This one goes to Marcus and Firebird 41 because you guys are awesome.
Ouch. I wake up and bring my hand to the side of my forehead where it hurts, though the sound it made was far worse than the actual hit. A small bump on the road caused the car to jump a bit, and my head to knock on the window.
"Sorry, I didn't see it in time," Warren says from my left.
"Did I fall asleep?" I ask as I rub the sleepy tear from the side of my right eye.
"For a little while," He replies and gives me that look he gives when he's expecting me to deliver some punchline. This time, I just raise my eyebrows at him and he frowns. "Girl, you disappoint me. We gotta work on your Whedon education. I'll let this one go just because you were pretty much a vegetable a minute ago."
I process this information and reach the conclusion that my sleeping patterns have gone to hell. The worst part is I still feel exhausted. I glance out of the window and see nothing but pines by the road, pushing up some heavy clouds, though the wind is giving them a fight. I've no idea where we are, or how long we have been traveling for.
"Maybe if you hadn't insisted on watching Death Note for the hundredth time we could have watched something new," I say, after licking my post-napping dry lips.
"But I hadn't watched it in ages! I don't even remember what will be of Will Penber. Such a cool dude."
"Right. You were citing every line by heart."
"Well, my brain seems to mysteriously erase certain pieces of information so that I can enjoy rewatching things thoroughly, without the tedious threat of spoilers."
"You are so full of…" I stop myself when I hear a far but loud noise from the outside. "Was that a thunder?"
"Maybe." He shrugs.
Maybe this wasn't the best day for this kind of activity, but I don't want to say it out loud, especially given I was the one who suggested going. Besides, Warren is in his highly optimistic mood and I don't want to bring him down. What would be the least pessimistic way to mention the weather?
"Yeah, I guess it's fine. I mean, even if it rains, they must be prepared for it." I haven't even finished that sentence when my stomach growls furiously.
"Am I to assume you always wake up with a vicious, kanoashi-like hunger?" He asks in amusement.
"That's... Probably accurate."
"It's okay, we still have a little time to pick up something on the go. I think Wendy's is just on our way, is that okay?"
"Bacon baked potatoes? I'm in."
"That's what I thought. We'll be there in... 7 minutes."
And exactly seven minutes later I see the sign that reads "Welcome to Newberg – A great place to grow". I shouldn't be surprised, Warren's a human calculator - and a bit of a control freak. I can almost see the little screws spinning in his head as his sight shifts continuously from the road ahead of him to the watch on his left wrist, as if he could actually manipulate time.
The town is not much unlike Arcadia Bay, a small fishing site with a Twin-Peaks-ish vibe. I bet it's not as eventful, though that can only really be said of the last few days. A month ago, my hometown used to be the dullest spot in America. The speeding limit seems to be bugging Warren a lot, along with every car that happens to block our way, threatening to ruin his precious little calculations. His fingers keep tapping against the wheel repeatedly, and he's holding onto it so tight I wouldn't be surprised to see it break. As he gets more and more impatient, I grow more afraid to ask what I need to tell him. I wait until the Wendy's sign is in sight, and decide I can no longer postpone it.
"You know, I may also need to... Use the restroom," I finally say looking sheepishly at him.
He ponders on this for a few seconds before replying.
"Hmm. Well if you want, I can get the food while you go."
I get the feeling that even though he said "if you want", this isn't optional.
"Sure. Every minute counts, right?"
"Very well, my young padawan."
Judging by the free spaces on the parking lot, there aren't many people at the fast-food restaurant this evening so this should be a quick transaction. I get off the car and find the wind outside is even stronger than it appeared to be. As a result, my bangs keep getting in my face and tears are springing out of my eyes in a matter of seconds. I glance at Warren walking by my side and laugh at his narrowed eyes and the hell of a mess he's got for hair, though mine probably looks worse. I'm deeply relieved when we're finally inside the warm hall, and start scanning for the lady's sign.
"So I'll go order while you…" Warren trails off though he doesn't wait for an answer as he heads to the counter.
