Follow You Into The Dark
Summary: Clare needed a friend that night, so did KC. Based off of episode descriptions.
Klare friendship, EClare, and Kenna mentions.
Clare Edwards gasped as she shot up, in her bed, breathing heavily. Her frightened blue eyes looked around the room, fearfully. She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a sigh of relief as she realised that she was alone. Getting up and out of the bed, she headed into her small bathroom that she shared with Jake. After splashing some cold water on her face, she gripped the sink and tried to gain some composure. "You need to calm down, Clare." She uttered to herself. "If you don't, someone is bound to figure out that something is wrong."
She glanced into the mirror on the wooden medicine cabinet, taking in her appearance. Dark circles were underneath her eyes and her skin was paler than usual. The pajamas that she wore clung to her sweaty skin, and she could tell that she was shaking like a leaf. Her mind couldn't help but go to the memory of what had made her so scared of her dream. She couldn't go back to sleep. She didn't want to close her eyes and see him ontop of her, touching her in ways that she didn't want him to. So instead, she headed back to her bedroom and stripped off her pajamas, slipping on a pair of grey and pink sweat pants and a baggy hoodie. Putting on her shoes, she opened the door to her balcony and climbed down the trellis. All she knew was that she had to get away from here.
KC Guthrie entered the park slowly, glancing around. It was so quiet here. Peaceful, he should say. He'd been coming here, a lot. Ever since and his mom had received the call about his father getting out of jail. This park had been a place that he'd come to a lot, when he was younger. Before everything went to hell and his parents were thrown into jail and he into a group home. When his mother wasn't on his drugs, she'd bring him here to get away from Kevin Guthrie's horrible temper. From his drug and alcohol use and the friends that were often in the small, cramped apartment. And in those moments at this park, things seemed almost...normal. He and his mother could pretend, at least for a little while.
He slowly walked over to the swings , taking a seat. He slowly began to push himself, staring around the park. He furrowed his brow as his eyes landed on a small, hooded figure coming in through the gate. KC had honestly never thought that someone else might have the same idea as him, to come here in the middle of the night-or, well so early in the morning. He came to a stop, bracing his feet into the dirt covered ground.
00000000
Clare let out a soft sigh as she entered the park, pushing the hood of her hoodie off of her head. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the breeze surround her and all of her worries and fears fade from her mind. This park had always had that affect. It had always had that ability to calm her and help her forget about the things in her life, at least for a little while. With a childlike laugh, her blue eyes fluttered open and she began to hurry torwards the swings, stopping short when her eyes landed on the teenage boy sitting there. "KC?" She asked in confusion, tilting her head to the side as she stared at him. "What are you doing here? She folded her arms across her chest as she stared at him, awaiting his answer.
The teenage boy shrugged sheepishly, green eyes meeting her blue ones. "I came here to clear my head. Things have been kind of crazy lately. What about you?" He questioned, curiously. Although the two had become friends, again right before winter break, they still weren't at the point of their friendship where they confided in one another about everything. Needless to say, it was shocking to see Clare, especially when he got a good look at her, taking in her pale face and the baggy clothing that she wore. It was clear to him that something was wrong.
Clare bit her lip and nodded as she took a seat on the swing beside of him. "Connor kinda let it slip that your dad is coming back." She said, completely ignoring his question. "I'm sorry. I can only imagine how hard it must be for you. I know that I probably wouldn't want to forgive him."
KC shook his head with a groan, running a hand through his sandy hair. "My mom wants me to at least give him a chance. She seems to think that he might've changed, just because she did."
"And you disagree?" The girl beside of him asked, reaching out to squeeze his hand.
The boy let out a snort. "I don't trust him. I think that my mom is fooling herself. She wants to believe that he's the guy that she fell in love with, again. Anyway, you never did say why you're here. You kind of look like crap." He commented, staring at her closely.
Clare rolled her eyes with a laugh. "Wow, KC! You really know how to make a girl feel special!" She commented, punching him lightly in the shoulder.
"I didn't mean it like that!" He answered, chuckling playfully, with her. "It just...it seems like there's something weighing down on your mind."
She shrugged. "I don't know if you'd want to hear about it." The girl murmured, softly.
"Come on, Clare. I told you why I'm here. You know that there is no way that I can judge." KC pleaded with her, now beginning to really wonder what was so terrible that Clare didn't seem to want to talk about.
Clare was quiet for a few moments before taking in a deep breath and beginning to speak. "You know that internship that I had? And how I told you, Alli, Connor, and Jenna that I quit it?"
"Yeah..."KC said, feeling a sinking feeling start in the pit of his stomach. Was Clare going where he thought she was going with this?
"Well, uh...I didn't quit the internship. I lost it." She choked the words out, feeling tears beginning to sting her eyes. "I should've never trusted Asher. But he was so nice. And he was always complimenting me. My writing, my spirit, my work ethic, the love I had for the job. But he never meant a word of it. All he was doing was manipulating me, trying to get me to trust him. And I did."
"Clare, what did he do to you?" The teenage boy dared to ask, feeling as if he'd be sick as he stared into her sad, broken eyes.
"I had to stay late. He and I were the only ones there. I was finishing the story that I was doing up. And...I-I felt a hand on my arm. I didn't think nothing of it, until he knelt down next to the chair and began to touch my hair, and then my shoulder. The way that he talked about how pretty I was and how lucky Eli was to have me made feel weird. Then, he started making these really...sexual, crude comments torwards me." Clare shook her head, hands reaching up to tug roughly at her curls.
"He didn't-" KC cut himself off as his eyes widened in horror, he wanted so badly to embrace her, but he was afraid that it would scare her.
She laughed bitterly, staring up at the dark sky as tears glittered upon her cheeks. "No. I..I bit his hand when it went to cover my mouth. I got away before anything happened. I reported him and lost my internship, but Asher is still working there. I haven't told anyone. If Eli and Jake believed me, they'd probably kill Asher. And my mother has these expectations about how I need to be perfect. She wouldn't even listen to me, when I tried to tell her about how I felt about her not listening to me and how I felt neglected."
The boy was silent for a moment, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders as he thought of what to say. "I think that you should tell Eli. You should tell your parents, and Jake. They all love you and they all deserve to know what happened. And then, I think that you should go to the police station and tell them what happened. Asher needs to be punished. So does the person who knew what that guy did to you, and punished you, instead."
Clare wiped the tears from her eyes, letting her head fall to KC's shoulder. "Okay." She murmured softly, agreeing with what he'd said.
"And can you do something for me?" She inquired, lifting her head and staring up at him." When he let out a "hmm" of agreement, she continued, "Talk to Jenna. I know she's hurting about giving up Tyson, just like you are. And I know that she'd probably like to help you deal with your father. She loves you, even if she is trying to move on." With that she stood up from the swing, brushing herself off, and turning her head to smile genuinely for the first time in ages. "I should get home. I have some things I need to discuss. And KC? Thank you."
With that, she turned around and began to walk out of the park.
KC stayed behind, staring at Clare's retreating form with a grin. A weight felt as if it had been lifted off of his shoulders and he felt good that he could help someone, and felt intent on following Clare's advice.
The End