Disclaimer: The Cobras, Castle Rock, etc. belong to Stephen King and Columbia Tristar. Katherine, her parents, Maggie, Sarah, and Jennifer belong to me.
Chapter 6
We rode quietly through the town, and my eyes started to blur with tears again. I blinked quickly, hoping that Ace wouldn't see. I felt his hand rest on my thigh, just above my knee and I turned to him and smiled a watery smile. "Baby, talk to me," he said seriously.
"My parents really don't love me," I explained softly.
"Other people do," he replied simply.
His words shocked me into silence and we didn't talk again until we reached our destination, the bridge that connected Castle Rock with the rest of the world. He pulled over to the shoulder and we got out. "What are we doing here?" I asked.
"You asked me to take you anywhere. I love this spot. Wanted to show it to you."
He took my hand and led me to the railing. We stood side by side at that railing for the longest time, his arm holding me tight around my waist and my head resting lightly on his shoulder. We passed a cigarette back and forth, the orange glow the only real light on what I now remember as a very dark night.
"Hey, how bout some music?" he asked finally and I nodded.
He started the engine and clicked on the radio. Soon he found a Platters song. I think it was 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.' Yeah, it was. I don't think I'll ever forget that.
"Come on, ya wanna dance?" he asked with a smile.
I smiled back. "Would be an honor, Mr. Merrill."
He took me into his arms and wrapped them around my waist and I twined my arms around his neck. We moved slowly to the song as Tony Williams' soared over the orchestra. I laid my head on his shoulder again and sighed. "Kitty-Kat?" he whispered.
"Yeah, Ace?" I looked into his eyes and was mystified by the distress in them.
"I wish I was different," he confessed.
"Different?"
"You're bettah than this, ya know that?"
"No I ain't. No matter what I do, I get dragged back in. This is what I am," I told him, and I sincerely believed that.
"It's not. It's what I am. I ain't feelin sorry for me, cause I like what I do. But that don't mean I don't see when it ain't for someone else."
As he said that I did the only thing I could. I kissed him. The song had ended by then, but neither of us cared. We kissed deeply and desperately under the soft moonlight. It would be the last time Ace and I would ever discuss our places within each other's hearts or lives. Maybe we just didn't need to.
----------------------
A few weeks later as I left for school I had a feeling that a change was coming. Something was gonna happen soon, and maybe it would be bad.
Ace met me in front of the school and I walked with him into it. His latest suspension was finally over. As we were walking, we saw that Mindy and her boyfriend Tom were walking towards us. "Hey you!" Tom shouted at us.
Ace looked at him with an eyebrow raised and a look on his face that said 'just try me.' "Yeah?" Ace said.
"I realized I never had the chance to talk to you about what happened a little while ago."
"Oh yeah? And what did you wanna talk to me about?"
"Well, first of all, you'd better keep your mongrel away from my girl from now on," Tom said with a real smug look on his face.
Ace's blue eyes flared with anger and I saw him reaching into his pocket for his blade. The Cobras had rounded the corner and were coming to see what the commotion was, along with Jen, Maggie, and Sarah. "Did he just say what I think he said?" he asked me.
"I think so," I replied, and I lightly gripped my own knife.
"You want to fight me, Merrill?" Tom taunted and Mindy laughed.
"Hey, Ace, you gonna let him say that to ya?" Vince asked and the other guys joined in with words of encouragement.
Ace held up his hand for silence. "Erring Point, *Tommy*. Tonight. Eight. Be there," he said in a soft, calm voice. He took my hand and turned around and we walked down the hall with the Cobras and my friends following.
I should tell you that by that time a small crowd formed and they had watched the exchange with interest. Most, I found out later, couldn't believe that Tom had challenged *the* Ace Merrill so openly. Wild rumors always flew about Ace, everything from a story that he killed a kid for looking at him the wrong way to another weird one that he'd burned down in elementary school. I guess Tom wasn't too bright. Well, the only reason he was in college classes was cause he lived at the View.
"So, I guess we're going to the Point tonight," I said, once we were far enough away from the crowd and all.
"Sure are," Ace agreed and that was the end of the discussion.
-------------------
When I got home from school my mother and father were waiting for me. My mother grabbed me by the arm and yanked me into the den.
"What's goin on?" I yelped.
"We've heard about the incident at school," my father began sternly.
