"Lee, how do I get a baby?"
Lee halted the journey of his fork, his mouth rigidly agape, and blinked at the child in the seat beside him. His brows dented ever so slightly as he tried to make sense of the question posed to him. It had to be right in the middle of dinner, didn't it?
Didn't it?
"A baby?" Lee echoed. "You want a baby?"
"Yeah, like, where do they come from?" AJ questioned further, waving his hand about before setting his fork down.
He was not having this conversation.
"Uh… n- now, why would you want a baby?" he tried avoiding the exact question, but AJ's brows furrowed.
"Well… with Clem gone, I got no one," he solemnly replied, peering down at his plate as his shoulders sunk. "You have Audrey, Sam's got the poodle from the house down the road, but I haven't got anyone anymore."
Lee inwardly sighed relief when he pieced together the concept AJ was struggling to appropriately convey. Holy hell did this kid keep him on his toes.
"You mean you want another sibling?" he questioned, lowering his fork as he readjusted in his seat.
"Sibling, yeah!" AJ's eyes lit up.
Lee faltered.
"Now, you know—I—I can't, I've told you—" Lee stammered, soon sighing from difficulty. "Audrey and I can't have any children, AJ," he told the young boy.
"I know, but can't you get a baby where you got me?" he questioned, perking up in his chair. "Clem said you got me from the system. Now, I don't know really know where that is, but she said she was from there too! So there's gotta be more babies at the system, right?"
Completely and utterly lost, Lee's eyes drifted over to a focused yet peeved Audrey as she sifted through today's mail. Surely she could get him out of this horrid conversation, right?
"You wanna chime in on this?" he asked her, arm propped upon the chair back as her eyes snapped back at him.
"Hm?" she stare widened, expectant of clarification. Lee gestured his head towards the doe-eyed boy, his soft, curious face peering back up at her for answers. Her gaze stiffened. "Just… finish your food, AJ," she ordered aloofly with the swat of her hand, continuing to go through the bills.
Lee's lips parted to express his dismay, but he couldn't seem to get the words out.
"I don't want it anymore," the boy crossed his arms. "It's dry… and we don't have cheese."
"It's leftovers, it's meant to be dry," Audrey emphasised, dropping her hands in frustration. "I can't be your servant, alright? I ain't got time to cook all the damn day, not with all this paperwork—"
"I think what she meant to say was… not a lot of people are able to have food on their plates," Lee furrowed his brows, placing his hand on the child's shoulder. "It's not fair to waste it when there's other people starving out there. And… you gotta get all your nutrients, you know. How are you supposed to grow up tall and strong if you don't eat?"
"Stronger than you?" he began to grin, his conversational savviness causing Lee to huff. The kid was getting smart, maybe a little too smart. Lee could only wonder, was it nature or nurture? If you asked the boy, he'd probably say Disco Broccoli.
"Maybe," he smiled along with him, nudging his arm. "Don't count on it, though."
"Alright…" AJ reluctantly returned to his stiff spaghetti, planting his head upon his propped-up hand, digging his fork in, and twirling.
As Lee saved the day once again, he peered back at Audrey, utterly bewildered by her outburst. But as her eyes were glued to the bills in her hands, she barely acknowledged Lee had even turned around in his chair. He understood why she was being so bitter. Ever since Clementine, well… her mood was just foul. Her snapping was more frequent and widespread, even at AJ, and he was only intermittently difficult. It had only been a couple weeks since the incident, and as unquestionably bizarre it was for Clementine to lash out so outlandishly, and as seriously he could handle the matter by sending her to a boarding school, he still didn't think he had a good grip on the entire situation. What else was he to do than agree with Audrey and send her away? He thought it would put his wife at ease, having not to raise an arduous teenager anymore, but it didn't seem to be work. Audrey was even worse off than before.
"We're damn lucky we aren't being drained a single cent for the damages on that company car…" Audrey huffed with frustration, shaking her head. "It's bad enough we gotta pay for those school fees."
Lee scratched the back of his head.
"How did you, uh… manage that, by the way?" he asked.
"Managed…?"
"Getting it replaced for free? Through the company?"
Audrey glanced away, shrugging as if the answer was obvious.
"You know, just—"
"Because I spoke to my brother's wife about company issued vehicles," Lee started, standing from his seat. "Given the circumstances of what happened, your boss should be holdin' you liable for it—"
"I know a guy, alright?" she freaked, tossing the bill onto the counter. "I worked it out myself. That's it! That's the end of it," she crossed her arms. "Now I don't wanna hear no more 'bout what happened. She's gone. It's over with."
With a grimace of shock, Lee raised his hands up. Her eruption was one thing that caught him off guard, but acting like Clementine was some pesky little problem was another.
"Where the hell did that come from?" he asked, his eyes focusing wildly at her.
Audrey opened her mouth to justify herself, but the overwhelming feeling of exasperation forced her to shut her eyes. Her fists balled with anger, but soon released as she picked up the pile of bills on the counter and stormed off into the living room, pulling the sliding door shut behind her. Lee stood there in absolute bewilderment, trying to ignore the fact that it was the seventh outburst this week.
He couldn't.
It was like his family was imploding on him, and for the first time in, well, ever… he couldn't fix it. Sending Clementine off to a boarding school was supposed to fix things, but Audrey was still so cold and strange to him that it was starting to seem like it was all for nothing.
There was more to this, there had to be.
"Can I throw my food out now?" AJ's dulled voice spoke up from behind him.
Lee's hand fell upon his forehead as his eyes closed. A sigh came over him once again, but he couldn't bear the thought of AJ seeing him so lost.
"Yeah…" he then suddenly shook his head. "No, just— give it to the dog," he corrected.
AJ stood up.
"It was dry when she made it yesterday, too…" he mumbled, grabbing his plate and heading outside.
The group eventually deviated from the bushes and found the path that led to the river. For the first time in three days, Clementine felt free again. Free to see the nature through the darkness, free to leave the ghastly concrete walls behind, and free to go wherever the hell she damn well pleased. Well… if she knew the area, that is. But if she did, man, if she did… she would run father than the eye could see. She would run straight back to Georgia again if she had to. But somewhat oddly enough… she didn't feel the need to start booking it just yet. It seemed as if something were tied to her, keeping her there in arms reach. Perhaps, opportunity? It didn't feel all that limiting despite its length, but her gut was telling her not to cut the mysterious rope just yet.
Marlon took the stroll as a chance to enthuse about all the great times they previously had at the lake, especially when more people showed up – people that weren't at the school anymore. People that, by the sounds of it, grew up.
