A.N: Alright, this chapter should be more information and less of a filler, although time should move a little quicker from here until school resumes for the characters. Some darker topics may be discussed in this chapter, and if you feel like committing suicide or self-harm, don't. You mean more to people than you realize. I have friends who have gone through or are going through this now, and they mean a lot to me. Anyways, I won't go into details, but you get what I'm saying. Anyways, now we shall journey into the next chapter!
I woke up Monday morning, around 9:15, and completed my morning routine as always. Sunday had been uneventful, mostly working on music, watching TV, thinking about the cul-de-sac, and I went out to the park to hit some baseballs. Other than that, nothing new had happened. I didn't see anyone (thank God), I didn't slice my hand open like Saturday, I didn't spy on anyone, I just had a normal day.
When I got out to the living room, I heard something. A gentle tapping, a familiar sound: rain. I loved rain, and I always loved everything about it. I loved watching it outside, snuggled in a blanket, yet, I also loved being outside in it, getting soaked and having the rain fall upon my beanie. I wished that I wasn't so self-conscious about that scar, because then I would feel the raindrops on my hair and head. I opened the blinds and looked out to see that it was raining gently, and not quite storming. The perfect weather to walk around in. Others hate the rain, they hate walking around in it, getting soaked, but I love it. I can't explain the feeling I get when I do, but it feels right to do so. As I thought about the rain, I thought about how I was planning to go visit Jonny today. It occurred to me that I had actually never come across the cul-de-sac yet. Strange, seeing as how that was where I lived for several years, that it would be the last place I visited. I lived a couple streets over from the cul-de-sac right now, so it wouldn't be a far walk. I decided to walk over to the cul-de-sac after I ate breakfast and check it out.
I ate my cereal, and I was glad I had picked up milk on Saturday, otherwise I would have to eat my cereal dry. After I finished, I went back to my room to put on some clothes to walk in. I chose a long sleeve shirt that I never really liked and put it on over my undershirt. After, I placed on my black hoodie with a red 'Shurk' logo on it. This should keep me warm, I thought, thinking about how cold it would probably be outside. After I did other chores that needed to get done, I got my key and walked outside. I locked up the house, and decided to walk and check out the cul-de-sac. I didn't expect it to change that much, considering I wouldn't think houses could change as fast as people.
The rain had lightened up a bit, and I was a little glad for that, considering the temperature was chilly, to say the least. I was on my porch, and took a step out into the rain. When the drops hit me and my face, I smiled. Normally, I could find the words to describe exactly what was going on, but this was something unique that I couldn't explain. Not many things can do this to me, but this was one of them, and this was one of the things I found great joy in. I started my walk to the cul-de-sac with less fear than I would have on a normal day. I knew that most of the kids in the cul-de-sac wouldn't be out in the rain, as they never liked it, and to them, there wasn't anything to do when it rained. I was the different one, I guess, but I was fine with it.
I walked in the rain, enjoying every second of the splashing of my feet, the sound of rain, the feeling of the water drops. As I walked closer and closer to the cul-de-sac, thoughts came creeping into my head. I knew that if someone recognized me in there, everything would come crashing down. I knew that as soon as someone noticed I was back, the whole cul-de-sac would hear in a minute. My fears were quelled by the rain, and by the lies I could tell them. I knew that it was bound to come out at some point, but I already had lies going so I could cover this up for a little longer. I just didn't know how long.
After a few more minutes, I reached the corner to turn into the cul-de-sac. I could see my old house, the house we sold to family friends. That's why there was never a for sale sign out front, we sold it to our friends and didn't have to go through a real estate agent. That I was glad for, as no one would notice that I was moving. I turned the corner, and slowed my pace. I almost stopped, and looked around, feeling quite nostalgic at the sight of the old cul-de-sac. As expected, nothing seemed to have changed. I didn't see anything that looked like a change, besides the color change on my old house. I walked around, looking at each house without seeming too suspicious. I was walking on enemy territory at this point, and a little fearful for being caught, I picked up my pace ever so slightly. I pointed out Jonny's house, and knew that that was where I was going to have to go later today. As I was nearing the top of the cul-de-sac, I heard something, a door opening,
"Hey!" A female voice shouted. My blood ran cold, and I didn't want to look behind to see who it was. Judging from the direction it came from, it sounded like it came from Ed's house. Oh, god, I hope that's his mom shouting to someone else, I thought as I quickened my pace.
