Deviating from the Norm (A "Freaks and Geeks" Fanfic)

Chapter 16 - ... it pours (Part 2)

After over an hour of aimless driving I arrived at the Kelly's. I wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with Kim (because sometimes it was a task that took a certain amount of patience and a much cooler head than I had at that moment), but by the same token, I had already fucked up one friendship that night and going two for two did not seem all that appealing. Besides, if the weed was really that good, maybe I wouldn't feel like such a piece of shit with some of it in my system. Sooner than I could even shift into park, Kim was walking out of the house, looking pissed.

"What the hell, Matsen? You were supposed to be here forever-ago! They've probably smoked it all by now! Thanks for adding to my already-shit day."

I shut the car off, replying through my open window, "Yeah, well, I had to... take care of a... thing."

Bad excuse. Get ready to have that thrown back in my face in three, two, one...

It really wasn't any of Kim's business what I was doing before I came over, but, like an idiot, I always tried to explain myself somewhat.

She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes as she spoke in a mocking tone, "Oh, did you need to get in a quickie with Christina first or something?"

I had just closed my door but I was more than willing to jump back into the car and drive home, ditching Kim and her attitude.

"I'm really not that eager to put up with your shit tonight, Kim. Remember, I'm not the one who forgot to pick you up in the first place and I easily could have just gone straight to Nick's. I probably just should have at this rate."

Fuuuuuck... I should've thought that through better...

She looked both shocked and hurt by my retort at first, but the expression quickly drifted from her face. "She held out on ya, huh?"

Not tonight, Kim, please. Time to stop fuckin' around before one of us gets hurt.

"No, she dumped me, 'cause I'm a fucking idiot. You're not the only one who is having a shit day, ya know? Now can we please just go get high and talk about stuff that doesn't matter and doesn't depress me?"

"Oh, shit. I'm- I'm sorry." For once she seemed embarrassed by her actions and there was an awkward span of silence that neither one of us knew how to break.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. Suddenly my will to do anything had vanished and all I wanted to do was go home and bury myself in my bed. "You know what- I can't tonight. I just... I gotta go home. Besides, you have a car, you know how to drive. You don't need a ride from me."

Kim looked at me, there was a certain vulnerability in her gaze that I had never witnessed before. Instantly, all I wanted to do was make whatever was wrong better however I could.

"I wanted a ride because... yesterday I... I... I killed Millie's dog. I kind of... ran him over," she suddenly blurted out, as if I had been grilling her on the matter for hours and finally made her break down.

"You... what?!" My mind was blown and 'shocked' couldn't even begin to describe the look my face had contorted into. There was no way to make this 'better'.

I nimbly put the pieces together as Kim's confession repeated in my head. Daniel skipped out on his chauffeur duties because he didn't want to deal with the 'girly' emotions Kim was going to bounce off of him and she probably wasn't too fond of driving because she had just ran over a dog with her rusted wreck.

Completely ashamed, she looked to the ground, her voice tumbling out small and almost inaudible. "I killed Millie's dog. Lindsay and I were going out last night and we... hit him."