Through My Eyes
By: Voice4TheMute
Disclaimer: I do not own the Scott Pilgrim series or any of the characters mentioned in this story. All original characters and lines belong to Bryan Lee O'Malley and other respectable parties. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and not to be sold anywhere.
A/N: As always, thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing my story! Chapter 5 has been split into three parts so this is the second installment of book 5. Hope you guys enjoy it, hope it holds you 'til I write the next chapter, and I'll see you guy next time!
Updates on the story can be found on my profile page and I will update regularly.
Voice4TheMute Presents…
I didn't want to go to work. Not that I like work to begin with. I just know that once I step inside that building… I opened the door to No-Account video to see Hollie sitting at the counter, a bag of donuts facing towards me and a cup of coffee with my name on it…literally. I knew she would be there…
Through My Eyes 005b
"Hollie I quit." I said as I turned around to walk out the door. I heard her jump over the counter and reach for me, pulling on my shoulder to turn me around. I gave in to her force. It was early in the morning and I didn't have breakfast yet. The last thing I wanted to do was fight back when I was running on three hours of sleep…that realization I had last night…I was up all night thinking about it…
"Kim! Kim! Please! Hear me out!" She pleaded as I meet her eyes with my cold glare. I looked over her shoulder to see the donuts and coffee marked for me and sighed.
"Fine…you're lucky I didn't have breakfast yet." I said to her as I made my way behind the counter and pulled out a chocolate donut from the bag. I sat in my usual seat and leaned back into it, propping my feet on the counter. "You have five minutes." I said to her as I took my first bite.
"Kim. I'm sorry. I'm SO sorry about what happen! If I could go back and change everything I would." She started. I wanted to interrupt her about her going back and changing everything. Somehow I knew if she could go back, she wouldn't change a damn thing. "What happen between me and him…it was an accident. He stopped by one day while you were at work and offered to help me move stuff. We talked, he told me his ambitions and I told him mine, he talked about the future and so did I…there was no way I could have seen it coming but somehow we ending up talking about you two."
"Us?" I said, raising an eyebrow as I took the coffee that Hollie got me and took a sip. Black coffee…excellent.
"Yeah. Believe it or not Jason wasn't feeling a connection between him and you. I guess you can say you two had the same connection that you weren't feeling one. Kinda ironic when you think about it…" Hollie said to me as I narrowed my eyes at her.
"Yeah Hollie. A real riot." I said sarcastically. "Even if we didn't have a connection, that doesn't give you the right to just swoop in and take him away from me." I said to her.
"I know! I know!" She repeated, burying her head in her hands. "I'm not saying that I did was right…what I'm trying to say is that the relationship was going to fail and…"
"And you were nice enough to end it for us. Thank you Hollie." I said as I finished my donut. "You should work at a suicide hotline…"
"Kim please! I know you're mad at me…but even you admit that the relationship was going nowhere. You told me that you're not feeling the same thing that you felt when you were together with Scott." She said as I felt my heart sink and the mere mention of his name. "I know what I did was wrong…but please forgive me…"
"You know what Hollie? I'm not mad about you stealing Jason away from me. You know what really bothered me? That you used the information that I confined in you to get to him. That's a real slap to the face Hollie. You knew the struggles I had with him and you used it to your advantage…" I said to her. She didn't response. She didn't have to. I knew I had her pegged. I drank the rest of the coffee in one gulp and started to head to the door.
"Kim I…"
"I'm going to get some fresh air. If I stay here any longer I feel I might catch your retardation…" I said as I opened the door and walked out. At that very moment, I saw Scott looking at the entrance to No-Account, ready to come in. "Let's go." I said to him as I continued my path away from that place and that girl.
"What's up? I was just gonna come inside for a minute, say hi to Hollie…" Scott started but I cut him off by the mention of her name.
"You don't need to see Hollie." I said as I continued to walk.
"Are you guys fighting?"
"We're not fighting. I just-" I started but caught myself in mid-lie. "…forget it, okay?" Scott hustle to match my speed as we walked passed A & M super karaoke bar.
"Living with her isn't working out, eh?" Scott said to me as I looked over at him. Not that it's any business of yours Scott Pilgrim… "Well, we did each other's hair for a week, then she got depressed and stopped doing dishes and now I hate her." I said, summing up the entire month in a nice, coherent sentence.
"I…don't…" Scott said, rather confused on the situation but I really didn't expect him to understand it anyways. It was definitely way out of his normal comprehension level.
"Don't worry about it Scott." I said as looked around. "Why are you wandering around Toronto anyways?"
