"OK, that was fucking weird." I thought as Mr Jefferson went about his lecture, the very same lecture I heard just about half an hour ago, starting with Alfred Hitchcock, and carrying on. Events that should have already happened are happening again. Taylor throws a crumpled up piece of paper at Kate, Victoria's phone rings on silent, and she turns it off. If I recall, after that comes… "Shite!" I yelped as I quickly grabbed my camera as it fell.
I missed.
"Damn it." I hissed under my breath.
"Drop your camera, Damon?" Mr Jefferson asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes sir, apologies." I said, looking at the many pieces that my camera had been crushed into.
"See that you clean that up. I'd rather someone not cut their feet open with polaroid camera bits." he instructed. I nodded obediently as he went on with his lecture. To my side, I heard Victoria and Taylor giggling like the dumb school girls they were. I could only roll my eyes.
"Ok, this is definitely real." I decided, taking a moment to calm myself. "I saw a girl get shot, clenched my fist, and ended up back here." I recalled, frowning in thought as I stared at my hand, and then at my camera. Maybe… "Got nothing to lose by trying I suppose." I thought to myself as I clenched my fist and concentrated. It was like a rewind button inside me was just pressed. Everything around me started rolling backwards. Mr Jefferson started walking backwards, the paper ball flew into Taylor's hand, and Victoria's phone started ringing again as she touched the device.
Finally, all the pieces of my camera flew together and repaired themselves, before the device flew back to the very edge of my desk. "Yes!" I mentally cheered. "Ok, just one more thing, one more bit of evidence before I believe this myself." I told myself, turning my eyes to my camera. Subtly, I used my elbow to nudge my camera off of the desk. As it fell, I reached out and grabbed it, hoping that I would take an accidental selfie again.
And it seems karma was on my side.
Jefferson turned his attention to me as the device clicked and flashed. "Drop you camera, Damon?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes sir, apologies." I said as the camera printed the picture.. Huh, I suppose this is the third time he and I have had this exchange. "This thing was expensive, I'd rather it not be smashed to pieces." I added as I looked at the photo. "Got a nifty picture out of it though." I said holding the image up. It showed only half of my worried face, due to my hand covering the other half of the camera lens. "Nothing if not natural I suppose." I quipped.
Now, we shall see.
"I suppose so." Mr Jefferson gave me an amused grin, like last time. "Now, I believe Damon has accidentally taken what is known today as a 'selfie.' A dumb word for such a wonderful photographic condition." He shook his head, like last time. "And Damon here, has a gift." He gave me an interested look before carrying on. Like last time."As you all know, the photo portrait has been popular since the early 1800s. Your generation is not the first to use portraiture for… selfie-expression." He grinned. No one laughed. Like last time. "Sorry, couldn't resist."
I suppose that proves it. I can fucken rewind TIME. And that means I need to get to the bathroom before Nathan and that girl, so I can save her. The best way for me to do that, is to play this lesson out as is it did the first time, and get to the bathroom immediately after. If I hurry after the lesson, I might be able to by a little extra time.
So, with that in mind...
"Might I suggest key cards, sir?" I asked with an amused smile. I was ignored, though I could see his lips twitch up in amusement. Just like last time.
"Anyway, the point remains that portraiture has always been an important part of photography, and art as a whole, for as long as it's been around." he turned his attention to me. "Since you clearly want to join the conversation Damon, could you please tell us the name of the process that gave birth to first self portraits?" he asked.
"The Daguerreian Process, invented by Louis Daguerre, a French Painter. It gives portraits a sharp, reflective style not unlike that of a mirror." I, again, gave a near perfect textbook answer. "It was extremely popular because it gave the subjects clear and defined features, particularly in the faces of said subjects." I added.
"Very good Damon." He gave a pleased smirk. "Very good indeed." I had to smirk again as Victoria Chase glared at me. Seriously, she needs to wipe the shit off her nose. The bell resounded through the school once again. "Alright guys, don't forget to submit a photo in the Everyday Heroes contest. I'll fly out with the winner to San Francisco where you'll be feted by the art world. It's great exposure, and it could kickstart a career in photography." Mr Jefferson told us as we all gathered our possessions. I didn't bother listening to any more of his words. I just slipped on my jacket, packed my stuff away, and made for the door, but not before repeating my earlier conversation with Kate.
