Chapter 3
Lucas turned his back on his friend and walked away slowly. He knew what he was going to do now. Get Vaughn, get some money and go searching for Josie. Not matter how much pain it caused him. Or the people who loved him.
Marshall sat down on the park seat behind him and buried his hand in his heads. "I can't keep doing this Lucas," he murmured. "I need you."
He slumped back and looked up at the darkening sky, caught off guard by Corrine sitting next him soundlessly. She waited for him to look at her—and for him to dispose of the surprised look on his face—before she even made an attempt to talk.
"Marshall," she started softly "We need to talk. I've been letting things fester. I want to be fester free." She stopped without warning.
"Um, okay," Marshall said, dreading what she would say.
"Now, we established two months ago that I liked you. That I loved you, you could say. And then Mirror-Marshall came along and I decided I wanted to be with him," she explained, as if Marshall was hearing all this for the first time.
"I'm with you this far," he assured her.
"And, our relationship deteriorated fairly quickly. Do you know why?" She asked.
He shook his head.
"You," she answered simply. "You're the reason. It's all your fault."
He shook his head again, not understanding.
"I'm sorry but, huh?" He asked.
"I can't make it any clearer than that," Corrine replied.
"You could actually," Marshall said. "You could make it clear. In anyway. That would be quite helpful."
Corrine glared at Marshall. "I'll say it slower then. It. Is. All. Your. Fault."
"Yeah, I'm on that page," he told her. "I just don't have the rest of the book. How do we go from Mirror-Marshall abandoning you to me—"
"Because he started to take on your traits!" She exploded. "I couldn't be with him, because he started to be you! And you don't love me! You didn't even have the decency to tell me yourself! You're weak. I hate you."
Marshall was dumbfounded.
"I had a chance at happiness and you tore it away from me because you're a selfish bastard," she hissed at him. "I'm glad we had this talk."
She rose to her feet and started to walk away, when Marshall grabbed her wrist. She spun around her eyes wide with shock. She said nothing. She didn't need to. Marshall's hardened face softened and he let her go.
"It's not my fault."
"Why are you lying to yourself Marshall? Of course it is," she said quietly.
Vaughn opened the door, angry that someone else had interrupted his brooding session. The anger faded away when he saw Lucas standing there, a faux smile on his face. He could tell it was there for decoration, but it was nice to see someone actually smiling.
"You told Corrine to talk to Marshall?" Lucas queried inviting himself in. "I saw her walking towards Marshall. One of the oh so many reasons I left."
"Responsible relationship councilor Vaughn," he replied. "Coming soon as an action figure."
"I want to find Josie," Lucas announced. "You're going to help me."
"Want a drink?" Vaughn asked.
"Are you listening to me?" Lucas asked. "This is important."
"Yes I am listening," Vaughn assured the smaller boy. "But, I think it's crazy. She will be found if and when she wants to be found."
Lucas scoffed at his answer. "You don't know that. Maybe she's dying. Maybe the CIA is using her for experiments. What if she's been abducted and being used as a sleeper agent?"
"And you scoffed at me?" Vaughn asked handing him a drink regardless of whether he wanted one or not. He sat down next to Lucas. "Look, Lucas you've got to understand that Josie isn't like other people. She's someone different. She's special. She's one hell of a woman and you have to trust in her. You can't—"
Lucas silenced Vaughn by covering his mouth with his own. Massaging his lips softly, he moved his hand down Vaughn's back. Lucas did all the work. Vaughn sat there astonished with what Lucas had done. Lucas pulled back slowly, licking his lips.
Vaughn blinked a few times.
Clearing his throat, Lucas started to talk. "So, did you enjoy that?"
"What? You kissed me. With no warning," Vaughn replied. "Why did you kiss me?"
"The love triangle. You, Josie and me. I love her. You love her. She doesn't know which but probably you. And the way you talked about her... My mind. It's not been the same since that day. And then I got thinking; we've gotten really close lately. And Josie-Two said I don't love her," he explained. "And that there were others I loved."
"Please stop," Vaughn pleaded. "I beg of you. Stop."
"But, I had theories and... stuff," Lucas complained. "I'm just saying that we were in each others bodies—"
"I said stop!" Vaughn cried. "Okay, now while it's good you're trying to sort everything out and move on from Josie... I don't think this is the way to do it. Also, you're being strangely mature about all of this."
Lucas looked at the ground. "I just..."
