Dudes, I am on a roll. This is technically my third Covenant story, but only the first on this account. For those who remember me (it was a rather long time ago..) I used to be known as roryirene. If you do remember me, which I highly doubt, Headlights and Boulders both have been deleted, along with the rest of my writings on that account. Have no fear, I'll keep writing, but I got bored with my old ideas.
Now, onward. This takes place the summer before the movie. For future reference, Tyler is a year younger than the rest of the guys. In my defense, that's what the offical site told me. Ha. Beat the evidence, why don't you.
I own nothing, just Carter and Lola and any other people you don't know from the movie.
Chapter One
"That's just the way things go. We meet people, get to know them and then they get up and leave us behind."
An alarm sounded as a digital clock red eight thirty in bright neon green. A hand reached out from beneath a light brown comforter as the girl sleeping under it fumbled to silence the blaring alarm. It took a few random hits of her hand to finally shut the alarm off completely, leaving the small pale yellow room in silence. The sleeping form of the teenage girl lay still before she jumped abruptly out of bed, flying into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her loudly.
The sounds of an old shower filled the silent house and it was quickly replaced by a hair dryer screaming loudly. Seconds later, Just Impolite by Plushgun rang out from the bathroom, drowning out the dryer easily. A cat climbed in through in the open window letting out a whiny meow, scratching at the white door leading into the bathroom. She called out pitifully a few more times before abandoning the door and leaped on to the deserted bed, making herself at home in no time.
Five minutes later, Carter Murphy stumbled out of her bathroom, toothbrush jammed in her mouth as she jumped on one foot, attempting to put on a striped sock. Her long, brown hair was tied up with a shoe lace messily, almost more hair was out of the lace than in it. She pulled on a pair of worn straight leg jeans that had holes in the knees, courtesy of years of being worn. A blue polo shirt went on over her Daphne Loves Derby shirt and Carter grabbed a pair of orange converse as she dashed from her room, calling goodbye to C.A.T, her lazy and slightly overweight tabby cat. A faint meow followed Carter down the hall in a stalled reply.
She didn't bother running down the entire steps, jumping off the side of the stairs where the banister had broken off years before.
"I'm leaving!" Carter called, grabbing a muffin from a basket on the kitchen counter and her keys from off the center table. She waited for a response from her father and let out a sigh when none came. Quickly, Carter walked into the den, unsurprised to find a passed out man occupying her couch, beer bottle in hand, dangling off the side. With a sigh, Carter grabbed the bottle and covered her dad with a blanket. She threw the bottle away in the trash and unhooked her plaid bag from a peg near the back door.
Climbing into her 1969 yellow and black Mustang, a birthday present from her Uncle Otto a year ago, Carter smiled at the revving engine.
Sounds of heaven.
With a grin, she pulled expertly out of her small drive-way, heading towards town. Flipping on the radio, she glanced at the clock and cursed at the time. Her speed picked up, the Massachusetts scenery flying by her window. It was the end of summer and only a few trees had started turning colors. When everything finally fell into fall, Carter would be out in the woods, taking pictures of everything. Fall was the prettiest of seasons, except for winter, but only because of the snow.
Her car bounced as it rolled into the back parking of Denny's. She climbed out of her car, making sure to lock the door behind her. She sprinted across the parking lot, which was still wet from the night's rain, and threw open the door that had 'Employee's Only' scrawled across it in red paint. Tossing her bag into a random corner, Carter dashed through the back hall and into the front where the clocking-in machine sat, waiting for her.
She punched her card and grinned, seeing that she was still a few minutes early.
"Cutting it a bit close there, kid" a voice stated behind her and Carter laughed at her friend's tired face.
"Overslept again," Carter said, walking back to where she had flung her bag. Lola followed behind her, pulling out a packet of gum from her apron. She offered one to Carter and put them away when she declined.
"Bad night's sleep again?"
Carter nodded her head, pulling her own apron out of her bag and turned back to Lola. "Lot on my mind, you know?"
The red head let out a laugh, grabbing Carter by the arm and pulled her towards the kitchens. "Don't blame you. If I were you," she said, pushing open the swinging double doors easily, "I would be in the Bahamas by now. Or at least Hawaii."
"Do I look like a 'beach babe' to you?" Carter inquired, gesturing to her shoe-laced hair and torn jeans. Lola stopped and looked her over, pretending to judge her. She twirled her index finger and frowned when her friend failed to amuse her. Carter gave her a smile and filled her apron pockets with a few pens and a order pad.
"Beach babe?" Lola said, following her friend, watching her walk like a pageant judge. "No. Beach Bum?" Carter took that moment to let out a loud burp, blushing slightly at her friend's upraised eyebrow. "Totally."