"Minnie usually comes along to these things, but, uh… Sophie said she wasn't feeling too good," Violet aloofly commented, folding her arms. "The perks of dating someone with an iron deficiency," she shrugged, playfully huffing through her quiet grin.
"She's cool," Clementine replied. "You should invite her out next week. When she feels better?"
"Yeah," Violet nodded, smiling at the girl. "That'd be fun."
As Marlon recalled a memory specific to Violet, she trekked a little farther to talk beside him. Meanwhile, Louis quite obviously dropped back to travel beside Clementine. His unusually protruding coat was once again hidden by his folded arms, yet the attention was drawn to his irremovable smile which she couldn't help but find… comforting, almost. Strange, but comforting.
"How're you liking the trip so far, Clemster?" he asked, nudging her with his elbow.
"Don't call me that," she peered up at him, before her eyes lowered to his jacket. "…What are you holding?"
"Hm? Oh, this?" Louis casually whipped out a bottle of liquor, much to the girl's utter surprise. "Just something I picked up from Ericson's office. Something about it being practically full tells me he won't be missing it."
Clementine grabbed the bottle and examined it in awe, quickly skimming her finger over the label.
"You stole rum from the Headmaster?" she spoke with bewilderment, her wide eyes gazing up at him. He was pretty much asking to get in trouble. Maybe he wasn't as much of a goody-two-shoes as she thought.
"Well, you said you needed a friend to drink with, right?" he replied, his cheesy grin easing into a warm smile. "When's a better time than now?"
She glanced at him, mildly flattered and mildly terrified.
"Rum, huh?" Marlon peered back at the pair, and more specifically, the bottle of alcohol in the girl's hand. "Lou, you son of a gun," he smirked proudly at his friend.
"I wouldn't exactly call him a gun," Louis mumbled.
"Go ahead, Clem. Take the first swig, it'll warm you up," Marlon continued, noticing how foreign the bottle seemed to feel in her hand.
"You think that's a good idea?" Violet stiffly asked, quirking her eyebrow.
"Eh, if anyone vomits back at home, we'll blame it on the food," Marlon shrugged before looking back at Clementine. "Call it an official welcome into our inner circle of misfits."
"The whole school is all misfits," Clementine retorted.
"Hey, I told you this was the cool kids club," Louis snapped back at her cheerfully. "Except we aren't cool in the slightest and people look at us like they look at a bird who just flew into a window," he admitted before his expression swelled with concern. "Seriously. I think we worry people."
Sighing, Clementine pulled the plug from the top of the bottle. She raised it to her nose and took a whiff, quickly glancing at Louis who expectantly watched her. It smelt… powerfully sweet. Pungent, like the distinct perfume Audrey wore for the last eight years. She eventually took a gulp of it as if she were drinking a cup of water, startled by the spicy shock but managing to keep her composure. It went down smooth and warm, but stung ever so slightly. It was like fire and ice; an empowering concoction of sugar, spice, and everything nice. However it was easily swallowable, possibly a little too much, and she truly chugged it as if it really were some sort of vanilla water. All she could conceptualise was how unpleasantly pleasant it was.
"Jesus, Clem. I said the first swig, not the first quarter," Marlon said, a grin spreading across his face as Violet peeked back at her, alarmed.
Clementine lowered the bottle and wiped her mouth free of the excess, gazing at Louis again to find his expectant glance had dropped into a look of astonishment.
"That was a lot," he sounded surprised as she handed him the bottle. No corny joke, no cheerful witticism, just blatant shock.
"It tastes like… like brimstone," she replied, her brows furrowing as the pit of her stomach heated up.
"Brimstone?" Marlon stared at her.
"Yeah."
"Well, it's not supposed to taste like sweet tea," Marlon huffed an obvious laugh. He then looked to Louis who stared down at the bottle, his hand hesitantly scratching the back of his head.
"I haven't got cooties," Clementine remarked, folding her arms. Rolling his eyes, Louis raised the bottle to his lips.
"I know that," he firmly replied. "Well… I mean, I hope—"
"Drink it," she spat, her reluctance to speak had begun to thin out.
Clementine watched the boy raise the bottle to his lips and tilt his head back, his eyes tightening shut as his throat quite forcibly gulped the liquid. His neck looks… good… from this angle, she thought to herself, before shaking her head. Gross. Invasive thought. Don't be weird.
"Good god. Throwin' it down, huh, Lou?" Marlon clapped, cheering his friend on as he grinned excitably.
As Louis brought the bottle back down, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve and glanced back at it. Both he and Clementine surely put a dent in it. It was something they, two people who seemed miles apart, did together. Like some sort of art piece or collaborative composition – some sort of statement. He found it ridiculous that he chalked up something as juvenile and immature as this to a combined accomplishment, like it was something they should have been proud of. He felt as bad as he felt proud, like this was some forbidden sin he committed. When really, all it was were a couple of kids drinking their headmaster's rum in the forests of West Virginia. Part of him thought he knew better, thought that he was moronic for doing what he's done, especially in the company of a new person. A new girl. The other part wanted to know what it was like to let loose, to be free, and he was glad to be doing it with his friends and a new, peculiar soul by his side. Conflicted, he handed the bottle to Marlon who then, way too easily, took a few quick swigs, cleared his throat, and extended it to Violet.
"Don't want it," she rigidly replied.
"Not even a little?" Marlon beckoned, jimmying the bottle in front of her face.
"I said I don't want it," she snapped, shoving his arm away from her.
"Is it supposed to burn this much?" Louis cleared his throat uncomfortably, jabbing his chest with his fist as if he were trying to get his words up.
As the group trekked on, sipping the bottle between each other, Violet steered them in the direction of the safe haven. The deeper Clementine sunk into inebriation, the more Lee cropped up into her mind. What the hell would he be thinking if he knew what she was doing? More so, how would he play his lecture out? Of course, AJ decided to make an appearance in her conscience. She could just imagine it; his big, soft eyes hiding behind Lee as he scolded her to the moon and back. What kind of model are you for AJ? You're smarter than this! Turn your life around! You can only change if you want to!
Clementine huffed to herself.
I'll change when I want to change.
It wasn't long before they were walking along the almost glacial stream. If it weren't for the alcohol taking its effect, she would have been freezing her ass off.
Thank god it takes the edge off.
After the stint with the kids under the bridge, Clementine never thought she would be getting inebriated with a bunch of, well, pretty much strangers. It seemed as if the desire to forget the world was stronger than the weariness she had grown to enforce. All she wanted was to eliminate her barriers, and what did a better job of that than some good ol' forget-me-juice?
