Being Shot

P h o t o #62 - Breaking And Entering

A blissful smack sounded out in the car, and I watched out of the corner of my eye as Kayla directed a very angry glare towards the back, "Wow Jonas, could you be any more sensitive?" She said sarcastically.

Silence ensued, and we all braced ourselves for the fight that was coming. But the quiet continued, and I couldn't help but wonder just what the hell had happened between them to reach this point. I would've asked if I had a moment to care about it then.

"Alright," Jonas said, his voice remorseful, "Got it, I'm sorry. You're just stressing me the hell out driving like that."

"Eloquent." Kayla said as she swiveled back around and crossed her sleeve-clad arms.

I could almost hear Jonas grit his teeth, but was again surprised as he held back any retort he had ready, "...Anyways, you mind telling us just what in God's name is going on? Last time I checked we were going to grab a bite to eat down in the cafeteria and wait until Emma could visit her grandma. Now all of a sudden we're driving across town to go to your house?!" His voice rose as he spoke, showing his confusion.

"I'd like to know the same thing." Parker said, shifting in his seat, "Honestly, I'm having a hard time following just what led up to this in the first place. Care to fill us in?"

Finally, Cooper spoke up, his tone limp enough to startle me into remembering just how much Jonas' earlier comment most likely meant to him, "Me too. What's going on, Elliot?"

Questions flew at me left and right, as if Cooper's last statement was a gun firing off to signal the start of a race. The flood gates were open, and everyone wanted their answer to be given first.

It was then that I realized that no one really knew about what had happened between me and Emma over the course of these past few months. I didn't really know why it took me this long to notice how distant I was with them.

But I was still frustrated, and at any other point I would've spilled everything. The mixed voices were grating on my nerves, adding to the irritation I felt for the drivers surrounding me.

My left hand slammed down on the buttons along my door, forcing every window in the car to roll down with an angry rush of wind that almost clawed at the inside of my eardrums. I needed to cool my head, that was certain.

Frigid air whipped my hair into crazed tufts as Kayla let out a yelp and clamped her arms around her head. Her raging voice sounded garbled against the pressure, and I probably looked like a mad man at that point, but I needed some fresh air. The tension was far too thick in my car, and all I wished to do was release it.

I turned down the next exit, rounding a patch of road and stopping at a stoplight, turning my blinker on as I sat back, never realizing until then that I was practically hunched forward in my seat.

"Feel better?" Kayla asked, her teeth chattering as she finally regained enough senses to roll her window back up again, her hair already sticking out in my than a few places. I was almost surprised by how calm she sounded, although she huffed a breath, "Geez, you could've just told us to shut up."

"Let's just say the plans have changed." I finally spoke, rolling up the car windows again and suddenly feeling the after effects of my outburst, "And let's just say that I'm not entirely sure what Emma has in mind either. Better?"

A crease formed in Kayla's light eyebrows, "No," She deadpanned, the look of uncertainty still filling her face, "not really."

Again, irritation flared up in my chest, but I knew better than to direct it at anyone. If anything, I blatently understood that I was angry that I couldn't give my friends what they wanted because I had no clue myself what was really going on. I was pussed off I couldn't read Emma, couldn't pinpoint exactly what she had in mind, couldn't shake the anxiety in my chest, nerves in response to the fact that I was leading her straight to my father without any explanation.