Lizzie

I am so tired my eyes are killing me. I also have a niggling in my stomach about Tammy. I knew she liked a drink, but seeing her pull out a small bag of pills- well, that just scared the shit out of me. I wonder if Brandon knows, or the others, that she's now taking pills.

The problem with Tammy is that she thinks no one cares, because her parents are too busy being rich and successful. It's not unknown for them to travel frequently and leave her at home with her little sister, Willow. They have a live-in housekeeper, a nanny for Willow who is just six and a chef, so it's not as if Tammy has to do anything.

I look at Brandon as he focuses on driving; we'll be back at our homes in about fifteen minutes. His jawline is strong and square, his cheekbones are high, and I long to run a finger down them. I'm fighting the desire to lean over and kiss him. Fighting the urge to place my right hand on his left hand that rests on the center console. All these urges, needs, wants, desires. They're crushing me, my body is all over the place, and I feel myself heating up.

"You okay, Lizzie?" He asks. "You're staring at me." He looks at me, and I just melt into his electric blue eyes. Seriously, you'd drown in them too; Brandon has got the sexiest eyes I've ever seen. As a kid, I used to be mesmerized by them. Apparently, he was by mine; he'd never seen a kid before who had slightly different colored eyes. I can't recall this, but his mom tells the story often enough about how it was the first thing he remarked on when he saw me all those years ago.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Tired and worried about Tammy." I pause; he says nothing. "She had a bag of small white pills on her." He inhales and then blows out.

"Shit. That's bad. So bad."

"I know, and the guy she gave some to and went off with at the party, well, he looked much older than us. Brandon, I'm really worried about her. She seems to be going off the rails a bit." I wring my hands in my lap, full of concern for one of my closest girlfriends.

"Me too. I didn't know she was taking pills. We need to find out exactly what she's taking. I wish her parents would stick around for her more. They're fucking shit as parents; they don't deserve kids. Poor Willow will grow up hardly knowing who her parents are either." He says, a scowl crossing his face. I can tell even though it's dark in the car, that his eyes will have gone a deeper shade of blue.

"I feel sorry for the kid too; she's only six. At least Tammy is close to her and spends a lot of time with her. But if something happens to Tammy, Willow will be all alone, and that is heartbreaking."

"Have you tried to call her, you know, check in on her?" He asks, then turns the steering wheel. We're now heading up the drive to my house. "I'll drop you off, go park my truck then come on over. Unless you want me to come in now. I mean it's pretty late, and we've got class in the morning."

I do want Brandon to come in with me; I want him to lie on the bed with me and hold me just like he used to do when we were younger. "No, I haven't called her; we saw her walk off with some guy and Lilly, and I just went inside. You reckon she'll be alright?"

"I have no idea, Lizzie. No idea. Give her a call before you go in." I reach for my mobile from the small black purse I carried with me just about everywhere and flick the screen up. I go to the phone app and hit four, which is the speed dial for Tammy. It rings. No response. I let it ring a while. Still no response.

Brandon is drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. I reach out with my right hand and put my hand over his fingers to stop him. He clasps his fingers around my hand. I'm zinging; my body instantly feels as if it is on fire. Oh. My. God. His touch is too much. Too damn much.

"There's no reply," I say, disheartened.

"Okay, well I'll give Denver a call when I get in and tell him to go look for her. You know what I'm thinking, right?" Of course I do. It's pretty obvious. Tammy will no doubt be having sex with some random guy high on pills and drink.

"Thanks, Brandon. I appreciate that. Message me when you hear something back. It's getting late; my folks won't be impressed on a school night if you come in. My curfew is eleven as it is." I reach over and peck him on the cheek. "I'll catch you in the morning. We can only hope Tammy is okay."

"Sure thing. I'll message once I hear back from Denver. You get yourself in. I don't want you to be late; your dad will have a fit, and you'll only be tired in the morning." He reaches over and places a kiss on my forehead. Even though he's done this a thousand times or more, it still wakes the butterflies in my stomach and sends my heart into overdrive.

I get out of his vehicle, close the door behind me, and wave as I start walking to our front door. Dad is just crossing the hallway with a glass of water in his hand. "Hey baby girl."

"Hey, Dad. Are you going up already?" I ask; it's only half ten right now, and my folks usually stay up until at least eleven.

"Yes darling, I have to be at the office really early tomorrow. We've got a board meeting, and then I'm flying out to San Jose and back later."

"Okay, pop. I'll say goodnight then." I go towards him and stand on tiptoe and give him a kiss on the cheek.

"You're a good girl, Lizzie. Did you have a lovely time at the party?" I shrug.

"It was okay. Not really my thing." He smiles knowingly. My dad knows me better than myself, no doubt. He knows that my life revolves around Brandon, my books and my family and friends. I'm not a party goer, and from tonight's experience I don't think that'll change much.

"Night, night sweetheart." Dad checks the door is locked and makes his way up the stairs.