I find the door I was looking for and head in that direction while trying to fix my clothes which have also suffered from the weather outside. Four other girls have apparently had the same plan as me, queuing outside the restroom. Thank God it's not Warren who has to wait, this setback would make him enter Jack Nicholson mode.
I shift my weight from one foot to the other as I hear the girls' chatter, something about a look some Matt gave the brunette in Science class and whether that means he likes her, since he's a Scorpio - something that apparently is "like, super important". I somehow find the conversation fascinating, just because this is what keeps normal teenagers awake at night. Not murders or suicides or a psychopath teacher. Just a look exchanged with a Scorpio at school. I can't even remember what it felt like not to see Rachel's body every time I close my eyes, or hearing Chloe scream or… Maybe I'll eventually go back to caring about zodiac signs and boys. Not that I ever did, actually.
The girls enter the restroom one by one and so do I, never finding out what the hell's so special about a Scorpio. As I head back to the counter I notice the bags with our food are already lying there, ready for us to take, but Warren's talking to someone. What really grabs my attention is the girl on the other side of the counter. She's smiling widely as she listens to him attentively, fidgeting with the edge of the paper bag.
"That was my favorite season finale, when they said goodbye," I hear her say as I approach them. Her voice is nice and high-pitched, worthy of a Disney princess.
"Yeah, I think that was everyone's favorite…" Warren replies and then notices me. "Great, ready to go?"
"Sure." I nod absentmindedly.
As soon as the girl takes in my presence, she pushes the bags to us, smiles swiftly and walks back to the kitchen. Warren takes a quick glance at his watch before taking the food without a second look at her. I walk by his side, trying to keep up with his hurried pace.
But I can't help myself, I need to say it.
"You sure you're not forgetting anything?" I ask him with a playful smile. "Some ketchup, salt, maybe her number?"
"No, I've already… What?" He stops for a second, then pushes the door to leave.
"You two had something going on there." I follow him and feel the wind annoyingly enter my mouth as I speak.
"No, we didn't. She said she liked my shirt, that's all. She was a nerd."
"She was hitting on you!"
"No, why would you… You think so?" Warren looks back to where the counter must be, but it's hardly visible from the outside.
"You're so clueless." I chuckle and for a moment, he looks like he's going to say something, but then he just gets in the car, and so do I.
There's no further mention of the Wendy's girl, or I should say there's no time for it in Warren's calculations. As soon as we're back on the street, I can already guess where the drive-in is because of the line of cars that's waiting to get in, but I'm distracted by the clouds up in the sky which keep getting darker. Maybe I've developed some kind of storm phobia? I wonder if there's an actual name for that. There has to be. I make a mental note to Google it when I get back to Blackwell, since the signal in my phone has proven to be awful here.
One after the other, the cars get into the lot and find a place of their liking. There are several poles marking the different parking spots and, after having our tickets checked, Warren drives into the site and stops at a decent one where he can finally relax and officially stops glancing at his watch.
I can't keep my nose off the window, this place is everything I thought it'd be and more. The fact that the lot's surrounded by dark towering pines makes for a perfect atmosphere and I have to roll down the glass to take in the scent. However, I'm once more slapped by a fierce gust of wind, which hides the smell of pines under the much stronger smell of the upcoming storm. Perhaps the Max from a few weeks ago would have rejoiced in all things related to rain, but now I can see no romance in it, only destruction. I hurry to close the window and open the paper bag to search for food that can calm my anxiety.
"Yup, just like the kanoashi." Warren shakes his head as he observes me going through the packages.
"Can't a girl satiate her hunger without being judged?" I say once I've found my glorious burger and baked potato.
"The objectifying shallow society promoting unhealthy body standards says no."
"Well, I say 'fuck them'."
"And you do well."
Warren joins in taking his own burger to his mouth, one that has way too much cheddar, even for my liking.
"So you remember George Taylor's life story?" He asks, his mouth still half full of meat and bread and cheese.