"Want someone to tell you it will be okay?" Vaughn offered. "We were all there."
"I guess," Lucas muttered. "I was hoping that it would go differently."
A smile grew on Vaughn's face. "So why were you so worried only a few hours ago? We're you feigning worry to seduce me?"
"Alright I'm done," Lucas said quickly. "Could we not talk about this again? I mean, not for a while anyway. I might actually go and get some sleep."
"It's four in the afternoon," Vaughn commented.
"I know, I haven't been sleeping well lately," Lucas told him. "So, if anyone asks, that's why I kissed you."
"And wave bye to the maturity," Vaughn said off handedly.
Vaughn waited until he was absolutely sure Lucas had left, before he turned back to the hallway. He looked at it for a while, before a female figure stepped out, a blank look on her face. Josie had returned.
"So, what do you think? Are you staying for a while?" Vaughn asked Josie. "Or just taking off straight away?"
"I didn't get the better part of this deal," Josie reminded him. "I'm on the outside looking in. And it hurts. Because you've all changed so much."
"You don't have to be on the outside. You could be very much on the inside," Vaughn countered sourly. "I'm glad you're happy to move on, but I'm not. So don't come back here just to rub you're new lease on life in my face!"
Her emotions flared up at this remark—something she hadn't had a chance to do since she fled. "How dare you accuse me of just coming here for that! I came here to see you!" She yelled at him. "Yeah, Vaughn, you! And I find everything changed so much. Would you be surprised if I left? Again."
"Josie—"
"No! Tell me, would you be surprised? Are you happy with everything?" She asked angrily.
He tried to avoid her eyes, but she followed his gaze.
"You're not answering me," she said impatiently.
"No of course not!" He boomed. "But it doesn't mean I want you to go."
She shrugged. "Why though? I don't fit in to your lives anymore! Everything changes eventually; it's stupid to keep them in the same place. It's cheating. And besides, you and Lucas—you make a good couple."
"That's not funny."
"It wasn't meant to be," she said softly. "I'm not staying here tonight. I'll find somewhere else to stay, but I doubt I'll be here for long. Not long enough to see where you and Lucas go with your relationship."
"I thought as much," Vaughn muttered. "And there is nothing going on with me and Lucas!"
Lucas turned his back on his friend and walked away slowly. He knew what he was going to do now. Get Vaughn, get some money and go searching for Josie. Not matter how much pain it caused him. Or the people who loved him.
Marshall sat down on the park seat behind him and buried his hand in his heads. "I can't keep doing this Lucas," he murmured. "I need you."
He slumped back and looked up at the darkening sky, caught off guard by Corrine sitting next him soundlessly. She waited for him to look at her—and for him to dispose of the surprised look on his face—before she even made an attempt to talk.
"Marshall," she started softly "We need to talk. I've been letting things fester. I want to be fester free." She stopped without warning.
"Um, okay," Marshall said, dreading what she would say.
"Now, we established two months ago that I liked you. That I loved you, you could say. And then Mirror-Marshall came along and I decided I wanted to be with him," she explained, as if Marshall was hearing all this for the first time.
"I'm with you this far," he assured her.
"And, our relationship deteriorated fairly quickly. Do you know why?" She asked.
He shook his head.
"You," she answered simply. "You're the reason. It's all your fault."
He shook his head again, not understanding.
"I'm sorry but, huh?" He asked.
"I can't make it any clearer than that," Corrine replied.
"You could actually," Marshall said. "You could make it clear. In anyway. That would be quite helpful."
Corrine glared at Marshall. "I'll say it slower then. It. Is. All. Your. Fault."
"Yeah, I'm on that page," he told her. "I just don't have the rest of the book. How do we go from Mirror-Marshall abandoning you to me—"
"Because he started to take on your traits!" She exploded. "I couldn't be with him, because he started to be you! And you don't love me! You didn't even have the decency to tell me yourself! You're weak. I hate you."
Marshall was dumbfounded.
"I had a chance at happiness and you tore it away from me because you're a selfish bastard," she hissed at him. "I'm glad we had this talk."
She rose to her feet and started to walk away, when Marshall grabbed her wrist. She spun around her eyes wide with shock. She said nothing. She didn't need to. Marshall's hardened face softened and he let her go.
"It's not my fault."
"Why are you lying to yourself Marshall? Of course it is," she said quietly.