"Hey! You, in the black jacket!" I turned slowly, trying to keep my face hidden as much as I could behind my hood. I look and see who I could only assume was Sarah. I thought the voice sounded familiar. Sarah was wearing a turquoise hoodie, with white edging around the zipper and white hood laces. She had her hood off, with her hair falling down to the middle of her back. She was also wearing what looked to be black leggings, strange for how chilly it was. I could see how much she had changed, and it surprised me. She was no longer the annoying little sister of one of my friends, although she was still little. Even her voice sounded less shrill. As I stood in the rain, looking at how much a familiar face had changed, she looked at me with a strange look, before asking something I almost missed.
"Do you need a ride somewhere?"
"Oh, uh, no. I'm good." I replied, and I started to turn to walk away.
"You looked soaked. Where is your house from here?"
"What's your name?" I retorted, seeing if this was actually Sarah, and not someone else that happened to be at Ed's house.
"I asked my question first."
"And my question is more important." Alright, now we're starting on a little bit of a snarky conversation.
"Well, I won't answer your question until you answer mine." I didn't want to answer her question, as I didn't want her looking for me later.
"Well then, looks like we both won't be getting our questions answered." I looked at her face turn into surprise that I was able to match her response. I turned and started walking away.
"Hold on, let me get an umbrella." Oh, she better not be thinking about coming out here with me, I thought as I heard her close the front door. But just in case, I sprinted across the cul-de-sac, and back onto my own street before she had the chance to come out and talk to me. I made it back inside my own house and took off my shoes. They were soaked after my short escapade to the cul-de-sac and back, and I didn't want to get water on the carpet. Whew, that was close.
After an hour or two of messing around, eating lunch, and planning what to have for dinner, I decided that I should go out and see if Jonny was home. I got my shoes back on and walked outside. I saw that the rain had picked up since I was last out, but that wouldn't bother me. As I've said before, I love the rain.
I walked over to Jonny's house, and I hoped that Sarah wasn't around still. I don't know how she saw I was out in the rain, unless she was looking out of the window at the right time. Either way, I hope that an encounter like that wouldn't happen again. I walked back over to the cul-de-sac and headed to Jonny's house. I wanted to know more, more about what to expect, as school would resume in less than a week. Now that I think of it, I still haven't gotten my schedule. I should check the mail today. Hope it's in there. I walked onto the porch of Jonny's house and knocked on the door. After a few seconds I heard someone walk to the door and open it. Jonny stood in the doorway, wrapped up in a dark blue blanket and wearing some slippers. I wondered for a second if he had just woken up, but then thought that that would be unlikely. He invited me in, and I stepped inside. He told me to sit in the room directly to the left of the entryway after I took off my shoes.
"Do you need anything? A drink, blanket, something to make you comfortable?" Even if it seemed Jonny didn't have a lot of house guests, he sure knew how to be a good host.
"Um, I'll take just a water, thanks."
"Are you sure you don't need alcohol to get through this, Double D?" I looked at him with a little shock, but he added quickly, "Don't worry, I'm just kidding." He walked away to the kitchen and I sat on the couch.
Jonny came back with two glasses of water, and took a seat on the other end of the couch.
"So," I started to ask, "who should start with their other tales first?"
"You know, I didn't hear many stories about you. All I know is that you're back from New York, but I didn't hear much about your life over there. Tell me more."
"Alright, I can tell you some details and some stories. So, when I got over there, I moved into a house around the outer edge of the major city. We got everything moved in, and I did whatever for the next month I was there. Anyways, I made friends, some I'm still friends with, others have come and gone. I got involved with lots of other hobbies, like working on machines and cars every so often. I got involved with urban exploring when I was in freshmen year, when one of my friends got me along with some others involved. Now, at that time, they took us to an abandoned warehouse area that was out in the middle of nowhere. He said that there was no major danger, as there probably wouldn't be anyone in there squatting, but that he would get in a lot of trouble if he was caught with me in the group. He said he might be arrested for endangering a youth. I said I wouldn't get caught, and I didn't."
