Cabin Fever | ✓

(14) You Dropped The Soap And Realized What You Were Missing

Five Days Later

"If you want me to turn around, just say the word, Marley," Jason shot her a glance from the drivers seat, before Dalton's Dodge Charger was jerking as he shifted gears.

He's not good at driving stick. But Aid-

She flinched, hugging her legs tighter to her body and looking out the passenger side window. They were cruising down the freeway but it was a blurred view, it had been raining steadily all morning. The last few days, on and off.

"I don't...I don't want to turn around," she replied quietly, her hollow chest flaring up for a few moments, so she squeezed her eyes shut temporarily, "but what if he wants me to?"

"Marley-"

"Five days, Jason. I abandoned him when he needed me. I don't even know why we're doing this. I'm probably the last person he wants to see at his release."

Jason let out a loud sigh, "Leo told you what he said, right? After he read your note?"

She rested her chin on her knees, her coffee brown waves brushing over her cheeks, "Yes," her voice broke.

"He said he understands. He doesn't blame you, Marley, and he knows you're not afraid of him. You just needed time and he was okay with that."

Aiden's been in holding at the police station for the last five days. After the confrontation with his father, the police arrested him and his father was taken off in an ambulance. Marley hasn't been told a whisper about Mr. Matthews, any update at all, but since Aiden is being released without a single nick on his record today - clearly he decided not to press charges.

Marley found out yesterday from Jason that it was a combination of his father backing away and Dalton managing to deal with the officers at the station.

With her mind in a jumble these past few days, she was barely able to keep her head above water with her schoolwork and had an hour or two of sleep every night - but she still put it together that Dalton's gang connections was what probably got Aiden out of trouble.

Marley is the kind of person to demand answers about something as sketchy as that, but she would rather be ignorant to the truth since Aiden is going to be okay. That's all that matters.

Right now, though, she isn't. They haven't spoken. Not once since she ran away from him on the trial that morning after he punched his father. Leo went to visit Aiden with Jason almost every day, the only two people he'd allowed to see him.

But Marley couldn't do it.

She'd get close to the car next to Leo, hand on the door handle, and then flinch away and apologize profusely for bailing on him. Leo would tell her that it's okay, but she wrote him a letter knowing an apology through a messenger wasn't enough.

Marley wrote Aiden everything she wanted to say to him if she could. That she isn't afraid of him, that she understands. She loves him and she's thinking of him, even if she can't physically be there.

And being the person he is, Aiden told Leo to tell her that he doesn't hold it against her. Not one bit. Even in his darkest moments, when he's suffering and working through the fact that his father slept with Violet all those years ago - he doesn't blame her for not being there when he needs her the most.