Scott stopped for a minute and thought about it. As I cross my arms and waited for a response, a blank expression spread across his face that I was too familiar too. "Um. I forgot…" He said as I slapped my forehead.
"It's a miracle that you remember to breath, Scott." I said. "Don't you have work today?" I asked him as he shook his head.
"No. Stephen Stills isn't working either. Maybe I was looking for him…" He said, rubbing his chin.
"How do you not remember if you're looking for Stephen Stills!" I yelled at him. I sighed as I saw a small bakery across the street. That one donut Hollie bought me didn't satisfy me and my stomach was gurgling the word 'donut'. "Come on Scott. Let's get some food. I haven't finished breakfast yet…"
"Finish breakfast?" Scott repeated, confused.
"You heard me." I said as we walked into the little bakery. It wasn't a well known place, but they knew how to cook up a good batch of donuts, ranging from the classic chocolate donut to a very delicious Turtle donut. Old Santos' wasn't a chain store, but they do have several places set up all over Canada. The reason I know about this place is because the store that I used to go to back when I lived in Northern Ontario told me that they had a place set up in Toronto. When I first moved here, this was the first place that I wanted to find. What was nice is that each of their stores was made exactly the same. Same color scheme, same tables, same uniform. It always reminded me of home…or at least better times.
"Welcome!"
"Hi. Can I get…uh…that chocolate donut. The one with the sprinkles." I said, pointing at their wide selection. I looked over at Scott, who was staring at the donuts with a bit of drool coming out of his mouth. I took a long sigh as I spoke up to him. "Do you want one Scott?" His head instantly shot up.
"Really? You mean it Kim?" He said to me as I felt dizzy for a moment. I closed my eyes to refocus but then I heard it.
"Do you want one Scott?"
I opened my eyes and looked off to my left in the direction the voice came from. There, standing right beside me, was me…wearing my St. Joel's uniform. She was opaque and kinda hard to fully make out, but the way she talked…the way she dressed…I was sure it was me.
"Really? You mean it Kim?" I heard another voice as I looked over to where Scott was standing. Off to Scott's side stood another opaque figure. This one was also wearing the St. Joel's uniform. It was Scott who was standing right there. Scott from high school. I rubbed my eyes to make sure that my mind wasn't playing games with me, but I still saw them.
"Yeah." I said, almost in sync with my ghostly double who was right next to me. "I'll buy you this round if you get the next." These words…I've said them before. But never in this donut shop…but the one back in Northern Ontario. I reached into my pocket and gave the money to the cashier. I took the two donuts, as did my ghost counter-part and I saw both real Scott and ghost Scott come towards us and reach for the donut.
"Thanks Kim. I owe you one." Scott and ghost Scott said at the same time. But something different happened. I saw the opaque vision of Scott lean in towards my opaque self and give her a small kiss on the lips. I felt myself get embarrassed and flustered seeing this again. That's right…Scott and I use to come to this place after school for a snack. He's the one that introduced me to this place… I thought to myself as real Scott took his donut and started eating. For some reason, I felt a little disappointed that Scott didn't do anything for me…no friendly gesture of thanks, no hug, no kiss…
"You ok there Kim?" Scott asked as I realize that I was just standing there, donut in hand, and still in front of the register.
"Y-Yeah. I'm fine. Just…thinking…" I said as I saw the ghostly figures of Scott and me walk out of the store, hand in hand. I couldn't help but feel depressed at this sight. It was so carefree back then. No complications, no drama, when I was with Scott back then…things were simple. They were easy…I always imagine that's how relationships where. Easy…simple…no complications…but that's just not how life works.
"Thinking about what?" Scott said, mouth full of donut. I walked to an empty table and sat down. Scott followed close behind and sat down as well.
"Remember when we use to come to Old Santos' back in Northern Ontario and get donuts there?" I said to him, seeing if I can jog his memory.
"…I think so. Did they move? I didn't know Old Santos' move down to Toronto. That's pretty cool…"
"They didn't move you idiot. They have a place set up here as well. They just keep the same building scheme."
Scott looked around the building again. "I guess you're right. Now that you mention it, it does look like the same place back up there. Good times. Good times eating…" Scott trailed and looked at his half eaten donut. "…uh, donuts."
"Yeah…" I sighed as I reminisced some more. I'm sure we came here at least once a week and got something from them. The owner would sometimes give us a two for one deal because Scott and I were dating. Actually….this is the place where we would go to end our dates. "Remember how we use to come here and get a donut before ending out dates?"
"We use to date?" Scott said as I felt my eye twitch.
