Rachel wants to run away. Gar gives her too much of an opportunity. So AU it's criminal. I'm sure you've all been in situations where you did something wrong, and you knew it was wrong, but you did it anyway, for various reasons. No harsh words or critiques on this, I'm not trying to improve my writing with this, I just wrote it because I always get inspiration writing school papers... this may or may not stay a one shot.
–
"-- has come back from a year in Africa! You must join us for dinner tonight, Rachel," Kory gushed.
"I will think about it," Rachel said.
She had been avoiding being anywhere near Dick and Kory when they were together. Rachel saw Kory's eyes flicker briefly. Of course she was disappointed, Rachel thought. I haven't done anything with her lately. The smile returned to Kory's lips.
"I'll call Richard and tell him to not plan on your presence, then?" Kory said.
Rachel's heart skipped a beat as Kory pulled out her cell phone. She twisted up her shirt in desperation, waiting for the inevitable ring, before getting a burst of inspiration.
"No, his dorm is only a few floors above, why don't you just see if he's in his room?" Rachel said.
"But I could merely send him a text," Kory said.
Rachel figured it would be too obvious to argue, and bit her tongue. Kory flipped open her phone. She tapped on the keys for a few seconds, then shut the phone with a clack. Rachel smiled wearily at Kory, heart pounding. Nothing happened. Kory gave Rachel a quizzical look, but her face softened after a moment, and Kory sighed.
"Oh, well, I must get going, I have class in a quarter hour." Kory said, and left with a small good-bye.
Dick emerged from the bathroom, a guilty expression flitting over his carved features. Rachel gave him a look as he strode over to her desk. Breath she did not realize she had held was exhaled. Dick rested one hand on the desk, the other on the chair, and lay his head in the crook of her neck.
"It was on silent." Rachel surmised.
"Thank God. I... we can't do this. I can't do it to her."
"Then leave," Rachel turned her head to stare at the papers lying haphazardly on the desk.
"I..." Dick let out a guttural growl of frustration and curled his hands into fists, crinkling the papers. "Come to the dinner tonight. He would, will, see right through me."
"I'd rather not. It's hard enough already."
"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. Be there. I need to get to class." Dick said.
He gave her a dispassionate kiss, then left. Rachel dotted away tears. She didn't have time for this.
–
"Rachel, Garfield, Garfield, Rachel," Dick gestured with his hands respectively.
"Pleased to meet you," Rachel stuck out her hand to the short but well built man in front of her. She wondered where the hell Dick had ever run into someone like Garfield. Dick was a high class, well bred, finely tuned product of high society, but this kid was sun-tanned, sinewy, and sloppy: his outfit for the restaurant (which was dressy casual) was jeans and a smudged flannel shirt. Dick, however, had opted for an Argyll sweater with a collared shirt underneath, dress pants and polished shoes.
"Nice to meet you too," Garfield reached out and grasped Rachel's hand; she felt thick calluses.
Garfield looked at her a second, then let go of her hand as they were lead to their table. The room was softly lit with candles and dimmed lights, the conversation was a low rumble. Dick pulled out a chair for Kory. Rachel pulled out her own chair. They all conversed lightly for a while, until Rachel asked how Dick and Garfield met.
"First off, call me Gar. I never did like being named for some fat, orange cat." he took a sip of his wine. Gar exchanged looks with Dick, then started talking again. "Some high brow, fancy ass event, I think."
"Charity Gala to raise funds for AIDS awareness." Dick supplied, mumbling into his own wine glass.
"Yeah, something like that. We were the only kids there," Gar laughed, remembering something unbeknownst to Kory and Rachel.
Kory's eyes were wide with surprise. Rachel picked at her salad, a little bit shocked at the answer. She usually was fairly good at figuring people out, but apparently she was wrong about Gar. From what it sounded like, Gar had grown up rich.
"Oh my! I never knew this about you, Garfield!" Kory said.
"No, no one ever asks. I mean people expect Dick and I met at a soup kitchen or something, and I was like, a homeless bum." Gar laughed. "That's what you though, right, Rachel?"
Rachel's heart jumped into her throat. "Hm? No," she said.
"Come on, you totally thought I was a bum, I could see it in how you looked at me." Gar said and flashed a white smile at her.