"I still don't know why we shouldn't do it," a highly animated Louis began. "Between my musical prowess and everyone else's basic understanding of an instrument, we could be the hottest band on the market! Tell me we wouldn't be the most successful teenagers in the world."
"We wouldn't be the most successful teenagers in the world," Violet retorted, triggering Louis' stare to deadpan.
"Assuming we all get in some practice, maybe we won't sound like a bunch of hyenas. I bet we'd sound pretty okay," Marlon somewhat agreed before taking a swig, earning Louis' bewildered stare.
"Pretty okay? Try fan-frickin'-tastic!" He was definitely drunk. "Hell, we'll be saying bon-voyage—" he leaned towards Clementine, wriggling his eyebrows at her for his use of basic French, "—to any competition that dares compete with the likeness of us."
Violet grimaced at him over her shoulder.
"Hey, I'd love to grab a guitar and tour the damn world, but no one's gonna want some kids from a correctional school playing at their venue," Marlon told him, again, taking another swig. "It's hard enough just trying to land an after school job nearby."
"Dude," Louis grabbed his friend's shoulders from behind, causing him to slightly spill the liquid, "that wouldn't even matter when we're composing the greatest music to ever come out of this generation," he exclaimed. "What do you wanna play, huh? Classical? Jazz? How about rock? Grunge? Hell, let's put it all together—!"
"He's right," Violet peered back at Louis. "They wouldn't want a bunch of fucked up kids trashing their stage or raiding their bar."
"Why the hell would we do that?" Louis grimaced.
"We wouldn't," she replied. "But they'll think we would. Just like everyone else."
Quickly, the air amongst the kids soured.
"That guy at the mall was a piece of shit," Marlon declared as Louis' hands fell from his shoulders.
"Yeah, well, so are a lot of other people," Violet continued grimly. "They think they just know what we are by looking at us. As long as we're Ericson kids, all we are is just troubled fucking youth." She then shook her head, scoffing. "Can't believe that douche bag really thought you were stealing."
Clementine's eyes widened.
"It doesn't bother me anymore," Louis admitted, his eyes narrowing in at the ground.
"I've heard some racist shit but… goddamn. I've never wanted to knock a guy on his ass so badly," Marlon sputtered through his bitter recalling.
"He was just some trailer trash redneck," Violet spat, causing Marlon to doubletake.
"Hey. I'm trailer trash," he said.
"So am I," she replied, "but at least we're not racist fucking assholes."
Clementine caught Louis' bitter gaze peeking at her as she listened in. What apparently "didn't bother" him anymore surely had the opposite effect on his face. She wasn't an idiot. She understood what had went down and why.
"My foster dad's family owns a pharmacy," Clementine sporadically chimed in. "His brother got his keys jammed in the door and couldn't get it open for a while. Some old white lady called the cops on him," she said, watching Louis' stare soften. "She thought he was breaking in, even with his uniform on."
"God, people are so shitty," Violet huffed.
"They sure are," she agreed.
"Well," Louis began, his smile slowly regaining, "shitty people or not, it still doesn't mean we can't start a band."
The look on Violet's face told him he was a moron without her having to even say it.
"We're not the first group of kids to wanna start a garage band, you know," she told him. "Shit, we'd probably be the last considering how downhill alt rock has gone."
"You also don't have a garage," Clementine added.
"Yeah, and then what would we call it, huh?" Marlon asked, looking between his friends as he took in another swig.
"Uh, how about… Disciplinary School Band?" Louis painfully suggested.
"That's so bad," Violet chuffed out a laugh.
"It's precise," he retorted.
"And bad," she insisted.
"Here," Marlon handed the bottle back to Louis. "I'm gonna take a leak."
"Gross," Violet hissed as he deviated from the stream, the group halting to wait for him.
"Charming as ever, my dear friend," Louis quipped.
"Just drink the damn booze. Maybe you'll come up with a better band name," Marlon bit back.
Louis' brows curved with urgency.
"How about you drink… you know, your piss! Yeah! And think of a better name!" he spouted out after him, pointing towards the direction his friend had disappeared into. The girls stood there in silence, staring at the boy in disgust as he gradually retreated into himself.
"That…" Violet appeared dumbfounded, shaking her head in astonishment. "Sarah could make a better comeback than that."
"My dog could," Clementine chimed in.
"Okay, masters of chucklesome retorts," Louis defended. "I'd like to see either of you make a better comeback than that."
"You have a mullet," Clementine suggested with a shrug.
"I'd punch you but I wouldn't want your acne pus on my fist," Violet continued.
"No, we can't name the band the KluKluxKlan—"
"Okay, okay!" Louis held his hands up, inviting silence before he then sighed and shook his head.
Eventually Marlon reappeared from the bushes to lead the group once again. As the entire lake came into view, the crummy shack situated just beside it, Clementine blinked through the darkness to admire how cosily run-down it looked. Just beside the small, wooden bridge sat an abandoned, beat down pickup truck. She wondered why no one used it to get out of this place, but chalked it up to the lack of knowledge the kids might have had.
"We call it 'the safe haven'," Marlon introduced as they approached the little shack beside the lake. "Even Ericson's can get a little too much sometimes," he leaned in and told her.
"Try all the time," Clementine replied, before her eyes drew back to the truck. "Is this thing totally busted?" she asked as she peaked into the window.
"Well, the carburettor is," Violet responded though a sigh. "Tyres are flat, transmission is fucked. It's not going anywhere without some serious fixing."
"Besides, do any of us even know how to drive?" Louis proposed before taking another sip from the bottle. Marlon shrugged.
"Driven tractors before," he admitted.
"How surprising," Violet offhandedly replied.
"Thinking of going somewhere, Clem?" Louis asked as he approached her, offering her the bottle. Clementine pursed her lips and grabbed it, crossing her free arm over her abdomen. The liquor sure wasn't sitting right.
"Maybe…" she shrugged, before taking a glance at the bottle again. Snuffing any fear of puking on Louis right then and there, she hesitantly raised the bottle to her lips and took another sip.
"Well, you can't leave just yet," Marlon piped up as he approached the two. "We're havin' fun with you around. It'd be a shame to see you leave after not even a week."
"I second that," Louis nervously agreed, offering a hesitant giggle afterwards.
"Yeah, well…" Clementine began to think to herself. After sneaking out of a boarding school and doing the whole underage drinking thing, all arrows were pointing to a lengthy, gruelling rehabilitation at Ericson's. "Maybe I'm not leaving just yet."
"Good," Marlon grinned, "because you also have the booze, and I'm not letting you run off with that," he said, taking the bottle from her hands.