Unfortunately…
"Hold it right there Mr Azrail." Mr Jefferson called out to me as I opened the door. Fuck, I forgot about this… Giving a subtle sigh of impatience, I turned and walked over to him. "There's no chance I'm going to let one of photography's future stars avoid handing in his entry." he told me expectantly.
"I'm sorry sir, I don't have a photo for the contest." I told him simply, hoping to speed up this conversation.
"Why not?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "Biding time? Waiting for the elusive 'right moment' to show itself?" He asked. So much for that...
"In a manner of speaking." I deadpanned, the irony here not lost on me.
"I don't recommend waiting too long Damon." he warned me. "John Lennon once said-"
"Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." I cut him off with the quote, surprising him. "When you're an insomniac with a photographic memory, you tend to look things up in boredom." I told him, tapping my head with a finger.
"Well, regardless, you're certainly on fire today Damon." He said with an amused smile as Victoria glared at me. Yeah, not as sweet the second time, I have to admit. "Go on now, I won't stop you." he said. Nodding, I turned and left, ignoring Chase's glare on my back. I had bigger things to worry about at this very moment. As I left the room, I made haste for the bathroom.
"Ok…" I thought to myself as I entered the bathroom. Empty, just like before. Good. "I washed my face, I pondered over the photo, and then saw a blue butterfly." I recalled as I waited. There we go, the blue butterfly just flew in through the vent, landing on one of the basins. As I snapped the photo again, making sure one could see the butterfly itself and it's reflection, I heard hard footsteps approaching. Quickly, I had behind the stalls, at the end of the bathroom as Nathan Prescott entered the bathroom.
"It's cool, Nathan... Don't stress... You're okay, bro. Just count to three..." Nathan said, panting heavily. "Don't be scared... You fucking own this school... If I wanted, I could blow it up... You're the boss..." He mumbled, splashing his face.
OK, so far, so good. The girl should be coming just about now.
Yep, there she is. She just entered now. Now, how to save her?
"So what do you want?"
"Hope you checked the perimeter, as my step-ass would say. Now, let's talk bidness."
"I have nothing for you."
"Bull. You got hella cash."
"That's my family, not me."
"Oh boo hoo, poor little rich kid. I know you've been pumping drugs and shit to kids around here. I bet your respectable family would help me out if I went to them. Man, I can see the headlines now..."
"Leave them out of this, bitch!" Nathan said. The girl pushed him.
"I can tell everyone that Nathan Prescott is a punk ass who begs like a little girl and talks to himself-"
Nathan brought out his gun. "You don't know who the fuck I am, or who you're fuckin' messing with!" Nathan exclaimed.
"OK, time to intervene." I thought as I spied the fire alarm. I smirked as an idea came to me.
"Wh-Where'd you get that? What are you doing? C-Come on, put that thing down!" I heard the girl stammer as I slammed my elbow into the fire alarm, breaking the glass. Before either of them could say anything, I pressed the alarm. The girl took the distraction as an opportunity to push Nathan off of her. He fell to the ground, letting his gun fly as well. "Don't ever touch me again freak!" The girl hollered, running from the room. Nathan swore and picked up his gun, running as well.
I followed soon after. However, as I ran out, I bumped into someone, said someone being David Madsen, the Head of Security of Blackwell. Honestly, he's a bit of an ass. He was a soldier once upon a time, and I respect him for that, but he's not the nicest guy around. Not to say I dislike him in any way, or think he's a bad person, but he's not exactly my first choice among people to have a conversation with.
"Hold it, calm down soldier." He told me. Oh yeah, that's another thing. His soldier lingo doesn't seem to have left his head just yet.
"Sorry, Mr Madsen." I said with a deep breath. What just happened was rather nerve-wracking, I'll tell you that. "That alarm tripped me out." I told him.
"With the alarm on, exit the building in an orderly fashion, understood?" He asked with narrowed eyes. I suppressed a sigh of exasperation.
"Sir yes sir." I gave a sarcastic salute, eliciting a scowl from him. See what I mean?
"It's alright David." A new voice piped up. It was the Principal of the Academy, Principal Wells. A tall African-American man in a fancy grey suit. "This was a false alarm, there is no emergency." He told the security officer. "Now please go and shut that alarm off. That is your job." he instructed. David gave me a quick glare before walking off to do his job. Like I said, an ass. Not a bad guy, I know he truly cares about the safety of the students, but he really needs an attitude adjustment.
