Lorelai leaned against the counter in the video store, looking at her fingernails in disinterest and boredom. When she woke up this morning, her neck was sore and one glance in the mirror confirmed the pain radiating upwards: the bruises from the night before had gotten darker, something Lorelai didn't even think was possible, and the gashes were an ugly red, dried blood crusting over the cuts and some red stains left over on her skin. After cleaning them up and covering the evidence up with makeup and bandages, she hoped that it would draw a lot of attention. 'I really did a number on myself.' She still wasn't too sure what it was, but the more she thought about how she did it to herself, the more something in the back of her mind tugged and pushed, like something she was trying to remember was just out of reach and she couldn't figure out what it was. Shrugging it off as nothing, she got ready for work, making sure her long hair was laying over her shoulders, hiding her attempt at covering up her injuries. During the morning shift, the store was empty, even in the afternoon they only had a handful of people enter, not that she minded. Her late night walk definitely took a lot out of her and was making her feel rather blah. At night, when the boardwalk was filled, the store became packed and the more experienced workers along with the owners got the heavier traffic shifts. She glanced over at her two coworkers who were gossiping effortlessly. She liked them well enough, the only thing that took her by surprise was how open they were with her and each other and expected her to be just as open as they were. But Lorelai couldn't, she had walls built up that she just couldn't break down, she wouldn't allow herself to. From what little she heard of their side conversation, mainly due to her not paying any attention, they were talking about some guy, which was no surprise to her, that seemed to be the center of all of Angela's issues.
"Oh Bonnie, you don't understand! James is different from the other guys I've gone out with." Bonnie was a middle-aged woman with wild curls and dark eyes, though she acted and looked younger than her age. Angela, on the other hand, was a year younger than Lorelai, with short blonde hair and a naive personality when it came to guys.
"Angela, you said the same crap about the last guy, what was his damn name, Jackson, and the other one, Matt. In the end, they all end up the same! My god, Lorelai please knock some sense into her because she's clearly not listening to me." Lorelai looked over at her coworkers, a small smile on her face as she lifted her shoulders in an apology, causing Angela to groan.
"Not you too!" Lorelai shoved off from the counter, finally facing the other two women.
"I'm sorry Ang, but Bonnie is right, you do this all the time." Although she didn't think of these girls as best friends of hers, she did begin to like them and didn't want to see them get hurt, even if it was their own fault, this case in point, Angela's shitty taste in men. Without thinking, she tossed her long hair over her shoulder, causing both of the girls to begin catcalling at her. "What? What's wrong?" She looked down, trying to see if there was something wrong with her outfit, but coming up empty handed, she looked back up. Bonnie pointed at her own neck, winking at Lorelai.
"Looks like somebody got lucky." Reaching up to her neck, her fingers grazed over the bandages she had placed along her neck and the events from the night before replayed in her mind as she quickly raised her other hand, trying to stop the girls, blushing at Bonnies' words.
"God, it's not fair! Why is it that I have to try so hard to get guys but you! You just got here and clearly you already found someone." Shaking her head, Lorelai glanced frantically between the two.
"W-wait guys, it's not what you think! I ended up scratching myself while sleeping, that's all." Something tugged at the back of her mind, just like this morning, but she pushed it to the side, figuring it was just the dream trying to worm itself back up. The two looked at her, unconvinced by her statement. "I swear guys, I have no men in my life." Glancing at the time on the computer screen, she quickly typed in her employee code, grabbing her wallet from the drawer, waving a quick bye, feeling relief at being able to escape from this conversation. "I'll be back in 30." Lorelai knew she had 3 hours left at work, but she thought of this as her dinner, seeing how she promised the guys she would see them tonight.
She went to one of the food stands, buying a large pretzel with a soda, strolling around in the fading light. The sun was setting over the water, casting a glare over at her, the ocean air causing her skin to tighten and leaving her feeling relaxed and at ease. She had missed the ocean so much over the years, the moment she was back, she just felt at home. Glancing behind her, she quickly finished her food, tossing the wax paper in the trash as she walked into the comic store, Frogs Comics. After all these years and the name remained the same. The three workers didn't look up from whatever they were doing, not that she minded. She walked down the aisle, trailing her fingers along the clear packaging that protected the comics, pausing at the beginning of the B's. Lorelai began digging through, looking for a specific comic.
