Ch.11

I woke up in a white room. The room was spinning until I focused my eyes on Eugene, who was holding my hand and was sleeping on my lap. I checked the clock. It was 12 am. I woke up Eugene by running my IV'd hand through his hair. He woke up and wiped some drool from the corner of his mouth. I started to remember what happened before I passed out. I started to remember being held in Eugene's arms and hearing his heartbeat.

"Hey babe." He said in a tired, raspy voice.

"You ok?" he cupped my jaw and rubbed his thumb on my cheek

"I'm feeling better. What happened?"

"The doctor said you were in so much shock your tired body couldn't hold it and you just knocked out."

"I can't believe I'm adopted." I blurted out

"Join the club." He smiled sweetly trying to cheer me up

I chuckled lightly and closed my eyes.

"I have been abused for years. And the woman wasn't even my real mother." I opened my eyes and saw Eugene's smile disappear into a slight frown

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"So what do you want to do? You want to look for your old parents?"

"They didn't want me. Why should I care?"

"Because they are your mom and dad. Maybe the put you up for adoption because they thought you might end up with a happier family or one that was better off."

I sighed deeply and looked at the water damaged ceiling.

"I'll help you if you want." He offered sweetly

"I don't know. What if they didn't love me?"

"If they didn't love you they would have just gotten rid of you when she was pregnant. You know, abortion?"

"Maybe. Eugene, am I that hard to take care of?"

"Yea." He chuckled

"I'm serious."

He cleared his throat and managed to keep a straight face

"No, you're not. You are sweet, caring and beautiful. Whoever your real parents are they sure don't know what they're missing out on."

I smiled at him and Eugene returned a smirk. The doctor came in and asked me if I was feeling better. He took off some of the needles and sent me home. Eugene drove me home and stayed with me. he was in the kitchen making some dinner for us at 3 in the morning. I sat on the counter and watched him dice tomatoes and throw them in the pan. He whistled softly and finally finished the dish. He set on plate on my lap and he grabbed one for himself and leaned on the fridge.

"Before the ambulance took you to the hospital the guy in the suit told me that there was going to be a funeral tomorrow at 9 in the morning."

"I don't want to go."

"Babe, it's your mom."

"No. she isn't my mom. She's just a pseudo parent, She means nothing to me."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"If you don't want to go I'm not going to force you into it."

"Why?"

"she's your mom, not mine. Your mom, your problem."

He took a bite out of some broccoli and continued to eat.

"Eugene. I want to see her one last time. For two seconds."

"Fine by me. I'll wake us up."

We both finished dinner and went up stairs. He cuddled next to me and brought me closer, kissing my ear and whispering 'good night'

The alarm went off and 8:30 the next morning. We both got up and didn't speak a word to each other. I got dressed and put on a knee-length strapless black dress with a black coat over it. Eugene put on a black shirt and black pants and didn't even fix his hair while I was stuck putting on 2 hours worth of makeup. We got into the car and drove to the funeral home. It had a huge salon outside and little rooms that connected to it and would have the casket in the middle of the room. As I walked in I saw all of my mom's old "friends" I saw one of her boyfriends whom she dated for 2 years and then I saw one of her old friends, Barbie, who was drinking scotch and her bleach blonde hair was frizzy. As I walked in I grabbed Eugene's hand and didn't let go. As I got closer to the casket I saw parts of my mother's black curls. When I finally arrived to the casket I let go of Eugene's hand and everyone stayed silent. I took one good look at her. Her face was pale white and showed slight wrinkles on the corner of her eyes. Her lips were an alarming shade of red and she wore a dark purple dress with white flowers. I reached to touch her. Her face was hard as a rock and extremely cold. The light bounced of some of her silver strands of hair. Her nails were a light pink and crossed over her still chest. I pulled my hand back and for the first time in years I fell to the floor and prayed. My hands were folded on her casket and my head was leaning on a bouquet of flowers. As I was praying I was wondering if she was hearing me. I wondered where she was at that moment. I prayed to her, telling her off and cursing her in every single way I can imagine. I got up and turned, leaving Eugene standing over the casket and wondering where I was. He finally saw me marching out of the room like a soldier and he followed right behind me. I felt dirty looks from people around the room. I walked out and never looked back. When I got to the car Eugene was right behind me with a confused look on his face.

"What the hell was that about?"

"I said I wanted to see her for two seconds."

"You were barely there for one!"

"Open the car, Eugene."

