STILL Pretty in Pink: Chapter Three
Blane McDonough didn't see Andie at all after lunch that day. He looked all over, but nobody knew where she went. Indeed, most of the people didn't even know who she was. He decided to swing by her house on his way home and check up on her.
"Andie?" he called to the front door, trying to get her to answer. Her car was parked at a wild angle in the driveway, he knew she had to be home. Frantically he started pounding his fists on the door, horrible visions running through his mind. What if something had happened to her? She could have been hurt, even dying, in the house all this time and no one would have known. Blane's heart began to race.
Just as Blane was about to shout again, Duckie opened the door. Blane's first thought was 'oh thank God.' He felt incredibly relieved and casually tried to push by Duckie and enter the house. But Duckie actually pushed him back out the door again.
"What are you doing? Is Andie in there?" Blane asked, confusion and rage building up inside him. He didn't like the look on Duckie's face.
"Not this time, Blane. You can't just go in there and make it up to her this time." Duckie answered coldly, glaring at Blane and shaking his head.
"What the - make what up? Is she all right? Duckie, I swear if she's hurt and you're keeping me away from her, you're not gonna live to see graduation." Blane threatened, but Duckie didn't so much as flinch. He couldn't believe this guy, pretending not to know that he'd crushed Andie's heart into a million pieces. Duckie, even knowing that he'd probably come off worse in the end, was seriously considering socking Blane in the jaw.
And so he did.
Blane was stunned at first, paralyzed with shock. What the hell was Duckie trying to do? Win Andie back? Blane almost laughed at the thought of a goofball like that winning the heart of someone like Andie. She was really high-class, just minus the cash. A real woman deserved a real man.
Duckie was standing there, breathing heavily, waiting for Blane to return the beating. But for a second all Blane did was stand there staring at him. The stillness lasted only for a second though, Duckie got his return beating like he'd expected.
Blane knocked him clear through the doorway and into the living room, and Duckie cracked his head on the coffee table. Blane was a terrifying sight when he was mad. But what Duckie took as the action of a crazed lunatic, Blane thought was that of a provoked lover.
"What did you do to him?" Andie screamed, walking in upon the scene. Immediately she rushed to Duckie's side and helped him up. "He's bleeding, dammit! What was that for?" Blane could tell that something was terribly wrong with her, and he was worried. He knew he shouldn't have given in to impulse and hit Duckie, and attempted to explain himself.
"He wouldn't let me come in, I thought you were hurt, you weren't at school. Andie, I was scared." Blane said, walking towards her. At first her expression softened and the Andie he knew and loved stood before him. But then her face hardened again with rage, and she backed away.
"Don't you even dare try that. I know you don't care about me. I'm 'just a piece of ass,' right Blane? Isn't that all I am to you?" she spat, and ferocious tears began rolling down her cheeks.
"Never." Blane croaked, but he knew he was caught in a lie.
"Duckie told me all about it," Andie said. Blane whipped his gaze around to Duckie, who shrank against the sofa. He was definitely bleeding, he cupped the back of his head with his hand and Blane could see some blood seeping out. He hadn't meant to hurt him, and felt a twinge of guilt and sorrow towards the poor guy. "Duckie said he overheard some friends of yours talking about us. Seems you told them that I was 'just a piece of ass,' and you didn't love me at all!" she continued. Blane died. He couldn't believe that some thing he'd just said in passing to a group of jerks would come back to get him like this.
"Andie, it's not true, I swear. Those guy's are friends of Connelly's, I just said that so they'd lay off." Blane said truthfully. He'd been out with them a couple times, and they teased him unmercifully for days on end about Andie. The macho side of Blane took over one night, and told them that he was using her. But God knows he didn't mean it. He was madly in love with her.
"I don't care if it's true or not! It was obviously true enough for you to say it then. I thought you'd stick up for me, Blane. I thought you valued me enough to stand by me and not sell out like that." Andie replied.
"Andie, can't you see I love you?" Blane asked desperately. "Your anger is blinding you -"
"LOVE blinded me, Blane!" she roared. "I was too giddy to see that this will never work. I know you love me, but you also love your friends and lifestyle and those two loves can't mix. You have to choose. You've tried to have it all, and we both see how well that worked out." Blane was given an ultimatum.
"Please, give me another chance. I made a mistake, everybody does. Don't throw away what we have. But don't be unreasonable. You can't ask me to choose, Andie. I can't."
"Then you can't ask me to love you." She stated simply. The conversation was over. The relationship was over. And both Andie and Blane felt like their lives were over.
* * * * *
Duckie just sat on the sofa the whole time, nursing his head and watching Andie and Blane fight. He applauded her for being so strong; she was really in love with him and he could tell it took all of her might not to take Blane back.