"I didn't think you were a bum, I thought you were a hick." Rachel clarified.
"Be nice," Kory hissed.
Gar just laughed.
–
"Rachel, hey, I'd like a word with you," Gar said.
Rachel glanced at the car: Dick was helping Kory into her seat. She decided she had a few seconds. "Okay, what?" she said.
"Whatever you're doing with Dick, stop it." his tone changed, no longer light and conversational, but brisk and commanding.
"Excuse me?" Rachel said.
Her fingers gripped the handles of her purse, working the pliable material between finger pads.
"He looks at her different now. Than before. Stop what you're doing with him before something happens and shit blows up in your face."
"...I can't!" Rachel didn't know why she refused to deny his accusation, perhaps it was the fact that he had called her out on something she had kept secret from her best friend after he only knew her for about an hour.
"Why not?" he asked.
"I tell him to, he says he can't, and I tell him to leave, but he refuses." Rachel felt deflated, as if someone has stuck a pin in her and let all the pride out.
"Well then I'll make it easy for you. Come with me. I'm leaving for New Mexico in a few weeks and I want you to come with me. I'm not asking you, I'm telling you."
"No." Rachel said, chilled by his word choice.
"You're probably thinking, what does this asshole know about me, right? Hmm?" Gar said. "I notice people, I see how they breathe and look and move, and it's just like animals. We're just animals."
"Evolutionist? Quaint. Look. It's getting late and I do have an early class tomorrow." Rachel said.
"Well then. Ask Dick to give you my number. Good night." Gar flashed her a smile again, then started to walk away.
Rachel was left standing there, trying to digest the rapid-fire exchange that had happened. Then Kory called out to her to hurry along please, so Rachel slowly walked to the car and sat in the back seat. How is he that perceptive? Rachel thought, resting her chin in her palm. Streaks of light blurred by speed and steam rushed past.
"Did Gar tell you?" Dick asked, breaking the silence.
Rachel was startled out of her thoughts. "Hm? Tell me what?"
"About his trip... going to New Mexico? I told him that you might be interested in the native vernacular, since you're studying linguistics." Dick said.
"Oh, yes, that," Rachel answered, feeling relieved, but also strangely disheartened. Did Dick want to get rid of her? "I don't know, it's very short notice."
"Yeah, I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask anyway."
"I'm doubtful he would like to take me, he just met me. Besides, I have a heavy load of classwork." Rachel said.
"I know," Dick's voice was getting terse now, so Rachel didn't reply.
–
Rachel shivered feeling his hot hands against her skin. Guilt intertwined with fear. Every moment with Dick was tense and fragile, but being with him made her feel free, like the world didn't exist. Her heart burned and beat fast, her breath was quick and she felt her spirits soar. It was an odd feeling, knowing his or her roommate could burst in at any moment, feeling all her emotions in the background. They were dulled, they were nothing.
Dick cupped her face in his hands, leaning in and kissing her forcefully. She pressed her hands on his chest, kissing back in the same needy way he did. His hands left her face and travelled down her shoulders to her hips, grabbing and pulling her closer to him. His hands were always needy, always grabbing.
Rachel felt used, a stepping stone in his messed up life. But he understood her, and he helped her, they were both messed up. Kory was a princess, perfect and pretty. How could Rachel compete with her when she was dull and dark? But here, Dick found something in her, something worth perusing. But not something that was worth leaving Kory for. She was the second choice, the back up.
Why did she let herself in this position? It's not like she was happy, double crossing her friend and constantly lying. But Dick helped her, he helped her pull off her double major, she was the top student. He helped her forget things too, forget many things...
The door flew open. "Richard, I require your help--"
Rachel stiffened, recoiled, and closed her eyes as she heard Kory scream. Everything became slow and turgid, like it was suspended in water. Dick's eyes widened, he stood, and faced Kory. Rachel watched her face crumple horribly. She barely heard the sobs as Kory ran from the room.
Dick stood there hands clenched, knuckles popping out like bolts and tendons flexing. Rachel soberly gathered her clothes and dressed, her face a mask to hide the turbulent feelings inside. She placed her hand on Dick's shoulder as she slung her purse over her shoulder.
