with my parents this morning with ended in my father slapping me in the face before telling me to get out and I dreaded the thought of going back to face them. I don't want to go back to the base when Declan is still mad. He probably hates me now. If only I had been more careful or if I wasn't so clumsy and stupid, none of this would have happened.
I had been walking for almost an hour now, and I'd become so overcome by sadness that I had actually gotten lost. My walk had been filled with anxiety and worry about what I would do about Declan's guitar. I would definitely buy him a new one, but I didn't know where or even if I could get the same one. He'd told me it was one of a kind.
I had considered calling Bennett to ask him to check the trace ace app and come pick me up, but I realized that I was so flustered when I left the base that I had forgotten to grab my phone. Taking the bus isn't an option because I don't have any money with me. I wrap my arms around myself in a pathetic attempt to ease the cold that seeped through my light jacket and chilled me down to my bones.
I was worried about whether Declan would actually forgive me or not. I'd seen many people fall victim to Declan's anger, but I'd never actually been one of them. He's never been so mad at me,and I knew that I really messed up. I felt awful because I know how much that guitar meant to him. If I were him, I would hate me too. The cold that I felt worsened, not from the weather but from the thought of possibly losing one of or even possibly all of my best friends because of my own stupidity. The other two will no doubt be mad at me too when they find out what I did.
"Naomi?" a voice asks, bringing me out of my thoughts. I snap my gaze up from my feet and am shocked to see Dominic standing only six feet away from me on the sidewalk. He had moved back here recently and was even attending my school, but I was still momentarily surprised every time I see him. Still, it's nice to see a familiar face right now, especially Dominic's. He's probably the only person who doesn't hate me right now. I wonder what he could be doing in this part of town.
"Dominic?" I asked out of surprise.
"In the flesh," he joked, causing me to let out a small laugh. We stood in awkward silence for a few moments, neither of us knowing what to say.
"What are you doing here?" he finally asked. I shrugged my shoulders pathetically.
"Just walking I guess," I say.
"Don't you have a jacket?" he asks. I gesture to my light grey sweater jacket, which still did little to relieve the cold. "That's really all you have to keep you warm? Naomi it's freezing!" he exclaimed, his hands now firmly holding both my upper arms.
"Yeah, well..." I trail off, not knowing what to say. He looked me up and down for a few more seconds before he removes his hands from my shoulders.
"Your face is white and your lips are blue. You must be freezing. Why don't I take you home? You're going to catch a cold out here dressed like that," he offers.
"Colds aren't caused by the temperature, they're caused by germs," I can't help but tell him. He lets out a small chuckle, causing me to smile softly.
"Still, you shouldn't be out here right now. Come on, I'll drive you home," he says. He takes my hand and starts leading me down the street. A few hundred feet later we reach his car, and he opens the passenger door for me to get in. The inside of the car isn't warm, but it isn't freezing either, and I'm grateful to finally get out of the cold. Dominic gets in on the drivers side and the first thing he does is turn the heat on. He looks at me with a warm smile, and I feel like a weight is lifted off my shoulders. I still have Dominic. I haven't lost everyone. "So where am I taking you?" he asks. I sit back in my seat, trying to think of an answer. "Home?" he offers. I shake my head.
