Welcome to chapter 8
i don't own That Was Then, This Is Now, which is what this is based off of
parts of this fic are pg-13
sort of...
i luv reviews...
thanks so much to all of you who do...
you are truly special...*tear*
-------------------
Things came and went. I was hanging down by the river more, with these guys I met. A few of them used to hang out with me and Mark when we were stupid teenyboppers, and yeah, I knew those ones talked about me behind my back. They hadn't forgotten about Mark. But most of em were cool with me.
Things were still the same down here as they'd been a couple of years ago. People drank too much, did too many drugs, and cheated on their girlfriends. I had a swig every once in a while, but stuck to cigarettes. I was seeing this girl whose last name I couldn't remember, but I think she was the one cheating on me. I'd get around to breaking up with her. Maybe I'd go out with her best friend then.
I saw Cathy every once in a while. We talked some. I made sure not to blow her off and treat her like I did before. I'd invite her to come with Pony to the parties, but she was always busy or something. I didn't expect her to come. Didn't really want her to come, just didn't want to be an a** and ignore her. I didn't feel like chasing after a girl who didn't want me like I wanted her. Not a girl like Cathy, anyways. I actually cared about her, and I didn't want to pressure her into going with me or anything. So I just tried to get on with my life.
I was always really sleepy. I was working overtime at the grocer, spending my weekends with the guys, and the rest of the time doing my school work. I was keeping my grades up pretty good. Today was a Tuesday, and I had just got off of work. I wanted to fall into bed, but I needed to buy some magazine for an English essay, so I was headed to the drugstore. It was getting dark a lot earlier lately, so by now it was pitch black. Pieces of broken glass were lit up by the dim streetlights reflecting off of them. Echoes drifted down the street from the low voices of bums singing songs, inspired by the beer they had just bought with their last dollars and then drank away quickly. I remembered some of the characters like these inside Charlie's bar that he kicked out because it got sick of them being so tone deaf. With a faint smile on my face, I looked at the old bar nonchalantly. A flicker of light streamed through the cracks of the nailed pieces of woods over the windows. Looks like some of those bums had a place to sleep tonight. The door was wide open, too. Guys were so shnockered that they couldn't remember to shut it. I would rather do anything besides work on my school project right then, so I walked over there to see what was going on inside.
The guys inside seemed to be walking around without falling down or swaying too much. One had a bigger build than the other, looked older than me, and had a huge, goofy grin that didn't seem to fit into this whole dark scene.
The other hadn't turned around yet.
"So how much is rent here a night anyway?" I joked.
The one I couldn't really see stopped. He slowly turned around, and his flashlight came with him, light pouring over his features that had been overshadowed moments before. I stopped, too. Not just walking, but even breathing. I knew him. It was Mark.
I could only say one thing.
"F**k."
His mouth transitioned into a sly smile. His eyes were narrowed, but fixed straight on me.
"I can tell you're glad to see me."
He took a step towards me. I had a small blade in my back pocket and grabbed it. I was shaking so much that it swiped my hand. I dropped it.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him, my voice shaking along with the rest of me.
"Thinking about renting out the place. Always loved it. Didn't you, Bryon? Course I'm not 21, but Two Bit here fixes that problem. He'll do anything for free drinks."
The other guy nodded. "Darn tootin'. Bet ya that Darry won't like this whole idea, though."
Mark yawned and stretched his arms. "Screw him. He's Pony's brother, not mine."
What? Had Pony know Mark was coming back? And he f**king didn't tell me? I didn't feel like sticking around and talking to Mark, so I turned, headed to talk to Curtis. I had a few things I wanted to yell in his face.
"Where you going, buddy? Don't you want to hear all about my chipper jail stories?" He kept walking towards me, and then bent over and picked up my fallen knife. He twirled it around in his hands. I stayed where I was, and soon he right beside me, right in my face. I looked at him and then I felt the side of my face burning. He had cut me.
I jumped on him and pulled my fist back and jammed in into his face. Mark kicked me in the stomach, and when I fell over he kicked my face. My mouth filled with blood and I gagged it up on the frame of the door. I looked up at Mark standing over me with the knife still in his hands. My eyes widened barely and then Two Bit stepped in front of him. He pulled at the knife, but Mark held it tight. Two Bit tried again and this time Mark let it go. Mark stepped past me out to the street and Two Bit followed, glanced back at me, and then walked on.