"Principal Wells." I greeted the man with a respectful nod of my head.
"Damon." He returned the greeting. "You look a little stressed out. Are you alright?" He asked. Crap!
"I… I will be." I told him with a deep sigh.
"Did something happen?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. He sounded somewhat worried. "You're sweating bullets." he observed.
"Nothing to be concerned about sir." I said with a small smile. No way am I telling this guy about Nathan and the gun. The Prescotts have half the town in their back pocket. Even if Wells believed me, he couldn't(wouldn't) do anything about it because that would cause trouble with Sean Prescott and his family's oh-so-perfect image. All in all, it's more trouble than it's worth. No real point.
"Son, as Principal of this Academy, it is my job to ensure every student here has the best educational experience possible." He told me sternly, sigh softly afterwards. "I can't do that if you're not upfront with me." He said.
"I assure you sir, it was nothing to be worried about." I promised him, to no avail. I need to tell him something he'll believe. Too bad I'm not a girl and can't 'lady issues' or something. Oh, I know! "I just started overthinking about the Everyday Heroes contest, and had a small Anxiety attack." I told him. Not exactly untrue, but not the complete truth either. Seeing someone wave a gun around is not good for one with Anxiety.
"Do you not have medication for that?" Wells asked with a doubtful eyebrow up. My Anxiety was something we addressed before I actually started my classes here.
"The pills help, sir, but they're not foolproof." I told blankly. Come on, just because you take Anxiety pills, doesn't mean you never feel anxious.
"Alright then." He said with a small breath, his eyes narrow. Something tells me he doesn't wholly believe me, but my story is still buyable. "Carry on outside then, with the rest of your class." he told me. I nodded in response. "I hope your Anxiety issue is sorted out soon." He added, if only to be polite.
"Thank you sir." I responded as I left the building.
Well, the rest of the day past by without much incident. Over the next hour, I simply toured through the school grounds, simply going wherever the wind took me. Spoke with Daniel, Mexican kid here who likes to draw, Brooke, nerdy girl with a drone who has a smaller crush on me than Kate, and had a small exchange with Samuel, the weird, but friendly if you understood him, janitor of Blackwell.
After all that, I got a text from one of the few students at this place that I can really call a friend; Warren Graham. The super science geek at the top of the science class, with me as a close second. I beat him in math though. He also has a major crush on Brooke.
Warren: Hey Damon. Can you get my flash drive? I need info. And space.
Warren: Hullo?
Ah, yes. He lent me his flash drive, full of movies he recommended, and some that I personally requested, for me to transfer onto my laptop. I was just about finished with it, but I think Dana, one of the cheerleaders, borrowed it from me. I'll have to get it back from her.
Damon: Sorry, bit of a crazy day.
Damon: I'll go grab it.
Damon: Meet at the lot in 20.
Warren: Thx bro-brit
Warren: I'll be at ur car
With that, I made my towards the dormitory. With any luck, I won't run into Victoria or her little entourage. Unfortunately, I haven't seen them across the school premised yet, so I'd wager that's where they are now. One way to find out I suppose. The dorm is left to the main Blackwell building, so that's where I went. Lo and behold, I find Victoria and her two friends sitting at the front porch, blocking the entrance. They do that on purpose, I swear.
"Oh look." Victoria sneered at my arrival. "The selfie stud of Blackwell, Damon Azrail." She said, standing up. "What a lame gimmick. Even Mark, Mr Jefferson, falls for your gloomy pommy bullshit." She said, circling around me.
"Yes, yes, get it out of your system." I said boredly as stood in front of me, crossing her arms.
"The Daguerreian Process, sir." Victoria gave a mock British accent. "You could barely even say that. I guess you got your meds filled." She smirked as her followers giggled in unison. I swear, these bitches run on a hivemind.
"Goodness Victoria, I'm sensing a little hostility." I said with a fake concerned tone. "Is it because you genuinely don't like me, or is it because I bruised your ego when I turned down your hooker-like propositions at the start of the semester?" I asked with a mocking smile. I swear, I've never seen her face get so red. I think there might even be a bit of purple there.
