Free Ransom by Denise Mathew

surprised, but shrugged a shoulder.  
    “You sure?” he asked.  
    I nodded with conviction. Even though I hadn’t already called my mother, it was going to happen in the near future. I needed to get away from it all, despite the reaming out I was bound to get from her.
    “I told her to pick me up in the parking area. I’ll wait in Trinity’s car until she gets here,” I said.  
      “You sure?” Aiden said again, sounding like a broken record.  
    The rain had turned from a thin mist to a steady stream, leaving Aiden’s hair pasted to his head. I felt rivulets of water run down my face. I wondered how much of my make-up had melted away and how frizzy my hair was.
    “I’m sure,” I whispered.  
    The one thing that I appreciated about the rain was that it mixed with my tears, making it impossible to see that I was still crying.
    “Let me at least walk you to the car,” he said.
    I shrugged. “Fine,” I said, realizing that there was little point in arguing with him.  
    I hobbled toward the parking lot with my shoes dangling from my hand. Aiden walked beside me silently. I was grateful to reach Trinity’s car so I could take cover from the rain. Not to mention that as soon as I was alone, I could snap the fine thread of control that kept me from collapsing into a ball of tears and snot in front of Aiden.  
    I opened the door of the car, appreciative of the fact that Trinity never bothered to lock up. She always reasoned that if someone was desperate enough to take the car, then they should have it.
    I slipped into the passengers side seat, closed the door and rolled down the window.
    “You sure you’re going to be okay?” Aiden lifted his brows dubiously.
    “Not when Mom gets here I won’t be, but before that happens I’ll be fine,” I said with a brittle smile.
    Aiden nodded. “Don’t forget to lock the doors and roll up the windows,” he said.
    I released a soft chuckle. “Thanks mother hen,” I said.
    Aiden gave me a half smile. “Trinity is going to rip a strip off my ass for leaving you alone in the car anyway, but if some dumbass drunk messes with you…” He drew a line across his throat with his index finger.
    I laughed again, this time it was real. It was enough to release the cords of tension that ran through every part of my body. Aiden turned away and walked slowly back to the party. Just before he disappeared from sight he shot another fleeting look my way. I waved and painted a fake grin across my face. He gave me a thumbs up then he was gone.
    I pulled my phone from my purse then dialed Mom’s number. A part of me wanted it to go to voice mail, so I could leave a message for her to pick me up. Having the machine answer would have been so much easier than explaining that I needed to be rescued from a party that I wasn’t supposed to be at. It of course would only get worse when she arrived and caught me wearing clothes that were more than a touch slutty, not to mention that I probably smelled like a brewery.  
    Life just didn’t get any better.  
    Mom picked up on the third ring.
    “Lexie? Is everything okay?” she said. Her voice was laced with tension.
    I shook my head as if she could see me. Just hearing her voice made my throat close over with anguish.
    “No Mom, I messed up,” I said, my voice trembling.
    “Did someone hurt you? Are you okay, are you…” I heard the panic in her tone and I wanted to take it away. She didn’t deserve the stress that I was putting her through. Especially not after she had warned me about going to the party.
    “No Mom, I’m fine physically…I just made a complete ass of myself in front of Mitch and I just want to go home…”
    “I’m coming right now,” she said without hesitation. Her unwavering support and unconditional acceptance, only made me feel worse for the way I had acted earlier.  
    “I’m at Dallas’s party,” I said, simply.
    “I’ll be there in about half an hour,” she said. “Stay safe.”  
    I was