"Can I help you?" Lorelai jumped, too lost in her own world that she didn't notice someone had approached her. She had her hands clenched in front of her, ready to strike if needed, not that she would ever actually hit someone, she just hoped that her pathetic attempt of looking intimidating worked. "Whoa listen, it was just a question!" She laughed, lowing her hands quickly, feeling a blush work its way up onto her face.
"I'm sorry, you startled me. Must have been too focused." Looking the guy up and down, she raised an eyebrow. He was taller than her, and while he was lean, he was built. He didn't look like a guy you would find in a comic bookstore. His light brown hair was combed neatly back and gelled, a vintage shirt under a clearly worn, faded red flannel along with faded jeans. He was someone she expected to see at a skate park rather than here. Though, she assumed he could think she didn't belong either, with her ankle length cream sweater over a plain sky-blue shirt and black leggings, she looked like she belonged in a clothing store rather than searching through old comics.
"Well, maybe I can help. I do work here after all." Lorelai sighed, tossing her hand up towards the rows and rows of comics, the place she had stopped clearly lost once she removed her hand.
"I'm trying to find a specific series, followed by some specific numbers." The guy laughed, rubbing the back of his neck, glancing down at the rows of books with a hesitant look. "And based on that reaction, I'm going to go with you can't help me after all." He shook his head no, causing her to laugh this time.
"Not that I wouldn't mind spending time with you looking through this mess, but nothing is in any order. I keep telling my uncles that we should have some kind of system here, but they never listen." Lorelai glanced over at the two older men behind the counter who were staring at the two, causing them to look away once they realized they were caught staring. She pulled out her phone, cursing at the time.
"I have to get going, my lunch break is almost up." She gave him a small smile before waving to the other men who resumed their watch of the teens, though less obvious this time. Just as she left the store, the guy she was talking to called after her, causing her to stop and turn, seeing him jogging lightly to the exit of the store, leaning against one of the open doors.
"Names Luke, Luke Frog. I hope I see you around…." Lorelai smiled over her shoulder, chuckling at the way he was trying to get her name. Normally she wouldn't give it up that easily, she hadn't to the boys just a few nights ago, but Luke seemed innocent enough, and besides, she didn't want to be rude if she was planning on returning to her old hang out spot.
"Its Lorelai Green." And with that, she continued her way back to the video store, clocking in at exactly 30 minutes. Both coworkers raised an eye at her almost-late entry, something that they noticed was unlike her, Lorelai was always early to clock in. When she saw their reactions, she let out a sigh, placing her hands on her hips. "Guys seriously, I already told you- "
"That you have no mystery guy. Yeah, yeah, you told us." Bonnie smiled wickedly at her, winking. "But don't think that we believe you for a second."
3 hours passed by rather quickly and as the sun began to set even farther, the boardwalk finally began picking up as crowds of teenagers and families were finally waking up and venturing outside. Santa Carla had always been a night town, when the sun was out it looked like it was a ghost town, the harsh light shining on all of the imperfections and bleached buildings, but when the moon rises and the cheerier lights flickered on in the dark, the town rose up and became something new, like there was energy pulsing out from the boardwalk. At the sound of the video store doors opening, all three girls looked over, smiles falling on all of their faces as a woman with a pixie cut and flowing skirt walked in. Lucy Emerson was one of the owners, a nice lady, very motherly to all of the employees. She came to the counter, smiling at the three girls.
"How was your day today?" The girls all answered with different states of goods, but when Lucy's eyes fell on Lorelai's neck, her eyebrows pulled together. "Oh honey, what happened?" Reaching up quickly, Lorelai pulled her hair in front of her neck to cover the bandages.
"Oh its, its nothing! I did it to myself while sleeping." Angela nudged Bonnie, winking at Lucy with a smirk on her face. Before she could say anything else on the matter, the other two girls began to giggle.
"Yeah, definitely not a mystery man." Lorelai shot them a look frowning. How many times was she going to have to argue with them?
