Page 21 of Shattered

Sunflower: Just talk to me.

Neilix: Done.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Neilix

I scuff my shoe on the dirt as I lean against Jason’s Honda Civic, waiting for him to finally come out of the house. A mix of emotions are tumbling around in my body, wreaking havoc on my insides and making me fidgety.

The hearing for Jacob’s trial is today, and me and Jason are traveling to Chicago to be there for it. With the way everything has been going this past month, my hopes that things are going to work out in Jacob’s favor are low.

The familiar creak of their front door opening pulls my eyes in that direction, but it’s Sienna stepping outside, not Jason. “Hey,” she greets softly, the smallest curve of a sad smile on her lips. “How are you doing?”

“I’m all right.”

“Liar.” Sienna bumps her shoulder with mine and leans against the car beside me.

Her perception doesn’t surprise me. She’s witnessed the changes in Jason over the past weeks: the decline in his moods, the anger, and being more withdrawn. When he’s not circling the drain of misery, he’s high.

She’s probably also aware that our group has fallen apart, and everything is different than it used to be. I fucking miss them.

“I heard your dad has been getting more hours at the gas station. That’s good, at least.”

I nod, my gaze dropping to the ground. “Yeah. It’s not what he wants to be doing, but it’s something.”

Dad has been a mechanic for most of his adult life, so his options were limited. In addition to that, not many places were hiring, and those that were wanted a young person. When the gas station offered him a part-time job, he took it immediately.

“They won’t find him guilty if he didn’t do it,” she says quietly, knowing where my mind is today.

I guess that’s what I’m afraid of. If he’s found guilty, does that mean he actually did it and I was friends with someone like him? Or is it possible they could get it wrong? This is Jacob we’re talking about—one of the nicest people I know, as well as dependable. He had a crush on Jennifer for years but was always too shy to do anything.

“I hope so.”

Sienna lifts a hand as if to squeeze my arm, but drops it quickly when the front door flies open again.

“All right. Let’s get this show on the road.” When Jason notices Sienna, his steps falter and eyebrows dip down. “What the fuck are you doing out here?”

She ignores his rudeness and approaches him, wrapping her arms around his waist while I slip into the passenger seat.

“I’m just headed to Sarah’s. I hope it turns out okay today.”

“Of course it will.” Jason playfully shoves her away with a scoff while opening his door.

Sienna dips her head and waves to me through the window, and a second later, Jason drops into the driver’s seat, and we’re off. The only sounds in the car for the first few minutes are Jason’s hands tapping on the steering wheel. He’s no doubt as anxious as I am.

I zone out, staring unseeing out the window with my mind a million miles away.

“So, my cousin’s having a party in a couple of days,” Jason announces several minutes into the drive. “We should go.”

A party is not exactly high on my list of things to worry about right now, so I make a grunting sound and continue looking out the window. The car drifts to the side before Jason corrects it, obviously a little distracted. I don’t pay much attention and continue watching the passing scenery.

“Yeah, we should definitely go,” he continues. “Have you seen his new girlfriend? She’s pretty hot.” It’s when he veers to the side once again that I turn to look at him. “Anyway, I think I need to get laid. Oh, I was thinking of getting a dog.” Jason taps the steering wheel faster, his head bobbing. “Such a good tune.”

My gaze flickers to the radio, which is not even on right now, and then back to Jason, watching as he fidgets, his movements not normal. It’s not sunny today, but he’s wearing sunglasses, and that should have clued me in earlier. Reaching over, I rip them off his face and see the dilated pupils he was trying to hide.

“Are you fucking driving high right now? Why would you take something?”

He snatches the glasses back with a scoff, as if I’m being ridiculous, and slides them on top of his head, continuing his tapping on the steering wheel.

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