I couldn't stay away. I don't know why, but I keep getting this urge to post something, and it's driving me nuts! I want to post the second chapter to Broken (and to those of you who asked, it is about Ronnie. Forgot to make that clear in the opening chapter), but I have to keep to my eleven-day rule, or there will be chaos.
And can you believe Terminal comes out tomorrow? Luckily for me, I'm really sick so I get to stay home and read it! (The only time I'm glad to be coughing up my own intestines)
Also, I've been coming up with some pretty stupid (but awesome) word-plays concerning the series. Like getting 'Jason'd' means that you're perfectly perfect and everything anyone should want but no one likes you regardless (you can also just say, that guy's a real Jason). And, my personal favorite, feeling Blue isn't a bad thing. I can imagine Ella saying that to Tory at some point (evil grin of epic evilness).
So this story is set towards the end of summer, before school starts. Tory's been off her crutches for a while.
Breakfast
"How'd you sleep?" Dad asked as I came down the stairs, freshly showered.
"Fine." Terribly.
"You have any more bad dreams?"
I shrugged. The same one I've been having since the accident. He frowned and opened the refrigerator door.
"You want any breakfast?"
"I can make it this morning."
Dad frowned, but shrugged and took a seat at the table as I got out eggs and bacon. I fried up the bacon first, and Cain came downstairs soon after it began to fry.
"I'm starving," he said, sitting down.
"Uh-uh." I pointed my spatula at him. "If you want me to cook for you, then you're going to help."
"But I can't cook. That's what servants are for." A smirk. "Which is why you're making the food."
I rolled my eyes. "Girls love a good cook."
"They also seem to be into gay vampires."
Dad snorted.
"Just put the coffee on, Cain," I snapped. "And get out some juice."
When I realized he hadn't moved a few moments later, I turned and glowered at him. He was staring at me, looking confused and oddly bewildered.
"First time someone's told you what to do, rich bitch?"
He shook his head. "I can't even remember the last time you called me by my name." A grin as he snapped out of it and stood. "Just goes to show ya, everyone loves me, even if they don't want to!"
I realized he was right. Not about the loving him part- I could make a decent-sized list of people from preschool and kindergarten that despised him almost as much as I did- but about using his actual name. I found myself shaking my head. "Don't read into it, or you'd begin to think I liked you."
Cain chortled, finally grabbing the coffee pot as I put the bacon on a plate and started on the eggs. "That's something that's never going to happen."
"You finally got something right."
"I'm smarter than you think, Bennyboy."
Doubt it. I served up Dad's eggs- over easy, then started mine, frying them hard.
We ate in silence, the heaviness having returned. My brief period of obliviousness was over, and now my nightmare was all I could think about. I kept telling myself that it wasn't real, that Tory was okay, but each night my mind played the same cruel trick over and over.
Would it ever end?
"It's really good, Ben," Dad said, making me jump. He quirked an eyebrow. "You okay there, son?"
I nodded mutely. Lying seemed to be easier than telling the truth, at least with this.
He looked at me strangely, but continued. "So, why don't we finish our breakfast and then go fishing? And, if we catch anything, we can have a cookout tonight?"
Dad wasn't the best when it came to almost anything that took place in a kitchen, but fish was an exception. My mouth watered at the thought of grilled drum, and I scarfed down the rest of my eggs.
"I haven't been fishing in a long time," Cain said as he brought his fork to his mouth.
"Fishing is something you never forget, like riding a bike or reading."
"Or driving," I offered, standing and taking up the plates.
"Or kissing," Cain added, then smirked at me. "You know, I always wondered, how weird would it be if I watched you kiss Tory?"
"It wouldn't be weird, it'd be creepy." I rinsed the dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher. "Really, really creepy."
He laughed shortly. "No, I mean, you and I look alike, so would it be like watching myself kiss someone?"
"I don't know, but we're not going to test that theory. Besides, haven't you walked in on us enough to have figured it out by now?"
Cain shrugged. "I never really paid attention."
"Then how come she and I can't even look at each other in this house anymore without you parading in and interrupting us?"
"How come you two always hole up in the very room I need to come into?" he retorted. "The study, the living room, the dining room, that weird room on the top floor. Why don't you just stay in your bedroom?"
"Because he knows that it's not a good idea to be going to bed with Tory any time soon," Dad cut in, washing the table. "Right, Ben?"
"Exactly." We actually tried to go into my bedroom once, but Cain decided to borrow a belt and walked in to find us kissing, underneath the blanket. In our defense, we only had the blanket covering up to our shoulders, so it was clear that we were still wearing at least shirts, and we'd only been under the covers because we knew he'd likely come barging in and the last thing we needed was for him to walk into the room to see my hands on her-
Okay, so he did have the right to believe we were up to stuff, but it wasn't as bad as he'd thought it was.
He snorted, clearly thinking the same thing I was. "Well, starting tomorrow, you're going to have all the freedom you two want or need."
"What happens tomorrow?" I asked, uninterested, as I headed for the stairs to get my fishing pole.
"God, what a dumbass." Cain quipped, flicking water at me. "I'm going back to Florida tomorrow."
I mentally cursed myself for stopping in the hallway. "Then I guess I'll be having Tory over in the evening, so we can celebrate our freedom from you."
"Enjoy it while it lasts, No-brain. I'm coming back next summer, too."
"I'll just have to move out."
He rolled his eyes, and Dad hung up the towel on the stove door. "Okay, you two, that's enough. All you're doing is delaying the inevitable."
We both gave him a similar, what the hell are you talking about look. He just laughed.
"You don't want your old man to show you up and catch more fish than you!"
Challenge accepted.
I grabbed my lucky pole, while Dad got two- one for him, and one for Cain to borrow. Then we went out on Sewee and fished for a few hours. I caught the most, but my heart wasn't really in it. All I could think about was how he was leaving, and how stupid I was for not realizing, and how much I hated the fact that a part of me dreaded having to see him go.
Are all of you Cain fans satisfied?
I'm also taking requests for one-shots, set in this universe and otherwise. So review and tell me what you want to see done!
