CHAPTER ONE
[TONY]
I turn onto the street where Clay lives, doing my best to look out for any bumps or potholes that could startle him from his thoughts. The thing with Clay is that he can't help but have his emotions written so clearly all over his face: he's going through some shit. There's no question about it.
It's easy for me to hide how I'm feeling; I'm sure I look calm, but inside I'm scared shitless. In a way I had expected Clay to react how he did. There was no way he wouldn't be upset by what Hannah said: the way she blamed him for leaving. The way that she saw things: how she said that she wasn't good enough for Clay, and that she would've ruined him. After listening to his tape, I knew that he would have a hard time recovering. What I wasn't expecting was for him to almost immediately decide to do something about it by getting that close to the edge. That was what really scared me: to see someone like Clay Jensen, who has never had any issue even close to the tapes before in his life, almost make the most permanent choice right in front of my eyes. If he can do something like that, then I really have no idea what he's capable of.
We're getting close to his house. I know I have to break the silence, even if it's painful. I have to ask the question that I know he's been waiting for. I brake quietly outside of his house, and put the car in park. I keep the doors locked.