ii. liability

304 23 0
                                    

Jack glanced at the fidgeting stranger at the back of their car---well, not really their car, per say, but might as well be.

Him and Harper---mostly Harper---had been driving the car for the past few hours, hoping to find a decent motel room to stay into for the night.

They were quietly listening to some tunes, one of Harper's playlists plugged into the audio jack, with him humming and tapping his foot into the music.

It was close to three o'clock in the morning when Jack saw the seemingly lost stranger--he was wandering on the sidewalks, glancing back and forth to his surroundings as if he was being followed.

He asked Harper to pull over, the driver opposing at first.

"Come on, Harp," Jack whined, clutching onto the driver's shoulder. "He seemed like he needs help."

Harper did not reply, silently stepping on the break as he crossed his arm and sighed. Jack grinned at the other, pressing a button to open the shotgun window.

"Need a ride?" he asked, the stranger with black curly hair gawking at the him.  He saw the man hesitantly nod his head as he walked over the back door, opening it and sitting right at the middle.

When Harper started driving again, Jack immediately noticed the blood on the stranger's clothes and his brows furrowed and he lost his smile. The man was clearly shaken from something and he was hugging himself for comfort.

The stranger saw him glancing and he tried to hide his bloodstained shirt but it was already too late---him and Harper already saw it.

"Fuck you, Jack. Why did you pick him up?" Harper cursed, gritting his teeth and gripping tightly on the steering wheel.

Jack explained how the stranger looked like he needed help. And he honestly does, shaking and looking frail while him and Harper argue.

"He's a fucking liability." Harper hissed, glaring at the stranger. "And, he could snitched us out."

"He does not know shit, Harp. Relax."
Harper groaned, "Well, he might as well do when you let him ride this motherfucking car."

"Look, it's gonna be fine." Jack gripped on Harper's arm, moving his head on the stranger on the back. "You won't say anything, right, curlies?"

The stranger blinked at his question, looking down as he nodded his head.
Jack grinned at him, pulling a thumb up before patting Harper's tense shoulders.

"See? We're gonna be fine."

He knew the driver wanted to say more to him but the other only mustered a sigh. Jack beamed---Harper always has a weak spot for him.

Finally,  they were able to find a motel after driving a few more blocks and turns on the dark streets. Harper rented a room, Jack telling the stranger to follow them inside.

Jack could see that his best friend was still wary of the stranger, the latter being the same.

He huffed before saying, "Okay, care to tell us your story, stranger?"

Jack saw the curly man fidget from his chair, anxiously biting his lip before starting tearing up.

Before he could even think, Jack wrapped his arms around the curly man's shaking torso, letting the stranger's head lean at his hopefully comforting shoulders.

The man broke down and it was the only sound heard on the dark, cramped room.

It was the start of a long, sleepless night.

~

Hooray~! It's Harp and Jack!!! 🤧💕

Honestly, this is so much fun to write and I hope ya'll enjoying it so far 💞

What are your thoughts? 🤔

(SubtleJacklyn/Trixia)

CLOUD NINE // sarcklyn (OT4) ✔Where stories live. Discover now