Eugene sighed and opened the car, slamming the door after I got in and put my seatbelt on. He drove us to the snuggly duckling to get breakfast since we didn't eat before the funeral. When I walked in people gave us sympathetic looks since we were wearing black. Thor showed us to a booth in the back of the restaurant and by one look at my face he already knew what I was drinking. Before Eugene and I sat down hook handed me a shot of whiskey. I nodded my hand and sat down. Eugene was right in front of me, drumming on the wooden table and reading the menu even though he already memorized half of it.

"What are you having?" Eugene said as he glanced away from the menu

"You're looking at it." I said as I shook my glass

"Babe…you need help."

"Help?"

"You look like shit-"

"Well gee, thanks."

"Let me finish. You don't sleep, you haven't taken a shower since the day we came back and you're eyes are blood shot. I think you should see a therapist. You're mom's death is making you go crazy."

"I'm NOT crazy."

"Babe, you're shaking."

"Am not." I tried to stifle my upper torso from shivering.

"Are too. Look, I have this really cool psychiatrist-"

"IM NOT CRAZY!" I slammed my cup on the table and I felt my body shaking even more

Eugene and I had a stare off until vlad interrupted us, holding a notepad to jot down our orders. I got up and darted outside to smoke. I sat on one of the patio chairs and took out my cigarette and lit it while covering it with my hand, making sure my last match won't go to waste. I saw the tip turn red so I took a long drag and sighed while looking out into the road. Eugene was right, I was going crazy. All this shit with my mom and my adoption was a complete shock. I was thinking of calling a psychiatrist without telling Eugene. Maybe it will help. I sighed deeply and I saw smoke pouring out of my lips heard the bell on the door jingle. I can tell it was Eugene by hearing his short hesitative footsteps.

"Fuck off." I said taking another drag

"Nope." He sat next to me and put his arms around me, stealing my cigarette out of my hands and taking a puff for himself.

"GIVE IT BACK!" I said as I jumped over his body reaching for the cigarette which was at arm's length

"Punz. Let me help you, please."

"Listen. I can handle myself perfectly fine! I went years without knowing you I think I can manage living perfectly fine without you! Now give me back my cigarette!"

"For fucks sake." Eugene mumbled under his breath and threw the cigarette on the floor.

He got up and was standing over me, his shadow reaching over me.

"Have your fucking cigarette. I'm done trying to make you happy."

He turned around and walked to his car, pulling his hood over his head. I can see him sigh from across the parking lot. He revved up the car and sped out of the parking lot.

"WHO NEEDS YOU ANYWAY?" I said as I took the ring off of my finger and threw it as his car, missing terribly.

I saw his car disappear into the thick fog and I walked home. I slammed the door behind me as I walked into my small apartment.

I locked the door and micro waved ramen noodles. I sat on my couch that still smelled like him and watched crap television all day. I repeated this for a week.

No phone calls from him at all. Nothing. Not even a text. I went to work on Tuesday and Thursday and he wasn't there. He wasn't waiting for me on top of his old car smoking and listening to old rock music. As I sat in my room every night I thought about how it would be like if I was still living with my mother. Sometimes I would imagine Eugene meeting my mom. I would crawl up into a ball and just cry. I was never sure of what. For Eugene, my mom, the fact of me never knowing I was adopted. It all stacked up. When I went to the grocery store I met one of my old junkie high school buddies and we got together and started making out in the car. One thing led to another and the next thing I know he was feeling me up in the parking lot of a grocery store. When I finally got a hold of my senses I got out of the car and drove home. I was so tired I kept of thinking I wasn't really driving I was just dreaming in the car, still in the parking lot. It wasn't until I arrived to my apartment and knocked into my couch I realized I was not dreaming. I got a text that night at 5 in the morning.

"Meet me at the bar tomorrow. We need to talk. – Eugene"

I woke up the next morning with a slight head ache and bruises on my chest I didn't see the night before. When I walked out and half way to the bar I forgot I still had last night's make up on and my shirt was half tucked into my small skirt. When I arrived to the bar hook pointed to the booth all the way in the back. As I walked over I saw Eugene's face dug into his hands.

"What's up?" I said in a casual way as I slid into the booth

"Rapunzel. I don't know how to tell you this." He said, his head still in his hands

"I woke up at 9 in the morning to hear you apologize. Spit it out."

He lifted his head and showed me his blood shot eyes as well as bags under them.

"Holy shit." I said my mouth slightly opened

"You look like shit." I laughed as I lit my cigarette inside the restaurant, the smoke filling up the small corner

"Rapunzel, Linda is pregnant."

"So?"

"With my kid."

I chocked on my smoke while I kept my cigarette in between my fingers.

"I got her pregnant that time when I…cheated on you."

"Cool. She's keeping it?"

"Yea." He looked at me in confusion after noticing my out-of-character coolness

"Sweet." I dug my cigarette into his cup of water

"I don't want to share any part of my life with her, though. I want to stay with you."