"Oh please, you're not putting me through this again, are you?" I dread taking another one of his tests.
"Just the vital information you need in order to comprehend the extents of…"
"Fine, fine" I interrupt him and roll my eyes. "He's the dude who travels to this crazy planet, where lots of crazy ape shit happens, but in the end he finds out…"
"Woah, woah, don't spoil it!"
"Seriously, we watched that part two nights ago!"
"But you're not supposed to know it."
"You really are the ultimate geek."
"Thank you." He does take it as a compliment. "Now try and forget everything you know about it."
Just for the sake of my patience and to avoid hearing another lecture from Mr. Graham, I pretend to comply and move on to my bacon potatoes. The smell of fast food in the car is strong, but I'm not about to open the window again. Once Warren finishes his own burger, he explains to me that the sound of the film will come out through the radio, though finding the right station proves to be more challenging than he expected. I don't miss the chance to make fun of him for that, which results in him taking my Coke as a hostage for the time being. I pretend not to care, even if I'm dying to drink something that'll help me down the food.
It's already raining by the time the movie starts, but the sound from the radio does a pretty good job of burying all of the outside noise. I glance at Warren at my left, there's a huge grin on his face, as if this were the moment he's been waiting for his whole life. I can't help but smile at the sight of it, and I must admit I'm quite excited myself. I guess I should tick this experience off my hipster bucket list.
This time I'm not going to cry, I've embarrassed myself enough already. I'll keep my emotions at bay and at the tiniest sign of affliction I'll just focus on how funny the apes look. At least that's my plan for now.
I'm not really sure how or when it's happened, but my body has apparently given up at some point and I've come to be leaning against Warren's right arm. I only notice this as the screen shows Taylor beginning his writing on the sand and Warren whispers into my hair, "Don't you dare fall asleep now". My eyes still fixated on the picture, I turn my head a bit and whisper back, "I won't". His back tenses up immediately and I realize I've spoken and breathed into his neck, which sends a weird crushing heat to my cheeks.
What am I, a child? Since when did I get this nervous about boys? No, not boys. It's Warren. Warren I-threw-up-in-front-of-and-fell-asleep-on Graham. I don't get nervous around him and anyway, why would I? I do not wish to mess this up or mess my mind up by overthinking about it. This is all Chloe's fault. I wish she hadn't said anything about it being a date, which is clearly not, and the whole thing is distracting me from the part of the film I'm not supposed to miss. Warren snaps me out of it as he turns his head to the side in my direction. He clears his throat a bit before speaking.
"You know, I wanted…" He stops himself as every shape, every light, everything but the storming sky goes completely dark and the radio turns into white noise. "What the…"
I sit up and rub on the fogged glass at my right. Nothing is visible outside except for the lights of some cars and the distant flashes of lightning. The thick rain doesn't help much either, creating a coat that fades everything into grey.
"Total blackout?" I ask, after checking everywhere is just as dark as it was at my right.
"So it seems." Warren looks beyond disappointed at the turn of events.
"They're probably already working to solve it and it'll be back in no time," I attempt to reassure him and he nods, only a quarter-convinced.
For a few minutes the only sound that keeps playing is that of the rain and sporadic thunder, which is weird since Warren never wastes a chance to fill an awkward silence with even more awkward talk. Right now he just looks deep in thought and I can't help but think that the darkness and the tap of raindrops on the windows would make for a perfect napping setup…
"Now you may have a really hard time keeping me awake," I say half-jokingly, I'm aware my brain is struggling to unplug.
"You just reminded me," Warren starts, suddenly coming back from wherever his mind was. "This one time I was being stupid on a skateboard - I couldn't even stand on it for more than a minute but I hadn't given up trying - and I think I just lost balance or something, but I was going so fucking fast when I fell that I hit my head open. I think I still have a scar somewhere." He scratches the back of his head, his fingers attempting to meet the old mark. "And it was like three in the morning and I had a long way to the hospital, and since I could have a concussion this friend of mine was trying to keep me awake. So we played this game to keep me talking. You ask something personal you want to know about the other person, but they can't ask you the same thing back. And you have to be one hundred percent honest, but you can also be as vague as you want. Finally, the Double Jeopardy Clause applies: you cannot ask about the same thing twice."
