On Thin Ice

50

I just ignored him, causing Ian to let out a heavy sigh at my lack of response.

"Your phone is going off," he said, picking it up off the nightstand.

"I don't care," I replied in a dull tone.

"It's Micah," he said, raising his eyebrows at me. "It looks like he's called you a couple times."

This caused me to sit up and take the phone out of Ian's hand. Micah would only call me with a real reason. It wouldn't just to be checking up on me or to talk about nothing. Him calling me meant something was going on.

"Hello?" I rushed to answer.

"Elijah, we have a bit of a situation," Micah told me, his voice sounding nervous.

"What's going on?"

I shared a look with Ian, who was staring at me in confusion.

"Landon just showed up at my house," he said. "Absolutely drunk."

I let out a long sigh, rubbing my temples with my thumb and forefinger.

"I don't know what to do with him," Micah continued. "He's just rambling and bumping into stuff."

"Are your parents home?"

"No," he said. "They went to his house tonight to talk with his parents. I don't want to call them in case his parents get angry that he came here."

I sighed again. "Can you get him to fall asleep somewhere?"

"I need you to help me," Micah pleaded. "Please, Elijah."

I leaned my head back on the wall and stared at the ceiling. I really couldn't just have tonight to wallow in self-pity. Something always had to happen.

"Fine," I said. "I'm on my way."

I hung up the phone as I got up from my bed, throwing a sweatshirt on over my shirt and sticking my phone in the pocket.

"What are you doing?" Ian asked, also getting up from the bed.

"I have to go," I said, grabbing my keys from my dresser. "You can stay here."

"Should you really be going anywhere right now?" he questioned, giving me a challenging stare. "You literally just looked like you were two seconds away from ending it all, and now you're rushing off somewhere?"

I walked out of my bedroom, Ian quickly following behind me.

"Would I be a good friend right now if I just let you walk off?" he asked, grabbing onto my arm to stop me.

We shared a look for a moment before I continued my way out to the car, Ian on my heels. He didn't even ask where we were headed when I started the car and began the journey to Micah's house. Ian sat stoic in the passenger's seat, resting his arm on the center console.

I pulled the car up to Micah's house, rolling the front tire over the curb before parking and rushing with Ian into the house. I didn't bother knocking before stepping inside and seeing Landon wandering around the living room in front of a bewildered Micah.

Micah's eyes found their way to me and Landon's quickly followed.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Landon asked, pointing toward me and taking a shaky step forward.

"Landon, come on," I said with a sigh, holding my arm out to him. "Let's get you upstairs so you can lie down."

"Don't touch me!" he screamed, stumbling backward and knocking into the mantle behind him.