'Fuck him,' I though bitterly. I hadn't even done anything. "Really? You hear the part where Tommy Malone called me a mongrel?" I asked.
"Well, why would he do a thing like that?" my mother asked.
"Because of what happened with Mindy," I answered glumly. I knew this conversation could be headed nowhere good.
"You shouldn't be fighting with these children. They are the ones you should be friends with, not those...lower classes," my father said with obvious distaste.
"Lower classes? That's rich," I said angrily. "Mindy and all of her little friends are some of the most terrible people I've ever met. At least my friends are loyal."
"You are treading on very thin ice, young lady," my mother said coldly. "I think you'd better go up to your room before you do any more damage and stay there for the rest of the evening."
"Fine," I said just as coldly and walked slowly up the stairs. Neither of them said another word to me and I was relieved about that. Once I reached my room I slammed my door and slid the chain lock in place.
-------------------
I listened closely for my parents and when I heard them leave the house I began to make my preparations. I took out two light blue suitcases and opened them on my bed. Then I flung open my closet door and piled as many of my pants, shirts, shorts, and dresses I could fit into one. Then I opened my dresser drawers and unloaded my undergarments, pajamas, and swimsuits into the other suitcase. I also put some cosmetics, soap, my toothbrush and toothpaste, and shampoo in this suitcase. I hadn't planned on leaving that night, but I wanted to be prepared in case anything happened. Once I was done with all of this I put both suitcases by my window and sat at my desk to pen some letters, to be mailed if something went wrong that night. Now, I'd been to more than my share of fights but this one...I don't know. There was just something in the air. Maggie told me earlier that day that she was real worried about this thing. Usually I would just ignore it, seeing as how Maggie's a total worrier. But something in her voice got to me, and now I'm scared too. Which is why I'm preparing for a quick out.
At around 7:30 that night I took my suitcases and walked out of my room, knowing my parents wouldn't be back until well after 11 PM and that they wouldn't go into my room to check on me, anyway. I walked out of the front door and took a long look at my house, a place I hadn't really hated that much. It was just the people in it that had made it such a hellhole. I loaded my suitcases into the trunk of my car and I drove off into the night, towards Erring Point and all that was to come.
---------------
A/N Sorry this one's so short but this is just sort of the build-up to the big, dramatic climax! I figure one more long chapter and an epilogue.
Chapter 6
We rode quietly through the town, and my eyes started to blur with tears again. I blinked quickly, hoping that Ace wouldn't see. I felt his hand rest on my thigh, just above my knee and I turned to him and smiled a watery smile. "Baby, talk to me," he said seriously.
"My parents really don't love me," I explained softly.
"Other people do," he replied simply.
His words shocked me into silence and we didn't talk again until we reached our destination, the bridge that connected Castle Rock with the rest of the world. He pulled over to the shoulder and we got out. "What are we doing here?" I asked.
"You asked me to take you anywhere. I love this spot. Wanted to show it to you."
He took my hand and led me to the railing. We stood side by side at that railing for the longest time, his arm holding me tight around my waist and my head resting lightly on his shoulder. We passed a cigarette back and forth, the orange glow the only real light on what I now remember as a very dark night.
"Hey, how bout some music?" he asked finally and I nodded.
He started the engine and clicked on the radio. Soon he found a Platters song. I think it was 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.' Yeah, it was. I don't think I'll ever forget that.
"Come on, ya wanna dance?" he asked with a smile.
I smiled back. "Would be an honor, Mr. Merrill."
He took me into his arms and wrapped them around my waist and I twined my arms around his neck. We moved slowly to the song as Tony Williams' soared over the orchestra. I laid my head on his shoulder again and sighed. "Kitty-Kat?" he whispered.
"Yeah, Ace?" I looked into his eyes and was mystified by the distress in them.
"I wish I was different," he confessed.
"Different?"
"You're bettah than this, ya know that?"
"No I ain't. No matter what I do, I get dragged back in. This is what I am," I told him, and I sincerely believed that.
"It's not. It's what I am. I ain't feelin sorry for me, cause I like what I do. But that don't mean I don't see when it ain't for someone else."
As he said that I did the only thing I could. I kissed him. The song had ended by then, but neither of us cared. We kissed deeply and desperately under the soft moonlight. It would be the last time Ace and I would ever discuss our places within each other's hearts or lives. Maybe we just didn't need to.