"I'm going to punch you so hard in the face…!" I yelled at him before he finally wised up.
"Oh yeah! That's right…" he said. I wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or lying so that I don't hit him. Either way I accepted it. "Didn't we use to switch off on who bought the next round or not?"
"Yeah…those were some good times…" I said as Scott nodded.
"Good times…" Scott repeated as we sat there, just eating our donuts. "Kinda makes you wish that you can go back and do it all again..."
I felt myself get hot again as Scott said that. I could feel my head get cloudy and hazy. He was expecting a response. Those kinds of questions should never be left in the air like that. He needed a response but my head and my mind were getting bogged down by past memoires. I instinctively said the first thing that came to mind. "…yeah. Yeah it does…" We both sat there in silence. I didn't want to look up but I knew he was looking up at me. "M-maybe Stephen Stills is at his place. We should go." I said, getting up quickly and headed for the exit. Scott was slow to get up, most likely because he was still scarfing down his donut, but he soon caught up to me and I was able to clear my head again.
It's all in my head. It's because of that stupid fight at Sneaky Dee's that I'm feeling this way towards that…that… I looked back to see Scott, donut pieces and icing still stuck around his mouth. …that guy. I don't love him. I know I don't. I guess I just…
"Hey Kim?"
I looked across the street to see our memory selves walking down the street, hand in hand. Though they were far away, I could still hear their conversation.
"Yeah Scott?"
"Where are we going?"
"We're going to Lisa's, remember? We have band practice." I heard myself say as our clasped hands swung almost carelessly forward and back. "Hey Scott?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you think Lisa likes me?"
"What? Why do you say that? Of course she likes you. Why wouldn't she?" Scott asked my ghostly self. I didn't respond right away.
"Forget I said anything."
"What?"
"I said forget it." I heard myself say as she dragged Scott's arm down and kissed him on the check.
"Hey Kim?" I heard Scott say to me as I looked over at him. "Do you think that our album is finished yet?" I scoffed at that statement.
"Scott, the day that album is finished is the day that hell freezes over. At this rate, I might as well find myself a new hobby because drumming seems to be out of the picture."
"But you LOVE to play the drums!"
"I do…I really really do. But it would seem that any time I'm having fun, someone has to come around and ruin it for me." I said to him, putting my hands in my pockets to keep warm. "I mean…was it really a good idea to start the band in the first place?"
"I think it was. Look where it got us. We got cool friends, played some awesome shows, good memories…"
"But we don't do that anymore Scott. Ever since we started to record, everything has gone downhill." I said as I looked down at the sidewalk. "I hardly play anymore. I use to wake up in the morning and do a jam session just to get myself ready for the day. Now…well, I'm a little bit more spiteful that usual."
"We should start our own band!"
"We can't just leave Stephen Stills like that. Even if he was the one that drove Sex Bob-Omb to the ground…"
"Oh yeah…maybe some time in the future we can start our own band." Scott said as I thought of the idea for awhile. I guess that wouldn't be a bad idea…
"Wait, neither of us can come up with music the way Stephen does. Plus neither of us can play guitar."
"What? I can so play guitar!" Scott said to me. "I was lead guitar back in the day."
I rolled my eyes. "I guess…but you weren't that good at it."
"That was back then. Now I'm great!"
"When was the last time you actually held a guitar Scott?" I snapped at him as he through about it.
"Um…I think I handed Stephen Stills' guitar to him once."
"You're an idiot…" I said as we got to Stephen Stills and Young Neil's house. Ever since we started to record, Scott and I haven't set foot in their house…well, other than the time I came here after discovering, officially, that Jason has been cheating on me. Scott knocked on the door but no one came to answer it.
"Maybe no one is home…" Scott said as he bent down and moved a piece of the wooden flooring that he was standing on and reached into the crack. He took out a small brass key and placed it in the lock. "It's a good thing Stephen Stills told me about this. I would come by and hang out sometimes…drink their milk…eat their food…"
"Breaking and entering eh, Scott?" I said to him, staring at the back of his head. "Nice…"
Scott pushed the door open and we peered inside. The main living room was empty. It used to house all of our gear and amps but now that all of it was back at my place, the living room looked very dead. The only thing left was the couch, a coffee table, and a TV.
"Stephen Stills, are you still mad at me?" Scott called. His voice echoed all over the house. "Why don't we hang out here anymore?" There was no response, but there was the sound of faint music being played…and the smell of cigarettes. Scott looked just as confused as I did so we walked further in to investigate. The source of the smoke and music was coming from a small room at the end of the hall. As Scott and I looked inside, there, sitting on his bed with headphones on and a lit cigarette in his hand, was Neil.
