The Lies We Share ✔

Chapter 16

"I don't mind, they are just protecting you," Laura smiled back, he knew just what to say. Laura grabbed shotgun in his car.

"So, how'd you manage to get this car from your parents?" Laura asked, surely, they don't just let him take the car because they want to be nice, considering what his dad did to his face, they didn't seem to be reasonable people.

"Let's just say we get this car back in a short amount of time we are good, beer is like a sedative to them," he replied while starting the vehicle. Laura nodded her understanding of the dangers of having a few too many were just beginning to grow.

"Anyway, anything on your mind?" Laura pried, hoping to broaden the conversation past Ryan's home life. He just gave her a small smirk.

"Laura you should know we are not going to Spiderman, I'd had a tough week," he said, putting the car in reverse and they were on the road. Part of Laura was feeling bad they wouldn't be going to the movies, she liked going to the movies. She could eat all the popcorn she wanted, it was dark so she didn't have to look presentable, and basically, it was an introvert's paradise. If she had a tough week the movies were exactly where she would want to go, but it was his prerogative. Perhaps what Ryan had was an interesting proposition, maybe she would learn more about him.

"Hey, did you ever get that trumpet solo?" she asked to fill the void of silence, she couldn't believe she remembered that he had auditioned before Christmas break for a solo, he hadn't mentioned it again. She grimaced a bit she hoped she wouldn't seem like a stalker, she felt nervous.

"Um—no that solo was given to Mary Green actually," he said, Laura was not surprised to hear that, the band director from what she had heard from Ryan liked to play favorites, and Mary happened to be one of them.

"Damn that Mary," Laura said, he smiled at her remark.

"Yep, damn her," he said back, they drove in silence for a bit.

"Sorry, if I am not very talkative, last weekend was intense and I shouldn't have brought you into my weird life. It's my fault," he said. He cleared his throat and continued on, "Yep, tonight will not be awkward."

"I really want to playfully punch you right now, but you're driving, and I don't want to go off the road. You're not awkward, that's my job. But I have to tell you, nothing about last weekend I regret, and you needed help why wouldn't you come to me? We were friends first and I care about you," Laura said looking at him, he broke his eye contact with the road, and Laura added, "don't get into an accident."

"Right," he said eye laser-focused on the road again.

"Yep, tonight will be awkward," Laura said, and she smiled, especially if she was involved in this date she speculated.

Laura looked out of the car window at the blackish-blue night sky, they had been driving for about fifteen minutes and they were now on country roads, this neck of the woods was darker, no light pollution. Snow and ice skittered out from the tires of the car in front of them, their only light source was the headlights of Ryan's car. Laura had begun to wonder where Ryan was taking her.

"I know we are letting Spiderman wait, but where are you taking me?" Laura asked feeling dubious. Not that she felt she was being kidnapped, but that she felt unsure in her surroundings, which to be fair did sound a lot like a kidnapping. What did he have in mind?

"Well, I was thinking of driving up to the cliffs tonight, maybe we could listen to some music? Talk for a bit? I am so sick of the silence," he said a bit sadly.

"Oh right, sounds awesome," Laura said encouragingly, what did he mean by silence and why did he sound so cryptic right now?

"How far away are the cliffs?" she asked, curious as to how much time they would even have when they got there, she did have to be home by ten, as per her mom's guidance.