FINALLY I UPDATE! Sorry for the wait! Had to get into college! But guess what! I did! w00t! Anyway, thanks so much to all who reviewed! YOU ROCK MY SOCKS!
CHAPTER 4: FOREVER LOVE
The next day, Skye got up and dressed. She wore a black pinstripe skirt with blue mesh inside its pleats and had blue cross-laced ribbon on the front and lace-up ribbon on the back, and her usual black fishnets. Also, a vinyl corset top that had three zippers down the front and straps that buckled at the top of the shoulders, with a skinny blue tie around her neck. It was a little different from her other outfits, but it was a really cool outfit and that's all that mattered. She went into the kitchen and sat down.
"Morning, Mr. Rainey." she greeted.
"Oh, good morning, Skye." he replied, making French toast. He turned around. "Wow… Uh, you, look… different."
"It's a little more gothic than usual, but I haven't worn it in a while." she replied, as he put a plate of French toast in front of her. He sat down as well.
Talk to him, Skye. What exactly is going on between you two? A voice from the back of her head suggested. She considered this for a moment while she ate her French toast.
'No. I'll wait for him to bring it up.' she thought.
He's a man -- you'll be waiting until the police find Jimmy Hoffa. It's up to you.
She nonetheless decided to wait. She looked up at him. "So, are you, er… going to work on your book today?"
"Yeah, I think so." he replied. "It's coming along really well -- you must be a muse."
She chuckled, got up, and went to the fridge. "Well, I hope so. I know how precious inspiration is." She pulled out a Frappucino. "Oh, this is the last one…"
"Yeah, I drank one this morning to wake up -- sorry." he said.
"No, it's fine, that's what they're there for." she told him, sitting back down. "You know… I was wondering if I could borrow a copy of one of your books. I haven't read all of them yet."
"Sure, of course." he replied.
She finished her breakfast and headed into town. She would get one of his books later. In town, everyone she passed stared oddly at her. No one in Tashmore Lake looked like that. Everyone had normal colored hair and normal clothes. She stopped in to the Robbins's store and bought Vanilla Frappucinos. No one spoke to her unless she spoke to them and when they did speak, it was with distaste.
She drove back to the cabin and found Mort right where she left him: upstairs at his desk, staring at his computer screen.
"Hey, Mr. Rainey." she greeted, putting the Frappucinos in the fridge.
"Oh, hi, Skye." he replied.
"You get some writing done today?" she asked, going upstairs to join him.
"Yeah, actually." he told her proudly. "Half a page."
"That's great!" she exclaimed. "Do you want me to edit it for you?"
"No, not yet." he said, getting up. "You know, I feel like going out and doing something. Do you want to see a movie or something?"
"Uh, sure." she agreed.
"Sounds good." he said as they went downstairs. "What do you want to see?"
"A horror movie! They're… my favorite." she replied.
"Well, let's be on our way, then." he concluded.
They went out to the car and headed to the movie theater in New London. They bought tickets to a horror movie, got popcorn and drinks, and took seats near the front of the theater.
After the movie ended, they went out to the car. Skye was cheerfully talking about the movie, but Mort was a little jumpy. Skye thoroughly enjoyed it, but it only left Mort paranoid. They drove back to the cabin, talking about random things on the way. They stopped at a light and Mort looked in the rearview mirror.
"That's a nice car." he said, turning around to look at it. He smoothly put his arm across Skye's seat and returned his eyes to the road. She glanced over at him and quickly glanced away. They pulled up to the cabin and Mort stopped the car. He took the key out of the ignition and put his keys on the dashboard.
Looks like you're not going anywhere.
'You shut up.' she thought angrily. 'Hm… now might be a good time to ask him about us…'
He slid his arm down so it was successfully around her shoulders.
"Um… Mr. Rainey…" Skye began, "I… wanted to talk to you about--" Just then, he leaned over and kissed her.