"Seriously guys, there's no mystery man." The girls clocked out but didn't leave instantly. Instead, they stayed behind to talk, something that they always did, it wasn't like they were planning on going home right after work anyhow. A few minutes after clocking out, Max came in, the other owner, adjusting his glasses as he smiled at the girls. For some reason, Lorelai always felt uneasy around Max, but she never said anything about it because she was sure that she was the only one who felt that way. He hadn't done anything wrong to her, he just seemed too nice, like it was all an act. It reminded her of her stepfather, whenever they were out in public as a 'family' , he would put on a good face for others, and if she wanted to avoid the abuse later on, she had to do the same, though it only lightened the pain that she would receive, never really stop it.
"Hello ladies. Any plans tonight now that you're free?" Before Angela could spill her guts about her new man, the doors swung open once more, a hush falling over the store. Lorelai let out a breath she didn't know that she was holding at the sight of the four guys, eyes darting around the store, stopping once they landed on her. The atmosphere around the store shifted dramatically, a buzz filled the store, like static energy, but while everyone else grew uneasy at the feeling, Lorelai enjoyed it. She beamed brightly at them, holding up a finger to let them know that she would be right over, leaving them to slowly walk around the store, customers all but running away from the group.
"Well, that's my cue to head out. I'll see everyone later!" Before she moved, an arm hung over her shoulders, causing her to jump. She looked over at the towering figure next to her, seeing a grinning Paul looking over at her coworkers. She hadn't noticed that he had separated from the rest of the group to make his way over to them. He smiled wickedly down at her, causing a suspicion to rise instantly at what he was going to do.
"Or maybe not." As he winked down at her, Lorelai realized, mortified, what he meant by those words. She gave him a rough push, though he didn't move an inch, and looked back over at her coworkers, feeling embarrassment and anger rising inwardly at Paul. Bonnie was starstruck by him, jaw open and eyes wide, trying to take in as much as Paul's figure that she could while Angela was blinking in confusion, eyes darting back and forth between her, Paul, and the rest of the guys lingering around the store. Lorelai wasn't blind, she knew that Paul, along with the others, were hot as hell, she just hoped that she didn't look as pathetic as her friends did when faced with the boys.
"So, you were right, it's not a mystery man, its mystery men, as in more than one!?" Lorelai felt her face heat up and began to shake her head as Paul pulled her away, not giving her a chance to explain anything. She craned her neck to look back at the girls, desperation in her eyes to get them to listen to her.
"No! You don't understand!" But she couldn't say much more as she was dragged out of the video store, the other guys trailing behind them, blocking her from the others they left behind.. Once they made it to the railing across the boardwalk, Lorelai gave Paul another push, this time getting him to release his iron-tight hold on her. She turned on her heels, facing Paul who wore an innocent face, causing her anger to flair into rage. "Are you insane? My coworkers are definitely judging me now!" Running her hands through her long hair, pushing it away from her face, Lorelai leaned against the raining, moving her glare from Paul to the ground, settling for embarrassment rather than anger. How was she going to be able to face her coworkers tomorrow after Paul said that?
"For what, hanging out with some misfits?" She looked over at Marko who spoked behind a gloved hand, sighing and shaking her head. He should know by now that she could care less that people gave her strange looks when she was with them. No, this was about her dignity.
"Marko, I could care less what people think about us hanging out. It was what Paul said! They already think I'm covering a hickey from some 'mystery man' with these," She gestured to her neck, where the makeup and bandages were exposed now that her hair was out of the way, but the glowing lights of the boardwalk made it all but invisible now. "but now they think- "Lorelai stopped herself short, covering her face with both hands as she groaned, feeling all but mortified. She knew the guys were attractive, she wasn't blind, and she knew what kind of vibes they emitted: dangerous and sexy, and predatory. She just started this job; she didn't want to be known as a slut.
David raised an eyebrow at Paul who was smirking, clearly knowing what he did. He looked back at the girl in front of them, taking in the bandages she placed over her cuts, along with thick layers of makeup covering up the bruises before chuckling, causing Lorelai to look up, frustration filling the air between them. "What's so funny about that?!" He leaned closer to her, frowning slightly when she didn't move away, clearly not afraid of him. That was what frustrated him the most, the lack of fear in her body, the defiant look that sparkled throughout her unnaturally light green eyes. Marko cleared his throat, feeling the sudden shift in David and Lorelai's moods, causing Lorelai to look over at him, his innocent face, making her anger faulter.
