A/N: Hello friends! It was brought to my attention that people are actually reading this story, and that perhaps, I should add onto it. For months after its initial release, no one had read it, so I figured there was no point in finishing it. Then, someone wrote a review for it (thanks AM83220!) that not only reminded me to update this dame thing, but also brought up a couple major plot fallacies. Hopefully, I've ironed them out, but please let me know what else the story needs! I want to make this the best it can be! Now, for those who've actually read through this too long paragraph, I wish you happy reading!
The next week was more or less smooth sailing, Eleanor noticed. Jocks still jeered at the group, cheerleaders still demonstrated their disdain at every opportunity, but it was easier to bear with friends.
Rob was easier to like once he let go of his smarmy façade. He was a pretty big mythology nerd, something he and Eleanor had in common. He was in the morning myth class, so he told her what they'll be covering in class every day.
Rich was the same, just more talkative. He and Eleanor shared the same taste in music, so he showed her all the cool radio stations. He's still the most level-headed of the group, always the first to tell someone when they're overreacting.
Hunter, though, still remained an enigma. Eleanor couldn't decide if he actually liked her or just tolerated her presence for the sake of the other two. Sometimes, Eleanor caught him frowning at her, though he was quick to turn it into one of his big, cheesy grins. Still, she'd take two out of three.
The second Monday of the school year rolled around far too fast, cutting the weekend off. Saturday, the guys had invited her to the dog park, which was much more fun than she'd imagined. Mostly, it was just Hunter rolling around with the dogs and tackling his friends to the ground. Rob and Rich laughed along, even when they were dogpiled upon. Hunter surprised Eleanor by catching her around the waist when she was distracted by a cute puppy and dragging her to the ground. He'd crowded over her, smiling a little maniacally, eyes glinting. Eleanor snorted, before tickling his sides harshly and pushing him off. He'd seemed in much higher spirits after that.
Now, while reminiscing, Eleanor tried not to burn herself with the straightener, something easier said than done. After getting her hair looking manageable, she put the straightener down with a sense of accomplishment, having only burned herself twice. Improvement was improvement, after all. She moved quickly after that, getting dressed and grabbing a granola bar on her way out. She spared a glance at her mother, passed out on the couch, probably still drunk from the night before. Eleanor forced herself to move past her; if her mother wants help, she'll ask for it.
The drive to Hunter's place went by pretty quick, and today she didn't even have to honk the horn for him to come out. He slid into the passenger seat gracefully, smiling at her in greeting.
"Morning, Sands," she said, backing the car out of the driveway.
"Hey, E. Davis!" he chirped, far too energetic for a Monday morning. Eleanor told him as much.
"You are far too energetic for a Monday morning, my dude." Hunter only laughed, reaching over to tug on a lock of her hair. She ducked away from him, laughing.
"Hey man! No distracting the driver!" They pulled into Rich's driveway, gathered the boy, and moved onto the next stop. Even from the backseat, Rich tried to control the radio, leading to a mini-squabble that only ended when Eleanor threatened to let Rob sit shotgun for the rest of the ride. Once all the boys were collected, and the bickering subsided to manageable levels, they made it to school.
While they walked to their homeroom, Eleanor noticed a poster outside the door.
"Guys! Guys, look at this!" She gestured wildly to the poster, which details a "back to school carnival" to be held the following weekend. The boys all groan, shaking their heads at her. Unfortunately, Mr. Foley chose that exact moment to come to the door.
"I'd advise you kids hurry up and get into to class," he said, shooting them a disapproving look.
The little group settled into their chairs before Eleanor opened her mouth again to convince them to go, but, before she could get a word in, Mr. Foley began delivering the announcements.
"SAT practice test signups are in the main office, and the sign up deadline is next Friday. The next round of practice tests will be held in November," he told them, voice void of any emotion. Mr. Foley's monotone made it hard to listen, but still, Eleanor took note of the announcements, something the boys made fun of her for.
"This year's back to school carnival will be held on Saturday, from 3 pm to midnight. All proceeds go to the student activity board. Volunteer signups are in the main office." Eleanor's eye went wide, and she turned to her friends.
"Guys! We should totally go!" she whispered excitedly. Rob rolled his eyes.
"You still have much to learn about this school, young padawan." Eleanor scoffed, waving him off. "Come on guys it'll be totally fun!"