"Are we going in the water or what?" Violet appeared from behind the pair with her usual scowl upon her face. "I'm not here just to listen to you all mumble like drunks."
"Uh, isn't it a little cold for that?" Clementine blinked confusedly at her.
"Oh, we don't actually jump in," Louis began to clarify.
"We only put our legs in. Stay around the shallow bits," Violet continued. "You know… walk up the lake, try and… catch the fish," her voice quietened with every word she spoke, almost as if she realised what she was saying wasn't a typical teenage pastime.
"…Why?" she quirked an eyebrow.
"Shit, because it's fun, Clementine," Marlon huffed an obvious laugh, taking yet another swig before handing the bottle to Louis.
"And kinda tradition," Louis added as Marlon stripped himself of his shoes and socks, rolling the ends of his pants up. "It used to look like a battle-royale when all of us showed up. Like a hearty war at sea!" he triumphantly spoke, raising himself on his toes.
"Pff-yeah, until Mitch elbowed you in the mouth and you freaked out because you thought you bit your tongue off," Violet snorted, planting her hand on his shoulder to prop herself up as she took off her boots. "Now, we have to be gentle so your rich ass family won't have to pay for a tongue transplant next time."
"First of all, we established it wasn't my tongue. And secondly, I think that's a very reasonable request after getting your tooth chipped!" he snapped, folding his arms. "Violently, might I add!"
"But you're alive, aren't you?" she sarcastically smiled with over-enthusiasm.
"Who knows? Maybe next time the tooth will lodge right into my brain," he bitterly replied. "What are you gonna do when I'm walkin' around here like a zombie, huh? Tooth in brain and everything?"
Clementine began to grin.
"Gotta put you down, I guess," Violet smirked, flinging her sock at her friend. Louis flailed his hand, trying to whack the sock out of his visuals before folding his arms.
"Or I'll just eat you and turn you into one of me. A tooth-brained zombie."
"Enough weirdo talk. Let's get our asses over there!" Marlon impatiently encouraged as he walked backward to the lake.
Clementine watched as Marlon and Violet took off and running to the lake. By the time Louis had just managed to start rolling up his jeans, he noticed Clementine hadn't budged a single inch from her position. He glanced up at her expectantly, wobbling for a moment, before standing back up normally.
"Are… you joining us?" he asked, watching her sigh as she watched the others enter the lake.
"It's either that, or I awkwardly sit on the ground like a loser and watch from afar," she replied, shaking her head.
Louis glanced over at his friends for a moment, seeing them splash water in each other's faces as expected. It sure looked fun, but if Clementine wasn't in the mood for numbingly cold water, then what fun would she be having all alone on the shore? His gaze then turned back to her, and for a short, brief moment, he watched her stare off into the lake with an almost expressionless face. Hard to read, he pegged her.
"I can stay back here with you," he compromised, his words spoken assuringly. "If you want… that is. We can be losers together, right there," he pointed to the ground beside the shack, "that should be distant enough."
Clementine's wide eyes met his gaze. That was… sweet of him. But a chuckle soon overcame her, and her seemingly reclused, folded arms had fallen.
"I was joking," she said through an incredulous laugh. "It's not like I was actually going to sit back here and watch. I'm… I'm joining you guys, yeah."
Feeling foolish, Louis let out a jittery "oh-right-yeah" before scratching the back of his neck.
"But… thank you…" Clementine's brows began to curve uneasily. The more she looked at him, the harder eye contact became. She fidgeted with her fingers. "I think… um, it's very… friendly… of you."
She was definitely drunk.
As his grin softly began to reappear on his face, he quickly realised the bottle was still in his hand. Clementine? Being nice to him? He huffed a restrained laugh.
"I can drink to that," he declared. He graciously leaned his head back and took a swig. She watched him wipe any spilled contents from his mouth and offer the bottle to her, a cheesy smile and a quick giggle at play.
"Then I guess so can I," she agreed with a budding grin, taking the bottle and sipping from it as well.
Louis waited for her with his hands planted nervously on his hips as she took her sneakers off, rolled up her jeans, and stood back up.
"You know, I actually don't hate the cold water," he told her as they strolled towards the lake, aimlessly glancing over the bottle that was in his hand once again. "It's like a nice surprise."
"But your legs go numb?" she responded with a slight grimace. "And your body temperature freaks out because it doesn't know if you're cold or not."
"Like I said, a nice surprise," he echoed.
Right… weirdo.
When they reached the lake, the pair paused for a moment and located just how far along the shore the others had gone. Seeing they were knee deep in the water, it prompted Clementine to roll the ends of her jeans up even more, and as she leaned back up, a brave Louis had appeared in front of her, hand extended out to guide her into the lake.
"Need a hand?" he offered almost effortlessly, seeming a little too nonchalant against the cold water.
Clementine huffed as she walked into the water and right past him, making her way in the other's direction.
"Alright. I get it. Not so easy," he innocently shrugged, his grin slick as his eyes followed her.
"Easy?" she glanced back at him, halting in the water.
Louis froze.
"Oh, I don't— not like, I didn't mean I wanted you to be easy or anything, I—heh, I don't want you to be anything, you know, just… uh…" he sighed, "just you."
Clementine's eyes narrowed in on him for a moment. Call it the kindness of inebriation, but she didn't exactly feel like ripping some guy with foot-in-mouth syndrome apart tonight. Besides, what threat did Louis exactly pose? Her daggered stare eventually softened into an unimpressed grin.
"Do you usually get so tongue tied?" she asked, turning around to face him fully.
As he mentally breathed a sigh of relief and deeming it safe to do so, he started to navigate towards her.
"Actually, no…" he scratched the back of his head. "But there seems to be plenty of factors resulting in my stupidity tonight," he awkwardly replied. "It could be the rum, the cold lake, the fear of really getting a tooth in my brain, you… actually being here, and— oh, did I say the rum?"
Once he was close enough, Clementine lead the way over to Violet and Marlon, a contorting frown upon her face as she analysed herself.
"I get it, I'm not exactly the most welcoming person to be around," she wistfully admitted.
"That's not… what I meant," he spoke awkwardly yet again.
"Then?" she turned back to look at him, confusion set upon her visage.
Before he could muster up a reply that didn't sound so utterly desperate, Violet's incredulous voice had bellowed from further down the lake.
"For fuck sake, Marlon, put it back!" she barked, backing away from him.
Guffawing with a live, twitching fish in his hands, Marlon continued to shove the creature towards the girl's face.
"What? Don't you want dinner?" he cackled, before it slipped right out of his hands and back into the lake.