Neil…I didn't know you smoked. Oh man, have we really forgotten about you ever since we started to record?
"He's out." Neil said to us, removing his headphones.
"Well, where is he?" Scott asked as Neil took a drag out of his cigarette.
"I dunno. Band practice?"
"We're the band, though. I informed him, pointing and Scott and I. "We're right here." Neil just stared blankly at me. Maybe there was something that he knew that we didn't. Did Stephen jump ship and joined another band? I had to get more information. "Do you see what I'm saying?" Still no response from Neil. I figure there was nothing else he was going to tell us. If, in fact, he did spill the beans, there would be no way that he'll spill more. "Let's go Scott…" I said, turning around. "Good to see you again Neil."
"W-Wait! Where are we going?" Scott asked as I walked to the front door.
"I'll tell you when I figure it out…"
Our long journey brought us to the park where Lisa and I said our farewells before she moved to America. As I surveyed the area, I felt that this place was the last honest place in the whole city. A place where I could meditate freely…a place where I could sort out all the problems in my head and find solutions.
"The park?" Scott asked as he stood right beside me. I nodded as I made my way to the swing set.
"I come here sometimes to think…" I said as I sat down and pushed myself gently off the ground to get myself swinging. "It's a nice place to go to when I need to get away from my home and from all of you guys…"
"And you brought me to your sacred place? I'm touched Kim…honored even."
"Don't flatter yourself too much there Pilgrim, I just needed some thinking time. Company is always nice too…" I said as I looked over at him. He sat in the empty swing seat and began to swing himself as well. We both sat there, swinging back and forth, not say a word to one another. Scott slowed himself down and looked around the park.
"Uh…I'll be right back. Gotta pee." He said, getting up and walked off to the left, even though the nearest restroom was off to the right.
"Thanks for the bladder update." I said sarcastically as I was left alone with my thoughts…or should I say left alone with her.
"How long have you been following us?" I said aloud as I looked behind me as saw my darker self sitting on top of the monkey bars. There was a mischievous across her face as her feet swing back and forth, almost playfully.
You two make a cute couple…
"You're starting this again? Come on now…you must have some new material by now." I said to her as she continued to smile at me.
I can rephrase it as many times as you want, but the underlining message is that you two do make a cute couple. Maybe you should make it official.
"He's going out with Ramona, if you haven't been paying attention for the last couple of months. Wait a minute…are you the one that's been projecting these images of Scott and I from the past?" I said, turning myself around in my seat to fully look at her. I knew she would nod her head, but to my surprise, she shook her head.
As much as I would love to take credit for it, I am not.
"What?"
You're doing that yourself, silly girl.
My eyes widen as I looked around the park. There was no way that I was the one doing all this. But as I surveyed the area, I saw them again. The memories of Scott and me inside the park. They were sitting on top of the playground, looking outwards towards the city.
"Too bad we can't get to the top of those trees. I bet the view would be so much better…" I heard her say to Scott as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.
"Yeah. That would be a better view than up here. But I guess we just have to work with what we got." I felt my eyes get soft as I saw her hugging Scott close.
You're doing this all by yourself. Your mind is reminding you of those good times you spend with Scott…
"Scott…that has to be the worse sand castle ever." I heard her say. My attention went from the images of Scott and me on top of the playground to the images of us in the sand. I got off my seat as I walked towards that memory and observed the two.
"What are you talking about? This is the best sand castle ever!"
"It's only one pail high…and it isn't even holding together." My past self said she poke the small sand castle. It instantly deteriorated and Scott started to freak out.
"My sand castle!"
"Told you…" I heard her say but she looked at Scott's sorrow for his lost of his sand castle. She moved over next to Scott and hugged him "Here…let me teach you how to make a more…um, structurally sound, sand castle…"
…and the silly times you had with him. These are you true feelings for Scott Pilgrim. Whether you want to admit it or not, these are your true feelings…
"Nice night huh?" I turned my head to where the voice was coming from to see me, in my forest green prom dress. Scott was right next me, his coat draped over his shoulder and his bowtie untied around his neck. We were walking down the path, hand in hand as we were coming back from St. Joel's prom.
"Yeah, it is a nice night. That was some dance though…did you see who Lisa was dancing with?" Scott said to her as she started to laugh.
"Yeah, I never would have thought that she would say yes to him!" I heard myself say to him as she got closer to Scott. "So what do you want to do now…?"