"E, as experts of this schools caste system, we're telling you, it won't be fun. This event is for the socially elite, the so-called 'popular kids.' That does not include us," Hunter said, voice ringing with a note of finality.
"Oh, please, all that 'popular kids' bullshit is just that, bullshit. It doesn't even exist!" she countered.
"Maybe not in enlightened New York, but here, In Sioux Falls, Minnesota, where it is always the nineties, popularity is alive and thriving," Rich tells her, giving her an all knowing look.
"Come on guys! Just for, like, an hour! Just to see what it's like! It could be a cool social experiment, a peek into a new world," Eleanor said, in what she hoped was an enticing voice. Hunter quirked an eyebrow at her, face impassive.
"Okay," he said. The other boys turned to gape at him rather theatrically.
"Okay?!" echoed Rob, sounding entirely scandalized.
"Are you out of your mind, Hunter?!" demanded Rich, voice dangerously above a whisper.
"I know what I'm doing," he whispered calmly back. "Let's try it."
"Hello, genius, do you no remember last year's, complete and utter catastrophe?" Rob hissed, sounding angry now. Hunter's mouth twitched, like he was hiding a smile.
"I remember," he answered simply. "It wasn't that big a deal."
At that, Rob gasped so loudly, that several classmates left their own conversations to glare at him. Luckily, Mr. Foley paid them no mind.
"What happened last year?" Eleanor asked, a little fearful of the answer. Whatever it was, it must've been embarrassing, because Hunter colored slightly and ducked his head.
"I… fell into a booth," he mumbled.
"Is that it?" Eleanor laughed. "Is that the 'complete and utter catastrophe?' Seriously guys, that's not even that bad! I've done way more embarrassing things before! I bet everyone's forgotten about it!"
"Also, I may or may not have started a small fight, more of a brawl really. Matthew Pinkett's nose was kind of a casualty," Hunter continued. Eleanor gaped at him, not able to imagine Hunter in a fight, let alone one he started
"Don't forget when you savagely broke Carter Archibald's arm, and we lost the entire football season because of that," Rob added. "Savage arm breaking, bro."
"Let's not forget him getting arrested in front of the entire student body!" Rich chimed in. Hunter frowned at that.
"Hey, man, the charges were dropped! My record is clean," he defended himself, capping it off with a charming smile.
"That horrific incident is why nobody likes us, because this idiot ruined the cheerleading booth and cost us the entire football season," Rich explained. Eleanor went quiet for a moment, trying to think of a way to recover from this.
"Well, maybe if we don't cause any major incidents, everyone will leave us alone this year," Eleanor offered. She kept telling herself that delinquent friends are better than no friends.
Hunter looked intrigue, exchanging looks with Rob and Rich. Whatever secret argument was going on resolved itself quite quickly, because Hunter smiled triumphantly and turned to Eleanor.
"We're going on one condition," Hunter started, smirking a little.
"Anything!" Eleanor interrupted, which only served to widen his smirk.
"You're driving."
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By the time it was Saturday, Eleanor could barely contain her excitement, going so far as to tell her mother her plans.
"Mom, guess what!" she'd said Friday night. Her mother looked up, eyes bleary and pale-faced.
"What?" she mumbled, struggling to get comfortable.
"My friends and I are going to the back to school carnival tomorrow!" she said, feeling child-like and carefree. Her mother heaved one of her great, world weary sighs, and pulled herself up to a sitting position.
"Did you even ask permission?" she asked. Delphine had always been gifted in the art of making her daughter feel small and pathetic, and today was no exception.
"I just figured it would be okay," Eleanor muttered, feeling far too young and stupid for her age.
"Eleanor, you are still a child! I'm your mother and you need to ask me when you want to make plans! Did you even think about how your little carnival escapade would affect me?" There it was, the selfish reasoning behind the rare burst of maternal prowess. Suddenly, Eleanor didn't feel at all guilty; instead, a careful anger spread through her slowly, twisting her faltered smile into sharp frown.
"And how does this affect you, mother?" she asked, raising her chin defiantly.
"I have plans this weekend! To paint! I need you here to do paint runs, obviously. You can never plan how inspiration will strike," Delphine said, as though this was all very reasonable. Eleanor barely contained a scoff.