"I don't get it, what do they think then?" At first, Lorelai was going to answer him, honestly believing in his question and the innocence that he showed her. But the moment she looked into his green eyes, shining back at her in humor, she felt her anger slam back into her at once; clearly, he was mocking her embarrassment. With a frustrated groan she stormed past them, making sure to bump the shoulders of both Marko and Paul, walking down the boardwalk, not caring where she went, as long as it was away from them. She didn't know why she let them get under her skin so easily, maybe it was because they were be nice to her. But what worried her was why was she letting them get reactions out of her, reactions that she had never had before.
'God I'm such an idiot….' Eventually tired of walking, Lorelai paused off to the side of the railing, looking to see where she had stopped. She chuckled, seeing the comic store directly in front of her; it wasn't her intention to come back here, her legs had a mind of their own while she was lost in thought. Looking around to make sure the guys weren't there to follow her inside, she quickly ran into the store, hiding among the rather large crowd. She couldn't believe that she was hiding in the comic store so she wouldn't be embarrassed even farther, this was a new low, even for her. While paying more attention to what was behind her rather than in front, she bumped into someone, causing the comic the person was holding to fall from their hands. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going…" Looking up, she felt her the words die in her mouth when she saw who she had crashed into. He looked exactly the same from all those years ago, and although she could have only guessed that from the first time she saw him, now that they were closer, face to face, she could tell that it was really him, that she wasn't going insane. "Sam?" It was the sandy blond hair and wide green eyes that she knew so well, along with the poor fashion sense that she would make fun of. Everything was the same.
Sam was startled when he saw Lorelai and while he tried to avoid her, first on the boardwalk and now here, it seems like they were meant to run into each other. He knew David was beyond pissed that he exposed himself to a human all those years ago, he should have known better, just kill and leave, because now the danger of making friends with a human was coming up, years later. He was supposed to be older, about 18 from the last time she saw him, and now that they were in front of each other, gazes locked, he didn't know what to do. David had told him, after he revealed that she knew him, that he and the rest of the guys would take care of his mistake. The way he said it, it was a mistake to befriend a human, but that's what he did, she was his best friend, and now, because of him, she was going to die.
"Yeah that's my name. Remember, I told you?" Lorelai shook her head, takin a step closer, though Sam stepped away, trying to keep some distance between them.
"No, well yeah I remember but…. You look the same, you're still 14- "Sam's smile dropped as he turned away from her. She knew he was referring to earlier when they first saw each other on the boardwalk, but she was referring to all those years ago when they first met.
"I'm sorry, but I think you're confused." Without giving her a chance to say anything on the matter, he walked off. Before Lorelai could follow him though, a hand grabbed hers, stopping and spinning her around, leaving her face to face with Luke.
"Twice in one day? You better be careful; I'm going to think that you are stalking me." Looking behind her, she let out a sigh, forcing a smile up as she met his gaze. Luke let go of her hand, crossing his arms over his chest, chuckling lightly. "Sorry, too creepy? You just seemed stressed and I thought a little humor would make you feel better."
David walked up and down the boardwalk with the others twice before he finally stopped, slamming his hands down on the railing. "David, relax." He growled, glaring over at Dwayne. He knew that they were pushing her buttons, hell he enjoyed watching her get flustered, it sent her heart racing and her blood pumping quickly in her veins. But he didn't think that she would storm away like she did. Those sudden mood swings that she kept having, those sudden spikes of anger. He had never seen a human go through so many and have them as strong as this girl did; the only ones that he had ever seen go through these are other vampires, newer ones mainly who were still trying to sperate their human side from their predatory side. And not only did he wonder that, but he also would love to know how she kept evading them. Her scent was so intense and so unique, they should have been able to follow her anywhere with no issue, hell, they were great hunters, so how did she disappear on them.
"How do you expect me to relax? She's gone again! I'm this close to just forgetting about the game and just killing her. Emerson never made it this hard." Marko looked around, eyes landing on the comic store. Focusing inside and searching through the large crowd, a smile spread over his face as he nudged Paul who was next to him, tilting his head over to the store.