"ooohh please." I said as I chuckled loudly

"Rapunzel what the hell is wrong with you today?" Eugene cocked an eyebrow

"Nothing. I'm fine. I fucked someone really good yesterday and I just had a flashback. Damn, that was soo hot." I continued to giggle

"You…what?"

"I fucked someone else. And it was good." I said in a country accent

"What the fuck? Rapunzel, we're going to get married! You're my fiancé!"

I stopped laughing like a maniac and I just gave him a death stare. I pulled out my left hand which had no rings on them whatsoever. I leaned over the table and was over his shoulder, I was two inches close to his right ear.

"Fiancés don't fuck their exs and get them pregnant." I whispered in his ear

I pulled back and got up, standing over him next to the table.

"You know what? I don't need you. And you know what else? I'm going back to school and I'm going to find my parents. And I'm going to move so far away. Away from this tiny little town filled with tiny little cunt lickers like you."

I turned around and left, I heard Eugene's feet running towards me. He finally caught up to me and in the middle of the restaurant he grabbed my shoulders and turned me around.

"Stop it. You're acting like a fucking kid."

"IM ACTING LIKE A KID?"

"YES YOU ARE!" Eugene started yelling and I was getting scared but by that time no one was going to stop me

"IT'S BETTER ACTING LIKE A KID THAN GETTING SOME GIRL PREGNANT WITH ONE!"

"IT WAS A MISTAKE!"

"SO IM GUESSING YOU ACCIDENTALLY SLIPPED IT IN HER? WHAT, DID YOU FUCKING TRIP?"

"I DIDN'T MEAN THAT PART!"

"YOU ARE A FUCKING IDIOT!"

"AT LEAST IM MAN ENOUGH TO ADMIT IT."

"MEN DON'T CHEAT ON THEIR FIANCES!"

"LET IT GO!"

"FUCK YOU!"

"NO, FUCK YOU FOR NEVER LISTENING TO A WORD I SAY. YOU STUBBORN LITTLE BRAT!"

"I HATE YOU!"

To this, Eugene stayed silent. We were both giving each other dirty looks and everyone in the bar was dead silent. Vlad came through the kitchen door and grabbed Eugene by the arm. Eugene shrugged vlad off and walked out of the bar. I stood in the exact same spot for 5 minutes until everyone in the bar started talking again. I walked out of the restaurant and walked home. When I got home I started packing all of my stuff. I didn't know where I was going I didn't know where I wanted to go. I just wanted to get the hell out of there. I packed almost all of my clothes and I got my chameleon ready for traveling. I warned my landlord and before the sun went down I ran out the door. I played blasting music and I through my phone out of my window while driving through a mountain road. I was all by myself now.

I drove mindlessly for 60 or 80 miles and I had to stop for gas. I parked my car and started putting gas in. there was a young guy next to me who was filling up a dirty old pickup truck. I saw him starring at me and didn't stop until I finally snapped and asked him

"Take a picture, it lasts longer."

"Sorry, we don't see girls like you around here. You look different. What's your name?"

"Rap- uhm…Katherine." I lied

"Cool. Nice to meet you Kat, my name is hiccup."

The young guy flashed a smile and offered me his hand. When I went to shake it I saw forest green eyes under long brown-orange shaggy hair.

"Hiccup?"

"Yea. It's an old superstition that if you have a terrible name it wards off trolls and stuff. Pretty stupid, I know."

"It's not stupid. I think its adorable." I found myself smiling so I stopped and tried to hold onto my bitchy persona

"Well, you're the first. But thank you. Listen, I live a couple of blocks from here and you look dead tired. Maybe you can come over my place then you can keep going on your road trip to wherever you where heading."

I found myself smiling again but the sudden noise of the gas pump knocked me back into conscience. What would ne night hurt?

"Well, if you don't wanna go-"

"No! uhm, sure. Why not?"

"Great. I'll show you the way. Here let me get that for you."

He got in between the machine and I and put in some cash, glancing over his shoulder now and then to make sure I wouldn't run off. He looked back one more time and catched glimpse of the chameleon in the passenger seat.

"You like reptiles too? We are made for each other."

I smiled and asked him

"You have a chameleon?"

"No. not really. I have a komodo dragon. Well, used to. It got too big for me to take care of it so I had to give it up to a zoo 40 miles away. I still get to see it though."

"A komodo dragon?"

"Yea. His name is toothless. I got him when he first hatched. When he was younger he escaped and got run over but he was fine. They just had to amputate his leg."

"Ouch. Is he okay?"

"More than okay, he's great! Here you go, all paid for."