"Wow, he's really drunk," Clementine commented, a feat of hilarity striking her.
"As long as he's happy this time, I've got no qualms about it," Louis dolefully replied, his lips struggling to radiate a convincing smile as he stared intently at his friend.
Clementine glanced up at him, her lips parted ever so slightly.
"What does that mean?" she curiously pressed.
He continued to watch his friend almost sorrowfully before shaking his head. Louis took another sip of the rum, swallowed, and held the bottle against the moonlight to check it. Glancing down at the girl beside him, his hand gestured toward her.
"Last sip, you have it."
"You don't want it?" she asked.
"Nah," he shook his head. "Vi's not having any and Marlon looks like he's had enough for tonight. It's all you," he told her, his commonplace grin making a return amongst his now dulled attitude.
As she took the bottle, her curious gaze set upon him. Something didn't seem right.
"Maybe it's not my place to ask, but… are you okay?" she quietly asked, earning his sigh.
"Yeah. I will be," he replied, his brows curving with anguish as he stared into the water below him. "I've… been thinking about what Vi said before. About people only seeing us as reckless, chaotic kids. It's been this… restrictive label for us for years. I mean, to me, being inside Ericson's just feels like home now. It doesn't feel like I'm in some prison full of kids that'll kill me in a shooting spree, or dissect their neighbour's cat anymore—"
She grimaced.
"—Everyone seems like more of a person rather than a psychopath. But the whole world would rather see us as society's failures, like we're bad sons and daughters," he told her. "You know, we're sent to Ericson's to get better. And we are. We may not be the best people, but we're better now than when we first started off," he sighed once again. "But like Vi said… no one wants to believe it."
Clementine couldn't tell if it were her legs that were numb, or really her mind. The type of person he was describing was the exact person she let herself become; someone who thought the Ericson's kids were just a bunch of undesirables. A bunch of nobodies. Children doomed. How could she let herself believe an idea she knew impacted her directly? She loathed the people who only saw her with tunnel vision. Kids at school, teachers, Audrey. It's all Audrey could ever see her as; something broken that couldn't be fixed, something she was forced to tend to for bragging rights or government money. She wasn't like Lee who, uncertain why to Clementine, believed there was hope for her to flourish.
Lee. Damn it, Lee.
Why couldn't she be more like him? Why did she have to be sucked into her childish defences and push his help away? It's no wonder she was sent to Ericson's. If her own foster father couldn't help her, then of course he had to find people who could. And now, because of her propensity to disappoint the people around her, she had plastered the very same label that plagued every student who walked the halls of Ericson's.
She was troubled youth.
When Clementine reeled herself out of her moment of realisation, she looked to Louis with curiosity.
"Is that why you tried speaking to me when I first got here? At the lockers?" she asked him.
"Uh, when you totally ignored me?" he began to laugh.
"I didn't look like a psychopath to you?" she further questioned as he shook his head.
"I figured you were scared and alone, like everyone is when they first arrive. It takes a while to realize not everyone wants to disembowel you," he huffed. "But you just walked off, it was like you wanted to be alone."
"Well… I did," she admitted. "I didn't really talk much to anyone, almost at all. Guess I was scared of being associated with everyone – all the… troubled youth," she sighed.
"You and me both," he sorrowfully replied, staring at his friends once again. "We can't let it define us, though. That's what I try to tell them. If we don't prove that we aren't, then they'll never stop thinking we are."
"Fear holds us back," she posed.
"Yeah, well, I'm sick of fear," he suddenly began to grin again, looking down at her. "Fear ain't shit."
Involuntarily, a grin of encouragement eased onto her face.
"Well, whenever my little brother's scared about something – you know, the kid stuff? Like swimming in the deep end or doing a presentation in class – I ask him what we do when fear starts to take over," she began.
"What do we do?" he quirked his brow.
"We say fuck off to fear," she shrugged carelessly with a smirk. "And we do what needs to be done."
"Classy," he said, causing the girl to read a little too heavily into his sarcasm. Her shoulders faltered. Shit, maybe she was being too abrasive again. Great, there went all the effort she put into not being— "I like it."
Her head snapped up to him, a stupid, dumbfound look appearing on her face. He liked it. Clementine quickly wiped over her deer-in-headlights expression with one of solidity and aloofness. He didn't need to know how incomprehensibly shocking it was for him to simply like something she said. It was ridiculous. It was so miniscule. He couldn't be that important. Why was that out of all the things Louis had said the one to make her peer up at him like never before?
As she ruminated what she considered to be a short, freakish experience, the sudden splash and yelp from further away caught her attention. She watched as Violet surprised Marlon with a powerful push into the freezing water, sending him down in a tumbling heap.
"How's the water down there?" she taunted him, grinning as she stood back and folded her arms triumphantly.
"Oh yeah?"
Marlon shot up from the water and charged towards Violet, giving her little time to try to avoid him. Only, she failed, and into the water the girl went as Marlon tackled her. With a grin plastered on his face, Louis stealthily planted his arm around Clementine's shoulders, gripping tightly, and looked to the girl menacingly. Whether it was the rum or his unusual bouts of confidence, he was more than terrifyingly relieved that he worked up the courage to even touch her.
"You scared of the water?" he not-so-innocently asked.
"Are you scared of dying?" she glared up at him.
Scoffing, Louis tried to hide his nervous laughter.
"I'm thinking you're a little scared of the water there, Clem," he taunted her.
"Louis…" she warned, her eyes flickering to and from him.
"Well, fear not! As today, we're going to exceed your deepest fears!"
"No, Louis, I—"
"Today, we are going to look the abyss right in the eye—!"
"You aren't listening—!"
"With our middle fingers up high!"
"Louis!"
"And we're going to swim right into the deep end!" he extravagantly announced.
Before he could blabber any longer, Clementine urgently shrugged the boy off her.
"Louis, move!" she told him, but her words seemed to have fallen upon his perplexedly deaf ears. He stared at her, dumbfounded, before he suddenly met the water with a chaotic thud.
"Hurgh!"
"Aha!" Violet cheered as she tackled him, sending the both of them into the shallow, splashing mess. Planted on top of him, Violet tried her hardest not to let him get up, continuing to wrestle with him.
"Violet…! What… the fuck?!" he sputtered against the struggle, grappling with the girl as she tried to keep him down.
"What a nice surprise," Clementine smirked down at him, earning his deadpan. "Oh yeah? Well, your spontaneous attacks are no match for my double victim take down!" he declared with determination.
Clementine raised her brows.
"Try it," she challenged, folding her arms.
With a push here and a shove there, Louis flung Violet off of him and into the water beside him.