"I think I just found her." All of their eyes flashed over to the store where they undoubtly saw Lorelai, but their smiles turned to frowns just as fast as they appeared when they saw her talking to a guy. She was laughing at something he said, they couldn't quite catch it though due to all of the noise happening around them, but they didn't care. A sense of frustration flew through their group bond, even some jealously surfaced when they saw her enjoying her time with a different guy. They wanted to barge into the store and drag her away from the guy she was currently talking to, but they remained outside, staring at them. They could all sense the jealousy that flowed through them, and the more that the emotion lingered, the more they were beginning to wonder was it because their plaything wasn't entertaining them or was it because she was entertaining someone else. The only thing that dragged their attention away from Lorelai was Sam, attempting to sneak past them as he left the building. David whistled, catching the younger vampires' eyes, motioning for him to come over to them. Sam hesitantly walked over, he was hoping to avoid the guys, but it seems like he wasn't that lucky. He stopped just out of any of their reaches, not wanting to be any closer to the older vampires then he had to. He knew it was about Lorelai, why else would they want to speak to him? Over the past few years, the small group separated themselves from the rest of the "family", not that they ever thought of any of them as family, but they were a coven nonetheless, whether Sam wanted to be in one or not. David pulled out a cigarette, lighting it and taking a drag before his pale eyes flashed back over to the comic store.
"Who is she talking to?" He didn't say her name, he didn't need to after all, but Sam still looked over his shoulder, watching as his 'childhood' (could it even be called a childhood if he was supposed to be 30 by the time they met?) friend laughing and lightly flirting with one of the comic workers, unaware of the vampires watching them from across the boardwalk. Sam grimaced when he saw the boy brush Lorelai's long hair away from her face, sensing the tension surrounding the 5 of them intensify; and just because he was trying to avoid the girl didn't mean he didn't care about her, she was like the sister he never had. Star attempted to be big sisterly to him, which he appreciated, but she just didn't understand him like Lorelai had.
"You aren't going to like my answer." Sam looked back over at the older guys, noticing how quickly their patience was fading. He held up both hands, taking a small step backwards, separating himself from them further. "I'm just warning you! His name is Luke Frog, he's the nephew of one of the Frog Brothers." At the mention of his former friends, he noticed looks of anger and uncertainty flash within their eyes. He remembered the last time they encountered the Frog brothers; Sam was a part of their take down mission all those years ago. Only they poorly underestimated the strength of the vampires, hell they weren't even successful in staking a sleeping one, which he did give Marko credit, he did a good job at fooling them. And once the Frogs realized that it was a losing battle, they ran, leaving them all in the hands of Max. Suddenly, Paul snickered to the side of him, nudging Marko as he grinned.
"You mean to tell me those military wannabes actually reproduced?" Laughter spread through the entire group, all except Sam, who took the opportunity to escape. He knew their humor was going to be short lived. David, though he was snickering at Pauls' comment, inwardly he knew that they were going to have to do something about Lorelai spending time with one of the Frogs, it would only be a hazard.
Lorelai flushed, pouting as Luke laughed at her. "Seriously Frog, it's not funny! I'm mortified of going back to work!" At her words, Luke only laughed harder, leaning on one of the comic shelves for support.
"So, you mean to tell me that your co-workers think that you are sleeping with what, 4 different guys?" When Luke said it, Lorelai couldn't help but laugh, realizing how silly it sounded. She had never given her co-workers a reason to think that she was having sex with multiple men, chances are they were just fucking with her because it got a reaction out of her. Instantly, her laughter died out, replaced with guilt. The guys were only trying to make her laugh earlier at the situation she found herself in, and she completely snapped and ran away from them, it wasn't entirely fair. "Whoa, mood change much?" Lorelai sighed, laying a hand on his arm.