"Thanks so much." I said as I wiped a piece of hair out of my face.

He turned around and was looking at me and we were about two inches away from making out until he laughed nervously and got into his car. When I saw him walk to his car I noticed that he was limping. He had a prosthetic leg. When he got in front of me we went through 5 miles of terrible bumpy roads and dark streets until we finally came up to a small cabin with all the lights on.

"This is your place? It's beautiful."

"Thanks, I moved out of my parents and this was the only thing I could afford that was close to home."

"It's lovely."

"Well it's no playboy mansion but hey, you gotta start off small, right? Here, let e help you with those bags."

He went to the back and grabbed one of the black suitcases which held all of my clothes. He rolled it over to the front porch and held the door for me before I got in. it was nice and warm in the cabin and everything looked so cozy. It also had windows all around the first floor. The windows showed the beautiful view of the black-blue mountains. I wanted to stay here for more than overnight. I heard the crickets and trees move against the breeze. The fire was still on and there was only one bed room by the looks of it.

"Don't worry; I'll sleep on the couch. Come in, make yourself at home! mi casa es tu casa."

"Thanks so much. Where's the shower?"

"In the bed room."

"I'll be right back, then."

I grabbed my bag and made my way into the commodious bed room. It was surprisingly very clean and smelled like apple and cinnamon. The shower was blue and white and was so relaxing. When I turned on the water it never turned cold, unlike the showers in Eugene's apartment, which after 6 minutes the water would be below zero. I washed my hair with some really nice smelling guy shampoo and used his axe body wash, which smelled delicious too. When I walked out put on some PJs with no bra. I walked into the living room and saw hiccup watching TV with his arms around the couch. He looked over his shoulder and saw me in my PJs with my hair wet and no bras on. He nodded his head to the TV, as if inviting me to sit with him. When I sat on the couch I slipped right into his arms, feeling the warmth radiate from his body. Out of force of habit I leaned my head on his neck. He shrugged my head off his shoulder and cupped my jaw. For two minutes we were looking into each other, trying to analyze what was going on in each of our heads. He leaned my head towards his and he kissed me gently on the lips. After two seconds he let go, leaving me wanting more. I grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him closer to me, my legs wrapped over his waist. We started making out for 2 minutes until I felt his hand go up my shirt. I didn't protest but instead I helped. I took off my shirt, leaving my wet hair dripping over my back. He started to take off his pants and stood up, shimming his pants off and throwing them to the side. He grabbed my hand and gave me a piggy back ride into his room. He plopped me on top of the bed and he started kissing my stomach, moving lower until he reached the elastic of my pants. With a swift move that reminded me off Flynn he yanked the pants off and started getting ready to slip it in. he waited for the ok and got in. he wasn't as big as Eugene so it didn't hurt as much. I didn't have to sit back up and wait for Eugene to feel comfortable. I laid down there, looking into his eyes as he slowly thrusted. As I reached my melting point I screamed really loud and said

"EUGENE!"

Hiccup brusquely topped and looked at me in confusion.

"Shit." I said under my breath, brushing my hand through my damp hair

"God damn it!" he threw his arms up in frustration

"Im so sorry! I didn't mean to!" I sat back up, covering myself in the mangled bed sheets

He walked away into the living room to put his pants back on. I walked outside, completely naked. He had his jeans on and was leaning against the window looking outside. I walked up to him and put my hand on his back, I tried to lean forward to see his face but his hair was hiding it.

"Who's Eugene?"

"My ex."

"Ex?"

"We were going to get married. That's why I ran away."

"You ran away because you didn't want to get married?"

"No. he got some girl pregnant."

He turned around and saw the pain in my face. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him. Instead of having my head on his chest, which was the case with Flynn, I leaned my head on his neck.

"I'm sorry. He's a dick."

"Yea. He is."

I started crying into hiccup's neck and we both just stood there for about an hour until a stopped.

"He doesn't deserve such a sweet and beautiful girl like you." He pulled a lock of brown hair behind my ear and kissed my forehead sweetly

"Thank you so much for taking care of me. You're probably the sweetest guy I have ever met."

"Don't worry about it. It's my pleasure. Tell me all about this asshole. It will make you feel loads better."

I stood back and grabbed the nearest blanket. We sat down near the fire and I started telling him everything up to this morning. Eugene's birthday, my mother's death, my adoption, the hospital, the funeral, and the breakup. We talked until three in the morning. We fell asleep next to the fireplace, my head on his lap and he rested his head on my head. Before I fell asleep I remember him kissing my forehead and whispering "good night.", Which reminded me so much of Eugene. I fell asleep in the sound of the crickets and the fire crackling. It was the best sleep I had in days.