Explosive

20 || Trust and Cars

My knee bobs impatiently as I wait for Blake to show up to the guidance counselor's office. Despite Blake's ever-changing moods I have grown quite fond of our weekly discussions about music. He finally pushes in past through the door, his phone in hand and a tight smile on his lips. After going to the party with Josh and Blake I have worked out one possible reason for why Blake is always tired. In addition to working long shifts at the café, Blake probably plays with various bands throughout the week late into the night.

"What is up, Moore?" he sings before plopping down beside me. "How are you holding up?" The question catches me off guard and again I wonder how much Josh has told Blake about me.

"Nothing much. Just downloaded some music that I wanted you to check out," I answer, pulling out my own phone. Blake tips his head to the side and considers something. "That is if you want to. You don't have to if you don't want to," I add, taking his surprise to mean hesitation.

"Oh yeah. Of course, I would love that." He grins his crooked smile and tucks his phone into his pocket. I hold my phone between us and hit play. The song Sober by Tool plays softly from my phone and I look at Blake expectantly.

His lips form a tight line, while he shakes his head and moves away from me. "Not a huge fan of this one."

"I thought you might like it. The baseline is killer," I say back before pausing the song.

"When I write music," he pauses, unsure of what to say next. "I like having a clear mind, you know?" My face contorts into a frown as I consider what he is saying. When it hits me, I feel stupid for sharing the song with him.

"Wait. I am not saying that I agree with the lyrics. I just thought you would like the creepy undertone of the bass part," I say to him, pocketing my phone.

"Can't argue with that, Moore," he says to me and looks up. His brown eyes narrow as someone comes into the tiny room. "Williams," he mutters. Her hands are on her hips and mouth is in an angry scowl.

"Rider," she responds and glares down at him. The two stare each other down for what seems like an eternity. It's as if someone has sucked all the air from the room. I clear my throat. "Audrey, is it cool if I talk to you outside?" She doesn't wait for me to respond and pulls open the door to go out into the hall.

Blake snorts. Before he can say anything, I spin my head around to give him the death glare. "Don't you dare say a word." He throws up his hands in surrender. "I get that she messed up but that was a really long time ago, Blake." I stand and cross my arms while I look at him. "I also believe in second chances."

As I am turning to leave, he says, "you trust too easily, Moore. Not everyone in this world is kind."

"Well, I trust everyone until they give me a reason not to," I say to him. Mrs. Gupta pokes her head out from her office and gestures at Blake.

"That is a pretty screwed up philosophy. Trust is a difficult thing to build," he stands and throws his bag over his shoulder.

"Every day we get into cars and drive onto busy streets and highways." Blake comes to a stop with his back facing me. He's waiting for me to continue. "We don't think twice about it and are only worried about the destination. What we don't realize is that it requires some degree of trust. We trust the other people in their cars to drive safely and not ram their cars into us." I pause and stare at his dark hair. "You might act as if you don't trust easily. But you also get into your truck every day."

He remains quiet as he thinks about what I said. "You have it all wrong, Moore. I don't trust the people in the cars, I trust their desire to live." He doesn't say anything for a while.