"Hey, Del, you can ride home with us, if you like. Your home is on the way for me, so it's no problem, really." Aaron Cox, one of the guys in my homeroom, gestured towards his car, a small silver sedan, in the middle of the lot.

Maeve, who I usually went home with, had gotten a call from her little sister's school in the lesson after biology. Her sister had been feeling unwell through the day and ended up in the nurse's office with a 103 fever.

Since her parents were traveling and they were staying at home just with her grandma, Maeve had to pick her up in her car and take her home for the day.

Leaving me without a ride home. Except for this offer from Aaron.

I gave him a quick smile. I was grateful for the offer, I really was, but that part of my mind told me no.

I couldn't just say I didn't want to, though. It's not like he'd understand. It might get taken totally out of context, blown out of proportion. 

I didn't want to offend him in any way.

Aaron was being super nice by offering me, I should just accept. Plus, it's just a car ride. No big deal.

But on the other hand, even though I had known him since we were little, I still wasn't very close to him. Like not Sam close. Not close enough for me to be able to do this comfortably.

"Del, you got a ride?" Sam seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

"Aaron offered to drop me, but..." my voice went down as I spoke, and I gave Sam a glance. The realisation was quick to dawn on his face, subtle enough to go unnoticed, but I knew him better.

"Oh, um, Aaron, dude, can you drop me home as well?"

"Sure. You don't have basketball practise?"

"Nah, it's okay, I'll stay back after school tomorrow with the older guys."

"Okay, sure. Come on."

I tried not to look too relieved when I was able to walk to the car with Sam beside me. He reached over and gave my hand a gentle tap of reassurance before climbing into the back seat of Aaron's car.

"Del, you can sit shotgun, my brother can sit in the back."

"No, its okay, I'll stay back here," I smiled, still not completely at ease.

Why am I like this? It's just Aaron. I've known him since we were like eight years old, for crying out loud! I know him.

You think you know him. Just like you thought you kne-

"Del?"

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah." 

I think I am, at least.

Sam didn't look like he bought what I was saying, but reached out and took my hand anyways. My palms were slick with sweat, but he ignored that, clasping my fingers tightly in his.

Aaron looked back once after fastening his seatbelt before backing his car out of its spot. His eyes landed on my hand in Sam's, and I could tell he was trying to control his expression when he looked back up at me.

I almost opened my mouth to say it really wasn't like that, but swallowed down the words. So what if he thought we were together? It was nothing new.

Sam was still looking out the window, his gaze vacant. I felt guilty that I'd dragged him out of practise, but the relief of having him here with me outweighed the guilt.

The car was deathly silent as Aaron drove us out of the lot and to wherever he needed to pick his brother up from.

He slowed down in front of the lacrosse field, where his younger brother stumbled over other kids' equipment to get to the car. Putting his stuff in the back, he opened the door and slid in, slapping Aaron's shoulder.

"Hey, Aaron!"

"Hey, Liam."

Liam turned to put on his seatbelt, his cheeks flaring scarlet when he saw me and Sam sitting in the backseat, as if he hadn't seen us there before.

His eyes traveled down to my hand, still firmly wrapped in Sam's, and turned back without another word.

"Hey, um, Aaron?" Sam's voice was a welcome break from the awkward silence in the car.

"Yeah?"

"Don't worry about dropping me off at home. I'll stay at Del's for a while before going back."

What?

"Oh, sure. No problem."

I looked up at Sam, whose face was impassive as ever.

Although I could usually read him reasonably well, he had a way of hiding his thoughts at times when he wanted to. Apparently right now was one of those times.

And why would he want to come over? My brother would be studying, so it's not like we could hang out inside, and the walk from my house to his was a good fifteen, maybe twenty minutes.

What the heck is up with him? His face, so relaxed and helpful over the course of the day now held no trace of the smiles he wore.

"Sam." I whispered.

He looked down at me, his lips pouted into a frown and eyebrows pulled low over his eyes. "What?"

"Sam, why are you coming home?"

"I want to talk to you."

What the heck?

"My brother will be there. We can't go inside."

"Don't need to. It won't be long. I just need to talk to you."

"Sam, you're being really weird, I-" he turned his head to the window once more.

Rolling my eyes, I just sat there. We were only a minute from home now, and I couldn't wait to get out. What was so personal he couldn't say it in the car?

Aaron rolled up to the end of my street, but I stopped him before he could turn in.

"It's the first house, no need to turn."

"Oh, okay. I guess I'll see you guys at school tomorrow, then."

I smiled at him in thanks.

It was just a car ride after all, so harmless. Nothing to be so worked up about.

"Thank you so much, Aaron."

"No problem. See you."

Sam gave him one of those guy nods before opening the door on his side. He held it open as I climbed out and gave a one- handed wave to Aaron before closing it.

Aaron drove a couple feet forward before stopping and rolling down his window.

"You think you'll need a ride again tomorrow?"

"No, no it's okay," Sam said, and I was grateful he did, because my social anxiety probably would not have allowed me to say it myself.

Aaron raised his eyebrows and shot us another smile before rolling up his window and driving away.

Which again gave me a second to think about what the heck Sam was doing here.

"Sam-"

"Del-"

We both stopped for a second, before I said, "you first."

"I think you need to talk to someone about Los Angeles."