"So, you want me home, to do paint runs, on the off chance you might get inspired? Does that cover it?" Eleanor asked, feeling a little feral.
"You're my daughter! You are supposed to help me!" Delphine cried, tears glistening in her eyes. "I was practically a single mother for years! You're old enough to help out now, but you never do!"
Eleanor really did scoff this time, which prompted Delphine to burst into loud sobbing. She could've been an actress, if she was ever sober.
"Do you hate me? Do you want to run off and live with your father? Is that it? Would you rather I died?!" Delphine wailed, dropping to her knees.
"I'm going upstairs, now, mother." With that, Eleanor side stepped her mother and ran up the stairs, eager to escape the full-blown diva meltdown.
In the hour it took for Eleanor to finish her calculus homework, Delphine had quieted to a low sob: not ear-splitting but not easy to ignore either. It took hours for Delphine to calm down completely, so Eleanor figured it was safe to duck down into the kitchen to whip up a quick dinner.
Delphine had set up her easel in the middle of the living room, and was painting with fervor, splashing dark red paint all over the carpet. She pointedly ignored her daughter, sniffing loudly as Eleanor passed.
Humming cheerfully, Eleanor began gathering ingredients for stir-fry. Delphine snuck what she thought were discreet looks, but she had the habit of letting every little emotion play across her face.
"If you want some, mother, just ask," Eleanor told her, not bothering to look up from the pan.
"Well, if you would be so kind as to share with your poor mother, it'd be appreciated," Delphine said sniffing loudly. Even so, Eleanor still doled out stir fry. Her mother snatched the plate up, and sat with a huff on the breakfast bar.
"I'm eating in my room, Mother," Eleanor said, gathering her dinner. Delphine sniffed loudly, turning away from her daughter. Eleanor sighed, tired of the theatrics, and made her way up her room to finish the rest of her homework.
Saturday morning came with a sense of apprehension; Eleanor didn't know if her mother was still going to pitch a fit at her going to the carnival. She got ready quickly, twisting her hair into something vaguely put together. The girl crept downstairs carefully, trying not to draw any attention. When she got the living room, however, it seemed her efforts were wasted. Delphine had passed out on the couch, empty martini glass hanging loosely from her fingers.
Eleanor left the house and headed to the library, planning to spend some time there before going to get the guys.
00000
The entire car ride over to the carnival, the guys insisted on telling high school hierarchy horror stories. Eleanor didn't know what was worse, that the guys were so clearly exaggerating everything they said, or that she sort of believed them.
Rob and Rich were dressed pretty similarly, that was to say, a far cry from the suggested dress code of school colors. Hunter wore a black hoodie and a feral smile. Only Eleanor was clad in the prescribed blue and silver. Still, in a crowd of USGHS students, she felt out of place in her school sweater. When Rob shouldered his backpack, alarm bells went off in Eleanor's head.
"Oh my god, you guys are going to prank someone!" she hissed, looking appropriately enraged. There went her entire plan of a peaceful, conflict free evening. Hunter threw his arm around her shoulders, and Eleanor momentarily lost her train of thought.
"Wait, no! You guys, that's a horrible idea! I don't know if you noticed, but no one actually likes your stupid little plans," she said, shrugging his arm off. "Put the bag back!"
"Eleanor, sweet, naïve, Eleanor, how can we have any sort of fun if we can't scare someone into wetting themselves? Think about it," Rob told her, smarmy smile in place.
"Be cool dude! Chill out," Rich added. Eleanor couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something truly horrible was going to happen.
"Just promise me there won't be any sort of major damage," Eleanor conceded. Hunter pulled her back into a one armed side hug, squeezing her tight.
"I promise! This is going to be kickass!" His smile was wolfish in a way that promised he was going to break her promise. There was no stopping this travesty, it seemed.
Looking back, Eleanor had to say she had a solid hour in which things were fun. They played games, Hunter won prizes for everyone, and everyone had enough cotton candy to single-handedly fund the marching band's trip to Disney World.
Then, everything went to hell when the popular kids rolled in.
Natalie Wilson, accompanied by David Brook, led the pack, looking dangerously good. She was unequivocally the leader, calling all the shots. If there was one surefire way to be popular, it was to impress her.
Hunter stiffened when they came close to the cotton candy booth, surreptitiously stepping in front of the gang.