"After that, I got really interested in urbexing. I tried to go on other explorations, but the real stuff wasn't until a year later. When I could drive in my own, I tried to find places that were abandoned, and in New York, there were many places. I once found an abandoned mall site, and I decided to check that place out. That wasn't my lucky day, though, and the police came up and luckily let me go with a warning. I still haven't been arrested, but I've been warned about three times. I can't wait for the day that I'm actually taken back in a police car and see my parents' reaction. I'm sure they'd freak. Anyways, I think the best was when I got my friend out of being taken back to the station."
"What happened was that me and four other friends went to explore an abandoned bowling alley, but one of our friends brought a knife just in case we ran into anyone. If you don't know, bringing a weapon is a big problem in urbexing, because it goes from trespassing to having a weapon with you, and possibly an intent to harm. At the time, we didn't know he had it, and at some point the cops showed up, and they weren't too happy. They searched our bags, which doesn't normally happen when you're caught. They found the knife in his camera case, and they wanted to get him arrested at this point, but I hopped in and tried to save my friend from his fate."
"My lie went something like this: He wasn't going to use the knife to harm anyone, as it was way too far in his case to take out fast enough to hurt anyone. The cops then suggested that he may have been trying to steal copper, to which I replied that we were only taking pictures and videos, and that we didn't need to steal copper to make money, and that we had jobs at the time. Well, most of us. I didn't have one at the time, but the lie worked in the end. They let us go with a strong warning, and I think they put something on my friends record that says he's been warned about carrying a knife on private property."
"Another thing I've been involved with is music. You knew that I played the pedal steel guitar, right? Well, last year I started to play the guitar, and I've become somewhat good at it. I also make music on my computer, and I really like doing it. It's a lot of fun, and even if I don't get recognized, I don't care. I like making music, but I can't sing for shit, haha!" He chuckled as I laughed, as I knew much better than him how I sang. I'm not the worst, but there are only a few songs that I can actually sing reasonably well. Other than those, I sound horrible, but I've also never sung in front of anyone, so I've never gotten anyone else's opinion.
"Wow, you really have done a lot with your time! I'm happy for you." Jonny said, breaking his silence.
"Thanks, but that's not all I've done. Now, I won't be doing anything right now, but I can breakdance. I learned in my freshman year, and I've been practicing ever since. I'm not sure about any other stories I could tell you about, so I guess you should tell me more about here." I closed, wanting to know more about the place I once knew.
"I can tell you more. Now, do you want to hear about anyone first?"
"Just go with what you want. I heard all of the surprising parts about everyone so far, unless you held some stuff back from me."
"Well, I may have held some things back from you, Double D, but nothing too major, just…slightly surprising." Well, I would count that as surprising, Jonny I thought.
"Alright, let me hear about, Eddy. What kind of trouble has he gotten himself into?"
"Eddy keeps trying to scam people from other schools, but he isn't too successful. He hasn't gotten a job, and he's gotten caught by the police several times. His scams have gotten more complex, but in the end they don't seem to work very well. He manages to make money though, even if he doesn't have a job. From what I know, his parents keep trying to stop him from doing what he does and not end up like his brother. He doesn't listen to them though, and just keeps doing the scams. All of us don't trust him anymore, and Kevin and Marie have bullied him for it, and the rest of us just don't even bother with him. He's just becoming a mess, and all of us think he's gonna end up being jobless and horrible like his brother."
"Ed on the other hand has been doing well with his life. As I told you, he's getting recognized for his art, but he's still looking for a job with a comic series. He's gotten smarter, or at least smarter for him, and he's become friends with May. Eddy didn't like that, but eventually he wondered if he could use her for scams, but she declined, and even if Eddy kept pestering, she wouldn't help him. Ed's got glasses now, and even if he does help Eddy with some scams, Ed himself hasn't gotten in trouble. Ed is starting to stop with the scams, and soon it will just be Eddy. After you left, Eddy's scams just completely fell apart, and didn't work as well. Either way, Ed has become a lot better, and has a lot of friends because of how loveable he is."