"Hey!" Violet barked.
"Oh, shit," Clementine muttered, her eyes widening as he began to stand up.
Louis drew closer to her, causing her to back away, when an unlikely hero stepped into the mix. Marlon spear tackled his friend back into the water with a lot more force than Violet ever could. Incidentally, Violet cackled along with Clementine's shocked laughter.
Their childish antics had pulled her right out of her detached behaviour, even if it was for a short moment. She felt somewhat like a kid again, messing around and laughing with friends. Just like it was, well… before what happened, happened. But as bizarre as it was, it was liberating to laugh with people being charged at and thrown into cold water. They were doing whatever the hell they wanted and making a game of it, what wasn't fun about that?
"Are you joining us or what?" Violet beckoned, now on her feet and approaching her.
She kept Violet facing forward, not allowing her to possibly get the sneak on her from behind. Years of watching out for AJ jumping on her for a surprise piggy back had made it basically instinctual to keep people in plain sight.
"Do I have a choice in the matter?" Clementine dawdled with a shrug, walking cautiously in an imaginary circle with the girl.
"It's tradition after all," Violet grinned, tilting her head for a moment.
"If I do this… it won't be prett—"
Before she could get her words out, a shockingly cold presence wrapped their arms around her from behind, trapping her in their vice-like grip.
"How about we bring the water to you?" Marlon announced, laughing as she squirmed in his arms.
"Holy shit— you're so cold!" her eyes widened in terror. "Let go of me!"
"Not a chance!" he chuckled. But to her, there was a chance, and before long, her squirming turned into an elbow to the gut and a kick to the shin, forcing Marlon to let go of her as he doubled over in pain.
"Gah—shit…" he spoke breathlessly as Clementine scrambled beside Violet, clinging onto her own shoulders for warmth.
"She did tell you to let go," Violet snickered, her hand resting on her hip.
"Yeah… yeah, she did…" he replied, shaking his head.
"Oh, shit. Did you just get served by Clem?" Louis teased through a huff, ringing out the end of his soaked shirt.
"Can… can you breathe?" Clementine curiously asked.
With a quick nod, Marlon coughed for a moment before standing back up.
"Not gonna lie, I didn't think you would feel it," Violet commented, somewhat impressed.
"I, uh, I think we should take a break, huh?" Marlon painfully suggested. "Who's up for that?"
"Uh, me? After being continuously wailed on?" Louis raised his hand, staring at his best friend pointedly.
"A break it is, then."
As Marlon regained his composure and led the group back to shore, the group tiresomely continued to ring the water out of their clothes. Upon stepping back onto shore, Clementine sat down to put her socks and sneakers back on. But when the other three trudged past her and their belongings, her head snapped up curiously, watching them sit their drained bodies beside the stream like they'd just came home from school and slumped down on the couch. She found it odd that they were careless of their shoes as if it really were their own home. Then again, who was hiding out in the middle of absolute no where trying to steal the shoes of teenagers? No one.
…Probably.
With her head buzzing and her vision tiring, Clementine laced her shoes and stood up, joining the group as they sat by the stream. She placed herself beside Marlon and Violet as they had a partially coherent conversation – partly due to the boy's inebriation – about tomorrow's assembly. Clementine's hands raised to rub the drowsiness from her eyes, and as soon as they came down, was greeted by an eager Louis holding up a deck of playing cards.
"It's time," he ominously spoke, plotting himself down beside Marlon.
"This'll be fun to watch," Violet quipped.
"What are we playing?" asked a sobering Clementine, her brows furrowing at his hands as he shuffled the cards.
"War. The oldest game around. A game played by man and beast alike. The only game there is," Louis replied ominously, his brow quirking at the girl.
Clementine deadpanned at him, visibly lost.
"It's easy," Violet began to clarify. "Everyone gets a stack of cards, everyone flips one over. Highest card wins."
"Wins what?" she asked.
"A question to ask you," Marlon answered, earning the girl's worried gaze. "Hey, it's alright. You don't have to answer any questions you don't feel like answering," he held his hands up. "We just wanna get to know you better. This is a friendly game, alright? If you win, you get to ask us whatever you want."
Louis divided the deck into four parts, giving each player their own stack. He leaned back and placed his hand on his deck, signalling for everyone else to do the same. Clementine placed her fingers on a card and flipped it over onto the dirt.
Ace of hearts.
She glanced at Violet's card.
Four of diamonds.
She then glanced at Marlon's card.
Nine of spades.
Then, Louis'.
King of Hearts.
"Shit," she muttered, gazing up at him as she awaited his question. He grinned eagerly at her for a moment before his expression collapsed, his hand retracting to rub the back of his neck.
"So, you… uh…" he began to dawdle, avoiding eye contact with her.
"C'mon, spit it out," Violet beckoned.
"Ever… ever had a—um, a boyfriend?" he eventually asked, his eyes flickering between the her card and the ground.
"Ohhh my god," Violet rolled her eyes, leaning back on her palm.
Cheeks flushing, Clementine promptly glared at him. Why the hell would he ask that?
"What? It's a perfectly valid question," he defended, his eyes narrowing in on his friend.
No! It's not!
"More like a perfectly lame one," she retorted.
"And it's totally normal not to have," Louis turned to Clementine again, his expression softening. "I haven't, by the way."
"What—you? Without a boyfriend?!" Marlon exclaimed through his creeping grin.
"You're funny," he deadpanned.
Clementine shook her head, sighing at how intrusive the topic was. But, well, the game was to answer questions, so answer them she shall.
"Flings… here and there. Nothing else," she awkwardly responded.
"Nothing else?" Louis questioned further, leaning slightly forward in anticipation.
"Nothing else," her tone firmed up.
Marlon placed his hand atop his deck, signalling to the rest of the group to do the same. When the cards were flipped, the tables had turned. Clementine had the highest. In order to embark on her petty little form of revenge, she wanted to make Louis feel as put on the spot as she was. She wanted to make him feel so embarrassed, it felt like his guts were being rearranged inside his body. Like all his blood from rushed to his cheeks so fast his head exploded. So, she asked the first invasive question that came to her drunken mind.
"You win," Louis pointed out. "So, what's your—"
"Popped any cherries?" she spurted out, scrutinizing him as Marlon sputtered with laughter.
Alongside the growing irritation from Marlon's cackles, Louis could only blink in utter shock of what she asked.
Mission accomplished.
"Any… any what—?"
"She's asking if you've screwed anyone," Violet frustratedly clarified, slightly amused by his now reddening cheeks. "God, don't you know how to talk like anything other than a pompous philosophy professor?"