'It can wait.' she thought, placing her hand on the side of his head. After the kiss ended (and it wasn't short, mind you), he pulled away and looked at her.
"So what did you want to tell me?" he asked.
She was speechless for a moment, wondering what to say. "Uh… I… um… really like your hair."
'Crap.' she thought.
He laughed. "Thank you." he replied. "I like yours, too."
You chicken! Just ask him!
"Well, um… shall we?" he suggested, gesturing toward the house.
A twinge of a different meaning hit Skye for a moment, but she quickly shook it off. "Oh, yeah, of course." They got out of the car and headed for the house. They stepped inside and Skye went to her room to put her purse down. She went back into the living room and came up behind Mort to get his attention. She tapped him on the shoulder.
"AH!" he yelled, wheeling around. She burst out laughing. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"Oh, that was priceless." she laughed. He sighed in annoyance and went to the kitchen. He went to the fridge and pulled out a Mountain Dew. He opened it and chugged some of it down. He put it down on the table and went to her. He put his arm around her waist.
"So you going to call your mom tomorrow and tell her you're living with your boyfriend?" he asked jokingly.
She laughed. "Oh, she would skin me alive."
"Well, we don't want that." Mort told her, going to the couch and sitting down.
"Uh, anyway, I think I'm off to bed -- I'm pretty tired." she said.
"Alright -- good night, then." he bid.
"Good night." she replied and turned to go.
"Hey, wait." he added. She turned back around and looked at him. "Come here." She went to him and he took her hand, pulling her closer to him. He kissed her. "Now it's really good night." She smiled and went to her room.
'See, I didn't need to pry to find out what was going on between us.' Skye thought.
Eh, you got lucky. A boyfriend now, huh? That's a first. And one so hot -- yeesh.
She smiled at the fact that he was, in fact, her boyfriend. Life was alright. Yeah, it was pretty good. For once. Finally.
The next day, Skye went into town to the Robbins's store to get a few groceries. She picked up what she needed and went to the register to check out. The same girl was at the register as before.
"You're new in town." the girl said cheerfully. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I'm staying with Mr. Rainey -- I'm his personal editor." Skye replied.
The girl faltered. "…Oh. Well, uh, that's nice… Uh, it was… nice to meet you…"
"You too…" Skye replied, wondering why she'd just been totally blown off. She tapped her foot impatiently while the girl checked out the groceries.
"Wait." the girl said. "I'm sorry… We just… hear a lot of strange things about Mr. Rainey…"
"I've heard them." Skye told her. "I'm sure they're not true."
"I really am sorry about that." the girl apologized. She held out her hand to Skye, who shook it. "I'm Mischa Robbins. My family owns this store, so… whenever you need something, I'm always here."
"Thanks." Skye replied sincerely.
"You know, we don't get many blue haired girls in this town." Mischa told her. "I wanted to dye my hair… but my parents won't let me."
"…How old are you?" Skye asked.
"Seventeen." Mischa replied.
"Ah, got it." Skye said. "I understand. I didn't get to do this until I was eighteen. If my mother had her way, I still wouldn't have done it."
"How old are you?"
"Twenty two." Skye told her. "Fresh out of college."
"Oh? What were you studying?" Mischa asked curiously.
"I want to be a writer." Skye replied. "Half the reason I'm staying with Mr. Rainey."
"…Can I ask you something?" Mischa asked, lowering her voice. "What is Mr. Rainey like? I've always thought he was… well… really good looking…"
Skye laughed quietly. "Yeah, he is. He's a really nice guy. I don't see why everyone thinks he… did things he didn't…"
"Hmm..." Mischa said. "So… you get to spend all this time around him? Wow, I don't think I could last… he is really hot…"
"Yeah, can't say I'm complaining living there." Skye said. "Every minute of every day."
"Oh, wow!" Mischa squealed excitedly. She finished bagging Skye's groceries. "Well, it really was nice meeting you. You can stop in anytime."
