Thin Air (Complete EDITING)

18- Andrew

Andrew June 5, 2020

The gravel crunches under my boots as I make my way back to my patrol vehicle. When I get in and close the door Clark lets out an annoyed huff.

"Have something you need to say?" I'm not in the mood for whatever it is that has his panties in a twist. He has had an attitude since I came back from leave but won't tell me why.

"Nope, nothing at all."

"Sure about that?"

"You don't want to hear what I have to say."

I raise my shoulder in a noncommittal shrug. I wait for an opening, switch the lights off, and pull back into traffic. He's right I don't want to hear it but I'm not about to tell him that. I have enough going on right now, I don't need my partner pissed off at me on top of it. He's going to say whatever he wants whether I encourage him or not. We cruise along Hwy 80 for a few miles and I can practically hear the wheels turning in his head. I exit and back us in behind the Walgreens sign. It's the prime spot to find speeders at this time of day.

"I just think it's funny that you can be so competent at your job. Knowing when to do the protecting and when to do the serving. Yet, you can't manage your personal life for shit." Oh great, here we go. Another unsolicited lecture from this guy.

Doing my job is easy. I had let that kid off with a warning. He wasn't going that fast and sometimes you need to let someone have a win. I believe it's more important to build a healthy respect for law enforcement than it is to persecute every minute wrongdoing. My personal life, on the other hand, isn't. Shit with Jamie was much more complicated.

"Uh, thank you, and fuck you, I guess."

"It wasn't meant as a compliment." The daggers shooting from his dark eyes let me know that he is not amused. "You're a dumbass. Why don't you explain to Jamie what really happened?"

"She doesn't want to talk. I know her well enough to know when to back off. Pressuring her never ends well. She just pulls in and builds her wall higher. She'll talk to me when she's ready."

"You're being stupid. What you need to do is march your ass right up to her and demand that she hear you out. Don't take no for an answer. You didn't do anything wrong." He cut an annoyed look in my direction before continuing on. "Well, that wrong anyway. You need to stop letting Nicole get between you two. She's always stirring shit up. The only way I can see you fixing things with Jamie is if you cut her out completely. You have to make sure that Jamie knows she holds the top spot in your life. I'm sure she's tired of playing second fiddle to your 'bestie'. If you don't set shit straight, she is going to keep shutting you out."

"I hear you but you remember how everyone treated Nic when her mom OD-ed. It wasn't easy for her to grow up in foster care with everyone always treating her like she was going to turn out the same."

"Okay, but are they wrong? She is one DUI away from real prison time. No one knows who Brody's dad is. She shamelessly throws herself at you, knowing you are not available. A shitty childhood doesn't excuse a shitty person."

He's not wrong. She's a mess but I hate to think of her going through life alone. And I've explained to her that we will never have anything other than friendship. She needs someone in her corner and I'm the only one willing to be there.

"She isn't a good friend, man. I get that you have a sense of loyalty to her but damn... are you willing to let her be the reason Jamie walks away for good?"

I don't respond. For a long time, I mull over what my partner said. I thump my head back against my seat.

"You're right."

"I usually am. Hey, clock that guy!"

42 in a 25. I pull out behind him and hit my lights. Something about the silver SUV with the KYS logo catches my eye but I can't think of a reason that it would be familiar.

"I've got this one," Clark says as he steps out of the vehicle. "Someone needs to make the department some money."