Irked by the unwanted spectacle on his love life, Louis rolled his eyes with a sharp sigh.
"Fine. No. I haven't screwed anyone. I am, in fact, a virgin," he confidently replied. "A pure, innocent virgin."
"Jesus, Lou—" Marlon managed to say amidst his incessant laughter.
"Keep digging the hole deeper, why don't you?" Violet poked through her giggles.
"Well, that's sad," Clementine replied with a smirk, secretly impressed by his somewhat mediocre bravery.
"Is that an implication that you aren't?" Louis questioned curiously.
"Now this is interesting," Marlon raised a brow.
"You can ask that when it's your turn," she told him, placing her hand on her deck.
When the heat died down, the cards were flipped again, pegging Marlon as the winner and Clementine as the unfortunate loser by default. If he were anything like Louis when it came to asking questions, then this wasn't going to be fun.
"Alright, I'll make this one easy on you," he told her. "What was, uh… shit, I don't know, the weirdest dream you've ever had?" he asked her.
"Uh…" she shrugged, glancing away as she started to think. Suddenly, her expression dropped. "Oh… that one," she muttered to herself. "Um… when I was like, four or five, I had a dream where I was floating in space—you know… naked, and instead of the planets being planets, they were all… Disco Broccoli."
"The… cartoon?" Violet squinted.
"Yeah," she nodded, "Disco Broccoli and His Chive Talkin' Friends."
"You were swimming naked in space with giant cartoon broccolis?" Louis questioned in disbelief.
"What? I was five."
"Alright, alright. Let's pick up," Marlon declared.
The group placed their hands on their cards and flipped them over, assessing the winner to be Louis.
"I win again," he proudly declared, his smug expression falling when Violet ushered him to hurry up. "Got any nicknames?" he asked.
Clementine paused for a moment, instantly recalling the name Lee had grown to affectionately refer to her as over the years.
Sweet pea… she thought to herself, before grimacing. Well, that's fucking embarrassing.
"No."
"Really?" he quirked an eyebrow. "Not even one?"
"None," she insisted.
"Well, we need to work on that asap," he stated with a point of his finger. "Starting with Clemster—"
"Louis, shut up and flip your damn card," Violet interjected, glaring at him as she placed her hand on her deck.
As the cards were flipped again, Violet praised herself as the winner.
"Victory Violet," she smirked to herself. "So, Clem… who do you think is gonna be expelled first?"
The girl shrugged.
"Probably me," she answered.
"Has it happened before?" Marlon asked.
"No," she shook her head, "but apparently, I have a habit of ruining all the things that try to make me better, so… either me, or Louis," she then blinked. "You know what? Definitely Louis."
"Definitely," Violet agreed.
"Definitely," Marlon nodded.
"Definitely," Louis shrugged, earning the unexpectant gazes of his friends. "What? I stole alcohol from the Headmaster, I have tons of other stupid decisions in my arsenal."
"Oh yeah, we know," Violet sarcastically reassured him.
As the cards flipped, Marlon held his up as he assumed the winning role.
"How are you liking Ericson's so far?" he asked, watching her brows furrow in. She sighed, sifting through the troubles she had gone through the last four days. The answer may have been one he didn't want to hear about his beloved boarding school, but it was the truth. And that's all Clementine could tell him.
"You want the truth?" she glanced around the group.
"Preferably," Louis replied.
"I hate it," she started, "I'm no where near my family, I have no privacy, the food here is lame… It's like I'm stuck in a prison. But…" she sighed again, barely shrugging her shoulders. "You guys are… cool. Cooler than I thought. And you're making it a little easier to be here. So, yeah."
A now sobering Clementine took in a deep breath, letting her shoulders sink as she exhaled and glanced back up at the group.
"I take it you haven't met anyone like us back in little old Macon?" Louis asked her, leaning back on his hands.
Truthfully, she hadn't. The people here seemed way too big for little old Macon.
"No," she shook her head. "I haven't."
"I like it," Louis told her. "That you're taking comfort in us, I mean."
"We appreciate it," Marlon agreed. "We appreciate that you're opening up. I think we get it better than anyone that it takes a lot of guts to do that, especially to people you've only known for a few days."
Violet nodded at the girl.
"Takes courage," the corner of her lips tugged.
What… was this – this feeling burning up inside of her? Why was this happening? Part of her wanted to reject it, but the other part was practically screaming to give this a chance. This was the start of, well, friendship. Bizarre, eccentric, and unruly friendship. In her head laid a concoction of overwhelming emotions, yet all she could respond with was null. Her eyes sat wide and her lips parted as she looked to them all; Violet's hard stare, Louis' curious gaze, Marlon's assured look. For the first time ever… Clementine had nothing to say.
Louis leaned towards Marlon, his hand not-so-subtly raising to his face.
"I think we broke her," he whispered quite loudly, earning her quick descend into a deadpan stare.
"I—No, you just…" she began to shake her head. "Thank you… I guess. Thanks," she gave the group a nod.
Their expressions lifted as Clementine's customary scowl had settled into a lighter, a little more confused smile. Louis couldn't help but pretend he wasn't marvelling at it, even past the voice of Marlon calling for the next round to happen. It seemed to fit her face better than any frown ever could, like a puzzle piece that sat just in the right place.
"Lou—"
It wasn't like the smiles she gave when he told some corny, bombastic joke.
"Louis—"
Or the ones she gave right after insulting him to his face.
"Louis, wake the hell up—"
This time, her entire face lit up like—
"Louis!" Marlon barked at him, shoving his shoulder somewhat roughly.
His eyes snapped away from hers as the peered at him in confusion.
"What? Uh… what?" he stammered.
"The game, Louis," Violet emphasised, tapping on her deck of cards.
"Right, yeah," he shook his head, exhaling in perplexity.
The group flipped their cards once again, and as the winner was determined, Clementine came out on top.
"I don't mean to sound… abrasive," Clementine started, glancing at Marlon, "but what's with you and Brody? Are you two a thing?"
Marlon shrugged, seeming indifferent to her question.
"Yeah, we're dating," he answered.
"Are you sure?" she further probed. "From what I've seen, you guys always seem pissed at each other."
"You just haven't seen enough, then," he replied through his now gaining grin. "Brody's… great. Really. It's just that, you know, like every couple, we get on each other's bad side sometimes," he told her with an innocent shrug, but then nudged his elbow into Louis' arm. "But, hey, we're Ericson boys. No one loves a good challenge more than us, huh, Lou?" he chuffed out a laugh as Louis' wide eyes were unfaltering.
