The look on his face resembled that of an annoyed mother; the corner of his lips turned downwards, forehead crinkled, and narrow eyes. He wanted to drive by himself, but a certain somebody just had to join him. This was the moment he had been trying to avoid for months.

She climbed into the passenger seat of his truck, being careful not to slam the door. He reluctantly waited as she silently buckled up. Once she was finished, he hastily drove away from the shop, leaving behind a cloud of dust and dirt. The truck sped along an unevenly paved road and soft music played from the radio. Although he appreciated the quiet atmosphere, he was waiting for her to start speaking.

“So, why’d you wanna tag along with me?” He surprisingly spoke up, cautiously glancing at her from the corner of his eye and hearing her almost silently sigh.

“Because we need to talk.” She looked out of the window. She’s calm. Good he thought to himself.

“About what, Hannah?” He questioned, turning right at an intersection.

“About us, Nick,” She softly spoke. It was his turn to sigh. That was the one topic of he desperately wanted to avoid. Any other thing he would rather talk about, but he had to be in this predicament. So, he went quiet and waited for what she had to say. “How come you never responded to my letter?” She asked, looking over at him. He looked too and caught sight of the freckles that dotted her face. He remembered how he used to admire her freckles, how he would connect them in his head. Now, he was terrified and never wanted to see them again.

“I-I didn’t have time.” He stammered through his lie, but he could tell that Hannah saw right through it. She turned to face him fully, probably ready to spitfire questions. After knowing her for so long, he figured that it would be a while before he’d get the chance to explain himself.

“Didn’t have time? What do you mean ‘didn’t have time?’ You clearly had enough time to work out and get a girlfriend!” Her voice raised as she continued to speak. “Tell me how you had no time to write back?”

“I-”

“Back to your girlfriend, who is she? How did that happen? Did you disregard what happened between us the day before you left?” She asked. His grip on the steering wheel grew tighter, but he knew to keep quiet. I’ll just wait until she calms down he thought. He continued driving down unfamiliar roads. The distance between streetlights grew further and further by the mile, yet he could still see her glaring at him with a reddened face.

“I’m sorry, okay?” Nick sighed. “I just…I don’t know.”

“I just want to know why it’s so weird and awkward between us. You don’t even talk to me anymore! I miss hanging out with you and playing video games for hours. I miss the old Dominick, my Dominick.” She slumped against the polyester seat, defeated.  The only sound was the low rumble of the truck driving on rough pavement. He snuck a glance at the dejected girl, feeling a twinge of pity in his heart.

“I’m sorry, Hannah,” He whispered again, continuing his strange route. They were at a point of no return. The street names became unfamiliar, the  house structure was different than theirs. In fact, the houses they passed were much nicer and much bigger. The directions that Sean gave them instructed that the house was separated from the others, but luckily there was a small sign that led them to the location.

“I just wish I could hang out with you, you know. I want things to go back to the way they used to.” Hannah mumbled.

“I want that, too.” Nick responded quickly. The familiar silence crept upon them as he drove down the road, which changed from smooth pavement to rough dirt. As he continued down the path, a figure slumped on the side of the path caught his eye. Not only did it look like a human, but it had a flash of neon, much like Sean’s shoelaces. Nick quickly pulled over unbuckled his seatbelt.

“Stay here,” He commanded as he exited the truck. Upon closer inspection, it was Sean. Half of his face was bloodied and dirtied, especially his left eye socket. Nick could feel nausea creep in his stomach and travel up to his throat, but he pushed the feeling away. Instead, he effortlessly picked up the limp boy and carried him to the backseat.

“What happened?” Hannah worriedly asked as she watched as Nick carefully set Sean down. He removed his blood-soaked shirt and used it to cover the wound, leaving him in his undershirt. His forearms were caked in the red substance, which left a tangy, coppery scent in the vehicle, but he paid no attention. He climbed back into the driver’s seat and turned the truck around before finally answering.

“I think someone tried to kill Sean.”