After Andie's last words there was a long, mourning silence like that after a tragedy. Then slowly and gently Blane walked up to Andie, and this time she didn't back away. He leaned forward and softly kissed her on the cheek, taking for granted that this was the last time he'd be close enough to see the flecks of gold in her eyes, and smell the sweet aroma of her strawberry silken hair. He hovered there for a second, just inches from her face, and then turned to leave. He was gone.
Andie broke down and cried.
* * * * *
There were no words to say to her, as she sat there in the middle of the living room floor, heartbroken. Duckie just walked over there and sat next to her, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her tight. They couldn't tell how long they sat there, blood and tears mingling together like a sorrowful melody. But once Andie managed to stop crying and open her eyes, the first thing she saw was Duckie, but it wasn't 'Duckie.' It wasn't some foolish boy that followed her around like a lost puppy. It was Phillip Dale, her devoted protector. The puppy had grown into a guard dog. Why hadn't she seen it before?
"Duck - I mean, Phil, you're hurt. Here, let me see how it looks." Andie said. She seemed to have regained her composure all right. Duckie, or rather, Phil, was taken aback by her calling him by his real name. He didn't mind it though, the way she said it felt kind of nice.
He followed her into the kitchen where she bandaged his head as best she could. "I can't believe he did that to you." She said angrily.
"It's a small price to pay, really. At least I got one good hit in before I went down." Phil said, smiling. Andie was so close to him, and he couldn't make himself look at her. Every night for the last four years he's sat in bed dreaming about this moment, and now that it was here he felt like he would be sick. Of course, in all those fantasies he'd never planned on getting beat up and having to be helped by Andie. He was always the one who did the beating.
"Really? You hit Blane?" she asked. It almost hurt to say the name, the wound was still fresh and new.
"Yeah, before you came out of your room. He was still acting as if he didn't do anything, and I couldn't let him treat you like that. I had to do something." He explained. It struck Andie how funny that was, a skinny think like Phil thinking he could defend her. And yet he had. Everything was changing, but maybe not for the worst.
* * * * *
WILL ANDIE AND PHIL "DUCKIE" DALE GET TOGETHER?? Muah-ah-ahh, you'll just have to wait until my next installment of STILL Pretty in Pink, which should be up in a day or so. If not, so sue me, it's not a piece of cake creating a masterpiece here! Don't forget, you still need to review me, and thank-you so very very much to the whopping TWO of you that have so far. Onward to Chapter four!!! Hi-ho Silver, away!
Saranimal HaloGal5@aol.com
Blane McDonough didn't see Andie at all after lunch that day. He looked all over, but nobody knew where she went. Indeed, most of the people didn't even know who she was. He decided to swing by her house on his way home and check up on her.
"Andie?" he called to the front door, trying to get her to answer. Her car was parked at a wild angle in the driveway, he knew she had to be home. Frantically he started pounding his fists on the door, horrible visions running through his mind. What if something had happened to her? She could have been hurt, even dying, in the house all this time and no one would have known. Blane's heart began to race.
Just as Blane was about to shout again, Duckie opened the door. Blane's first thought was 'oh thank God.' He felt incredibly relieved and casually tried to push by Duckie and enter the house. But Duckie actually pushed him back out the door again.
"What are you doing? Is Andie in there?" Blane asked, confusion and rage building up inside him. He didn't like the look on Duckie's face.
"Not this time, Blane. You can't just go in there and make it up to her this time." Duckie answered coldly, glaring at Blane and shaking his head.
"What the - make what up? Is she all right? Duckie, I swear if she's hurt and you're keeping me away from her, you're not gonna live to see graduation." Blane threatened, but Duckie didn't so much as flinch. He couldn't believe this guy, pretending not to know that he'd crushed Andie's heart into a million pieces. Duckie, even knowing that he'd probably come off worse in the end, was seriously considering socking Blane in the jaw.
And so he did.
Blane was stunned at first, paralyzed with shock. What the hell was Duckie trying to do? Win Andie back? Blane almost laughed at the thought of a goofball like that winning the heart of someone like Andie. She was really high-class, just minus the cash. A real woman deserved a real man.
Duckie was standing there, breathing heavily, waiting for Blane to return the beating. But for a second all Blane did was stand there staring at him. The stillness lasted only for a second though, Duckie got his return beating like he'd expected.
Blane knocked him clear through the doorway and into the living room, and Duckie cracked his head on the coffee table. Blane was a terrifying sight when he was mad. But what Duckie took as the action of a crazed lunatic, Blane thought was that of a provoked lover.
"What did you do to him?" Andie screamed, walking in upon the scene. Immediately she rushed to Duckie's side and helped him up. "He's bleeding, dammit! What was that for?" Blane could tell that something was terribly wrong with her, and he was worried. He knew he shouldn't have given in to impulse and hit Duckie, and attempted to explain himself.