"Thanks -- it's really nice of you." Skye replied. "You know, why don't you call me sometime? Maybe you can come over and we can hang out?"
"Oh, that would be awesome!" Mischa exclaimed. Skye wrote down Mort's phone number and handed it to her.
"This is Mr. Rainey's number, considering I'm staying there. So if he answers, you know why." Skye said.
"Thanks!" Mischa said happily. "It'll be great to see Mr. Rainey again -- he doesn't come into town anymore. He goes to New London to shop. He's not really allowed here because of all the rumors, you know… Do you like him?" she asked curiously.
"Yeah, I do." Skye replied, smiling. She could tell her about her involvement with him later…
"I thought so." Mischa said. Skye looked out the window. "I know you want to screw him."
Skye looked at Mischa. "What!"
"I-I said, I guess I'll see you soon, then." Mischa stuttered, startled by Skye's outburst.
"Oh… right. Right, sorry, I'm a little tired." Skye dismissed. "Yeah, I'll see you soon." Skye grabbed her bags and rushed out. She jumped in the car and started driving back up to the cabin.
'What is wrong with me lately?' Skye thought. She turned on the radio and turned it up. 'Oh, good, one of my favorites. Nickelback.'
"…And I like the way you still say please while you're looking up at me -- you're like my favorite damn disease!" the radio blared. "And I love the places that we go, and I love the people that you know!"
She tapped the steering wheel along with the beat. She sighed, thinking about what had just happened.
'Why would I even think she'd say that?' she thought. 'She's a really nice girl… and I do not want to… do that…'
"And now I know who you are -- it wasn't that hard just to figure you out!" the music blared.
You sure you don't want to? A voice in the back of her head taunted.
"And I like the way you like me best -- and I like the way you're not impressed when you put me to the test!"
'Yes.'
Really? You really sure? You haven't even thought about it?
'Of course not.'
Is that so? I was sure you checked him out several times.
'Checking people out and screwing them are two very different things, stupid.'
Prize winning scholar here. You've thought about it. I know you have. You can't fool me.
'Shut up -- what do you know?'
I know quite a lot, actually. You should listen to me. …You honestly think he hasn't thought about it? … He has. You haven't seen him look at you?
"And I love the good times that you wreck, and I love your lack of self respect while you're passed out on the deck! I like my hands around your neck!"
'I don't have eyes in the back of my head!'
Well, he looks. He's thought about it.
'How could you possibly know?'
I see and hear things you don't, Skye. He's thought about it. I don't know how many times he's thought about just ripping one of your short skirts right off you.
"SHUT UP!" she screamed, swerving the car. Luckily, she was on an empty road and didn't hit anything. She got her bearings back and turned the music up to drown out her thoughts.
"And I like the way you still say please when you're looking up at me -- you're like my favorite damn disease!" the music blared, louder than before, successfully drowning out Skye's thoughts. "And I hate the places that we go! And I hate the people that you know!"
She kept the radio at full blast until she pulled up to the cabin. She turned the radio down before she turned off the car's engine so the next time Mort drove, he wouldn't have a heart attack when the car started. She grabbed the groceries and went inside the cabin.
"I'm back, Mr. Rainey!" she called, tossing the keys on the hook by the door. She went into the kitchen and set the bags down on the counter.
"Oh, hey, Skye." he greeted. She turned around and paused. Just her luck. Of course. Why would luck treat her any differently? He'd just gotten out of a shower and had a towel wrapped low around his hips; he was still wet… She wheeled around and put some groceries in the fridge. "How was town?"
"Oh, fine." she said uneasily, avoiding looking at him. "I met a very nice girl."
"Oh? Maybe I know her -- what's her name?"
"Mischa -- Mischa Robbins." Skye replied.
"Ohh… yeah, I remember her." Mort recalled. "I used to go into her family's store all the time."