"Sorry, I just have to go do something. It was nice to run into you again." Offering a small smile, she quickly ran out, attempting to dodge bodies pressed together in tight, sweaty groups. She found herself standing in the middle of the boardwalk, pale eyes flashing over faces, face twisted in a desperate search. Finally, her shifting eyes stopped and her face twisted into a smile when she locked gazes with the boys. She made her way slowly over to the small group, the closer she got, the easier it was to move; no one wanted to get close to them after all. The guys all smiled almost predatory, their eyes shining brightly in the boardwalk lights, but the smiles faltered once she stopped a few paces away, crossing her arms over her chest and setting her face stern. "Before I start, this is not an apology." David opened his mouth, clearly about to give her some smartass remark, but he stopped once Lorelai raised a hand and eyebrow, shaking her head. "Let me finish. You guys seriously pissed me off. Paul, I work with those girls and I'm still new, you can't make those comments. And the rest of you, do you even realize how far under my skin you got? Next time I walk off, don't expect me to come back." Taking a deep breath, she felt a small smile trying to creep itself onto her face: the guys were utterly shocked and speechless at her little rant. Lorelai could only guess that she's part of a small group of people who aren't scared to talk at them. Satisfied with the response, or lack of response, she got, Lorelai cleared her throat, glancing down at her shoes, suddenly nervous. "…..And I had no right to react the way I did, it was wrong." A few seconds past between the small girl and the guys, and the longer the silence lasted, the more nervous she became. She felt a leather-clad finger under her chin, raising her head to meet pale blue eyes, breath caught in her throat.
"Didn't you just say you weren't going to apologize?" David clicked his tongue, dropping his hand from her face as he walked around her, the others sending her teasing smiles as they passed her. "Lying doesn't suit you Lorelai." Flabbergasted and cheeks suddenly hot, she ran after the guys, seamlessly blending into their small pack, situated somewhat in the center. She probably shouldn't, but she felt safe in the center of this group.
"I didn't lie! If you think that was an apology David, then clearly you aren't used to hearing them. I was just explaining that I might have been out of line as well." He glanced over his shoulder, and while he wasn't smiling, his eyes gave him away. Marko grabbed her waist, pulling her close, the ends her long hair brushing across his hand, soft and light.
"Glad to have you back Rory." Lorelai raised an eyebrow at the curly blond, not used to the nickname. He smiled widely down at her, his grin resembling the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.
"Rory? You would think that I would have been called that sooner, Lorelai is a mouthful." She laughed, wrapping an arm around Markos waist and under his patched jacket, realizing just how cold she was when she felt how warm the jacket was over her arm, causing a shiver to run through her. She tried to ignore the first cold chill, but by the third one on their little walk back up the boardwalk, she saw that David had begun to notice.
"Alright, it's time for Lorelai to go home. Seems like the cold is too much for her." She hadn't expected David to use the nickname that Marko had given her, but she did feel a little disappointed. Though, the feeling was quickly replaced when she saw what they stood in front of. Marko had let go of her, making his way over to his motorcycle, as did the rest of the guys, But Lorelai remained frozen, beginning to shake her head.
"No." The guys looked back over to her, David raising an eyebrow at her. For this girl to be so fearless around them, to be able to ignore the instinct to run away that all humans feel near them, she was terrified of the littlest of things. "I'm not getting on one of those death traps." Lorelai thought about what her father would say if he saw her hanging out with these boys, riding on the back of a motorcycle. Oh, he would have her head for sure. Paul snickered, leaning back on his bike.
"I thought the rollercoaster was a death trap?" Lorelai pointed at the bikes, eyes wide and voice hitching in panic.
"So are these things! Listen, I had a friend who repaired bikes and she tried to get me on one. If I said no to her, you best believe that you are also getting a no." David held out a single gloved hand to her, his icy eyes for once not holding the cold indifference that they always seemed to have. This time they seemed softer, more patient, as if he knew that it would only be a matter of time before she agreed.
"Lorelai, we can sit out here all night arguing if you want, but you aren't going to get much warmer. Shall we?" Deciding to be stubborn and give David a taste of his own medicine, she placed her hands on her hips, glaring as coldly as she could at him.
"Not even in your dreams." David resisted the urge to growl at the girl in front of him. Her pale eyes were hard, unwilling to budge, and her body language screamed anger, but it was the waves of emotions coming off of her that made him settle. At first, he couldn't figure it out, but as he felt it growing stronger, it surprised him. This was fear, pure fear rolling off of her and crashing into them, not because of them, no that would be too sane, but because of their bikes. He was so accustomed to not having this reaction to her, he couldn't place it, even though it was the strongest of the emotions they typically received from humans. And they normally thrived off of the emotion, usually enjoying the warmth it provided to them, the intoxicating smell that only fear emitted, but from her, it locked up his joints and it felt as though his blood ran colder then normal. He didn't like it one bit, and he noticed that his brothers were having the same reaction that he was. He let out a sigh, getting off of his bike and making his way over to the small girl, pausing when they were only inches away.
