Disclaimer and Summary from the beginning are, guess what? Still in effect!
Authors Notes: Yep. I've decided that this is the last chapter of Helter Skelter. However, never fear. I'm already planning a follow-up fic. Those of you wary of Blair will probably quite enjoy the opening of that fic, tentatively titled Jealous Guy (after the John Lennon song). So, read, enjoy, and review!
Chapter Five: I stop and I turn and I go for a ride...
Spinner jumped as the doorbell rang. He glanced at the clock, and frowned. It was most likely lunch hour at the school. He really hoped it wasn't Marco at the door. Marco came over every few days now, and tried to talk to Spinner, and every time, Spinner told Marco to leave, that he wasn't ready to talk yet. He always promised Marco that when he was ready, he would go to him. But he hadn't reached that point yet.
He was home sick that particular day. He was actually sick, however. His mother had been wary of leaving him alone all day, even going so far as to call Dr. Harris to see if it was all right. Dr. Harris had assured Mrs. Mason that Spinner was making fine progress, and could probably be trusted alone for the day. To be on the safe side, Mrs. Mason had taken Spinner's car keys away from him, but that didn't really bother him, as he really was sick this time. He hadn't planned on leaving the house anyway.
Deciding that if it were Marco, he could easily send him away today like he did every day, he went to the door.
It wasn't Marco. Blair stood there, hands thrust in pockets to guard against the cold.
"Come in." he said, not bothering with any salutations.
"Thanks." She said. She entered the foyer, and removed her jacket. He closed the door behind him.
"So you really are sick?"
"Yeah." He said. "Just a little cold, though. Nothing too bad."
"Right."
There was a pause before he offered her a seat on the couch. She grinned at his formality, and then obeyed. He sat beside her.
"Spinner..." She said.
"Hmm?"
"I was thinking today... You know Jimmy's out of the hospital?"
He nodded, not surprised at her speaking of Jimmy as if they were friends. They weren't, but he and she had had so many conversations about the events that she felt comfortable using the familiar names of those involved.
"He... He doesn't blame anyone. Not really."
Spinner shook his head. Regardless of what Jimmy thought, he was still blaming himself for the events.
"You shouldn't blame yourself." She said, as if reading his mind.
"I..."
"Wait..." she said, the single word conveying the unspoken 'let me finish'. "Spinner, I think you should tell Principal Raditch. I mean, you've told... what's her name... Manny? And she told some of your friends... but that isn't going to make you feel any better about it. You should tell the principal, take the consequences. Turn in Alex and Jay too. I mean, you'll probably get suspended for a while... but isn't that better than being gloomy and depressed and suicidal for the rest of your life?"
He simply looked at her. She made a lot of sense. He had never really considered confessing, his mind had suppressed the idea. But having it all spelled out for him made him realize that it probably was the best plan.
"You're right."
She nodded, and stood.
"Let's go. Right now."
"Right now?"
"Yes. Come on."
Spinner remained seated, thinking, as Blair pulled out her keys.
"I'm driving."
He sighed.
"Fine."
---
They pulled up to the school, and she pulled the emergency brake.
"Want me to come with you?"
He looked at the clock in her dashboard.
"No. You should go to class. I'll call my mom for a ride home."
"If you're sure." She got out of the pick-up, grabbed her backpack out of the bed of the pick up, and headed towards the school. "Good luck." She said over her shoulder.
Spinner went to the front office, and by some stroke of luck, Mr. Raditch was leaving the office just as Spinner entered.
"Mr. Mason." He said. "I thought you were sick..."
"I was... I mean, I am... but..." He was stuttering. "I have to tell you something, Mr. Raditch."
Mr. Raditch frowned, but nodded, and turned back around, beckoning Spinner into his personal office.
Spinner took the seat opposite Mr. Raditch, and looked at him.
"Well...?"
Spinner took a deep breath, exhaled, and then spoke.
"I planned the paint and feathers thing during the Whack your Brain competition. It was me."
---
Authors Notes 2: Well, there you go. Helter Skelter is over, and the follow up is well on its way. I hope you guys enjoyed this fic.
For anyone wondering, the end of this fic was pretty much borrowed from the end of the novel Crime and Punishment. I recently finished reading this novel in English class, and just LOVED how it ended. Subconsciously, this novel was always going to end with the confession and just leave it at that. But the follow up will pretty much continue just where this left off. So, yeah. Keep your eyes open for the follow up, and if you liked this fic, please review.
-Trey
ps: For those huge fans, here is a sneak peek at the follow up to this fic.
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Dr. Harris's face was unusually drawn and haunted. She had an envelope in her hand.
"Dr. Harris? Where's Blair?" Spinner asked, beginning to get uncomfortable.
The doctor didn't speak, but simply handed him the envelope. It had his name scrawled across the front, and was still sealed.
He looked up at Dr. Harris, who nodded, then tore open the envelope. There was a single sheet of paper inside. He started to read it, and fell to the floor.
It began,
"Spinner, I'm proud of you. You did the right thing. I'm sure you're doing a lot better now. I hope your friends manage to forgive you. I know I forgive you. I also hope that one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I wouldn't if I were you, but I can always hope... Don't miss me, don't mourn for me. Just get your life back, and live it the way you deserve..."
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So, yeah! Come read it!
-Trey