Hidden in the Night

Chapter 4 - New Friend

 I checked myself in the mirror once again, still uncertain if what I was wearing was acceptable. I had on a white t-shirt with a flannel overtop paired with an old pair of jeans that needed to be stitched up, but they were the best I had for the time being. At least having rips in your jeans was in now, I'm sure most people would assume I had bought them this way. My raven hair was down in its natural waves, and I was thankful it wasn't being ridiculously frizzy today. Overall I thought I looked relatively plain, similar to how I often tended to see myself. I wouldn't say I was ugly, but I wouldn't necessarily call myself a beauty either.

Before I had time to think about changing my outfit once again, my phone rang. Daniel's name popped up on my screen and I quickly answered the call.

"Hey, I'm here," he said lightly.

"Okay. I'm on my way," I responded, hanging up the call and shoving my wallet into my pocket before rushing out the door. I hadn't intended on making Daniel wait for me, but I had gotten so caught up trying to make sure I looked presentable for the party.

I briskly exited the building, seeing Daniel's car parked right across the sidewalk as he stared at the apartment complex. I knew he was judging it, I could see the look on his face from here. My face flushed a bright red, desperately hoping he wouldn't bring it up. But it wasn't right of me to assume he lived a lavish lifestyle either, maybe he lived in the same conditions as I did. In all honesty, I hardly knew anything about him.

The thought made me realize that getting in the car with him probably wasn't the most intelligent idea. What if he decided he was going to kidnap me? I wouldn't be able to do anything, I wouldn't have anyone to call. I shook away the negative and highly unlikely thoughts, I had known him for a week and I hadn't gotten any bad vibes so far. Plus, the drive was only five minutes at the most, it wasn't like we were travelling across the country.

I opened the door to his car and sat in his passenger seat. I didn't know much about cars, but this one looked like it belonged within the pages of a magazine, not parked outside of my run-down apartment. The inside was sleek and very clean, I wondered if he took care of it himself or he paid somebody else to.

"Hey, thanks again for coming with me," he said with a smile, starting his car and beginning to drive off. He had changed into a grey t-shirt, but left the same blue jeans he was wearing earlier in the day at school.

"Thanks for inviting me. I'm really sorry you had to wait," I responded, hoping he wouldn't be too angered about it. He had only waited for about a minute, so I didn't think we would be late.

"It's not a big deal," he chuckled, looking at me strangely before focusing his attention back onto the road ahead.

"What?" I questioned, wondering why he had looked at me like that.

"Did you think I was going to be mad?" he asked me, still laughing, but I wasn't sure what he found to be so comical.

"W-well, yeah kind of," I responded truthfully, confused why he would even ask that question. He obviously had the right to be upset.

"I'm not that much of a douche, I swear," he laughed, looking at me with a huge grin plastered onto his face. My eyes widened in shock. I hadn't meant that at all, I didn't want him to think I believed it either.

"I-I didn't... that wasn't-," I spoke, getting cut off before I could manage to formulate a coherent sentence.

"Chill Paisley. I was just messing with you," he assured me, allowing me to release a breath of air. I didn't want to offend the first friend I was making into believing I thought him to be a douche. I wasn't sure how to respond, so I let out a forced laugh and remained quiet. We sat in a somewhat uncomfortable silence and I stared out of the passenger window to distract myself. The sun was sinking lower into the sky, yet still shining brightly through the abundance of clouds. Persistant as always. The weather had been truly breathtaking recently, I could only hope my night would be the same.