"Well, since you an answer for everything…" She sneered, sitting back down on the steps. "How will you get into the dorm? Boys aren't allowed." She said with a triumphant smirk.
"That's not an actual rule." I reminded her. "The sign in the hall is just something a couple of girls put up last year because they were uncomfortable with boys being so close to where they sleep." I returned her smirk as her lips dropped into a frown.
"Well then, find another way in, because we ain't moving." She growled, crossing her arms. I smirked again.
"Well, whilst all three of you could stand to lose a few…" I trailed off with a smirk as they all gasped at me in outrage. "You're not exactly big enough to block the entire entrance." I said, walking slightly to the left and passed one of Victoria's minions. "Lovely playing this little game with you Bitch-whore-ia." i said with a two fingered salute. "Maybe you'll win next time. Tally ho." I smiled deviously. "Emphasis on ho." I added, opening the door. As I entered, I heard Victoria crying out in rage. The smirk on my face was probably unnerving as hell to anyone who saw it as I went up the stairs towards the girl's living space.
"Well, this is an interesting development." I deadpanned as I approached Dana's room. The door was locked, with another girl, Juliet, a light brunette with her long hair tied into a ponytail, leaning on the door, a look of pure anger on her face, coupled with tears falling down her cheeks. She wore a pink skirt, white crop top, and a blue denim jacket. She was pretty, if i'm being honest, but a little too girly for me. "Everything alright here Juliet?" I asked as I approached her.
"Yes, Damon, I locked Dana in my room because everything is alright." She spat sarcastically, clearly quite angry.
"Oh dear. What happened?" I asked empathetically.
"Dana's been sexting with my boyfriend!" She growled, though not particularly at me. I can understand that. I would be upset if I found out one of my exes was sexting one of my friends when we were together. Still though...
"Doesn't sound like something she'd do." I noted, my brow furrowed thoughtfully.
"Why do you even care?" Juliet spat, glaring at me. "You never talk to anyone. You just zone out with your camera or sketchpad. Everyone else is just a passing breeze to you."
"I never talk to anyone because I was never under the impression that anyone wants to talk to me." I told her honestly, which had her taken aback slightly. "But that doesn't mean I don't care." I added.
"Oh really?" She sneered, not quite believing me. "What's my last name."
"Elementary, dear Watson. Elementary." I told her. That earned a small smile. Come on, I couldn't resist! Her last name is Watson, and her first name starts with a J! That one was practically gift wrapped for me!
"I'm flattered…" She said with a small laugh through her tears, wiping some of them away. "I didn't think you even knew my first name. Very punny." She said with a small sniffle.
"Like I said, I do care." I gave a small smile as I crossed my arms. "Now tell me, how did you find out about the alleged sexting?" I asked.
"According to Victoria, Dana would do anything to date a quarterback." Juliet said bitterly. I gave her the flattest stare I could. "What?" She asked in confusion.
"Victoria…" I deadpanned, shaking my head. "I'm no journalist, so I can't really say anything for certain, but she does not seem like a reliable source." I said, running a hand through my hair.
"Why would she lie?" Juliet asked incredulously.
"Because she Dana have been at odds for who knows how long?" I suggested blankly, making the reporter pause. "Quite frankly, I find it more likely that Victoria was the one sexting with your boyfriend." I told her. She didn't respond, an expression of hesitance and thought mixed on her face. "Just, give me a moment. I'll pull a Holmes and get this sorted out." I told her, striding off. If I recall, Victoria's room is number 221.
Before I found Victoria's room, I walked past Kate's room, and couldn't help but frown. Every room has a small wide board slate next to their doors, right outside, where they can write something down. Never much saw the point, but to each their own I suppose. I never write on mine. On Kate's, however, someone wrote the words 'Will bang 4 Jesus.' Honestly, these people are awful. Frowning, I wiped the writing away and replaced it.
'Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.'
Now, I'm not a religious individual, full on Atheist, actually. But I do know some bible verses from Bible Studies back when I was in England, attending a Catholic school. Photographic Memory, remember? And no, the girls' uniforms are not as attractive as one would think. I chose this particular one because Kate is in a really difficult place right now, and she needs all the strength she can get. This particular verse, Joshua 1:9, fits the scenario quite well I think.