"Hi guys!" Eleanor said, craning around Hunter's shoulder. Natalie regarded her with cold eyes.
"Eleanor, right?" she asked, cocking her head. The rest of her group exchanged incredulous looks and shuffled off.
"Yeah, I'm in your history class," Eleanor explained, pleased at how nice this girl actually was.
"I know. I totally love your bracelet! Can I see it?" Natalie held her hand out, waiting. Eleanor scrambled to get her bracelet off and into her hand. Just as Natalie was admiring it, someone called her name, claiming her attention.
"Oh, shoot, I've got to go! Ciao!" Natalie blew kisses at everyone and ran off. It took Eleanor a moment to realize Natalie still had her bracelet.
"That little bitch just stole your bracelet!" Rob cried, once he'd seen her empty wrist.
"I'm sure she didn't mean to, Rob, and I'm sure that when I let her know she still has it, she'll hand it right over," Eleanor reasoned, though she didn't really believe that. They all stared after Natalie and her group, waiting for her to come back.
To Eleanor's utter surprise, she slipped the bracelet onto her wrist and showed it off to her friends. Hunter snarled, low and animalistic, behind her.
"Permission to cause major damage?" he asked, through gritted teeth. Eleanor nodded silently, stunned at the blatant display of thievery, and the boys whooped excitedly.
"Come on! Let's set up on the bridge!" Rob said, pulling on Eleanor and Hunter's arms. They walked to the old Wilson Bridge just outside of school grounds, the one elementary school children dared not to go near and high school students loved to dare one another to go on. Luckily, no one was there, so Hunter, equipped with a fog machine, dropped to the bank of the river below. He set the machines up and turned them on, turning a beautiful bridge into an eerie looking death trap. Rob and Rich had little speakers they hid in the hollows of trees nearby, ready to play spooky forest sounds.
Apparently, decades ago, a young couple used the bridge as a date spot, until the boyfriend brought another girl there. The girlfriend, driven mad by jealousy, stalked the lover, hidden in the shadows, intent on confronting them at the end of their date. At least, that's what she planned to do, until she saw the boyfriend give the other girl a special necklace that belonged to the girlfriend. Enraged, she ambushed the couple on the bridge and fought the girl for the necklace. In the struggle, the other girl was pushed into the river below, and drowned. The girlfriend then tore her boyfriend apart, using the necklace to claw him to death. Once her boyfriend was dead, the girlfriend slit her own throat, overtaken by grief.
Legend had it that the spirits of the three teens haunted the bridge to this day, breaking couples apart in gruesome ways.
Eleanor didn't believe in ghost stories, or anything supernatural for that matter, but she had to admit, knowing the three murders had been real scared her a little. They boys, once they'd finished setting up, grabbed Eleanor to hide in the bushes. It wasn't long before Natalie and David came to the bridge.
"How'd you know they'd come to the bridge tonight?" Eleanor whispered. Hunter grinned wickedly, and winked, but didn't explain.
Natalie's voice sounded tinny over the noise of the creek and the tape, but they could understand she was scared, and complaining to David about it. Hunter picked up a huge rock and got ready to throw it, nodding to Rich, who played a soundbite of a blood curdling scream. Eleanor clapped her hands over her ears, and Hunter tossed the rock into the water.
David and Natalie went completely still. Hunter turned to Eleanor, and handed her a big, chunky necklace.
"Wanna help?" Hunter looked sharply feral, bordering on terrifying, in a very "Norman Bates" kind of way, a sharp contrast to his normally sweet looks. Still, Eleanor found herself following silently, necklace clutched in hand.
"All you have to do is run at them, like you're going to stab them with the necklace, and I'll take the picture," he explained. With that, Hunter left her standing on the end of the bridge, while he jumped across fallen branches to get to the other side. Eleanor watched in awe; she hadn't know him to be so athletic and graceful. Once he was in position, he nodded to Eleanor and she ran, shrieking a little for emphasis.
Natalie and David both screamed, and David shoved Natalie out of the way to get off the bridge first. Hunter snapped the picture, howling with laughter.
"Oh my god, you freak!" Natalie snarled, launching herself at Hunter. He dodged her easily, still laughing, and snapped a few more pictures. Natalie whirled around to face David, who stood, dazed, and grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Do something, you moron!" She shrieked, giving him a little shake. That seemed to pull David out of his shell and he turned to face Hunter, who pulled himself to his full height.