----------------------
A few weeks later as I left for school I had a feeling that a change was coming. Something was gonna happen soon, and maybe it would be bad.
Ace met me in front of the school and I walked with him into it. His latest suspension was finally over. As we were walking, we saw that Mindy and her boyfriend Tom were walking towards us. "Hey you!" Tom shouted at us.
Ace looked at him with an eyebrow raised and a look on his face that said 'just try me.' "Yeah?" Ace said.
"I realized I never had the chance to talk to you about what happened a little while ago."
"Oh yeah? And what did you wanna talk to me about?"
"Well, first of all, you'd better keep your mongrel away from my girl from now on," Tom said with a real smug look on his face.
Ace's blue eyes flared with anger and I saw him reaching into his pocket for his blade. The Cobras had rounded the corner and were coming to see what the commotion was, along with Jen, Maggie, and Sarah. "Did he just say what I think he said?" he asked me.
"I think so," I replied, and I lightly gripped my own knife.
"You want to fight me, Merrill?" Tom taunted and Mindy laughed.
"Hey, Ace, you gonna let him say that to ya?" Vince asked and the other guys joined in with words of encouragement.
Ace held up his hand for silence. "Erring Point, *Tommy*. Tonight. Eight. Be there," he said in a soft, calm voice. He took my hand and turned around and we walked down the hall with the Cobras and my friends following.
I should tell you that by that time a small crowd formed and they had watched the exchange with interest. Most, I found out later, couldn't believe that Tom had challenged *the* Ace Merrill so openly. Wild rumors always flew about Ace, everything from a story that he killed a kid for looking at him the wrong way to another weird one that he'd burned down in elementary school. I guess Tom wasn't too bright. Well, the only reason he was in college classes was cause he lived at the View.
"So, I guess we're going to the Point tonight," I said, once we were far enough away from the crowd and all.
"Sure are," Ace agreed and that was the end of the discussion.
-------------------
When I got home from school my mother and father were waiting for me. My mother grabbed me by the arm and yanked me into the den.
"What's goin on?" I yelped.
"We've heard about the incident at school," my father began sternly.
'Fuck him,' I though bitterly. I hadn't even done anything. "Really? You hear the part where Tommy Malone called me a mongrel?" I asked.
"Well, why would he do a thing like that?" my mother asked.
"Because of what happened with Mindy," I answered glumly. I knew this conversation could be headed nowhere good.
"You shouldn't be fighting with these children. They are the ones you should be friends with, not those...lower classes," my father said with obvious distaste.
"Lower classes? That's rich," I said angrily. "Mindy and all of her little friends are some of the most terrible people I've ever met. At least my friends are loyal."
"You are treading on very thin ice, young lady," my mother said coldly. "I think you'd better go up to your room before you do any more damage and stay there for the rest of the evening."
"Fine," I said just as coldly and walked slowly up the stairs. Neither of them said another word to me and I was relieved about that. Once I reached my room I slammed my door and slid the chain lock in place.
-------------------
I listened closely for my parents and when I heard them leave the house I began to make my preparations. I took out two light blue suitcases and opened them on my bed. Then I flung open my closet door and piled as many of my pants, shirts, shorts, and dresses I could fit into one. Then I opened my dresser drawers and unloaded my undergarments, pajamas, and swimsuits into the other suitcase. I also put some cosmetics, soap, my toothbrush and toothpaste, and shampoo in this suitcase. I hadn't planned on leaving that night, but I wanted to be prepared in case anything happened. Once I was done with all of this I put both suitcases by my window and sat at my desk to pen some letters, to be mailed if something went wrong that night. Now, I'd been to more than my share of fights but this one...I don't know. There was just something in the air. Maggie told me earlier that day that she was real worried about this thing. Usually I would just ignore it, seeing as how Maggie's a total worrier. But something in her voice got to me, and now I'm scared too. Which is why I'm preparing for a quick out.
At around 7:30 that night I took my suitcases and walked out of my room, knowing my parents wouldn't be back until well after 11 PM and that they wouldn't go into my room to check on me, anyway. I walked out of the front door and took a long look at my house, a place I hadn't really hated that much. It was just the people in it that had made it such a hellhole. I loaded my suitcases into the trunk of my car and I drove off into the night, towards Erring Point and all that was to come.
---------------
A/N Sorry this one's so short but this is just sort of the build-up to the big, dramatic climax! I figure one more long chapter and an epilogue.