With that done, I made for Victoria's room with a small smile on my face.
Victoria's room was right next to Kate's, which I did not find good at all. I will definitely make sure heavy repercussions fall upon her for what she did to Kate. I just need to decide how. Right now, however, I need to sneak into Victoria's room. No doubt she'll have some kind of evidence to show Dana didn't sext with Juliet's boyfriend. Zachary, I think his name is.
Anywho, I snuck in.
"Christ…" I mumbled under my breath, shaking my head. Victoria's room was full of all the most expensive stuff. Her wardrobe alone could pay tuition, a plasma screen TV, a fancy ass laptop, you name it. She has three life sized photos of herself in a bikini, each with a different pose and different bikini. Then there was a collection of selfie printouts attached to the area above where her head would be when she lays on her bed. "Honestly." I rolled my eyes. And she makes fun of my selfies. Like Jefferson, I do hate that word, but it is easier to say as opposed to 'self portraits.'
Next to her bed, there was even a small bowl with several articles of expensive jewelry. I'm no thief, but I'd so steal from Victoria if only to see her frantically searching for the one tiny earring that's missing from her diamond collection. Also, I saw on her tablet that she was ordering a 3D printer for her room. Christ girl, there's a line somewhere. Not sure where exactly, but that is definitely on the wrong side. And let's not speak of the fancy camera equipment she has.
Rolling my eyes, I sat at her desk and turned her laptop on. Bitch didn't password protect it. First thing I saw was her Facebook page. Have to give her props for the nice landscape image she has uploaded there. Cold fury coursed through my veins as I saw one of the tabs showing off that video of Kate. Victoria will pay for that, I guarantee that.
"Ah, here we are." I smirked as I found an email. It mentioned that Victoria informed Juliet about a nasty sext from Dana on the girl's phone, and that Juliet deserves this for 'slutting Zach away.' Honestly, there's Zach, jefferson, me, who else does this bitch want to bonk with? Nonetheless, I just shook my head and printed the email. I'll ruin this bitch at a later date. For now, I'll just grab this email printing and head off back to Juliet.
"And Sherlock Damon strikes once again." I said as I handed Juliet the email printing. As her eyes scanned over it, she let out a sigh and slumped.
"Of course…" She mumbled, unlocking Dana's door. Dana, a pretty brunette also in a ponytail wearing blue jeans and black, low cut shirt, walked out. "I'm an asshole Dana, I'm sorry." The reporter said, leaning against the wall, ashamed.
"You are, and I hope so." The cheerleader said, crossing her arms. "You really think I'd mess around with Zachary?" She asked, her eyes narrow.
"No, but I get stupid jealous." Juliet sighed, slumping. "I owe you dinner. Still love me?" She asked softly.
"And you do my laundry." Dana bargained, earning a nod from Juliet as she walked off.
"Thank you Damon. You're like the Blackwell Ninja." She said to me with a grateful smile.
"Elementary, dear Watson." I said with an exaggerated bow. Both girls gave a laugh of amusement.
"Thank you for setting me free Damon." Dana said, handing me Warren's flash drive. "Tell Warren his taste in movies is awesome for me." She requested. I nodded as she walked back into her room, closing the door. Finally have the bloody device. Awful lot of trouble for a flash drive.
"It's just one thing after another, isn't it?" I asked under my breath as I stopped at the edge of the dormitory field. Right on the path, I see David Madsen getting up in Kate's personal space, glaring at her.
"I see everything here at Blackwell." The Security Officer said, still glaring at the poor girl. "Do you understand what I'm saying?" He demanded, pointing at her face.
"No, and, leave me alone!" Kate tried to be firm, but her tone came out incredibly timid. Time to intervene.
"Is there a problem here Madsen?" I asked, approaching the two.
"Excuse us, this is official Campus business." The Head of Security told me, glaring sternly.
"And since my friend seems to be on the verge of tears, I'm making it my business." I returned, getting in between him and Kate. "This girl is going through a very difficult time right now, and you harassing her whilst playing Detective is clearly not helping, so back off." I said, returning his stern glare.
"I'm not playing Detective, I'm doing my job." He returned, anger swelling in his voice.
"Your job does not include interrogating and intimidating students." I shot back.
"I'm not intimidating anyone!" He exclaimed.
