"Yeah… I got away for a while. Wanted to start something new. But something kept bringing me back here. To this city, this house. Damn EVIL FIRE! FUCK!"
"Are you okay?" I called from the couch. He poked his head out from the kitchen, grinning.
"As okay as I will ever be. Just burned myself on the stove. Tends to happen with hot things when you touch them." He laughed out.
"Yeah… that does happen."
You know, he is going to kill you at some point.
Yeah… I know. But, CARPE DIEM! Seize the fucking day, right?
'Fucking' wasn't in the quote, but close enough.
Go away, SHIT.
Go away, Rum.
You infuriate me.
And you do the same for us.
"Are you okay?" Johnny's voice brought me back from the nether reaches of my mind.
"Yeah… Sure… Okay? Yeah I am." I answered, absent minded-like. He handed me a bowl of Skettios.
"How old are you, anyways?"
"Just turned sixteen." I answered.
"Lovely age. I hated sixteen, myself.. But that doesn't mean you need to hate it. Heh." He swallowed a spoonful of Skettios, smiling. "TV?"
"Sure." I answered. He flicked the screen on, and a rather disgusting commercial about SHIT came on. I had to admit that it was pretty fucking funny.
"So… What is your name, oh mysterious BrainFreezie fixer?" Johnny asked me, eating more of his Skettios.
"Rum. My name is Rum."
"Like the drink?" Johnny asked. "Like… 'Where's the rum'?" He laughed out.
"Yeah, like that." I said, smiling. I hadn't touched my Skettios. I was too busy looking around the house.
"How old are you, Johnny?" I asked, looking at him.
"Mid twenties. Don't know my exact age. Hell… I don't even know what the fucking date is anymore."
"April 4th." I answered. He eyed me suspiciously, then looked at the ground.
"What's wrong?"
"It has been a year. A fucking year." He said, under his breath. It was a miracle that I understood him.
"A year?"
"I tried to kill this girl last year. I really liked her. She seemed to really like me. I just snapped. Kinda… gave in, and tried to kill her. 'Immortalize the moment' is the proper term that I used. I was happy. Utterly happy. Kind of feeling like I do right now." He explained, putting his bowl on the ground near his feet.
"Happiness. It is over rated, in my book. I mean… Happiness. Why seek happiness? Seeking just causes disappointment. I learned a few months back that happiness finds you at the oddest of moments… Kind of like love." I said, poking at my Skettios.
"You going to eat those?"
"At some point, I will." I said, without thinking.
"Want me to walk you home? It is around three in the morning… Not the safest time to be walking around."
"If you don't mind, I'd like to stay here. Your couch is comfy…" I said, snuggling into the cushions. He smiled slightly, and nodded.
"Sure. Stay. Don't mind the screams." He said, standing. He walked out of the room, only to return a few minutes later with a tattered blanket, and pillow. "I don't use these nearly as much as I should. You can use them tonight."
"Thanks."
"Goodnight. I'll be downstairs if you need me. Just… scream out 'NNY!' if you need anything."
"Nny?" I asked. He turned around.
"Yes?"
"Just… I like that nickname. It suits you." I snuggled deeper into the couch, pulled out my own CD walkman from my backpack. He smiled, and walked to the door leading to what must be the basement. I turned on the music, and Revis started blaring in my ears. It put me to sleep instantly. No matter how much I fought it off, my eyes close, and I fell victim to the nightmares.
I woke to Johnny shaking me.
"You were screaming. A lot louder than the football team I have five levels below the ground." Johnny said, standing back, dusting himself off. Blood spattered his shirt and pants.
"Sorry… Nightmares. I don't like to sleep. It just… comes and goes all the time." I said.
"Yeah. It has been at least… a month? since I last closed my eyes to sleep." He mused out loud, laughing slightly.
"What time is it?"
"Six AM. Why?" He asked.
"I have school in two hours. First day at a new school. Goody." I said, sitting up. He sat next to me, and smiled.
"Yeah. I hated school. I dropped out in Junior year. Stupid, yes. But I couldn't be there anymore."
"Yeah. I dropped out a couple months ago, but I was guilted into going back. Damn parents." I said, standing now.
"Can I take you there? To school I mean." He said, awkwardly. I laughed at his shyness.
"Sure. It is pretty fucking far, so it would be idiotic of me to walk there." I said. "Fuck."
"What?" He asked, looking up a little bit, peering at me with one eye.
"I don't have a change of clothes, and these are pretty blood-spattered." I said, looking down at my black and white shirt, and pants. The boots were alright. But everything else was spotted with brown-red dots. "They probably wont notice it though. This is alright for now."
"No. I have a pair of pants and a shirt you may borrow." Johnny said, and stood. He walked away, and came back with a black shirt, and a pair of black jeans.
"I don't wear the jeans. You can have them. But I like the shirt. They never noticed the cuss words before, so they wont now." The shirt read 'SMILE YOU FUCKER'. The smiley face smiled at me, and I laughed.
"I like it. Where's your bathroom?" Johnny led me to the bathroom, and opened the door. "Thanks."
"Sure." And he walked away. He seemed preoccupied. I'd ask him later. I closed the door, and stripped, then dressed once more, and was out of the bathroom in moments. Johnny stood from the couch, and awed at me. My hair was up in a pony tale, so it looked short from the front view.
"Creepy." He muttered, looking away.
"What?" I said, looking down at myself.
"You look… Like me." He said, shaking his head.
"Yeah, I made that connection last night at the 24/7." I laughed out gently.
"Its seven AM. You need food… Care for a gaunt over to the 24/7?"
"Why not." I said, grabbing my jacket, and following him out the door.
The 24/7 was as empty as I had ever seen it. Seven AM doesn't find many customers. Johnny bought a big box of Doughnuts, and some Doughnuts from the glass thingy. He didn't like caffeine all that much, so I didn't even ask. We bought our food, and went back to his house.
"Its 7:30... What now?" He asked, glaring at the clock. I looked at him.
"We should get going. I will eat on the way there." I said. We headed out once more, and into his little grey-blue car.
We sped through the streets, and even took some back alleys because of traffic. We got there in ten minutes - normally, it would have taken twenty.
"Thanks, Johnny. My parents are probably going to be here after school to pick me up… So… I wont need a ride home." I said, before he could offer. He looked kind of sad, then he grinned evilly. He got a glint in his eye - the same one he had when he killed those people at the Café le Prick. I backed away slightly. He turned his head to me, eyes narrowed.
"Remember me. You'll be seeing me again." And he drove off all fast like. I headed into school, slightly afraid of what he meant.