Cabin Fever | ✓

(9) Sixty Minutes

"Bullshit," Leo growled, staring down at Marley's lit phone screen in his hands, while she sat on Aiden's bed, hugging his quilt, "absolute bullshit. Who the fuck is doing this?!"

"Let me see it again?" Jason asked, causing Leo's eyes to break away. He shoved it at Jason's chest uncaringly.

"Yes, take it. Marley, lets go. Now."

"I think we should talk to Alec."

Leo's green eyes zeroed in on Marley's huddled form and narrowed considerably, "And give whatever 'dirty cheater' ass shit the time of day?! This is-"

Marley stood from the bed, still clutching Aiden's quilt, "It gave us one hour and we now have 51 minutes! Yes this account could be wrong but they know Aiden left, they know he calls me spitfire, they know all this privy information so is it really that far-fetched that they know where he is?"

"She has a point, Leo," Gabby said quietly from behind him, and Marley watched his eyes tighten and his back tense.

"All due respect blondie," Leo turned around to face her, from where she was crossing her arms and leaning against the wall by the door, "but this is my best friend, I can find him if I look-"

"Fine!" Marley threw her hands up in the air, now acutely aware of every second that was passing, "You go look for him in places you can guess he'll be, and I'll find Alec and worst case scenario, at least know what actually happened at Dalton's that night!"

Leo turned back around and strode up to Marley quickly. She tensed, but held her ground. The rest of their friends in the room stayed silent, but shifted nervously. But this is Aiden's best friend, he knows not to mess with her better than anyone else. He was a couple feet away, looking down at her with a frustrated expression and furrowed brows.

"You know he's going to need you if I find him, Marley."

She felt her heart skip a beat, "Leo, you said it yourself, you're his best friend-"

"And you truly can't fathom what edges you've unknowingly brought him back from that nobody else has ever been able to. This is a common occurrence, Marley. This has happened before. Aiden runs and leaves his cellphone and Ian checks his credit history and we track him down fucking frantic because he nearly OD'd in the past, okay?! And you..." he waved a hand at her general direction while Marley's eyes welled up all over again, OD'd?!, "somehow help him. You have kept him here when certain situations would have had him running. This is the first time he's leaving? Well thank fucking god it hasn't happened sooner."

She lifted the quilt to her nose, inhaling his scent and closing her eyes. He wouldn't leave her like that. Aiden is somewhere cooling off, taking a break, and he's hurt but he won't risk his life. He now understands what it would truly do to her, and he promised her he'd never leave. Aiden Matthews doesn't break his promises, especially not to Marley.

She opened her eyes with new resolve, locking her hazel eyes with Leo's green ones calmly, "He won't risk his life. You can absolutely, 100% be certain of that, if nothing else. Aiden would not do that to me."

Leo paused with a blank stare before he was stepping away and laughing darkly, "He risked his life when he had Ian to take care of, his own goddamn brother, and didn't give a fuck about who he'd be leaving him with. You can absolutely, 100% be certain that all bets are off for him right now."