"So Kate isn't clutching my shoulder whilst shivering and on the verge of tears?" I asked with a raised eyebrow That got his attention, and he turned his gaze to Kate, who was indeed clutching my shoulders, as if hiding behind me. "This is why people don't like or talk to you David." I told him. "You speak to everyone as if they or are about to commit a crime, and anytime someone speaks to you, it feels like you're going to arrest them at any moment." I said, watching as he looked down at the ground. Giving a huff, I turned around, and guided Kate away from him. "You alright?" I asked of her as soon as we got out of David's line of sight.
"Yeah, I will be." Kate said, wiping her tears away. "Thank you Damon, that was great." She said, giving me a bright smile. "I have to go, but before I do, can I ask you something?" She asked. I gave a simple and beckoned her to go on. Suddenly, she seemed rather bashful. "Why?" She asked simply, not meeting my eyes. Oh, I see.
"Well, I could tell you, but only if you promise not to laugh." I said, my cheeks suddenly feeling a little hot.
"I promise." She assured me. I sighed and covered my eyes, mumbling my answer under my breath. "Excuse me?" She asked
"You… you remind of my little sister." I murmured, though loud enough for her to hear. Her eyes widened for a moment at my answer, before her lips curled up. She tried to hold it in, and I have to give her props for that, but she eventually burst into a fit of girlish giggles. I couldn't help but sigh.
"Sorry." Kate continued to giggle, covering her mouth. It took a few moments, but she calmed down. "Thank you for helping me Damon." She said. As I nod at her, she smiled at me and walked off. Meanwhile, I pulled out my cellphone and texted Warren.
Damon: Got the drive.
Damon: On my way to the lot.
Warren: Already there
With that, I headed over.
"Here you go." I said to Warren as he leaned on my car, a dark crimson black Chevrolet Camaro. Nothing majorly fancy, and it was second hand, but it's mine. A gift from my mother after I arrived here in Arcadia. Need to get around somehow.
"Thanks Damon." He said, taking the drive and slipping it into his pocket. "What do you think of my new wheels?" He asked, gesturing to the blue car parked right beside my own. An old vehicle, not sure of the model, but I'd say somewhere in the 70s.
"Nice." I nodded in approval. "Very old school. 70s?" I asked. He nodded with a grin.
"78 to be exact. Now I can take Brooke to the Drive-in." He said with a wry smile. Ah, this conversation again...
"If you just asked, I'm certain she'd give you a shot." I assured him.
"Dude, she likes you." He said with a depressed sigh. "Through no fault of your own." he added quickly, seeing my annoyed look.
"Listen, you don't need her to really like you at the moment. First thing, you need to convince her to give you a chance. You can work on getting to like her after that." I told him, crossing my arms. I feel bad knowing that the girl my friend likes actually likes me, but Warren's refusal to act based on that alone gets annoying at times. "Put it this way then..." I trailed off with a devious grin.
"I don't like that look…" Warren mumbled, a hesitant expression on his face.
"You have 24 hours to ask Brooke to accompany you to the Drive-in." I narrowed my eyes and widened my grin. "If not, then you're going to have to be very careful about what you eat, lest you eat something spiked with a laxative." I told him, seeing his eyes widen in horror.
"You wouldn't…" He whispered desperately.
"I would." I said evilly. His face pae, he shot off towards his dorm, no doubt intent on planning his approach on Brooke. I couldn't help cackling.
"Hey, Damon Azrail, right?" A voice approached. A voice I knew all too well. Nathan Prescott.
"Can I help you?" I asked boredly. He got real close to me, sneering angrily.
"Yeah, you can tell me what you heard in the bathroom." He spat. I cringed in disgust as some of it hit my face.
"Not much really. I was too focussed on the gun you were waving around." I said simply, shrugging.
"Did you tell anyone?!" He demanded.
"I didn't really care to." That didn't seem to help his anger. "We both know Wells wouldn't punish you, even if you did have a gun, and quite frankly, getting involved with you or your family seems to be more trouble than it's worth." I said with a thin smile. "I'd rather just avoid contact with you Prescotts all together." OK, too far! I had to duck under a punch he threw at my face.
"You son of a bitch!" He yelled.
