Once again. Once again the house was full of screaming. Hope? There’s no more left, they won’t stop, they had started to like it, they won’t forget it. It’s increasing, stronger and even more stronger... It’s started, the beating joined the desperate music. She had to fly, get away from that house, that house full of voices too loud and bodies too harmed.

She got up from the bed and went down the stairs. The kitchen... she wanted the vodka but she had to go through the war zone. She entered the kitchen, sneaked her way behind her mother, the little door, the bottle and out. They hadn’t even noticed her presence but she didn’t really care. That had made things a whole lot easier for her for a very long time.

She opened the bottle and started drinking from it while striding down the poorly lit street her house was at. She was speaking on the phone, of course, with her best friend and ocasional lover. She hung up and remembered her parents. Their fights were getting worse as each day passed, the fight had only started minutes ago and her mother already had her lip splited and her father would have a black eye for a while. Who knew what other injuries would they have on the morning.

She had already consumed half the bottle of alcohol and had come across a vast variety of dealers and hookers when her friend appeared.

- Took you long enough – she said with a smile, damn, she really liked that boy. Maybe she was starting to fall in love with him... No, of course not, she didn’t fall in love

She got into the car on the driver’s seat and her friend went to the passenger’s.

- Lara you’re too demanding, do you even know the way I have to take to get here? You deserve a better place to live.

- Kris, love, shut up, will you? That distance can be covered in less than five minutes.

- Sure, if I exceed the speed limit and drive like you do there would be no problem.

They laughed, they were always relaxed and without worrying much about everything.

Lara was pretty, average height. With reddish-brown straight hair that was up in a pony tail leaving some loose strands on the sides of her face and the bang almost covering one of her gorgeous eyes. She always wore tight, elastic and dark clothing that allowed her freedom of movement. She had a scar on her bottom lip that was almost 2 centimeters long. She had gotten it on a “cat fight”. Her skin was evenly toned and was cold and soft to the touch.

- Do you want to run today?

- If you don’t mind me running with half a bottle of vodka in me, then I’ll do it – she answered offering him the bottle. He accepted it and started drinking.

- Do you think you could win without getting yourself killed or in trouble?

- It depends.

- I think we better break the rules together. Speed this baby up and let’s have a private party.

She laughed while speeding and turning corners with rough slowdowns.

- You know more than me about private parties.

And, like that, she had, that night, an escaping of her reallity. It had been years since she first became addicted to speed. At the beginning, stealing her father’s car, but it didn’t go as fast as Kris’ car. An expensive, tuned car. The other thing that guaranteed her an escape from the world around her was .

For that, she had had other friends before meeting Kris, the guy that was now with her almost every night since then.

That night, they weren’t in the mood for that, so they just laid half- on the back seat, breathing heavily and as close to each other as they possibly could be.

- Lara... – started Kris, staring off into space as he caressed her hair smoothly.

She moved on top of him, a hand on his chest, the other above it and her chin as the cusp. She stared at him curious and cheerful. He, finally, focused his gaze on her.

- Don’t look at me like that – he said grinning. – You’re distracting me.

As an answer, she tilted her head a little before going back to her previous position.

- Lara, what do you feel for me?

- I like you, you’re my friend, I appreciate you as such, - she hesitated for a second – maybe even a bit more than the rest – she shrugged.

She had appeared calm and relaxed, but the joyfullness in her eyes was gone, only the curiosity remained. She didn’t like that topic, Lara herself was questioning  her feelings towards Kris and she had strained her voice to seem honest and carefree. While listening to her words, she had felt a lot more confident, but it still wasn’t enough.

- B-but, you don’t love me or anything?

- No, I can’t love any men on the surface of the Earth, you know that.

He heaved a sigh, feeling the heat of her body on top of his, the silkness of her hair on his fingertips.

- I know, you only love speed and freedom, it’s always been that way.

- Do you love me?

- I don’t see a point in answering that, I’ve never satisfied your curiosity with words and I’m not going to start now. If I tell you that I do love you, our relationship might change, if I tell you I don’t love you, I might break your heart on some twisted way that only women can understand, what would also make our relationship change. Why would I want to answer? Wether it’s the truth or the lie.

She remained thoughtful, she had understood, not by his words but by the look on his eyes that there would never be another girl than herself in Kris’ heart. She held him, laying her head on his strong chest and listening to his heart beat, that was steadying as each moment passed.

She had already slipped into slumberness. She was thinking, thinking so much about how she felt. Kris’ eyes had reached a zone within her heart that nobody else ever had. Was what she felt for him love? If it was, would she be capable to accept it and tell him?

She held him even thighter and inhaled hastily.

-Yes – she said.

- Yes what?

- Err... That yes, I do love you... – she said in one breath.

- I love you too – Kris said, both of them smiled and she gave up fighting against sleepiness, falling into a deep slumber, sheltered by his warm body.