"Well…there is one thing that Lisa gave me."
"Scott?"
I turned around, expecting to see another memory. But to my dismay, the memories of Scott and me were now everywhere in the park. Sitting on the benches, kissing under the trees, feeding the squirrels, no matter where I looked I saw a different memory of Scott and me doing something in the park.
"Hey Kim, what do you think? Maybe if we start with 'Her Sunshine' then the crowd would slowly ease into us as a band. I mean…if we start with 'Rox the Sox' then everyone will think we're this super death metal band…"
"Hey Scott? Look at these leaves…they're so red…"
"Kim! Check it out! I think I found a bunn-oh shoot! Nevermind! It's a gopher!"
"Scott. It's almost time to go. Why are you still looking up in that tree?"
The voices and the memories were overwhelming. I sat back down in the swing chair as I tried my best to zone out the different conversations that were happening around me. But no matter what I did to cover my ears or how tightly I shut my eyes, the voices still rang in my head.
"Scott, what did Lisa say to you after class? She seemed kinda worried…"
"Kim! I thought I would find you here….I…! Kim? Kim, why are you crying?"
"Scott! Get down from there! Ok, I believe you! You can climb up trees but please get down from there already! You look like an idiot!"
"…Kim? Are you sure you want to do this? This is a pretty big step for our relationship."
The voices kept getting louder and more frequent as more and more memories came up. Soon, the entire park was populated by this image of Scott and me. Each of the memories I heard…they made me realize how big Scott was in my life…how big of an influence he was growing up…how much I loved him…
"Scott?"
My eyes shot open. The way that sounded…it was familiar. Very familiar…almost too familiar. I looked up to see all the memories have disappeared…except for one.
"Lisa said you were moving away…" I heard her say. My throat became dry and my breathing became shallow.
"No…" I said softly as I watched the darkest memory I have between Scott and me.
"Is it true?" The memory of Scott didn't say anything and I saw my past self getting angry.
"Scott…please talk to me. Tell me." But no response from Scott. "Scott Pilgrim! Tell me you're not moving away! Tell me that I wasn't going to be the LAST to know about this! TELL ME YOU WERE GOING TO TELL ME!"
But Scott didn't say a word. I didn't expect him too. He just turned around, like he did so many years ago, and walked away. I watched as my past self broke down in the grassy field as he left me.
I think you know what you really want now… I heard my darker self say as the memory of myself slowly faded away. I couldn't look away from the spot where I saw myself break down and cry.
"Seeing it again…and all those memories. I now know what I want from Scott." I said to myself as I looked over to where my darker self was. But she wasn't there anymore. She was nowhere to be found.
"Hey there Kim." I heard Scott, the real Scott, say to me as he casually walked back from the lavatory. I looked over at him as he came, the carefree look on his face made my soul winch in pain. "Are you hungry? I was thinking of getting Thai food…if you want."
"Yeah, sure. Whatever." I said to him as he turned around and started walking. I followed right behind him, occasionally looking back at the park where the memories of the past congregated to help me come to terms with my feelings about Scott.
"We'll get two orders of Pad Thai but easy on the spice on one order." Scott said to the waiter as he scribbled down the door and walked away. I looked at him, a mixture of surprise and shock as he made that order really fast. Usually it takes him twenty minutes to make up his mind, one minute to change his order, then another ten minutes to change it back. By this time the waiter already asked us to leave.
"Wow…you were fast to order there Scott. And what's with the dulling of the spices? I thought you liked spicy food." I said to him as he looked up at me, a bit confused.
"Well, you always ordered Pad Thai before. Were you going to order something else?"
"Uh…no. I was going to get the Pad Thai-"
"And you always complain that the Pad Thai I ordered was too spicy, so I guess it would be considerate to make your mild…" He said as I raised an eyebrow.
"What's with you Scott Pilgrim? Since when did you suddenly become Mr. considerate? Did the doorway we passed through zap your brain so that your brain cells function normally?"
"Huh? No…I guess it's just something I remembered."
I stared at him when he said that comment. "You remember that? After all this time?" Scott nodded his head.
"I guess so. You don't like spicy food… when we go get Thai food, you order the same thing… favorite color is…"
"Hold the phone." I said. "So you remember everything that happened in the past? Even though a couple of hours ago you asked if you and I dated?" I asked as Scott thought about it for a minute, but then nodded his head.
…if what he's saying is true…maybe this is it. This is the moment I've been waiting for…
"Scott, do you remember when-"
"Two orders of Pad Thai?"