"What the fuck, you asshole?" He stepped into Hunter's space, and for a moment, Hunter's eyes went gold.
"What? You didn't like my little trick?" Hunter asked, smirking broadly. Rob and Rich pulled themselves out of the bushes and rushed over, presumably to save Hunter from getting pulverized. David clearly couldn't think of anything to say, because he reared back and swung at Hunter.
Amazingly, Hunter danced out of the way, grinning like this was what he wanted.
"Come on, man it's not worth it," Rich called, not daring to go near the impending fight.
"Fucking annihilate him man!" Rob screamed, eyes bight. Eleanor frowned but gave the boys a wide berth, just as she opened her mouth to say something, Natalie rounded on her, glowering.
"You think you're funny, you little freak?" she hissed, towering over Eleanor. She stuck her hands on her hips, waiting, like she expected Eleanor to grovel. The charms on her bracelet swayed, and suddenly, Eleanor was over this whole thing. She grabbed Natalie's wrist and tugged, trying to pry the bracelet off her wrist.
"What the hell?! Get off me!" Natalie cried, trying to twist away. The boys seemed not to notice their little spat, too intent on watching Hunter dodge punch after punch. Just as Eleanor yanked the bracelet off Natalie's wrist, Hunter swung his fist, landing an impressive blow against David's jaw. He stumbled back a little, clutching his jaw, but doubled his efforts by throwing himself at Hunter, catching the blonde boy around his waist and slamming him to the ground, hard.
Hunter growled, a sound far too low for his vocal range, and shoved David back, pulling himself to his feet. There was a long scratch along his cheekbone, oozing blood. Eleanor fastened the bracelet back around her wrist and scrambled away from Natalie, who, momentarily distracted by the fistfight, advanced on her suddenly.
David managed to sucker punch Hunter, who doubled over, groaning. He straightened up after a second and let his fist fly, hitting David in the chest and the face, sending him staggering back. Somehow, Eleanor managed to find herself in between the rails of the bridge and David, with no time to move away.
When he crashed into her, she barely felt the impact; all the pain came from the old, splintery railing of the bridge scrapping against her back. A scream ripped out of her as she fell, the roar of the wind and the water muffling the sound. Someone screamed her name, but she couldn't tell who.
She hit the water hard, and sank fast, her heavy clothes weighing her down. She deeply regretted borrowing Hunter's hoodie now, because it only seemed to pull her down. The current was particularly strong, and Eleanor flailed against it, trying to claw her way to the surface. She had to be caught on something, because nothing she did propelled her forwards. The current pulled her arms and legs painfully backwards, halting her movement even more.
Her lungs screamed at her to breathe, to open her mouth, but she didn't, fighting the urge with all she had. The water, already dark, became darker and fuzzier as her vision slowly faded. Dimly, she realized this could be the end, and in that particular moment, she didn't really care.
It was then that something broke through the surface, a dark, blurry mass headed straight for her. It collided with her and yanked her away from whatever she was caught on, pulling her up towards the surface.
As soon as her mouth cleared the water, she gasped in great lungful's of air, sputtering and coughing all the while. To her surprise, it was Hunter who clutched her close, looking at her with scared eyes. His skin was almost blue with the cold, and his lips were a dark purple.
"Hey, hey, Eleanor, can you hear me? Are you okay?" he demanded, pulling her even closer. She nodded weakly, looping tired arms around Hunter. He swam them to the riverbank, where Rob and Rich stood waiting. As soon as she was on solid ground, they wrapped her in their jackets, looking terrified.
"Jesus Christ, are you okay?" Rich asked, squatting down next to her. Rob copied his movements, peering at her carefully.
"Yeah, I'm okay," she answered, voice weak.
"You were down there a long time before Hunter jumped in. We thought we were too late," Rob confessed, eyes wide with child-like terror.
"I'm okay, I promise," Eleanor echoed herself, giving them a half smile. Hunter plopped down next to her, looping an arm around her shoulder.
"You see? This is why we don't go to things like this."
A/N: And there you have it folks! The next update will be after this upcoming round of midterms, so around the first weekend of October. But, because I'm a pre-med student, updates will be a little unstable. Please tell me what you think! Thank you so much, dear reader, for stopping by this story.