He huffed out an awkward chuckle as if he realised something, his eyes flickering between Clementine and the ground. But when he saw her curious expression fall into scrutiny, he knew she realised the exact same thing. The exact same conversation. The exact same words.
It was unmistakable.
"And you wanna know something else? I like a challenge."
"That doesn't sound creepy at all."
"A challenge?" Clementine's brows raised.
"I'll admit, at this school? There's tougher cookies to be cracked," Marlon told her, watching her head nod slowly but surely.
"I bet so," she replied, her gaze unmoving from Louis.
The others didn't seem to notice just how intensely she set upon the boy. A challenge? A challenge? Did she look like a goddamn sudoku puzzle? Did he and Marlon set up some stupid, elaborate bet? Was she just the target of these boys' cheap, tawdry prank? Could she dare call it a divine case of coincidence, or was Louis' slip ups starting to make sense? Of course they were. She knew it was too good to be true. Someone patient and friendly? With her? It was stupendous of her to believe there wasn't an ulterior motive to his conviviality. He was a walking-talking, buoyant happy face – who the hell is a walking-talking, buoyant happy face?!
"Queen of Hearts, Vi. It's all yours," Marlon's voice had reeled Clementine out of her simmering rumination, prompting her to hastily flip her card just as the others already had.
"Actually, I got one for Louis," Violet began, readjusting sitting position. "If Clem doesn't mind."
"Not a problem," she jutted through her semi-clenched teeth, keeping her heated gaze on Louis.
"You talk to a lot of girls, doing your whole loud, dramatic, clown-bullshit and whatnot—"
"Socialising," Louis deadpanned at her.
"And yet in the two years that you've been here, you've never shacked up with any of them. So why is that?" she curiously asked, watching the boy shrug. "I mean, I know why, 'cause you'd probably make her blow her brains out. But what's your reason?" she smirked.
Sighing at her unruliness, Louis shrugged.
"As cruel as it sounds, I guess I just haven't met anyone that wasn't… boring," he replied truthfully. "Everyone's cool and all, but no one's really, you know," he glanced away, his eyes narrowing at the ground, "caught my eye before." It were almost as if he felt embarrassed to reveal such intimate thoughts, even if it were to his most trusted friends. But ultimately, his embarrassment was the least of Clementine's concerns.
"Aww, not even meee?" Marlon batted his eyelashes as he nudged Louis, earning his grimace and Violet's scoff.
"Well, it's kind of hard not to be boring when you're going a thousand miles a minute," she quipped with a roll of her eyes.
Signalling the end of the conversation, the group flipped their cards again. As Clementine's glare felt immovable from Louis, he couldn't help but take quick, cautious glances at her.
"Your round, Clem," Violet told her, checking the cards.
If he was going to consider her a challenge, then she sure as hell was going to be one he couldn't win.
"Am I boring to you?" she asked abruptly, her scrutinous, anticipating eyes impaling through his.
"To who…?" Marlon mumbled, following her stare as it landed on Louis. "Oh."
"I—uh, boring? I…" he began to awkwardly laugh, scratching the back of his head. But when he noticed she didn't look as peaceful as she did before, he felt cold with uneasiness. When he came to realise what her question meant, and how seriously she wanted it answered, he knew he could no longer dawdle. His arm eventually dropped and his expression matured, his eyes avoiding contact with hers. "No. No you are not boring," he stiffly replied.
Bullshit.
"I barely talk to anyone," she mentioned.
"Yeah, I know," he rolled his eyes, seemingly at himself. "And that makes you all the more interesting."
Unsure of whether to believe him, Clementine sat in stirring silence, her eyes fixating on the ground as she wallowed in her unclarity. People often said you could cut through tension with a knife, but neither Violet nor Marlon thought anything short of a hacksaw would do the trick. It was awkward – it had to be. Between them was a silent conflict, the revoking of trust. What wasn't awkward about that? No matter how conflicted and defensive Clementine was, or how flustered and put on the spot Louis was, the thickening silence was more overwhelming than a scream could ever be.
"O-kaaay…" Violet cleared her throat. "We should—um, head back… now…"
Marlon nodded, wide eyed and lost within the situation.
"Uhhh—yeah, yeah," he agreed. "It's getting late. We gotta get back before lights out," he said, standing up and dusting himself off.
The group, one by one, began to stand up and head over to the spot they dumped their shoes. Louis being the last to stand up, he noticed Clementine hadn't moved, it was almost like she hadn't realised they were beginning to leave at all. There she was, sitting on the ground she stared at, lost in a mental wrangle he wouldn't dare to even try imagining.
With a cautious exhale, Louis extended his hand out to her, watching her snap back to reality and peer towards it. She debated with herself for a moment, wondering. Call it a moment of weakness, but she couldn't outright hate Louis like she could have so easily in the past. Like she thought before, what threat did he exactly pose? With the possibility being it was all a misunderstanding, was he more of a threat to her than her imploding, defensive self?
Exhaling through her nose, Clementine took Louis' hand, letting him heave her up to her feet.
"Thanks," she barely mumbled, trudging past him to get to the others.
As the remaining Ericson's students scurried past night guards to their dorm rooms, fleeing from the mischief they had to pretend they weren't partaking in, Violet and Clementine parted ways with the boys and quietly walked back to their room. The girl could only imagine the hours she would be awake until allowing her thoughts to run rampant in her head. Could she continue letting herself open up to these people? Or should she retrogress and go back to basking in all her self-pity? On the comical side, it was almost like a video game. Trust, or don't trust Louis. She was the player, and she had a choice to make. How fun was it to question her own judgement?
"What's on your mind?" Violet spoke up, glancing at her for a moment. Clementine kept her eyes forward.
"Why do you ask?" she responded curtly, earning Violet's shrug.
"Just looks like there's something on your mind," she explained, seeming unphased by the girl's defensiveness. "Maybe… Louis related," she continued in a mumble, her brows raising amusingly.
"No," she bluntly replied. "Just tired."
Violet nodded slowly, not pressing the matter as she tried to come up with another topic. She figured the girl could use some distracting.
"Those lights we saw through the trees on our way back?" Violet turned to her. "That's the carnival. Usually stays in town for a couple of weeks. It's pretty fun."
Clementine couldn't help but smile despite her mood. Just the word even brought her back to the memories she had at carnivals with Lee and Audrey. Better ones, different to what they were now.
"Haven't been to one of those in a while," she told her.
"Well," Violet exhaled, looking forward again. "I guess we'll be going pretty soon then," she softly smiled.
As if on cue, Clementine gave her friend a smile as they ended up outside their door. That's what she could call her, right?
Friend?