If No One Else

ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ⁸

8.  s t a l k e r,  m u c h
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"What the fuck!" I instantly yell as I find myself jerking out of my sleep due to the sudden ruckus pounded against my car window.

I reel away from the glass as my eyes clear up and glare at Chandler's smiling face.

She motions for me to roll down the window with her fingers. It takes my sleep-dazed brain a minute to comprehend, but I eventually get it and click the button to do as she had asked.

"C-Chandler? What are you doing here?" I ask as I rub away the sleep from my tired eyes.

Yesterday had been too long of a night, and now I was regretting the time I had spent up rather than sleeping as I normally did.

I had too much on my mind to even think about sleep at my regular time, and so I stayed up until the very thoughts that had kept me up, eventually led to my overwhelming exhaustion.

Not the most responsible thing to do, but I hadn't been very responsible the last couple of months anyways.

"Oh...I don't know? I kinda live here, Officer," she says sarcastically, letting her hands settle on her hips as she stares down at me. "I should be asking you that same question because last time I checked, you have no reason to be here right now," her eyes narrow as she takes in my disheveled appearance, and I inwardly groan at her skeptical inspection.

A sigh falls from my lips as I rub a hand down my blushing face. "I just had to check something in the neighborhood. I just... I guess I just lost track of time," I give her a curt smile, then slowly begin rolling up the window.

"Officer Gael!" Before I can get it all the way up, her hands land on top of the glass and instantly stop me from continuing its ascent.

"I have to go! I was just called in for-"

She rolls her eyes, then speaks, "Never expected the more than holy cop to be lying straight to my face today... what gives?"

"Chandler, I don't really have time for this right now. I had a job to do, I did it, now I have to go." I begin rolling up the window again, but my finger quickly stops on the button as Chandler speaks the one truth I tried to convince myself wasn't real.

"Did you enjoy the show last night, then? Do you think you resolved the conflict good or do you need to call for backup, Officer?" She looks at me coyly, but there's a darkness in her eyes that makes me slightly shudder in my seat.

She did it on purpose.

I stare into her fluttering eyes for a couple passing seconds, letting the realization of it all absorb into my brain.

I swipe a heavy hand through my hair as contemplation settles into my mind, and I don't want to tell a lie, but at the last second I shake the thought away and do what I'm best at; run from the truth.

"I don't know what you're tal-"

"Gael, just please stop lying! I know the truth," she interrupts, letting her hands rest in the small opening of the window. "Just don't lie about it, please," her hard eyes soften, and so does my resolve.

I let out a sigh, but this time it's because the sincerity in her voice had gotten to me. She had expected all cops to be crooked, lying men who just so happened to have badges, and I had just proven to her that that was a right assumption.