“What happened this time?” I ask once she’s belted.
“I can’t say.”
“Are you messing with me? I’ve just left my baby to come help you and you can’t give me a reason as to why?”
“Me being your best friend should be reason enough,” she snaps, and I scoff.
“You’re not being serious. You don’t call anymore, you don’t come around, you haven’t even met my daughter and you still think we’re best friends?”
“What are you doing here if you feel like that?”
“I have no fucking idea,” I mutter, then more clearly, “But this is the last time you get to call me… for anything.”
“It’s like that, huh?”
“How else would it be? Who are you now?”
She refuses to look at me and stares out of the window, clutching her backpack like it’s holding all the secrets in the world.
Blue lights flash in the darkness and I see a cop car behind in the rearview mirror.
“What do they want?” I murmur more to myself than Clare.
“Don’t stop. Keep going.”
Ignoring her shit advice, I pull over and lower my window.
“You shouldn’t have stopped.”
“What else am I going to do? Go on a fucking car chase,” I snap, having lost all patience with her.
“Good evening, Miss, are you aware your taillight is out?”
“No, sir.”
“Licence and registration please.”
Opening the glove compartment to grab my documents, Clare is trembling. Frowning, I wonder what her problem is?
I pass them over to the officer, but he’s noticed Clare’s appearance and flashes his torch through the car.
“What’s wrong with your passenger?”
“She’s had a fight with her boyfriend, I’ve just picked her up to take her home.”
Clare’s neck nearly snaps as she looks to me so fast and I’m getting a headache trying to work her out. What did I say that was wrong? It’s all the truth.
“I’d like you both to step out of the car, please.”
He opens my door and I unclip my seatbelt and slip out. Clare doesn’t move quick enough for me to wonder if she’s going to move at all. She climbs out, leaving the bag on the seat.
The officer’s partner joins him and stands with us while the officer looks through my car.
“I know I didn’t know about the taillight, but I can assure you the rest of my car is up to code.”
I don’t understand what is going on. Is this normal for a routine stop?
Clare doesn’t take her eyes off the officer as he unzips her bag and then she begins crying.