"Why so many rules?" I ask as I try to take everything in, it's probably the longest speech I've heard from him in a good while.
"Probably to make my brain work harder and concentrate on staying awake."
"I guess… So basically I should think of things I'd like to know about you but I wouldn't necessarily want you knowing about me?"
"Yeah, basically."
"Hmm… and who was your friend, the one who made it up?"
"Penny."
"And who… I can't ask about her now, can I?"
"Fast learner." He nods, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Now let's see… Childhood crush?"
"Colin Hunter from first grade. He was one of the first to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels. Now I'm actually curious to know yours."
"I think that's the beauty of this game. You shall forever wonder."
"Fine." I roll my eyes and think of something better to ask. "Current crush?"
Warren straightens his back and seems to think carefully before answering.
"Emma Stone."
"Really? Isn't she too mainstream for you?"
"Hey, you're a bigger hipster than I am. She's damn perfect. Plus, freckles."
"Ugh, I've always hated mine." I take my fingertips to my nose as if I could feel the ugly little spots on my skin.
"You can't be serious, they're the best thing about your face," Warren complains in genuine surprise and then shrugs. "I mean, you know, all the coolest chicks have freckles. Mary-Jane… er… Emma Stone…"
"Right. Your turn."
"Alright… first kiss?"
"Well… it wasn't that long ago. It was... With a friend. Under very… peculiar circumstances."
"Such mystery." He scratches his chin.
"You said I could be as vague as I wanted and I'm sticking to it. Worst nickname someone's ever given you?"
"Hmm. Dysentery Graham."
"… What? Okay, I don't wanna hear the story behind that."
"You do well. What's the most badass thing you've ever said to a bully?"
"… Eat shit and die."
"Damn!" A childish laugh escapes his mouth. "Please tell me you said that to Victoria."
"You're breaking your own rules!"
"Hey, I didn't create them. But you're right. Go on."
"Failed childhood dream?"
"I wanted to be an astronaut." He replies. "And I don't mean it like every kid, I would spend hours at the library reading about space and looking at pictures. I would literally stare at different constellations in books all afternoon. Then I got a computer and realized it was much cooler."
"You could still be an astronaut, I meant something that you now know will never be part of your plans."
"And it won't." He simply adds and goes on. "Best friend from childhood?"
"Chloe Price."
"Right… That was a stupid thing to ask. Sorry."
"It's okay. Worst day ever?"
"You do realize how negative all of your questions are, right? November 17th."
"What happened…? Oh, right."
The silly game is driving me crazy. My nosy nature is killing me, I want to know his answers to all those stupid questions, even if they aren't that big, just because they're something he won't be telling me. It goes on for a good while, succeeding in its purpose of keeping me awake and talking through the soothing sound of the rain outside. Then one question catches me off guard.
"If you could travel back in time…" he starts but I cut him short.
"That cannot be a serious question."
"You didn't even let me finish."
"You're supposed to ask personal things, not some hypothetical bullshit."
"But I was going to say…"
"I'll… pass."
By the look on Warren's face, he's not close to giving up.
"You cannot pass," he states, his eyes wide. "And why would you, before even hearing the question?"
"Why would I want to think about that? Time-traveling stories never end well."
"Some do."
"Name one."
"Steins;gate."
"First of all, spoiler alert. And second… it probably doesn't make sense anyway."
"It does actually, but you'll only know that once you watch it. What about Back to the future?"
"That movie does not even try to be realistic. If it were, Marty's family would die or lead an awful life."
"That's basically the plot of Back to the future 2."
"Well I… haven't watched that one yet."
These groundbreaking news distract him from our little argument.
