One Month

9. night out

Night out

"Victoria, where are you going?" I hear my mother's high pitched voice call out from behind me. That's a first. She hasn't cared about where I wander for years. Even when Aaron is not around she pretends she cares about me. It's just weird now.

"Out." I reply without bothering to look at her while opening the front door ready to leave only to face a pair of familiar blue eyes looking back at me. His hand is inches away from the doorbell. He gathers it and shoves it in his jacket's pocket as his lips form a smile.

"Hey Vic!" He greets me and his smile vanishes, replaced by a frown, as his eyes look back and forth between me and my mother.

"You're leaving?" He asks making me sigh. Ever since Aaron and I made that deal a few days ago he's been acting all friendly, hasn't bothered me like he used to not even at school. He just looks away when his friends do. I don't understand why. I don't understand why he made that deal with me and why he actually stuck with it but he made his staying here easier for me and I appreciate that.

"I'm going out." I explain myself and step forward to push past him but he doesn't let me.

"It's midnight." He points out.

"So?" I say frowning. What's his deal?

"I need to know when you'll be back." I hear my mother say as I hear her footsteps approach.

"Since when?" I sneer at her. I've been out all night before, coming home in the morning or days later. She never complained, she never bothered to deal with it, she never cared.

"Just tell me what time you're getting back." She subtly demands.

"I don't even know. Goodnight." I reply and push Aaron out of my way heading to my car and ignoring my mother who keeps calling out my name.

I get in my car, shut the door and start the engine. Just as I'm about to drive the passenger's door opens and Aaron throws himself on the passenger's seat.

"What are you doing?" I snap at him giving him a glare.

"I'm coming with you." He replies smiling innocently.

"Did my mother put you up to this?" I ask him crossing my arms on my chest still glaring at him. He frowns.

"No, I just wanna make sure you're not gonna die tonight." He jokes making me raise one eyebrow at him.

"Didn't you just get back from your night out with the rest of your stupid friends?"

"So? What's your point?"

"Are you sure you're prepared to spend the whole night with me and my friends?" I ask him earning a chuckle from him.

"As long as you keep your bodyguard away from me we're good." He jokes making me chuckle myself.

"Is that fear I sense in you Mr Campbell?" I mock earning a grin and an eyebrow raise.

"Don't hurt yourself Ms Hathaway." He mocks as I shake my head at him and turn back forward as my hands take hold of the wheel.

"Are you sure you should drive? You know what they say about female drivers." He smirks making me scoff.

"Buckle up." I say before I start driving.

°°°

Aaron and I are sitting on a bench near the others who are currently skating in the square we're in. I would too but my last board broke two weeks ago and I haven't got the chance to get a new one yet. Consequently, I'm spending my time sitting next to Aaron, drinking beer and watching Tommy, Brian and Britney -my second oldest of frinds after Tommy- skating with Tommy trying to balance an empty bottle of beer on his head while jumping over three stairs on his board.

They scolded me for bringing Aaron with me -especially Tommy- but all they got from me was a casual shrug. I was too bored to explain.

"So this is your idea of a night out? Beers and skate?" Aaron asks before drinking some of his beer.

"Sometimes." I reply never taking my eyes off my friends.

I finish my beer and throw the empty bottle away careful not to fall close to the others. It breaks as it collides with the grownd shattering into pieces causing Aaron to snap his head that way. I take another one from my bag, open it using my lighter as a bottle opener and take a swing.

"Vic?" I hear Aaron as I gulp down the beer.

"Yeah."

"Why would you think your mother put me up to coming here with you?" He asks making me frown and snap my head to him.

"Where did that come from?" I question taking another swing.

"I'm just asking." He shrugs it off before finishing his beer and placing his empty bottle beside him on the bench.

"I don't know. You've been telling me my mother has been asking you to drive me to school for the past week. It just came out glibly, I guess." I reply shrugging before I turn my head back forward.

I see Tommy has managed his little bottle task giving a high five to Brian and Britney. I push myself off the bench and rush to them snatching the bottle from Tommy's hands.

"Let me try, let me try!" I say as Tommy hands me his board amused trading it with my beer.

"Don't break my board!" He yells as I balance the bottle on my head.

After I've balanced it I climb on the board and roll around a little it to see if it's going to endure the speed. After a couple of times of almost dropping it it's finally well balanced on my head while I'm speeding towards the stairs. Just before I've reached the end I bring my right foot on the back of the board and press against it lifting the board in the air over the stairs and flip it. When the board hits the ground once again I feel the bottle move slightly on my head. I roll for a while trying not to drop the bottle and once I've made sure it's perfectly balanced once again I turn the board around snatching the bottle and lifting my hands in the air victoriously.

"Suck on that!" I mock Tommy seeing him smile before I reach him and snatch my beer from his hand.

"Almost dropped it." He says as I hand him his board.

"Almost." I point out raising my middle finger at him jokingly. He grabs my arm, turns me around by it and locks me on his chest while rubbing my head with his free hand and laughs at my whining.

"Wanna grab some food?" Brian suggests.

Tommy finally lets me go still laughing at me trying to fix my hair that he messed up . I see Aaron getting up and coming our way.

"Is there anything close by?" Tommy asks no one in particular.

"Well find something." I say as everyone agrees on food.

"Right let's go. Campbell, are you coming?" Tommy turns to Aaron who's now standing next to me.

"Wouldn't miss it." He replies as he passes me to follow the others before turning his head to me and giving me a wink followed by a smirk.