I looked up to see the waiter standing right besides our table with two plates of Pad Thai in his hands. I wanted to continue, but the look on Scott's face was undeniable proof that his mind was now set to his food. I sighed and closed my eyes. I guess this wasn't the moment…but I will ask him. I have to. For me…
"She ordered the less spicy one." Scott said to me as the waiter laid down my plate then gave Scott his. "Dig in Kim!" I shook my head as I picked up a fork and started to eat. "Hey, remember that time in high school where they tried to make Pad Thai and everyone that ate it ended up getting diarrhea?"
"Remember? How can I forget? YOU ate it…" I said to him, laughing at his past misery. "I told you that Pad Thai wasn't supposed to be that color!"
"I didn't know 'green' was a bad color to see in your food…"
"Is this going to become a regular occurrence?" I asked Scott, now covered in all the recycled newspaper I got from our bin and laying on our couch. Since he was still fighting with Ramona, he didn't want to try to go back home…and since Wallace, in essence, kicked Scott out of his place, he had nowhere to go.
"Oh, no way. This is nothing." Scott said as I walked over to the light switch. His response didn't make me feel good. In fact, I was hoping he would stay awhile…at least until I can talk to him at a personal level.
"Okay. I mean, cool." I corrected myself, trying not to sound desperate for his company. "Well…'night." I said as I flicked the switch off and started to head upstairs.
"Actually…can you do me a favour?"I stopped halfway up the stairs when he said that. I walked back down and turned on the lights.
"Yeah? What is it?"
"I need your help with Ramona."
"You need MY help with Ramona?" I asked back to him as he started to crumple the newspaper blanket.
"Ramona won't talk to me. I was hoping that maybe you can call her to hang out and I'll casually walk in and say hello." Scott said. I shook my head.
"Scott that's the oldest 'sting' in the book. Can't you come up with another way to…" I started but then I saw the look on his face. He wasn't doing the puppy dog eyes to me or a look to win my pity. It was the look of concern…the look to helplessness…the look of fear. Never, in the eight years I knew Scott, have I see him in such a worried state. I walked over to him and sat down next to him. "You really are concerned about your future with Ramona…" I said to him as he nodded.
"I just want to talk to her again…"
And there it was…any kind of hope that Scott and I would get back together…shattered in one simple line. There was no way that Scott would ever feel the same way about another person…and there was no way that he and I were ever going to be together. "You really love her don't you?"
"I do."
"….i'll help you Scott."
"Dude, I'm already tired of being cold." Ramona said to me as we sat in a small bakery near Ramona's place. "I need to move to the tropics or something." I picked up my cup of coffee and took a sip from it, keeping an eye on the time.
Hope you get here soon Scott… "I always like winter best." I said to her, occasionally looking behind my shoulder to see if Scott remembered our plan. If he came in too late then he may not have come at all, but if he came too soon, then it'll look suspicious.
"Why am I not surprised?" Ramona said to me with a smirk. I narrowed my eyes at her.
"What's that suppose to mean?"
"I don't know…dark, cold, Kim Pine liking the winter? Maybe it's the perfect season for you." She teased as I shook my head.
"Oh, so I'm guessing summer is your season because-" Just then I heard whistling…very obvious whistling. Oh God Scott…too soon… My expression went from a pleasant, talkative friend, to an annoyed, emotionless person.
"Kim? Kim Pine? Fancy meeting you here!" Scott said as he looked at me. "Oh…hey, Ramona." Scott said as Ramona look at him in disbelief. But what's more, she looked at me then back at him in disbelief. I buried my face in my hands, knowing that this was going to be a very pathetic setup.
"Did he put you up to this?" Ramona asked me.
"Yes." I admitted as Ramona started to burst out laughing….hard.
"God. I can't believe that worked."
Anyway…
"Whatever happened to that guy you were seeing?" Ramona asked me as I rested my head on my propped hand and sighed.
"You mean Jason Kim?" I asked.
"You were dating that guy?" Scott said, a bit shocked by the news.
"I was."
"Didn't work out?" Ramona said, taking a sip of her coffee and putting it down.
"Well, he kind of had a..." I started, but didn't want to paint him a horrible person, so I chose my next word carefully "…tryst with my roommate."
"Hollie? Yeesh." Scott said as I leaned back in my chair.
"Yep. Behind my back. Now he's out of the picture, and Hollie's dead to me and, I mean her room is above mine, so …yeah. Awkward." I said.
"That sucks, Kim."
