This is from That was Then, This is Now. The characters may be ooc, I haven't read it in a while. I just wanted to post something, so here is my fic w/ no point... hoorah.
Only a Memory
New York is a good city to get lost in. When I moved here five years ago, I was trying to leave the memories and everyone who could bring them back. Leave them, leave them back in Oklahoma. I never wanted to see Mark again. That part of my life was over, and I couldn't be happier, seeings as how it turned out. I thought I'd forgotten. I was married, I had a job, and Mark was forgotten, I'd told myself I wouldn't think of him, I thought he was gone. And then he turned up in my kitchen.
He was sitting in a chair with his feet up on the table, the picture of indifference. His golden eyes were fixed on my face and a smile flickered across his lips as he watched me.
"Hello, Bryan."
I think I flinched. It was the way he said my name. He didn't hate me- he just simply didn't care. I had expected hate, I could have handled hate. But Mark... Mark didn't care anything about me at all anymore.
"New York, huh?" he asked when I still hadn't said anything, raising his eyebrows.
I nodded. "Yeah. Didn't want to remember."
"Not remember your old brother?" he pretended to look hurt. "I remember that. When we were like brothers. I thought."
"Mark," I said, tiredly, "Why are you here?"
"I wanted to say hello of course. Tell you I was out... tell you you'd successfully fucked up any chance of me having a decent life. Thought maybe you'd like to know."
I didn't say anything. Just watched him. He'd been gone for so long. I thought I would never see him again. I swallowed and in the silence it seemed louder than if I'd said something.
Mark grinned. "You ain't scared of me, are you Bryan? Because you know, I never did anything to you. Hell, I guess I should be scared of you. After all, you can just call the cops and have them take me off.
He wasn't like the old Mark, but he was, too. It occurred to me that he might be high, but he didn't look like it, and anyway, when he told me that he didn't take those pills, I had believed him. And I still did. Mark didn't lie. At least not to me.
"So, how are you doing?" He didn't sound all that interested, I figured he was just amused at watching me try to deal with something I'd thought was only a memory. I figure that's the only reason he came in the first place, really.
I started to talk, cleared my throat, and tried again. "I'm okay." I gestured at my apartment. It was small, but nice enough.
Mark was examining a picture that was sitting on the table. "Married?" he asked, sounding a little surprised. "I thought Cathy was the only one for you."
I shrugged. "Nah. You remember Ponyboy curtis?"
He nodded and I forged on. "They were gonna get married when I left... I don't know if they did or not... Never went back."
"No? I always figured you'd stay in Tulsa forever."
I shrugged again. "I don't know. I might've."
"I might of too."
We were both silent, and finally Mark sighed and stood up. "Well, I must go on to my life," he said, walking past me to the door. "Maybe I'll run into you sometime."
But we both knew that we'd make sure we never did.
Only a Memory
New York is a good city to get lost in. When I moved here five years ago, I was trying to leave the memories and everyone who could bring them back. Leave them, leave them back in Oklahoma. I never wanted to see Mark again. That part of my life was over, and I couldn't be happier, seeings as how it turned out. I thought I'd forgotten. I was married, I had a job, and Mark was forgotten, I'd told myself I wouldn't think of him, I thought he was gone. And then he turned up in my kitchen.
He was sitting in a chair with his feet up on the table, the picture of indifference. His golden eyes were fixed on my face and a smile flickered across his lips as he watched me.
"Hello, Bryan."
I think I flinched. It was the way he said my name. He didn't hate me- he just simply didn't care. I had expected hate, I could have handled hate. But Mark... Mark didn't care anything about me at all anymore.
"New York, huh?" he asked when I still hadn't said anything, raising his eyebrows.
I nodded. "Yeah. Didn't want to remember."
"Not remember your old brother?" he pretended to look hurt. "I remember that. When we were like brothers. I thought."
"Mark," I said, tiredly, "Why are you here?"
"I wanted to say hello of course. Tell you I was out... tell you you'd successfully fucked up any chance of me having a decent life. Thought maybe you'd like to know."
I didn't say anything. Just watched him. He'd been gone for so long. I thought I would never see him again. I swallowed and in the silence it seemed louder than if I'd said something.
Mark grinned. "You ain't scared of me, are you Bryan? Because you know, I never did anything to you. Hell, I guess I should be scared of you. After all, you can just call the cops and have them take me off.
He wasn't like the old Mark, but he was, too. It occurred to me that he might be high, but he didn't look like it, and anyway, when he told me that he didn't take those pills, I had believed him. And I still did. Mark didn't lie. At least not to me.
"So, how are you doing?" He didn't sound all that interested, I figured he was just amused at watching me try to deal with something I'd thought was only a memory. I figure that's the only reason he came in the first place, really.
I started to talk, cleared my throat, and tried again. "I'm okay." I gestured at my apartment. It was small, but nice enough.
Mark was examining a picture that was sitting on the table. "Married?" he asked, sounding a little surprised. "I thought Cathy was the only one for you."
I shrugged. "Nah. You remember Ponyboy curtis?"
He nodded and I forged on. "They were gonna get married when I left... I don't know if they did or not... Never went back."
"No? I always figured you'd stay in Tulsa forever."
I shrugged again. "I don't know. I might've."
"I might of too."
We were both silent, and finally Mark sighed and stood up. "Well, I must go on to my life," he said, walking past me to the door. "Maybe I'll run into you sometime."
But we both knew that we'd make sure we never did.