Psychotic craze

I sat in the back seat of Toby's Land Rover watching the trees and random houses flicker by through the window, the sky didn't express so many colours now, it was just a blend of black and navy blue. The silence between us 3 was starting to get uncomfortable - I felt like I was intruding on something and regretted accepting Toby's offer for a ride home instantly. I should have waited with Alec but he had insisted that I take the ride especially seeing as it was getting cold out. I hummed along to the song playing and fiddled with my thumbs when Hazel turned around to face me. She grinned wildly and winked, her eyes pointing to the direction of Toby and then she gave me a thumbs up. Clearly she was in.

My stomach lurched for some reason and I bit my tongue. Something Alec had said was pushing itself forward in my mind and I also agreed. I wanted to tell Toby that Hazel was bad news, but I didn't want it to seem like I was jealous or anything. Of course there was the point of Hazel wanting to change, I couldn't be sure if she was still a trouble maker or not - heck I didn't even know much about her! I told myself not to jump to conclusions, if Toby wanted to try out a rebel then I shouldn't stand in his way - who the hell was I to anyway?

"So what were you doing with Alec?" She raised her eyebrows and at that moment Toby turned the volume down to listen in. I rolled my eyes.

"He wanted to take his car out for a drive, something about only just fixing it and he wanted to test it out." I explained.

"But why didn't he ask someone else?" She blinked smirking.

"Because - Kelly was busy, Daniel was out and Toby was - was with you." I mumbled.

"You do know he has a girlfriend, you told me that yourself!" She spoke and I grit my teeth - Hazel was getting annoying.

"What's your point? I didn't move to America to steal someone's boyfriend, I don't even look at Alec in that way. You're talking as if a female and male can't hang out without it having to mean something." I said trying to control my voice but I failed to hide the bitterness, she noticed this and decided to back off a little.

"I'm just saying and plus you can probably get any guy to fall at your feet." She turned back around and I sat there resisting the urge to kick her backseat really hard.

Toby chuckled and I saw him vaguely shake his head.

"So how did your first day go?" He asked loudly over the music briefly making eye contact with me through his mirror. I opened my mouth to speak when I was cut in.

"I've had tonnes of first days of school so it was no big deal, although I did meet some great people." She laughed hitting his arm and I tried not to laugh at the fact that the question was addressed to me not her.

Soon the car started to slow as it weaved through unfamiliar streets and then it rolled to a stop outside a small house; I looked out seeing 2 boys with their hoods up sitting on the front steps smoking. They glared at the car and stood up defensively when Hazel got out.

"My brothers." Hazel muttered and Toby shot a look of fake horror at me and I laughed.

"Why don't you come and sit at the front?" Toby asked leaning back to glance at me.

"I'm sure she's fine in the back." Hazel cut in leaning through the window.

"See you tomorrow Toby." She smiled brilliantly before walking up her front steps, I watched Toby stare after her for a brief moment before he revved the engine, and he sped away quickly and then rolled to another stop around the corner.

"Would you like to sit here?" He asked politely gesturing to the front seat next to him.

"Are you sure it wouldn't cause Hazel to mentally implode if I did?" I asked dryly but he only laughed and motioned me to come and sit - so I did.

"So where to?" He asked drumming his thumbs on the steering wheel.

"Here's a funny thought - how about home?" I replied sarcastically before he started driving.

"So how was your first day at school Alison?"

"Fine."

"Just fine?"

"Just fine." I mumbled and he laughed.

"I bet it's hard for you." He said after a minute of silence and I tried to appear as casual as possible.

"New country, new town, new school, new faces." He murmured.

"It is." I agreed.

"So what did you do tonight?" He asked casually glancing at me sideways.

"Sat in Alec's car." I replied shrugging.

"Oh - err right." He brushed off too quickly as if he had been expecting me to tell him a dramatic story.

"So what did you and Hazel get up to?" I asked randomly peering out of the window.

"Oh, this and that. She can be a handful." He chuckled and I nodded.

"It was more of a demand to be honest; she just came up to me and told me where we were going." He laughed.

"That’s Hazel for you." I sat up straight once I began to see familiar streets whizz past us, I felt slightly at ease now knowing my whereabouts vaguely. Something about being in an unknown place with someone I didn’t quite know made the hairs on my arm stand up. I had a habit of thinking the worst of a situation and to analyse every possible outcome before I did something. Agreeing to jump into a car with Alec was not like me at all, I bit my lip trying to persuade myself that it was okay to do something spontaneous once in a while. The problem was, I had always found it hard to believe someone just because they were genuine, and there was nearly always a catch. I cleared my thoughts at once; I wouldn’t be so stupid again, even though Alec and Toby happened to be Daniels best friends and seemed to be okay, I still had to be careful. I was in a new country with new faces as Toby had said, being careless and wandering off with the wrong person could be harmful.

“Earth to Alison.” I heard an amused voice sound loudly from somewhere; I shook my head and looked to see the car at a standstill.

“Oh!” I breathed rather embarrassed at my inability to realise we had stopped; I bet I had been staring into space with a ditsy expression.

“You looked like you were in deep thought.” He acknowledged smiling and shaking his blonde hair out of his eye.

“I was.” I nodded, unfastening my seatbelt.

“I see, anything interesting?”

“Not particularly, I’ve just decided to be more careful.”

“I agree you need to be more careful.”

“Oh?” I asked.

“Yes, I could have driven you out onto a cliff and pushed you off.” Toby rolled his eyes and laughed.

“You could have tried but you wouldn’t have succeeded.” I stated proudly.

“And why’s that?”

“Because Toby, you’re talking to a pushing people off a cliff professional!” I grinned.

“Please, spare me!” His face filled with a look of fake horror and he put his hands up quickly.

“I’ll think about it, thanks for the ride.” I laughed shutting the door, he waved and sped off once more as I entered my house, I could hear his engine slowly fade away in the distant and silence became known once more before I heard an irritated cough. I looked to see my mother standing there with her hands on her hips and her expression stern. Oops!