I slowly lifted myself up and tried to wipe some of the blood from my mouth.
-
My face hurt really bad, so I didn't go to school the next day. I had stuck medicine on my face and locked my door so my mom wouldn't come in and ask what happened. Around 5:00 in the afternoon, I heard someone knocking outside my door. I leaned over and looked through the blinds of my window. It was Cathy.
Pushing up the window, I groaned, "Hold on."
I stuck my legs on the floor and lifted myself up. I grabbed a comb and went to the mirror in my bathroom. There was dried blood caked all over my face. I ran water over a washrag and went to the door.
I opened it and Cathy stuck her hand over her mouth.
"How could he do that to you, Bryon?" She said softly.
I stepped aside so that she could come in, and we both walked over and sat down on the faded, floral couch in the living room. I pushed a cat off and she took the washcloth and wiped my face with it.
"Pony told me just today that Mark had got out of jail and was staying with him. He said that Mark told him that you two had got into a fight last night, and when you didn't come to school today...I just wanted to know how you were doing."
"I'm okay."
"Bryon..."
"I've been in worse shape a thousand other times. Don't worry."
"Not just about the fight...about Mark."
I twitched.
"I just can't believe he's back. I just started to get used to him..."
"Being gone?" Cathy finished.
"Yeah. I wish he had never came back."
I dug through some papers underneath the coffee table. I brushed some dirt off of it. Mom had been keeping track of his court dates and everything, but I had stopped looking at the papers a long time ago.
"He's insane." Cathy said, headed for the kitchen to rinse out the blood of the rag. She came back, and sat down beside me again.
"I told him I was sorry..." I mumbled. "I went and saw him in jail...I tried to help him...God, I tried." "I know."
She always did. No one ever understood me like she could.
I looked at her. I wanted to tell her that I loved her.
She looked away. "I have to go, Bryon."
She got up and so did I.
"I'll see you around. Soon."
"Okay. Bye, Bryon. Take care."
Before she turned around and left, I noticed she was wearing the necklace I had given her. It looked real good on her.
i don't own That Was Then, This Is Now, which is what this is based off of
parts of this fic are pg-13
sort of...
i luv reviews...
thanks so much to all of you who do...
you are truly special...*tear*
-------------------
Things came and went. I was hanging down by the river more, with these guys I met. A few of them used to hang out with me and Mark when we were stupid teenyboppers, and yeah, I knew those ones talked about me behind my back. They hadn't forgotten about Mark. But most of em were cool with me.
Things were still the same down here as they'd been a couple of years ago. People drank too much, did too many drugs, and cheated on their girlfriends. I had a swig every once in a while, but stuck to cigarettes. I was seeing this girl whose last name I couldn't remember, but I think she was the one cheating on me. I'd get around to breaking up with her. Maybe I'd go out with her best friend then.
I saw Cathy every once in a while. We talked some. I made sure not to blow her off and treat her like I did before. I'd invite her to come with Pony to the parties, but she was always busy or something. I didn't expect her to come. Didn't really want her to come, just didn't want to be an a** and ignore her. I didn't feel like chasing after a girl who didn't want me like I wanted her. Not a girl like Cathy, anyways. I actually cared about her, and I didn't want to pressure her into going with me or anything. So I just tried to get on with my life.
I was always really sleepy. I was working overtime at the grocer, spending my weekends with the guys, and the rest of the time doing my school work. I was keeping my grades up pretty good. Today was a Tuesday, and I had just got off of work. I wanted to fall into bed, but I needed to buy some magazine for an English essay, so I was headed to the drugstore. It was getting dark a lot earlier lately, so by now it was pitch black. Pieces of broken glass were lit up by the dim streetlights reflecting off of them. Echoes drifted down the street from the low voices of bums singing songs, inspired by the beer they had just bought with their last dollars and then drank away quickly. I remembered some of the characters like these inside Charlie's bar that he kicked out because it got sick of them being so tone deaf. With a faint smile on my face, I looked at the old bar nonchalantly. A flicker of light streamed through the cracks of the nailed pieces of woods over the windows. Looks like some of those bums had a place to sleep tonight. The door was wide open, too. Guys were so shnockered that they couldn't remember to shut it. I would rather do anything besides work on my school project right then, so I walked over there to see what was going on inside.