"I'm going to stay in a hotel tonight." she said, and left.
Dick said nothing.
–
Rachel lay on the hotel bed, staring at the crisply written numbers on the paper scrap in her hand. Things had all fallen apart, her escape with Dick was gone, and in the process she had ruined her friendship with Kory. You had it coming, she told herself. She felt sick when she thought about facing Kory again, even when she thought about talking to Dick. You brought this on yourself! This is your fault for getting tangled up with Dick! Rachel squeezed her eyes shut and wiped away tears. She couldn't afford to get emotional.
The number seemed more promising by the second. She picked up the phone and dialled.
"I've changed my mind, Garfield."
"Well, I'm just about leaving for the airport. I'll meet you"
"I'll be there. Good bye." Rachel called for a taxi, then replaced the phone in its cradle.
As she sat in the back of the car, letting flashes of light pulse under her closed lids, she felt the sensation of flying away. It wasn't running away... she was flying away.
Kory loved Dick. She would forgive him. They would forget her, eventually, and they could be happy. She could "study" in New Mexico, then go somewhere else and live somewhere far away from Jump, and Dick could focus all his attention on Kory, on getting his life straight. Gar would eventually go back to wherever he was from and she could be alone. She could start over. She would start over, she wouldn't make the same mistakes again.
She spotted Gar right before going through security. He stood out in his leather jacket, v-neck t-shirt and torn jeans, it was mostly business people catching red-eye flights and sleepy looking families toting children. He waved and handed her her boarding pass. They were silent as they went through security and then to their gate. Rachel felt odd, she had only brought her purse with her, no change of clothes or toiletries. She had $23 and some odd change, her cell phone, and a lip balm. Nothing of use, nothing to get her very far.
"She found out?" Gar said and looked at her with piercing blue eyes.
"I... yes. An over sight on my part." Rachel kept her voice firm and business like.
"Bull shit. You were going to keep going, hm?" Gar said.
There was something disorienting, he talked about the affair with no emotion, no expression. Gar pulled out his phone and started to play with it, spinning it on his thigh. Rachel looked away, at her feet. She didn't know how he got so good at reading people, that's what her job was. She was supposed to be the one who had a seemingly uncanny sixth sense to sense what people felt.
"Yeah, I know. I knew. Dick told me a long time ago." Gar said. "So now you're running away."
"I'm not running away. I'm taking a break. I'm giving him time to work it out with her before I come back and complicate things."
"Nice lie. Okay, I get it." Gar smiled a frigid smile and turned away to look out the pitch black windows.
Rachel got up and wandered around the shops, most of them were closed this time of night. Rachel found a single store open, one selling various things: candy, magazines, and travel sized toiletries. The young girl at the cash register watched her with an air of distrust. Rachel ignored her and browsed the magazines, nothing worthwhile, and the few books they pandered were flimsy, insubstantial, overtly religious readings.
Rachel sighed and made her way back to Gar. He didn't look up when she sat down beside him, so she fixed her stare firmly on the seat directly across from her. When the plane finally boarded, Rachel was thoroughly sick of the barely textured matte plastic. The flight was nearly empty. Gar graciously offered her the window seat and she took it. Outside the tarmac looked washed out in the harsh work lights. Gar brought out his cell phone, sent a few last messages on it, then shut it down.
"Have you ever even been camping?" Gar asked.
"Yes. I'm not going to cringe at the lack of running water, if you're concerned." Rachel snapped.
"Okay, okay, you just don't seem like an 'outdoor' girl," Gar said, lifting his eyebrows and waving his hands up in a back off gesture.
Rachel shook her head and closed her eyes as the plane taxied onto the runway. She waited for the feeling of take off, the feeling of leaving everything behind. A sigh nearly escaped her lips as the roar of the engines filled her ears and her stomach dropped. The plane was off the ground. She was gone.
–
The outdoor girl line is a reference to my favourite line in Titanic, where Jack is talking about ice fishing.
Lesse if I get enough motivation to write more... I couldn't decide if I wanted the destination to be Africa, New Mexico, or Arizona :/ It's New Mexico now, I guess. Like I said, I'm not really looking for critiques on this, this piece of writing isn't fer srs.