"He wouldn't let me come in, I thought you were hurt, you weren't at school. Andie, I was scared." Blane said, walking towards her. At first her expression softened and the Andie he knew and loved stood before him. But then her face hardened again with rage, and she backed away.
"Don't you even dare try that. I know you don't care about me. I'm 'just a piece of ass,' right Blane? Isn't that all I am to you?" she spat, and ferocious tears began rolling down her cheeks.
"Never." Blane croaked, but he knew he was caught in a lie.
"Duckie told me all about it," Andie said. Blane whipped his gaze around to Duckie, who shrank against the sofa. He was definitely bleeding, he cupped the back of his head with his hand and Blane could see some blood seeping out. He hadn't meant to hurt him, and felt a twinge of guilt and sorrow towards the poor guy. "Duckie said he overheard some friends of yours talking about us. Seems you told them that I was 'just a piece of ass,' and you didn't love me at all!" she continued. Blane died. He couldn't believe that some thing he'd just said in passing to a group of jerks would come back to get him like this.
"Andie, it's not true, I swear. Those guy's are friends of Connelly's, I just said that so they'd lay off." Blane said truthfully. He'd been out with them a couple times, and they teased him unmercifully for days on end about Andie. The macho side of Blane took over one night, and told them that he was using her. But God knows he didn't mean it. He was madly in love with her.
"I don't care if it's true or not! It was obviously true enough for you to say it then. I thought you'd stick up for me, Blane. I thought you valued me enough to stand by me and not sell out like that." Andie replied.
"Andie, can't you see I love you?" Blane asked desperately. "Your anger is blinding you -"
"LOVE blinded me, Blane!" she roared. "I was too giddy to see that this will never work. I know you love me, but you also love your friends and lifestyle and those two loves can't mix. You have to choose. You've tried to have it all, and we both see how well that worked out." Blane was given an ultimatum.
"Please, give me another chance. I made a mistake, everybody does. Don't throw away what we have. But don't be unreasonable. You can't ask me to choose, Andie. I can't."
"Then you can't ask me to love you." She stated simply. The conversation was over. The relationship was over. And both Andie and Blane felt like their lives were over.
* * * * *
Duckie just sat on the sofa the whole time, nursing his head and watching Andie and Blane fight. He applauded her for being so strong; she was really in love with him and he could tell it took all of her might not to take Blane back.
After Andie's last words there was a long, mourning silence like that after a tragedy. Then slowly and gently Blane walked up to Andie, and this time she didn't back away. He leaned forward and softly kissed her on the cheek, taking for granted that this was the last time he'd be close enough to see the flecks of gold in her eyes, and smell the sweet aroma of her strawberry silken hair. He hovered there for a second, just inches from her face, and then turned to leave. He was gone.
Andie broke down and cried.
* * * * *
There were no words to say to her, as she sat there in the middle of the living room floor, heartbroken. Duckie just walked over there and sat next to her, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her tight. They couldn't tell how long they sat there, blood and tears mingling together like a sorrowful melody. But once Andie managed to stop crying and open her eyes, the first thing she saw was Duckie, but it wasn't 'Duckie.' It wasn't some foolish boy that followed her around like a lost puppy. It was Phillip Dale, her devoted protector. The puppy had grown into a guard dog. Why hadn't she seen it before?
"Duck - I mean, Phil, you're hurt. Here, let me see how it looks." Andie said. She seemed to have regained her composure all right. Duckie, or rather, Phil, was taken aback by her calling him by his real name. He didn't mind it though, the way she said it felt kind of nice.
He followed her into the kitchen where she bandaged his head as best she could. "I can't believe he did that to you." She said angrily.
"It's a small price to pay, really. At least I got one good hit in before I went down." Phil said, smiling. Andie was so close to him, and he couldn't make himself look at her. Every night for the last four years he's sat in bed dreaming about this moment, and now that it was here he felt like he would be sick. Of course, in all those fantasies he'd never planned on getting beat up and having to be helped by Andie. He was always the one who did the beating.
"Really? You hit Blane?" she asked. It almost hurt to say the name, the wound was still fresh and new.
"Yeah, before you came out of your room. He was still acting as if he didn't do anything, and I couldn't let him treat you like that. I had to do something." He explained. It struck Andie how funny that was, a skinny think like Phil thinking he could defend her. And yet he had. Everything was changing, but maybe not for the worst.
* * * * *
WILL ANDIE AND PHIL "DUCKIE" DALE GET TOGETHER?? Muah-ah-ahh, you'll just have to wait until my next installment of STILL Pretty in Pink, which should be up in a day or so. If not, so sue me, it's not a piece of cake creating a masterpiece here! Don't forget, you still need to review me, and thank-you so very very much to the whopping TWO of you that have so far. Onward to Chapter four!!! Hi-ho Silver, away!
Saranimal HaloGal5@aol.com