Our Experiment

4: Petra

He held her shoulders firmly, steadying her swaying form. His eyes were hard, staring into her face, studying her eyes. She could tell he was infuriated, but at that time she did not care. He wanted to yell at her, to scold her for being so irresponsible with herself, but he knew she wasn't in the right state of mind to make correct decisions. Instead, he helped her into his truck.

The sun would be setting soon, and night would be upon them; the most dangerous time of the day. Even more so dangerous for an intoxicated young girl. And a pretty one at that. He glanced at her, simmering down from his frustration, "Are you hungry?"

Justice was staring out the window, appearing to be deep in thought at that time. "I could eat." She said into the glass.

He soon pulled into the parking lot of the Dot, a popular café that mostly students from their high school frequented often. They seated themselves in a booth. Peter looked at Justice; her pupils were dilated, her lids were heavy, her body swayed, and she could barely walk. Obviously, she had been drinking, but she was underage, so she couldn't have gotten the alcohol herself. So that left him wondering just who she had been drinking with.

"Why were walking alone tonight?" He asked.

She shrugged. "I wanted to get some air."

"Who were you drinking with? Where were you?"

She continued to lean against the wall of the booth. "I was with some friends I haven't seen in a while."

"The Lakehurst guys?" he asked. When she didn't say anything, he continued, "Were you with DiMarco?"

She looked at him, and her silence gave him confirmation.

"Enjoying your day off at the Dot?" Came a woman's voice. They both looked around to find Holly J, a Degrassi student, approaching their table. Holly looked at Justice, "You must be the new girl." She said and extended a hand. "Holly J."

She looked at the girl's hand for a second before taking it and smiling. "Justice."

Holly rose a brow at the pair. "I see someone has been having a good day." She said, winking at Peter.

Peter looked at Justice, who was staring down at the menu, before looking at Holly again. "It's because she's with me." He said, smiling.

Holly J took their drink orders and then walked away.

Peter looked at Justice. "Can I ask you something?"

Justice nodded. "Of course, you can."

"Do you have feelings for Johnny?"

Justice looked at him. "Why are you asking this?"

"Because I want to know where your head is." He noticed her confused expression and continued, "So you were with Johnny."

She looked away. "Peter, stop."

"Please, answer me, Justice."

She sighed, "You said you'd wait anyway."

"I did. But what's the point of waiting if you go off with him, anyway?"

Justice looked at him, her eyes barely focusing, "I don't have feelings for Johnny." Liar. "I'm not looking to be in a relationship right now. But I do like you, Peter. If I didn't, I wouldn't tell you so. I wouldn't hold your hand. I wouldn't kiss your face, and I wouldn't talk about deep things with you." She closed her menu. "But right now, I need a friend."