A ding could be heard out front. Carter threw her friend a dirty look as she walked through another set of swinging doors. "I resent that!" she called back, turning back to the counter.
After giving the customer a cup of black coffee to go, Carter walked back through the doors. "I don't think I'm feeling the love right now, Lo," she announced, leaning against a stove and staring at her friend who was eating a piece of cheese.
Lola shrugged, swallowing the last of her cheese. "You asked," she said truthfully, a smile playing on the corner of her glossed lips, "I simply answered. Think of it this way," she continued, "I could've lied to you." The look of complete seriousness on her friend's face made Carter burst out laughing. Lola watched her with a smile of her own and walked into the diner when the bell dinged again.
"People wonder why I have crappy self esteem," Carter mumbled with a smile.
She rubbed her ribs as a throb of pain vibrated through her abdomen. With a sigh Carter grabbed a bottle of pills out of her bag, counting out three and popping them into her mouth. She didn't bother with water as the bell dinged out in the diner. Rubbing her side again, Carter let out a deep breath and plastered a smile to her face before walking out into the diner.
The next few hours were filled with the morning rush that had somehow flowed seamlessly into the lunch rush. Two of the other waitresses had relieved both Carter and Lola for their lunch hour. They placed orders with Cookie, who was, ironically, the cook.
"I hate people," Carter stated with a sigh as she and Lola sat down at a back booth, their food in hand.
Lola gave her an amused look. "You love people, Murph."
Carter shook her head, stuffing a fry into her mouth that was slathered with gravy. "Not today. People are stupid today."
A disgusted looked graced Lola's round face as she watched Carter continue eating her gravy fries. "People are stupid every day."
Carter shrugged, not arguing with the valid point. "Well, they're stupider than normal today."
"This coming from the girl eating gravy and fries," Lola started, daintily digging into her salad. Carter grinning at her, making sure to make a show of eating the last of her delicious gravy fries. "You work any more on the list?"
Picking up her hamburger, Carter shook her head slowly. "Don't know what else I'm going to put on it," she took a bite of her burger and swallowed it, looking at Lola in slight confusion. "I mean, what the hell am I supposed to write?"
"You need to finish it," Lola said in a quiet voice, nudging her lettuce leaves around rather than eating them. Carter scoffed, taking another bite of her burger. "I'm serious, Murph," Lola pressed, ceasing to play with her food, "You're going to regret it if you don't."
"What's the point of it anyways, Lo? It's not exactly like I have time to do any of it anyways."
Lola gave Carter a hard stare, pointing her fork at her threatening. "Don't you dare say that, Carter Jane Murphy. Don't you dare." Her blue eyes held tears in them, though none overcame their boundaries. Her face held a seriousness that only came when the two friends discussed the list, or it.
Carter softened, seeing Lola trying to with hold her tears. She reached a hand across the table, grabbing her friend's hand with hers. "You know it's going to happen, Lo," she said softly, her voice comforting. "You know what the doctors said. A year, at most."
Lo pulled her hand away and looked at Carter fiercely. "You're not going to die, Carter. I'm not going to let you." Her face turned excited and she leaned forward in her seat. "I've got it all planned out. Don't worry about a thing. We're gonna get you the money, Murph. I promise."
She knew Lola meant well and Carter wanted to believe with all her heart that she could fix everything. But she couldn't. There wasn't anything that she or anyone else could do about it. Lola didn't know, but the cancer had spread into her bones. The doctors had told her that ever if she could afford the operation, it would only buy her a year, maybe only months more. Carter had meant to tell Lola, she knew she deserved to know. But, as Carter looked at Lola, and th e look of hope and determination that was on her eager face, Carter didn't have the heart to tell her.
Lola reached out and took back Carter's hand and smiled at her. "I'm gonna fix this, I promise."
Another waitress, Bertie, called out for Lola and Carter didn't have a chance to respond before her friend picked up her plate and glass, leaving to help with some customers. Carter let out a groan and let her head fall to the table with a thud. She banged it against the hard surface a few times before letting it rest.
She reached into her apron pocket, not lifting her head from the table until a loose order ticket was in her grasp. Carter leaned back in the booth, staring at the ticket with a frown. 'The Bucket List' was written across it in pen and only a few slots had been filled out, with the help of Lola.
Number ten was taken by Learn to Ice Skate and Go to Boston had taken up residence on number three. Ice skating had been Lola's idea, and Carter had always wanted to go Boston. She fount it annoying that despite living in the same state as the city, she'd never been.
The other eight spaces on the ticket were left empty, waiting for Carter to fill them in. She wanted nothing more than to scribble to entire sheet out before lighting it on fire, but knew that Lola would simply make her write another.
