Fatal Flaws

chapter 13

I stand there silent for a few moments. My brain attempts to catch up while I process what has occurred in front of me. Mike scrambles to pull himself up off of the ground. He doesn't glance in either of our directions. Instead, he keeps his eyes low on the ground before stumbling off toward the house.

"I'm not some random piece of property that you own! And I don't need to be saved by you. I can handle my own!" I scream as soon as the drunk dude is out of earshot.

"Yeah, I can tell," he snickers, mocking me.

"Slow down there, killer. I came out here to find you for Sky," He laughs louder."She wants to leave and I'm her ride. But since you can handle your own, I'm sure you don't want a ride from me. You can call a cab, right?" he scoffs, turning to walk off.

"You are such an ass. You know that, right?" I hiss. Contemplating in my head if I want to risk riding home alone with that creepy cab driver. Or if I should suck my pride up and allow Hayden to drive me home.

Reluctantly, I have to admit Hayden is the safer choice of the two options. I bow my head, following behind him. We refuse to speak as we head back into the crowded house and out the front door.

Sky and Hope made it to his car first. Snuggled up in the back seat, they don't acknowledge us when we walk up.

As mad as I am at him, I have to admit I'm surprised by his vehicle.Hayden's car is super nice and in excellent shape.The car is shiny black with a red stripe directly down the middle. The stripe is outlined in white. It's an older two-door model. There is a silver Mustang emblem positioned in the middle of the grill. Small cursive lettering spells out Mustang on either door in the bottom front corner. Another small emblem with the Mustang design sits above the lettering. Matching red stripes run horizontally across the bottom part of either door. The stripes run from tire to tire. The inside wall of the tires is trimmed in a matching red outline. There is not one scratch or scrape on its body.

The inside is also immaculate. Both the front and back seats are bench-style. Each has three places for someone to sit. They're made of a softer velvet red leather. For their age, none of them have even a slight crack in the material. The dashboard is spotless and wiped free of any dust or smudges. A single red air freshener swings back and forth in the cool night air whipping in the open windows.

Climbing into the passenger seat, I'm overwhelmed by the softness. I sit back, allowing my body to sink into the oversized seats. Closing my eyes, I'm surrounded by Hayden's scent. Every inch of his car smells identical to him.

I jump as the loud engine roars to life.

The ride back across campus is quiet. Except for the occasional sucking noises coming from the backseat. Deciding to mind my own business I choose to keep my attention turned toward the front. He has the radio on, playing softly. It's so quiet that I can only make out the beat of instruments playing. The words sound like a jumbled-up slur of word vomit. I don't waste any time trying to understand what they are saying.

"Hayden, can you drop us off at Hope's please" Sky mumbles, popping her head up between the seats. A series of minor hiccups follow her question. He looks back at her in the rearview mirror. His eyebrow raises slightly as he nods, assuring her.

"Oh, and can you make sure that Bex gets home safe pretty please?" Sky begs, throwing herself backward into the seat. She lets out a loud belch which seems to of helped stop her hiccups. The smell of stale beer wafts up from the backseat, making my stomach churn.

"What do I look like a damn taxi cab" Hayden growls. He's becoming more annoyed with her behavior. I can't decide if he's being a smart ass or if he's getting aggravated.