"You what?!" I could have told him I'd murdered kittens and he probably wouldn't be as shocked. "How could… Shit. If I'd known…"
"Fine, fine, I'll let you pick it for our next marathon." I say and he looks sort of pleased. "But only if you ask something different."
He only hesitates for half a second before speaking.
"Why did you come to Blackwell?"
I sigh and buff at the thought of my answer. Maybe I should have stuck to the time-traveling question.
"Because of Mark Jefferson. I stupidly thought of him as the best thing that had happened to this town." I cringe at this and notice Warren looks thoughtful. "What is it?"
"Well it's just… We still don't know how involved he was in everything. I mean, sure, the guy looks shady, but maybe he's not…"
"He's not what?" I almost spit out. I wish I could ignore the crisp image that comes to my mind, that psycho speaking of 'breaking' Kate.
"Maybe he's not as bad as they're making him out to be. You know how rumors work and I just don't want to judge him without…"
"Rumors? Are you kidding me?" My ears have just gone on fire, along with my eyes, my brain, the car, the rain, and everything around me. "The guy's been arrested. What more evidence do you need? Wasn't Nathan, the dark room, the binders, enough?"
I make use of the little sanity I've got left to avoid mentioning Jefferson shooting Chloe and drugging and kidnapping me, among many other things no one will ever hear about. However, judging by the look on Warren's face, I might as well have just said that, since he's staring at me in absolute confusion. He twists his mouth, as if the next words that'll come out of it will only do so after careful examination.
"I'm… Not sure I know what you're talking about."
"Then tell me, what do you know?" I haven't even noticed when my breathing became this heavy.
"Well… I overheard some cops at the Two Whales talking… Nathan's head's pretty messed up so his testimony isn't that reliable."
"But the dark room…" I keep saying, and once again I get that look of tilted-head confusion.
"They found a dark room Nathan mentioned, but it was empty. There's nothing directly linking Mr. Jefferson to Nathan other than his words."
"But…" It takes me a few seconds to digest this information. "Does that mean… He could walk out free?"
"Maybe. Like I said, they don't seem to have much against him."
"That's bullshit." I bite my bottom lip so hard it hurts. The car is feeling smaller and more constricted by the second and the fact that I can't get out without soaking myself to the bone makes it even worse. This isn't supposed to be happening, I was supposed to make everything right. That was the deal… I would lose the most important thing in my life in order to make everything right again. This isn't right at all.
"Why? Do you know something else?" He asks and I don't reply nor look at him. "I mean, it's important if you do…"
Just when Warren's about to say something else, a knock on the window makes us both jump in our seats. There's a man in a yellow raincoat holding an umbrella in one hand and waving at us with the other. I instantly roll the window down and find that, luckily, the rain is not as heavy as it was before.
"Hello there! We're very sorry for the inconvenience but we'll be unable to continue with the show tonight." He speaks loud and clear. "We've been notified there is a total blackout in the area and because of the storm, for safety reasons we must ask all cars to leave the lot."
My mind's still smoking with the idea of said psychopath roaming the streets freely, so I find it hard to pay attention to what he says or what Warren replies.
"We will be screening the same marathon soon again so hold onto your tickets." He adds. He probably thinks my current mood is caused by the change of plans, because I can tell he's trying too hard to be nice. "Or I can tell you how it ends."
"Thanks for the offer, but I think we'll be coming back next time." Warren chuckles and starts the car.
"Good for you. Again, we're very sorry!" The guy waves at us and goes to the next car.
The night is pitch black and getting out of the lot is even harder than getting in. In the dark, the place is a complete maze and it takes us a few turns and fails to find the way out. This time Warren doesn't waste a second to avoid silence, and spends every minute complaining about 'all those angry geeks who can't drive'.
