Friends and Alibis

My talk with Zack had kind of thrown me off the rails the next day and I just couldn't concentrate at work.

When I got home I tried to go for a run but I soon noticed that I didn't have enough stamina to even run two miles.

I tried to make cupcakes but I fucked it up already when it came to the batter.

So, no matter what I started...It failed. I didn't know if it was because of my shaky hands or my jumpiness or that my thoughts just weren't where they should have been. It was just me trying to distract myself from pondering on it for too long.

He said that Amelia reminded him of me. I didn’t want to be associated with her in any way, and the thought of the both of them married made me shudder even more.

It was dark outside already and I still hadn't calmed down so I grabbed my keys and went for a ride around town. I had lived in Huntington Beach for about 3 Weeks now but I still hadn't gotten around to see if it had changed in any way. The boys, Katelyn and my job had kept me busy.

I was just driving alongside the beach when I suddenly hit something heavy. The shock of hitting something or someone made me slam the brakes even faster and my car slithered over the road until it came to a final halt.

I just sat in my car, my heart pounding, my held breath finally escaping and chanting over and over again to myself that I hadn't hit anything with a heartbeat.

My hands were gripping the steering wheel and I had problems peeling off my fingers. I was shaking like mad and couldn't bring myself to look into the rear view window.

I was just hoping that I hadn't hit a human. But I would've seen him or her then, wouldn't I? Anyway I would faint as soon as I'd see blood or broken bones.

My brain was in panic-mode and I was near hyperventilating. Without much thought I fished for my mobile phone and my fingers sweeping over the keys, then struggling to hold the phone to my ear without shaking too much.

"Please pick up, please pick up." I barely whispered into the receiver while I waited for the voice on the other end.

When I finally heard rustling on the other end I didn't wait for someone's voice, I just started talking and panicking even more.

"Oh god Oh god oh god I think I've hit something and I don't .. Oh god just please come here."

"May, calm down, what happened? What did you hit?" Zack's ever so calming voice rang through my phone.

"I don't know! I was driving alongside the beach and then I hit something and I don't want to get out of my car! Oh god, just please come here!" I begged with tears starting to prick at the corner of my eye.

"Don't worry. I'll get you. Where are you?"

"Beach Boulevard. Please hurry." I said and held my phone in place until I heard a click on the other end of the line, indicating that he had ended the call.

I waited and it seemed to take him hours. But even though I knew that he'd come, I jumped when he tapped on my window. My thoughts had been a wild mess and I hadn't even noticed him parking his car behind mine. We were lucky that there weren't many cars on the road anyway.

I opened my door and he bent down to look at me. He looked tired but it probably was after midnight. I just hadn't checked the time for a while.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"I don't know." I breathed out.

"I don't see anything, so you probably didn't kill anything." He said, trying to reassure me-

"No blood?"

"No blood or guts." He confirmed.

"But I did hit something, I know I did." I raised my voice, getting anxious.

"It probably was a dog or something like that. But it ran away again. No blood, no dead people, no dead animals. It's okay, calm down." He said, touching my arm that was still on the steering wheel.

"I can't calm down, when I know I hurt something. Can we at least go looking for it?" I asked, feeling even worse.

"Yeah, come on." He said, taking my hand and gently pulling me upwards, out of my seat.

"Thank you, by the way." I said, after we took the first corner.

"Anything for you." He said and pulled me into a sideways hug while we were still walking. "Why did you even call me? I mean, I don't have a problem with it. But you could've called any of the guys, y'know."

"I don't know." I answered, confused. I hadn't even thought about who I was calling. "I guess you just were the first person to come to my mind." I admitted, and it was true.

He didn't reply to that, he just pulled me closer into his side and we kept walking until we found our cars again.

Before I got into my car I turned around again to Zack, who was standing right in front of me.

"Thanks again. It means a lot to me. Really." I admitted and he smiled.

"As I said. Anything for you." He said with a genuine smile.

I turned away from him, unlocked my car and turned around again to say something when I heard a silent "Fuck it.".

He grabbed my arms and gently pushed me against my car, his lips meeting mine. And I kissed him back.

We never found whatever I had hit with my car that night.

Notes