It was ironic how Lola was determined not to let her die, but insisted on Carter making a list of all the things she wanted to do before she did. How in three stooges did that make any sense?
With another low groan, Carter let her head fall back onto the table, not caring that it was starting to hurt.
"That kills brain cells," a voice told her from above. Carter could tell it was a guy, or a very ugly sounded woman. She didn't bother to open her eyes. She was on break and if the guy wanted something to eat, he could talk to Lola.
"So does country music," her response came out muffled but the guy seemed to hear her anyways, seeing as he laughed lightly.
"Hell yes, it does."
Carter felt the table shift and looked up blearily to see a blond guy, maybe a year older than her, sitting across from her. His blue eyes pierced hers and a smirk was sitting lightly on his lips. He wore a black short sleeved shirt, and jeans, from what Carter could tell. To finish off what she could only guess was his 'bad-ass' attire, the boy had black leather fingerless gloves on.
Typical.
"What're you doing?"
The guy gave her a smirk and almost amused look as he sifted through a menu that had somehow found it's way to their booth. "Sitting, what's it look like."
Carter stared at him, confused. He didn't seem to notice, or care, as he continued looking through the menu intently. "Why?"
The boy sighed, setting down his menu and clasping his hands in front of him on the table. "I needed coffee. You looked slightly depressed, plus, you had the best seat in the entire place." Carter looked at him oddly before looking around them, noticing her table was probably the worst in the entire joint. "Naturally, I decided to grace you with my presence, therefore making your entire day so much better."
"Has anyone ever called you a dick before?" Carter asked, leaning forward a bit in her seat. Boys were the most annoying species on the entire planet. They should all get eaten by sharks.
"Couple of people have," the boy consented with a shrug.
Carter smirked and pulled out a pen, "No idea why.."
She looked at The Bucket List in frustration. Lola had only given her ten slots to fill in, only ten things to do before she died. It honestly didn't sound that hard when Carter had agreed to it, but as she tried to narrow down all the things she had always said she would do before death came knocking, it was turning out to be the list from hell.
Bertie came by and took mystery boy's order, giving Carter a knowing smile which she chose to ignore, before walking back into the kitchen. Feeling the boy's eyes on her, Carter looked up from the ticket uncertain.
"What?"
The boy frowned and read the title upside down. "You about to die or something?" He asked the question in a joking manner, not expecting for Carter to shrug. He looked at her in what seemed to be shock, not believing her the first time.
"Supposedly."
"That's fucked up," the boy said in a low voice and Carter couldn't help but agree. She was seventeen for god's sake, she was too young to freaking die.
She let out a laugh and sighed. "It is, isn't it?"
Bertie came with the boy's food and she gave Carter a wink and a pat on the shoulder before leaving. Carter laughed and shook her head. The boy smiled at her and dug into his pancakes. He looked as Carter filled in Concert next to number ten and read the other two filled in slots.
"Never been to Boston?" he inquired, pointing his fork to number three, dripping syrup on the ticket. Carter whiped it away with a frown. The boy gave her an apologetic look.
"My dad's not one for travel," she explained.
The boy nodded, not quite understanding but not pushing the matter further. The two sat in silence while Carter though and the boy finished his pancakes. He continued to sit at the table, watching Carter until he jumped and pulled out a vibrating phone. With a curse he shut the phone and started getting out of the booth.
"I"ve gotta get going," he said, standing up and leaving a handful of bills on the table, "I'm late for school as it is. You need a ride?" It took a second for what the boy asked to sink in.
Carter laughed and shook her brown head, "Dropped out."
"No shit," the boy said with a laugh. "Didn't take you as a drop out type of girl."
Carter just shrugged and smiled. "I get that a lot."
The boy smirked and bent down, reading her name tag carefully. "Well," he paused and gave Carter a raised eyebrow, "Isn't Carter a boy's name?"
"Dad wanted a boy," she explained quickly and the boy nodded in understanding.
"Well, Carter," he emphasized her name as he started walking backwards towards the door, "I fear I must leave you to your own devices." He placed a hand over his heart dramatically, "I know that you, fair lady, are heartbroken at this time, but please, know that I shall come back for you one day," he paused, "-eth."
Carter laughed and covered her smiling face with a hand as the boy bowed and smirked at her. "I promise not to cry over your departure, kind sir," Carter said, laughing still.
"Do try," the boy answered, giving her a final grin before turning and weaved his way towards the door, the bell dinging as it closed behind him.
Carter let out a giggle, picking up her and the boy's plate, along with his money and headed towards the back. The Bucket List rest once again in her apron pocket, waiting to be filled out.