"What are you scared of?" Lorelai hesitated, her glare turning into frustration as she looked at the ground. She hated feeling weak in front of the guys but hated it even more when she felt weak in front of David. She knew that she would sound stupid to them, her reasoning, and did not want them to laugh at her.
"Falling… I'm scared of falling off." After a few seconds went by without any laughter, she looked up, noticing the understanding looks they were sending her. David extended his hand one more time to her, his eyes almost warm, drawing her in.
"I promise, I won't let you fall." She was hesitant, the fear still coursing through her, but she swallowed and pushed it down, placing her smaller hand in David's gloved ones, allowing him to pull her over to the bike and helping her get on behind him. The guys all whooped in joy around her, calling out to her, but they fell on deaf ears as the panic began to bubble back up as David turned the bike on, the rumbling underneath her causing her to grip tightly to the sides of the seat. She glanced around, catching the eyes of the bystanders around them. Everyone seemed to pause around them, eyes trained to the bikes and the riders sitting on them. She was sent a mixture of looks, jealous glares of girls, wanting looks guys, and the look of fear on some of the locals. A whistle from the right of her drew her gaze away from the people on the street, only to be met with something being thrown in her direction. Out of pure instincts, she unlatched her fingers from the leather seat, catching what she now realized was Marko's patched up jacket. She looked over at the curly blond with wide eyes, shaking her head as she held the jacket back out to her. He was now left in his jeans and white short sleeved shirt. At least she had David to block the cold wind from her, but Marko would surely be colder than her.
"Believe me Rory, you'll need it more. I'm used to this." Not wanting to argue, she slipped her arms through the large jacket, giggling slightly at just how big it was. Marko might have been the shortest of all of the guys, but looking at him now without the jacket, she noticed that he was lean, his bare arms showing just how strong he was. She noticed that, while their bikes were started, they weren't moving yet. She felt David lean back slightly, head turned so he could speak over the noise of the bikes.
"Put your arms around me." When she didn't comply right away, David chuckled, shaking his head. "Trust me, you don't want to fall right?" Lorelai instantly wrapped her arms around his frame, moving closer to him. It wasn't until they shot forward into the streets that she realized that he was right, she would have fallen off if she wasn't holding onto him, and at the same moment she came to realize that this was the closest to the leader that she had ever been. Her cheek was laid against his back, taking comfort in how steady his breathing was, his dark long coat soft against her skin, and her fingers spread across his taunt stomach and chest, flexing to grip him tighter when they turned or hit small bumps in the road. "Do you want to go home or ride?" Although he was yelling over the roar of the bikes, Lorelai still had to strain to hear him fully, though she enjoyed hearing and the rumbling of his voice where she laid her head on him. He was leaving the choice to her, letting her decide what she was comfortable with. A small smile crossed over her face as she locked eyes with Dwayne, who was on the right side of them, the other two either behind or on the other side.
"Lets ride!" At her decision, she heard the other boys yelling with excitement and felt David laugh, increasing the speed that they were going. Fueled by the high spirits of the group, she slowly began to loosen up her hold on blond, moving slightly back to feel the wind hit her in the face and blow her hair away from her face and out behind her. The longer she was on the back of the bike, the more she realized how much fun she was having and how much she had missed out on in the past. This wasn't scary, this was thrilling! She moved in closer to David's ear, blinking away the tears that rushed to her eyes at the sheer amount of wind that smacked her in the face now that she was out from behind him. "Can we go faster?" She almost freaked out when he tore his eyes away from the road, meeting hers for a fraction of a second before looking back in front of him, and though she couldn't see it, she imagined a smile gracing his face.
"You heard the girl, lets show her how we really ride." Paul came closer than she figured was safe, giving her a wink, which caused her to laugh.