The guys inside seemed to be walking around without falling down or swaying too much. One had a bigger build than the other, looked older than me, and had a huge, goofy grin that didn't seem to fit into this whole dark scene.
The other hadn't turned around yet.
"So how much is rent here a night anyway?" I joked.
The one I couldn't really see stopped. He slowly turned around, and his flashlight came with him, light pouring over his features that had been overshadowed moments before. I stopped, too. Not just walking, but even breathing. I knew him. It was Mark.
I could only say one thing.
"F**k."
His mouth transitioned into a sly smile. His eyes were narrowed, but fixed straight on me.
"I can tell you're glad to see me."
He took a step towards me. I had a small blade in my back pocket and grabbed it. I was shaking so much that it swiped my hand. I dropped it.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him, my voice shaking along with the rest of me.
"Thinking about renting out the place. Always loved it. Didn't you, Bryon? Course I'm not 21, but Two Bit here fixes that problem. He'll do anything for free drinks."
The other guy nodded. "Darn tootin'. Bet ya that Darry won't like this whole idea, though."
Mark yawned and stretched his arms. "Screw him. He's Pony's brother, not mine."
What? Had Pony know Mark was coming back? And he f**king didn't tell me? I didn't feel like sticking around and talking to Mark, so I turned, headed to talk to Curtis. I had a few things I wanted to yell in his face.
"Where you going, buddy? Don't you want to hear all about my chipper jail stories?" He kept walking towards me, and then bent over and picked up my fallen knife. He twirled it around in his hands. I stayed where I was, and soon he right beside me, right in my face. I looked at him and then I felt the side of my face burning. He had cut me.
I jumped on him and pulled my fist back and jammed in into his face. Mark kicked me in the stomach, and when I fell over he kicked my face. My mouth filled with blood and I gagged it up on the frame of the door. I looked up at Mark standing over me with the knife still in his hands. My eyes widened barely and then Two Bit stepped in front of him. He pulled at the knife, but Mark held it tight. Two Bit tried again and this time Mark let it go. Mark stepped past me out to the street and Two Bit followed, glanced back at me, and then walked on.
I slowly lifted myself up and tried to wipe some of the blood from my mouth.
-
My face hurt really bad, so I didn't go to school the next day. I had stuck medicine on my face and locked my door so my mom wouldn't come in and ask what happened. Around 5:00 in the afternoon, I heard someone knocking outside my door. I leaned over and looked through the blinds of my window. It was Cathy.
Pushing up the window, I groaned, "Hold on."
I stuck my legs on the floor and lifted myself up. I grabbed a comb and went to the mirror in my bathroom. There was dried blood caked all over my face. I ran water over a washrag and went to the door.
I opened it and Cathy stuck her hand over her mouth.
"How could he do that to you, Bryon?" She said softly.
I stepped aside so that she could come in, and we both walked over and sat down on the faded, floral couch in the living room. I pushed a cat off and she took the washcloth and wiped my face with it.
"Pony told me just today that Mark had got out of jail and was staying with him. He said that Mark told him that you two had got into a fight last night, and when you didn't come to school today...I just wanted to know how you were doing."
"I'm okay."
"Bryon..."
"I've been in worse shape a thousand other times. Don't worry."
"Not just about the fight...about Mark."
I twitched.
"I just can't believe he's back. I just started to get used to him..."
"Being gone?" Cathy finished.
"Yeah. I wish he had never came back."
I dug through some papers underneath the coffee table. I brushed some dirt off of it. Mom had been keeping track of his court dates and everything, but I had stopped looking at the papers a long time ago.
"He's insane." Cathy said, headed for the kitchen to rinse out the blood of the rag. She came back, and sat down beside me again.
"I told him I was sorry..." I mumbled. "I went and saw him in jail...I tried to help him...God, I tried." "I know."
She always did. No one ever understood me like she could.
I looked at her. I wanted to tell her that I loved her.
She looked away. "I have to go, Bryon."
She got up and so did I.
"I'll see you around. Soon."
"Okay. Bye, Bryon. Take care."
Before she turned around and left, I noticed she was wearing the necklace I had given her. It looked real good on her.