Chad’s parents, on the other hand, were expendable. Chad decided he couldn’t risk it. He’d go wherever the person on the phone told him to go, and then his parents would be safe and Peter would rescue him.
Mind made up, Chad mustered a neutral expression and pushed the door open.
“What the hell were you doing in there?” Aiden asked, looking at Chad with a frown.
“Talking to my mom,” Chad answered. “I need to go get something from the car.”
He knew that he couldn’t ditch Aiden now, but Aiden wasn’t expecting him to make a run for it. He could use that against him.
“Now? You’re already late for class,” Aiden said. He sounded like he thought Chad was an idiot.
“Yes, now,” Chad said. He turned around and started walking toward the exit, digging into his pocket for the keys to the car. Aiden jogged after him, walking out ahead of him with an exasperated frown.
“So you’re really trying to make a good first impression with your instructor, huh?” Aiden commented. Chad ignored him. Aiden’s needling was so far down on his radar right now it wasn’t even registering.
Unlocking the car, Chad climbed into the driver’s seat and immediately locked all the doors. Aiden stood right outside, giving him a weird look like he was trying to figure out what he was doing, his hand reaching down to test the door to see if it really was locked.
When Chad put the key in the ignition and started the engine he banged on the door and shouted, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
Ignoring him, Chad put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking space, shifting the car to drive and speeding out of the parking lot like the devil was on his heels.
He paid no attention to Aiden running after the car with a murderous expression on his face.
***