"Yeah, she's very nice." Skye said. "I said I'd invite her over sometime."
"Oh… Well, that's nice…" A moment of silence past which she spent pretending to organize the fridge. "Are you alright? You seem a little distant."
"No, I'm fine." she told him, looking up at him to make her statement more convincing. Of course, the situation would get worse. Just as she looked up, he started drying his hair with another towel and it was very… very… attractive… She quickly buried her head in the fridge again.
Why resist, Skye? Look at that body…
"Well," she abruptly started, blocking her thoughts out, "I'm going to take a nap. Very tired." She shut the fridge and avoided looking at him. "I won't sleep as long as I usually do -- I promise."
Hell, ask him to join you.
She rushed into her room and flopped down onto her bed.
'Just let me handle my own life!' Skye thought angrily. 'Quit saying stupid things! Just leave me alone!'
Skye, Skye… don't you realize that I help you?
'You do not! Just leave me alone! LEAVE ME ALONE!'
Silence… Silence… Silence…
She sighed in relief and drifted off to sleep.
She woke up a few hours later and staggered tiredly out into the living room and went to the fridge. A note was taped to the handle. She pulled it off and read it:
"Fancy meeting you here." the note said. She smiled. "Went out for a drive. Hoping to find more inspiration. Be back later. Mort." She sighed and decided to just wander around in lieu of something else to do.
She went out to the shed and looked around for anything interesting.
'Oh, poppy seeds!' she thought, grabbing a pack of seeds off a shelf. 'That window… I need to plant stuff there - it looks so barren. Hm… he's out for a while… why not?' She grabbed a watering can and trowel and headed out to the window with the empty soil under it. She sat down and dug a hole to plant the seeds.
CLANK. The trowel hit something… She dug up whatever she was hitting and pulled out a screwdriver with a red handle. The sharp end was encrusted with blood…
She jumped at the sight and dropped it. Heart racing, she buried it again. She ran back to the shed and replaced the seeds, watering can, and trowel.
'No…' she thought. 'He was framed… That's it… He has to have been framed…'
She hurried into the house and washed her hands. She ran into her room and flopped stomach-first onto her bed. She buried her face into her pillow and started crying from worry.
'He was framed…' she thought.
He wasn't framed, baka! You're just a stupid little girl with a crush on a big, bad boy. You're in too deep, Skye.
'Shut up!' she thought, crying. 'Shut up! You lie!'
I'm not lying, I'm being sensible.
'I know Mort! He's such a great writer! A genius in his field!"
So was the Phantom of the Opera - he was a psycho, too.
"Stop it!" she screamed aloud. She sniffled. "Look at me… talking to myself… I need to stop - I'll go crazy."
You're already there…
She got up and ran to her bathroom. She flung open her medicine cabinet and pulled out a bottle of sleeping pills. She fished out two of them and tossed them in her mouth. She filled a small cup with water and washed down the pills. Sleep… she could escape in sleep…
A little while later, Mort got home and hung his keys on the hook by the door. He tossed his jacket on the back of a chair and went to find Skye.
"Skye!" he called. He peeked into her room and saw she was asleep. "Still asleep? That can't be good for her…" He went over to her and decided to wake her up. She was going to way oversleep at this rate. He put a hand on her shoulder and shook her. "Skye. Skye, wake up." Nothing. "Wow, out like a light…" He left her room and shut the door. He went upstairs and sat down at his desk. "The ending…" he muttered, thinking, pulling out what he'd written of his new book. "It'll end just like it's supposed to…" He opened one of his desk drawers and saw a hat. A plain black hat, but it seemed to mean more than that. He stared at it for a while and then shut the drawer quickly. "…The perfect ending… He'll get the girl back. He'll get her good… …Before she can break his heart… he'll break hers and then finish it… Hm… arsenic…"
Ooh, sinister. HOPE YOU ENJOYED! PLEASE REVIEW!