"Whoa!" I said as I dodged another punch. "Wow Nathan, really?" I asked with an exasperated shake of my head. "Someone doesn't worship your very name and you fall into this kind of rage? You need to see a shrink buddy." I sidestepped another attack. "Or maybe admit into a clinic. That would be better."
"Don't analyse me!" he hollered, his face actually kind of scary. Deranged even. "Don't tell me what to do!" He made to punch me again, but were both knocked to the ground by a beige truck.
"Ow!" I groaned as I hit the ground. Thankfully, I don't think I got any permanent damage. Just a bruise on my leg or something. Shaking my head, I used the truck to get up. I was surprised to see the blue haired girl from earlier driving the truck. She still looks familiar.
Wait, it couldn't be…
"Damon?!" The girl cried out in surprise. It is!
"Chloe!?" I responded in kind. Holy crap, she looks so different! Wait, I was going on about how hot my oldest friend was back in the bathroom!
"Great, you again?" Nathan growled as he got up, clutching his hip. Snarling, he made to walk towards me, but I acted fast. I delivered swift spin kick to the side of the psycho's face, earning a loud grunt of pain as he stumbled out of the street. I then heard a car door opening.
"Damon get in!" Chloe yelled at me frantically. I nodded and quickly jumped into the truck, closing the door.
"Get your punk asses out of there now!" Nathan howled in rage as he got up. "Don't try to run! Nobody messes with me!" He yelled, kicking the truck as Chloe stepped on it. All we heard for the next few seconds was Nathan's enrage screaming.
"Christ, that wanker is insane." I sighed heavily, slumping into the seat as Chloe drove. "I hope he doesn't vandalize my car." I sighed, turning my attention to Chloe. "You have no idea how ecstatic I am to see you." I told her with a bright smile.
"Likewise." She said, giving a small smile of her own. "You've certainly changed. Black and red huh?" She asked, eying me.
"The pot's calling the kettle blue, as it were." I chuckled. Chloe put on a small smile at my quip.
"Heh, after five years, you're still Damon Azrail." She shook her head.
"Five years indeed." I ran a hand through my hair. "After an insane day like this, it makes sense I'd run into you after it all." I sighed. I still need to figure out that rewind crap.
"So what did that freak want with you?" She asked.
"After today, I sincerely hope nothing." I said with a groan. "I thought it would be quieter hear, I was wrong." I heard her snickering.
"I saw the kick you landed on his head. Nice moves." She gave a grin, which I returned.
"Spent three years attending an MMA dojo." I shrugged.
"So, I guess London sucked hard?" She guessed, her eyes back on the road.
"Not really, just the people." I admitted.
"Really? With the wardrobe change, I'd think you'd fit in with all those pommy bikers." She deadpanned.
"This coming from the girl who looks like the cover of biker girl magazine? Please." I rolled my eyes with a smile.
"At least you're still a smartass." She grumbled.
"My most endearing quality, after my accent, and you know it." I grinned cheekily, earning an eye roll and small smile. "It's what I'm here for after all."
Her smile dropped. "Please, you came back for Blackwell Academy." She said bitterly, frowning. A gesture in imitated.
"And you." I insisted.
"Really? Five years without a call or even a fucking text to your best friend?" She asked doubtfully.
"Moving to a different continent is a huge experience Chloe, and it leaves its mark." I defended.
"And I'm sure your laptop and phone were frozen in time." She shot back. Oh the irony…
"Christ, your ruthless…" I mumbled under my breath.
"You've been in Blackwell for a month without contacting me. Nuff said." She said, still bitter as she drove.
"Ok, fine, I'll give you that one." I conceded. "And you're right, I didn't call, write, text, or email. But keep in mind, neither did you." I reminded her.
"I doubt you use these sad excuses at Blackhell Damon, don't use them on me." Chloe said, her tone signifying this conversation was over. I could only stare at her. What was that supposed to mean? I may not have stayed in touch, but she didn't either!
"What happened to you Chloe?" I asked myself, depression sneaking it's way into my chest.
OK, I must admit, I had fun writing this chapter. I've always loved Chloe's character, and I really wanted to get to her introduction, so here it is. I also plan on having Damon deal with David very differently to what happened canonically. Just a heads up, I am open to suggestions and requests if there is anything anyone would like to see happen in this story. Or any of the others, really. Don't hesitate to drop a review or send a PM if you have an idea.