bite.

thirty seven

I press my hand to my forehead as I open my eyes, at the steering wheel of a chameleon colored Ford mustang.

I sigh deeply, looking at my surroundings. where the fuck am I and how did I get here?

i look in the backseat of the car, seeing a teenage girl about nineteen with dyed red hair. a tight black dress clad her small body, a baby pink case covered her iPhone 7, and she was just curled up in the backseat, her entire body completely still.

at least I wasnt covered in blood this time.

i sigh deeply, looking at my phone.

3:36AM
29 unread messages from billie!

great. of course.

I do as she says and turn my GPS on, sending her the location almost immediately. i chew on my lip, my eyes going to the redhead in the backseat. I tried watching her chest, to see if there was any movement, but there wasnt. no movement, whatsoever, not even a twitch of a finger.

I start the car and turn the heater on, the cold air of outside seeping through the vents. goosebumps raise on my skin as I wait for the heater to warm up. I sigh deeply, the soft glow of LED lights be eath the seats and glove box illuminating the inside of the car.

I lean my forehead against the steering wheel, my heart racing as I realize that not only did i kill a girl, but I stole her fucking car.

why the fuck do i keep doing this?

about an hour after billie sends her last text, I see headlights in the left side view mirror. my breathing becomes labored as i wait for the car to pull up beside me, but they dont - they stop directly behind me.

i roll down the window as I see someone get out, making their way to the driver side window in a slight jog.

"hey, are yall okay?" a strange man asks? his eyebrows furrowed as he looks at me. "I was driving by and saw your tail lights - one of them is out, by the way."

I let out a nervous laugh, running my hand through my hair. "yeah, I'm fine.. I started falling asleep, so I pulled over." I lie through my teeth, refusing to look the blond haired man in the eyes. "my girlfriend is coming to pick us up, though."

he nods, looking around the deserted street. "good; I just figured I'd ask." his eyes trail to the backseat of the car, and I got even more nervous than before. "your friend looks like she had way too much to drink," he chuckles, his index finger and thumb rubbing his bottom lip.

"yeah," I trail off, looking in the rear view mirror. "she got a little carried away.."

"it's a good thing she wasnt driving then," he states, nodding to himself. "you're a good friend."

"thanks," I reply shortly, seeing another pair of headlights in the mirror. the car pulls in front of me and I sigh in relief, my eyes closing as I see the black dodge charger. "that's my girlfriend."

"alright, well," he begins, stepping away from the car slowly. "stay safe, ladies." with that, he walks back to his car and speeds off in his Ford F150.

"who the fuck was that?" billie asks, walking up to the vehicle I was in.

"he stopped to make sure I was okay," I tell her as i open the door, rolling up the window and shutting the engine off.

"you shouldve just told him to fuck off," she states, wrapping her arms around me as soon as I step out of the car.

I bury my face in her neck, tears immediately falling from my eyes. "I shouldn't have ever left," I mumble through quiet sobs, my arms wrapping around her neck to pull her closer.

she squeezes my body, kissing my forehead gently before brushing my hair out of my face, whispering softly. "did you make sure shes dead?" she asks, referring to the girl in the backseat.

"she doesnt look like shes breathing." I say, shaking my head slightly. "I dont want to touch her."

she nods slightly and opens the back door, her fingers prodding the girl's neck. seconds later, she closes the door and looks at me. "her heart is still beating, baby, you have nothing to worry about."

"what do I do, bil?" I ask through tears, pointing at the girl. "I dont know what happened, or how I ended up with her car, or how she ended up in the back seat, still alive."

"the only thing we can do is leave her here." she tells me, cupping my cheeks in her hands. "we leave her here, and if something happens later, well- we're leaving the city soon anyway."

"you still want me?" I ask sadly, looking down at our feet.

"I will always want you, rowan," she tells me, using her finger to tilt my chin up. "no matter what comes between us - even if you did see me die."

"I'm scared, bil," I tell her, squeezing her hands in my own. "I dont even know how this happened, or how to fix it."

she presses her lips against mine softly, murmuring as she pulls away, "I'm gonna help you get through this, just like you help me through mine."