"We should look at the bright side, at least you got to see the first part now. I mean, those other guys had an awful job. Imagine having to tell all the hardcore nerds to leave. And I don't get why we couldn't stay anyway. 'Safety reasons'? Do they think driving like this is safe?" He points to the dark street, only lit up by his and others' car lights. "Driving through space would be easier. Though actually…"
I zone out of whatever he's rambling about and stare out of the window, though there isn't much to look at. I know I shouldn't feel so mad at him. It's not his fault, and probably many others feel the same way. They don't know what I do. I might have felt the same way if I didn't… How had I felt? Just as if he had read my mind, Warren glances at me and puts on a serious face.
"Hey… you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, I just…" I can't think of anything to say, so I go with the truth. "It's too much, you know? I feel like... I feel like I'm fighting ghosts that nobody else can see and… A bit like I'm losing my mind..."
There's a minute of silence as he keeps driving.
"I know, believe me. And I hate to say this, but it probably won't go away for a good while. All you gotta do is not to let it… drawn you. Just follow the natural course of time and eventually it'll get better."
"That's what she said."
"Now how did that come out dirty?"
"No, I meant Chloe," I reply without thinking and get a questioning look from him. "I've been… dreaming of her. At least, I think it's dreams. It must be all in my head, right?"
I expect Warren to stare at me like I'm crazy, but he shrugs.
"Does that really matter?"
"I don't know, does it?"
"Well, it is happening inside your head, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"
I pause for a moment and think of the words he's just said.
"Did you just quote Dumbledore?"
"Hey, that only makes it more truthful."
I start laughing, at first a weak, silly laugh, then a maniacal, full-on serial killer one. It gives me a strange and addictive feeling of relief, and I can't seem to stop. Warren laughs with me - or probably at me - but I think he's a bit scared. When I finally start breathing normally again, I see we're already back in Blackwell. The sight of it cuts any trace of laughter short, and I stare out the window trying to come up with any excuse not to go back to my dorm. I then remember the Coke he had taken from me, and recover it to nurse my throat at the aftermath of my laughing spree.
"I'm sorry for what I said earlier." Warren says out of the blue. "I thought you felt the same way. Kate told me you were so surprised when Jefferson was arrested, you didn't want to believe it."
"Was I?" I ask mechanically. Fucking Substitute Max. "It's just this week… I haven't been quite myself. I… there's some things I can't… recall properly."
Once again I expect him to stare at me like the irrational mess I am, and once again he acts absolutely normal.
"I understand... And then I'm guessing… you don't know about the Nathan thing either, do you?"
"What Nathan thing?"
Warren tries to make himself comfortable in his seat, seeing what he's about to say will most likely make him feel anything but.
"That Sean Prescott has… suggested a few times that Nathan's innocent and that Chloe… shot herself."
The feeling I get in my stomach is so awful I can already taste the bile in my mouth.
The whole idea…
The fact that they would…
Even when I…
How could anyone…
I breathe in deeply and I swallow hard before speaking.
"Warren… I need you to tell me everything. Start from the beginning."
A/N: A FAIR WARNING: I know this is probably not what you expected, but I've got so many things planned for this story. It's gonna be a long one, ergo a slow one. So if you want to stick with me, sit back and relax for the time being.
Sorry for how long this has taken me! It's been so long I've actually been quite anxious about uploading it. Turns out, writing and exams and reading and having a life are not compatible but... who needs a life anyway?
Marcus, your review was better than cheesecake (and I REALLY love cheesecake). Thank you for each of your words, they were just what I needed to read to get this chapter done with! Specially the comment on the pacing. That's one of the things I tend to stress the most about and start doubting myself, so thank you from the bottom of my a-little-bit-less-stressed heart. And for the pressure thing. IT REALLY WORKS. I stayed up that Sunday writing most of the dialogue. I was an absolute zombie on Monday but it was WORTH IT.
Firebird 41 I live for lengthy, detailed reviews, and yours was so nice to read! Already PM'd you :)
As always, I can't thank you all enough for your lovely reviews and messages! Every time I read one, I feel like I could write forever and ever - or you know, at least for a little while.
Oh, and speaking of 'for a little while', if any of you happens to deliver the punchline for Warren's comment, let's be best friends and I'll share my oreo cheesecake with you.