A/N: I'm back now with an all-new chapter of Like A Chameleon. Yes, it'll be Black, so enjoy it.
Like A Chameleon
Black Sunday
Black
At four in the morning when every student at Pacific Coast Academy was supposed to be resting for class only a mere four hours later, Maxwell's lounge was empty, except for a devastated Logan, and a shocked Chase and Zoey. Michael didn't know what to think, and Quinn was almost convinced that everything had been an ugly understanding. Lola was in tears and nobody knew why.
As still as Logan was, no one succeeded in finding out what really went through his head. Suddenly it felt like everything had been smashed around him. Usually, he could cover it up, or play it off because he was an expert, but it didn't work this time.
"I knew her better than anyone," Lola confessed through her tears. "Dana was – is my cousin by blood. Her father and my mother are brother and sister. She called me and… told me she was coming back to PCA, but she didn't want me to say anything. She…wanted it to be a surprise."
"…and when was this?" Chase asked, trying to be the one with the most controlled emotions at the moment.
"Two weeks ago…"
"…and this didn't bother to cross your mind at all?" Zoey questioned Lola, started to get angry. She was way beyond the offended stage. "It took a tragic car accident to finally tell us you were related to her? For almost two years! How could you do that?"
"Do what? Be honest? Well, I've done that, Zoey, so just stop it!"
"Sure took you long enough!" Zoey yelled back.
She was even angrier than Zoey. With her cousin's death, and now her friend turning on her, it didn't really help things.
"You know what, Zoey?" Lola argued back. "Instead of telling others to be honest, how about you do everyone a favour and stop being so oblivious to what's right in front of you? It's really getting old!"
"…and what exactly is that supposed to mean?" the blonde questioned, crossing her arms. The actress threw a discrete glance towards Chase before reverting to become angry again. It would have been nice for Chase's crush on Zoey to be called out, but not under these circumstances.
"You guys stop it!" Quinn intervened, getting in between her roommates. "We live in the same dorm for crying out loud! You can't be at each other's throats!"
"Oh, yeah?" the slender brunette challenged. "Watch me…"
"You want to be immature about it? Fine, let's be immature!"
"That's fine. You already have a head start, anyway," Lola icily retorted, storming off. She was mad, but the look in her eyes showed that her sadness and grief outweighed the anger she felt. Michael sighed, going after his girlfriend. Zoey sighed, walking off as well.
"That's my cue…" Chase sighed, and ran after Zoey. "Zoe, wait up!"
Quinn was quiet for a few seconds, and realized Logan wasn't there anymore. Aside from her own grief, she had to at least had to see if he wasn't drowning in his own.
She walked, and stood at the doorway.
His head hurt, and now he just felt so damn hollow.
Quinn stood there, silently and she knew it would take time. The quicker he grieved, the faster it would take for it to sink in, and then he could slowly start to heal again.
"I'll be there to pick up the pieces, Logan. I promise…" she said, quiet enough for herself to hear.
Logan wasn't ready.
He wasn't going to accept it, and anyone that told him any different was a nut.
Dana wasn't dead, and with one pinch…
He was sure he would awaken from this nightmare…
Then again, Logan was sure he would get a lot of things… that didn't mean he would actually get his wish.
Not this time.
--
Under a wide, black umbrella to shelter the three of them on that stormy day, the Reese triplets stood under it, and watching their grandfather's casket being lowered into the ground, six feet under. It was under fitting that he be buried beside his wife, Ellen (but everyone of her grandchildren referred to her as Grandma Ellie).
Ellen died of breast cancer when Logan was in the eighth grade, the summer before his freshman year started. He had to come back to PCA and parade like nothing was wrong, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt afterwards.
Rayne had dark glasses to cover her eyes, which consisted of dilated pupils and they were sort of bloodshot from the lack of sleep. All of a sudden, sleep didn't seem safe to her at all. For fuck's sake, she thought, it would have been better for her to die while choking on her last cigarette.
At least with cancer, you were awake and somewhat aware.
She had cried now than she had in her entire lifetime, and wished she could actually stop. If she didn't, there was some serious smoking to be done.
Jason hadn't said much, besides the late night conversations he would have with his brother. That was four days ago since Logan had arrived from PCA, and now today he was hung-over. Yesterday, he thought he would drink his sorrows. He was always the quiet and naïve one, the one who had his head always up in the clouds.
The wine was smooth and dark red, the alcohol very imminent and strong, in fact.
When the liquid went down his throat, flashes of the visitation entered his head.
Reality sucked, especially if you were smacked with it, spontaneously.
To avoid reality, Jason drank cup after cup hoping to drift away from it. As usual, he was wrong about his family being perfect. He was almost jealous of the Brady Bunch (Jealous of a fictional family? How pathetic is that? Very.). They weren't wealthy, but they had each other.
Jason would trade it all, just for that feel for paternal love, and the equal amount of maternal love wouldn't hurt to get as well. He drank the wine until there was nothing in the bottle, hoping to drift.
As he began to drift, things just seemed happier and more lighter to him.
Now, as the minister's words droned on and on, reality reared its ugly head. It was as if that narrow, expensive box containing his grandfather's body took so fucking long to just go, and Jason could deal with the pain afterwards.
It added more salt to his wounds.
The low rumble of thunder sounded, as he watched aunts and uncles talk about their father, like they actually knew him.
"Next we'll have the eulogy by Anthony's oldest son, Malcolm…"
Logan, in the middle, watched his father make his way to the front, with white knuckles as he gripped the umbrella, his face and his eyes holding no emotion, and his jaw set. Rayne could only glare at her mother, and then shoot a dirty look towards her father.
It was all a publicity stunt for the paparazzi, as they stood behind the security lines of the estate, lights going left and right and the annoying sound of cameras were heard.
Jason swallowed the venom threatened to rise within him.
Rayne rolled her eyes, "My bullshit detector will explode from the overdose…"
"I wish it were him in that box," Jason muttered quietly, as his eyes clouded over…
Logan was angered into silence, and he wanted nothing more than to melt into a sea of black, and stay there forever. If he did, he swore he would drown and never rise to the surface again.
Still the thunder would sound, and lightning would fork the sky on that Black Sunday…
A/N: Ok, I'm done. There was only a shred of QL in the flashback, and that's it. I wanted to be emphasis on the funeral and his family, dysfunctional one. Next chapter will be the last, and I know how to end it. It'll have a long flashback, and then the actual chapter, like I did to this one. So, hang tight with that one. I've decided to write a story (one-shot) about Logan and 9/11 on Saturday called We Are Broken. Yes, it's a songfic. I also have a LoganxZoey friendship oneshot called More Than Chemistry in the works.
I still can't believe how well-liked this story is. Thanks so much! I'm hoping the reviews will reach past 100 when I'm done. We can do it! I love you all!
Next up: White (chapter title: Reborn)
Review!
-Erika
PS. Review my other pieces while you're at it. Please and thank you.
