ARIZONA DRIFTERS (sssniperwolf + digitalnex)

Chapter 2- A NIGHT SPENT

As Arizona entered the early hours of the morning, Lia entered Chris and Vi's neighborhood. The houses were dark; a few lamps turned on here and there, but otherwise everybody asleep. The moon had poked out of the whispy clouds, its luster brightening the street as she drove.

Lia jerked the wheel contentiously, pulling into the driveway. The engine remained purring, and the music immediately shut off as she yanked her keys out of the ingnition lock cylinder. The headlights flashed, and a sense of loneliness washed over her. She bit her lip, debating on if she should enter Chris and Vi's house or not. After all, it was one o'clock in the morning, and she had no idea if they were asleep or...something else she didn't enjoy thinking about. Plus, it was disrespectful to show up uninvited. Lia didn't want them to think she was that low of a person. However, they'd understand that she was in such a horrible state, right? They'd ignore the poor manners and comfort her. Lia hoped that was the case.

She checked herself out in the car mirror once again, trying to readjust her marred makeup. It was no use. She'd most likely end up sobbing the second she stepped into the house. One leg at a time, Lia exited her car, slamming the door behind her. The car beeped, and part of her started to regret driving there. Nevertheless, she plodded up the driveway, building the courage to knock on the door. She stood outside, her feet digging into the crimson doormat. The sound of crickets made her ponder, but the coyote in the distance brought her back to reality. She exhaled, pulling out her phone to call Chris.

Her fingers glided about the screen, the white glare brightening her face. She tapped her foot anxiously as the phone buzzed. Lia hoped neither of them had been sleeping. She'd hate to have woken them up, regardless of the situation she was in. She knew they'd welcome her either way, but it was the thought of them stumbling out of their cozy beds just to assist their friend who sucks at relationships.

The buzzing stopped, and Lia's heart skipped a beat. The phone clicked quite a few times, before a familiar voice relieved her.

"What's up?" Chris asked.

"Stuff," Lia replied, with apprehension that could be detected from her voice. She released a nervous giggle, but slight relief that Chris had answered the phone.

laughed. "Stuff, huh? What kind of stuff?"

"Well, I'm sort of standing outside of your house," Lia stated with a dry chuckle. "If you'd let me in, I can tell you all about the stuff."

"Yeah, I know. I've been watching you from my window stand there like an idiot for the past five minutes."

"Huh--?" She breathed, removing the phone from her ear to look inside the window. There inside stood a six-foot-five man waving at her, with the stupidest grin Lia had ever seen on his face. She pouted in annoyance, hanging up the phone as he got off to the couch to welcome her in.

"Well, well, well," Chris teased. "Look who it is. Come on in."

Lia scanned his tall frame, soon rolling her eyes. He wore a black t-shirt with faded charcoal jeans. His hair was frizzy, a slight curl to the sides. "Yeah, yeah. Move," she pushed passed him, scrutinizing the house for his girlfriend, Vi. Chris shut the door behind him, removing his glasses to clean them.

"What's this 'stuff' you'd like to share with us in the middle of the night?" He asked, fogging up his glasses as she paced around the living room. Lia was frantic, part of her struggling to fight off tears once again.

"Where's Vi, asshat?" Lia ignored his question, her skin clammy. She stood timidly, her hand on one hip. Chris grinned with an exhale, pointing somewhere that Lia wasn't satisfied with.