Vaughn opened the door, angry that someone else had interrupted his brooding session. The anger faded away when he saw Lucas standing there, a faux smile on his face. He could tell it was there for decoration, but it was nice to see someone actually smiling.
"You told Corrine to talk to Marshall?" Lucas queried inviting himself in. "I saw her walking towards Marshall. One of the oh so many reasons I left."
"Responsible relationship councilor Vaughn," he replied. "Coming soon as an action figure."
"I want to find Josie," Lucas announced. "You're going to help me."
"Want a drink?" Vaughn asked.
"Are you listening to me?" Lucas asked. "This is important."
"Yes I am listening," Vaughn assured the smaller boy. "But, I think it's crazy. She will be found if and when she wants to be found."
Lucas scoffed at his answer. "You don't know that. Maybe she's dying. Maybe the CIA is using her for experiments. What if she's been abducted and being used as a sleeper agent?"
"And you scoffed at me?" Vaughn asked handing him a drink regardless of whether he wanted one or not. He sat down next to Lucas. "Look, Lucas you've got to understand that Josie isn't like other people. She's someone different. She's special. She's one hell of a woman and you have to trust in her. You can't—"
Lucas silenced Vaughn by covering his mouth with his own. Massaging his lips softly, he moved his hand down Vaughn's back. Lucas did all the work. Vaughn sat there astonished with what Lucas had done. Lucas pulled back slowly, licking his lips.
Vaughn blinked a few times.
Clearing his throat, Lucas started to talk. "So, did you enjoy that?"
"What? You kissed me. With no warning," Vaughn replied. "Why did you kiss me?"
"The love triangle. You, Josie and me. I love her. You love her. She doesn't know which but probably you. And the way you talked about her... My mind. It's not been the same since that day. And then I got thinking; we've gotten really close lately. And Josie-Two said I don't love her," he explained. "And that there were others I loved."
"Please stop," Vaughn pleaded. "I beg of you. Stop."
"But, I had theories and... stuff," Lucas complained. "I'm just saying that we were in each others bodies—"
"I said stop!" Vaughn cried. "Okay, now while it's good you're trying to sort everything out and move on from Josie... I don't think this is the way to do it. Also, you're being strangely mature about all of this."
Lucas looked at the ground. "I just..."
"Want someone to tell you it will be okay?" Vaughn offered. "We were all there."
"I guess," Lucas muttered. "I was hoping that it would go differently."
A smile grew on Vaughn's face. "So why were you so worried only a few hours ago? We're you feigning worry to seduce me?"
"Alright I'm done," Lucas said quickly. "Could we not talk about this again? I mean, not for a while anyway. I might actually go and get some sleep."
"It's four in the afternoon," Vaughn commented.
"I know, I haven't been sleeping well lately," Lucas told him. "So, if anyone asks, that's why I kissed you."
"And wave bye to the maturity," Vaughn said off handedly.
Vaughn waited until he was absolutely sure Lucas had left, before he turned back to the hallway. He looked at it for a while, before a female figure stepped out, a blank look on her face. Josie had returned.
"So, what do you think? Are you staying for a while?" Vaughn asked Josie. "Or just taking off straight away?"
"I didn't get the better part of this deal," Josie reminded him. "I'm on the outside looking in. And it hurts. Because you've all changed so much."
"You don't have to be on the outside. You could be very much on the inside," Vaughn countered sourly. "I'm glad you're happy to move on, but I'm not. So don't come back here just to rub you're new lease on life in my face!"
Her emotions flared up at this remark—something she hadn't had a chance to do since she fled. "How dare you accuse me of just coming here for that! I came here to see you!" She yelled at him. "Yeah, Vaughn, you! And I find everything changed so much. Would you be surprised if I left? Again."
"Josie—"
"No! Tell me, would you be surprised? Are you happy with everything?" She asked angrily.
He tried to avoid her eyes, but she followed his gaze.
"You're not answering me," she said impatiently.
"No of course not!" He boomed. "But it doesn't mean I want you to go."
She shrugged. "Why though? I don't fit in to your lives anymore! Everything changes eventually; it's stupid to keep them in the same place. It's cheating. And besides, you and Lucas—you make a good couple."
"That's not funny."
"It wasn't meant to be," she said softly. "I'm not staying here tonight. I'll find somewhere else to stay, but I doubt I'll be here for long. Not long enough to see where you and Lucas go with your relationship."
"I thought as much," Vaughn muttered. "And there is nothing going on with me and Lucas!"