"Oh, whatever. I'm sure it happens to everyone all the time." I said, trying to be optimistic on my situation. Ramona is being suspiciously quiet…wonder why. I shot her a glance and notice something extremely off about Ramona. The area around her head was glowing…and not just glowing but REALLY glowing. She was looking between me and Scott, her eyes full of wonder and suspicion.
What in the world is going on? Why is her head glowing like that? Wait…I remember seeing this before. But what does it mean?
"Did I mention we had a sleepover? Me and Kim." Scott said as Ramona stared intently at him.
"Really."
Dammit Scott! That isn't helping! If anything you're making it worse! "He just slept on the couch." I quickly added but it didn't change her mood.
"That's cool."
"And the night before, I slept over at Wallace's!"
"Bed or couch?"
"I don't have to answer that-" Scott said really fast.
"Okay, at the risk of sounding insensitive, Ramona, what is up with your head?" I asked her, a little curious, but mostly annoyed by the glow her head was giving off.
"What?" Ramona said, a bit confused.
"Oh My God, you see it too?" Scott said to me. Huh…I guess it wasn't my head messing with me like it normal does.
"See what?" Ramona ask, grabbing her own head and trying to see what's on with her head.
"Does this happen a lot?" I asked Scott, now only paying attention to him while Ramona frantically trying to see her own face.
"Just once in awhile."
"What's wrong with my head?" She yelled at us.
"It's glowing."
"Or something." Scott added
"Something is going on with it, definitely." I said, resuming my normal position of resting my head in my hands.
"My head is glowing? No. Nuh-uh."
"Uh. I'm afraid it is, actually." Her response to her head glowing spark an interest to my curiosity. She denied it, but she denied it twice. Does that mean that she knows that her head glows? It was a question I wanted an answer to but I knew now wasn't a time to get that answer.
"No. Scott's head glowed once. I saw that, but not mine." Ramona said, burying her head into the table. Again, another question that I would love to get the answer to, but first thing is first. First, Ramona has to see what's going on with her head.
"What? When?" Scott asked as I got up.
"C'mon Rammy." I said to her as she got up as well and we both headed to the women's restroom. As we got to the mirror, the light that was emitting from Ramona's head dimmed down and died by the time she was looking at herself in the mirror.
"Okay. Ha ha. Forget it. Trick of the light or something, right?" I said, but I knew full well what I saw. Scott saw it too, so there was no way it was trick lighting. Something was going on and I had a feeling that Ramona knew exactly what it was.
"Yeah…" She said as we both walked out of the restroom. I signaled Scott to follow as we walked out of the bakery.
"So are you going to Julie's party Ramona?" Scott asked as soon as we go outside. With all the stuff that was going on, I completely forgot about the party that Julie was hosting again. Truthfully I didn't want to go, but if Ramona goes then maybe I can get more information out of her about her head glowing…also to see if there is some way I can get Ramona to forgive Scott for being…well, Scott.
"I think you should come tonight." I said to her.
"I agree wholeheartedly." Scott backed me up. I shifted my eyes his way but then back at her.
"You guys don't even like Julie's parties."
"At least they give us something to complain about." I said to her.
Later that night…
"In retrospect…" I started as I stood off in the corner of the Julie's huge apartment. Everyone was crowding around the middle of the living room where Scott Pilgrim was engaging another one of the twin's robots. "…maybe we SHOULD stop coming to these parties. I definitely should have seen this coming…" I said to myself as I took a small side step, dodging the debris of a chair that Scott used on the robot. I scanned the area for Ramona but noticed that she was no longer in the room. I walked over to the door that leads to the balcony to see if she was smoking outside. To my amusement, Ramona was indeed smoking outside.
"Would you piss off?" Ramona yelled as I opened the door. "I'm sick of your crap!"
"Whoa, Ramona." I said, a little startled by Ramona's hostile words. "Settle down." Ramona turned her head and glared at me, her head once again glowing brightly. This took me by surprised, but this time I was ready. I flipped open my phone, aimed the lens, and took a snapshot using the camera on my phone. Got it! Visual proof! Now maybe Ramona can shed some light on the situation…
"Got it. Come on Rammy. You have some explaining to do…" I said as I took the hand of the distorted Ramona and lead her back into the main room, where we had to dodge Scott being punched through the air, and up to the rooms upstairs. Going into the first empty room, I sat her down and opened my phone, showing her the picture I took. Ramona looked at the photo and a good minute.
"What does it mean?" I asked her. She flipped the phone close and looked at me.
"No idea."
"Ramona, come on. If you can't tell me, you can't tell me." I said to her. I didn't want to force information out of her, but my curious mind wanted answers. "I won't be offended." Ramona scoffed as she picked up the fresh bottle of Jose Cuervo that she was holding onto and broke the seal on the cap.