"You better hold on Chica, things are about to get real fun!" Before she had a moment to question him, the bike sped up even more, causing her to grab onto David again for dear life with a surprised yelp. She couldn't even imagine how fast they were going, all of the lights and other cars flying past her in blurs, the wind stinging her face and exposed hands, and she couldn't help but think how the boys felt with the wind hitting them in the face, how they were able to see anything. Finally used to the feeling of the speed they were going, she let the rush of adrenaline flow through her. Laughing, she slowly let go of David, gripping the seat tightly with her thighs as she spread her arms out, pressing herself slightly tighter to his back to keep her balance and let her head tilt back with her eyes closed, allowing herself to just enjoy the feeling, enjoy life.
David was able to see her through his brothers' eyes, see that she was truly enjoying herself. The last person that he had on the back of his bike was Star, about 30 years ago, and it was only after she had turned that she began enjoyed the speed that they traveled at, the recklessness that they rode with, but even then she never fully embraced it like this human girl was. 'It seems like we have an adrenaline junkie on our hands.' His words flowed through their bond, causing the others to chuckle as they kept up with his bike as the swerved through traffic.
Lorelai had no concept of time when she was on the back of the bike, so when the guys began to slow up and pull off into an abandon parking lot, she was confused. It wasn't until she took out her phone and saw the time that she realized just how long they were riding for. "I can't believe that its already 4 in the morning! The suns going to be up soon…" She tried to run her fingers through her hair, but after feeling just how knotted it was, she allowed her hands to fall to her side, looking up at the star filled sky. "I think its officially time to call it a night." They took off, slower this time so that they could listen to Lorelai's direction to her house. While it only took them 10 minutes, she felt they were going so slow, it was nothing compared to how they were flying earlier in the night. When they stopped outside of her house, Paul whistled, eyes widening at the sight of her house.
"Girl, you live in the middle of nowhere." Lorelai climbed off the back of the bike with David's help, letting the guys follow her up onto the porch, pausing to open the door. "You don't lock the door?" Lorelai shook her head, walking inside the house, flicking on some lights as she went.
"One of the perks of living in the middle of the woods, no one ever comes up here so there's no need to lock the door." She paused, looking at the guys who were still standing out on the porch, looking around from the outside. "Uh… you guys are more than welcomed to come in you know?" She didn't take them as gentlemen, waiting to be invited, but who was she to judge. Only after they were inside did she move to the kitchen, pouring herself some apple juice. She didn't even realize how thirsty she was until that moment.
"Do you live alone?" Lorelai laughed loudly, moving to lean against the wall that separated the kitchen and living room. The guys looked out of place in her father's modernly decorated living room, their dark outfits of leather standing out against the light fabrics of the seats and wood.
"I wish. My father is out of town for a few weeks, hence why I'm able to keep up with your crazy hours and you're even allowed inside." Paul threw himself backwards onto the sofa, blinking innocently up at her.
"Are you saying that your father wouldn't approve us? I feel insulted!" Placing her cup down on one of the glass tables, she leaned over the back of the sofa, wrapping her arms around Paul in a hug.
"Oh of course my overly strict, university professor father would be so approving of his baby girl hanging out with four leather clad, motorcycle riding, dangerously handsome guys at night." Lightly tugging the ends of Paul's hair as she stood up, she let out a yawn, smiling sheepishly at the guys.
"Alright, let's get out of here. Suns almost up and Lorelai here needs her beauty rest. "She stuck her tongue out at David, she smirked at her as the others filed out onto the porch. Just before she shut her front door, David grabbed the door, stopping her. Her smile fell as she saw something pass over his face, a mixture between worry and angry. "That guy you were talking to at the comic store, the Frog kid. Don't trust him or his family, they aren't what you think." Before she had a moment to ask what he meant, or how he even knew Luke, he walked away, hoping on his bike and riding away with the others.
After they were gone, Lorelai shut the door, locking it as an afterthought; wouldn't living in the middle of nowhere result in locking the door even more? Shaking her head, she went up the stairs to take a shower, groaning when she noticed that she still had Marko's jacket on. The poor guy was probably freezing on their ride back to wherever it was that they lived. Shrugging it off and laying it on the counter, she took a quick shower, running her fingers through her hair to rid as many knots as she could before she would take a brush to it after she was done. She was so worn out now that the adrenaline rush left her and the warm shower relaxed her muscles that she ended up crawling into bed in just a towel, Markos patched jacket at the foot of the bed, and she drifted off to sleep in seconds.