"Okay…I can't tell you." She said bluntly before taking a swig straight out of the bottle. Ramona exhaled hard as she offered the bottle of tequila to me. I took it and looked down into the bottle, staring at the nasty golden liquid that rest in it.
Urg…tequila… "What the hell." I said as I took a swig right out of the bottle as well.
"Is he okay down there?" Ramona asked as she plopped down on the bed. I exhaled hard, the alcohol killing every last taste bud in my mouth.
"C'mon." I said, coughing a bit. "He's Scott Pilgrim." I looked over to see that Ramona wasn't thoroughly convinced in my statement. "Alright. I'll go get him." I said, getting on my feet and walking out the door. I made it to the balcony where I saw the robot, now broken in three pieces, and Scott towering over it victorious. A smile crept on my face as I felt a little proud of him for taking care of that robot in record time. "What's up stud? Ramona's getting worried." I said to him as Scott looked up at me.
"Whoa! How'd you get up there?" Scott asked. The smile and respect I had for him at that moment turned into a scowl and disappointment. "Try the stairs."
Twenty Minutes Drunker…
"Hey Ramona…have you ever dated anyone who wasn't evil?" Scott ask as he, Ramona, and I were half way through the bottle and were now relaxing on the bed. "Not that fighting harder and harder battles for your love is getting old, or anything…" Scott said, trying to make it sound less jerk-y from his previous statement.
"Yeah, once. This guy Doug." Ramona admitted. "He was kind of a dick, though."
"Even your non-evil ex-boyfriend was a dick?"
"Well, he dumped me. Unceremoniously." She said as I took the bottle of tequila and took another swig of it.
Ok…I think I'm at my limit now. If I drink any more I'm going to hit Junior-year-of-college Kim Pine and I really don't want to wake up like that ever again… "I've been thinking I should go back to school." I found myself saying, not really planning what I was saying but just allowing the alcohol talk for me.
"Oh, you totally should! I mean, so should I…" Ramona said as I looked over at her.
"We should go together. What will we major in?"
"Dating."
"Rugby?"
"Zoological anthropology!"
"Shopping!"
"T-Tequila!"
A while more drunker…
"You guys, seriously…" I said, tired, sleepy, but feeling very good. "…I seriously love you…"
"What time is it?" I heard Scott's voice. "Is it home time?"
"Shut up, Scott." Ramona's voice said, but I didn't pay much attention to it. Not like I can in my current state.
"I seriously wish I could…like…BE you, Ramona." I babbled. "I mean, you're so…y'know?" I felt a hand rest on my head and what felt like someone's head pressing up against mine. I could only assume it was Ramona kissing the top of my head.
"Kim Pine, where have you been all my life?"
"Make out!"
A couple of minutes and some difficulty walking later…
"Let's take subspace." Ramona said as she, Scott, and I walked arm and arm, holding each other up. "Kim, you should come sleep in our bed!"
I really hope that wasn't an offer for something else… I thought as I looked over at Ramona. "Thank you. But if I do subspace right now, I will most certainly puke." I said as I lugged myself around and hugged both Scott and Ramona.
"Awwww." Ramona said in disappointment.
"I should go home, anyway. I can still get the last Bloor train…" I said as I started making my way to the train. "I'll see you two later!" I said to them as they shouted good-byes to me. After what seemed like twenty minutes, I found myself at the train station, looking down the tunnel to see if it was coming soon. I felt like there was something in my shoe so I held a pillar for support as I started to readjust my shoe.
…but something felt off. I looked around me. No one else was at the station. Not a single soul in sight. I heard footsteps coming from behind me but they didn't sound like one set of footsteps. It sounded like two.
"You've been here all along…haven't you?" I said, feeling the presence of Ken and Kyle Katayanagi right behind me. "Here at the subway station?"
"Cleaver girl."
I don't have time for this…they have no business with me anyways. They probably want information about Scott and how to beat him. Just gotta zone them out for now until my train gets here.
"You stand behind him." I heard one of them say. I wasn't paying attention who was talking, I was too busy getting out my mp3 player so I can zone them out.
"No matter what." The other twin finished.
"He's important to you."
"Okay, you know what? Go finish each other's sentences somewhere else." I said to them, browsing my playlist. "You got no business with me." I said, putting my earphones in my ear. I felt a pair of hands grab hold of my shoulders. Suddenly I realized they didn't want information from me…
Oh no…
"I don't think we've been properly…introduced."
To Be Continued…