"Kevin hasn't changed that much from when you left, he still can be an ass, but I think he's become friendlier, if it is just by a little. Nazz, well, I told you about her. She's more…cynical, I guess. She is meaner, and a lot less accepting of people. I think that she's climbing out of it though, because she's become friendlier to people, although still a little wary of them."
"Jimmy and Sarah started their freshmen years this year, as you already know. They still haven't gotten together, even after everything that they have gone through, and we are all a little upset about that. There isn't much else I can tell you about them, as last time I saw you, I pretty much told you everything."
"There really isn't much to tell you about Double D, I know I must sound like I'm just repeating everything, but there really hasn't been much else to tell you about. There are a few more things, but I don't want to tell you Double D, really, I don't want you to hear some of these things." Jonny's tone caught me off guard, as he actually sounded worried and a little fearful. I didn't want to pry, but I also wanted to hear what it was.
"Alright, I won't pry, but I want to hear. Also, if you don't mind, start calling me Daniel. I don't want you to call me by my nickname and have someone else hear it."
"So, why did you change your name again? I think you've told me, but I just don't remember." I could tell Jonny was trying to change the subject, but I wasn't going to pry. I told him about the fact I didn't want to be associated with this place again, and that I've liked the name Daniel, and said that it would have been the name I would have chosen for myself.
Our conversation turned into a lot of story-telling, about our lives and the lives of others. He told me stories of Eddy getting caught by the police, and I told him more about my explorations and urbexing. He told me about the cul-de-sac, and all of the good and bad memories about it. I told him about my friends and my experience with a new school. I also told him about my experience with girls wanting to go out with me, always giving me looks, but yet managed to never go on an actual date. The reason for that was because I saw that they only liked me for my looks, and didn't care about anything else. I guess I just hated shallow feelings. I felt that I had spent enough time over at his house, and was getting ready to leave.
"Wait, Doub-…Daniel. I should tell you what I haven't said yet." I sat back down and waited for Jonny to elaborate.
"So, there was a rumor going around after you left about how you had…killed yourself. I think I told you about that, but…Marie…now these are only rumors, but, people said that Marie was cutting herself, and some said that she was a little suicidal. Her sisters would always say that she wasn't, but people kept saying that she was. Double D, I don't want you to think that you caused this, ok? I don't want you to think that you caused so many bad things to happen, because you didn't. I personally think it was a good thing that you left, because if you didn't things would be bad, and maybe even worse. Please don't think this was your fault." Jonny's words comforted me, but I knew that Marie was sad because I left. I caused what had happened to Marie. Everyone else I don't know about, but Marie I knew for sure.
"Jonny, thanks, but this whole thing with Marie is my fault. She did like me, and even more, based on what you're telling me. I know I shouldn't feel sad, but it was my fault." I said, knowing that it was indeed my fault.
"Well, you know that she has seemed to gotten over it. You know how she snapped, right?" I nodded my head. "Well, she's kind of become a big bully. She's even feared more than Lee, believe it or not. She is just mean to a lot of people, and has a reputation for being the worst bully on campus at this point."
"I guess that's…nice to hear…" I said, a little confused that she went from being depressed to apparently one of the biggest bullies at Peach Creek High. It was bittersweet to hear how she got over me, and I was glad that she seemed to have gotten over me. After a few more minutes of sitting around, I decided that it was a good time to leave.
"Alright Daniel, be safe. Remember what I told you, you didn't do this, ok?"
"I'll remember. And thanks for calling me Daniel, Jonny." I smiled at him as he opened the door and I walked out.
"Are you sure you don't want an umbrella? It's raining pretty good."
"Nah, I'll be fine Jonny. Thanks anyway." And with that, I walked to my house. I walked across the street to get onto the sidewalk, but as I was heading over to the sidewalk, I heard a door open and close. I didn't think much of it, until I heard hurried footsteps running in my direction. Do I dare turn to see who it is? I thought. Before I could, though, a voice answered me.
"What are you doing out here without an umbrella?" Goddamn it Sarah, why do you have to do this?
"Because I like walking in the rain." I said dryly. I still didn't look at her, but I noticed that the rain falling on my head had stopped, so I assumed that she brought an umbrella with her.
"Huh. So you never answered my question from earlier." I smirked, knowing exactly how to reply.
"And you never answered mine." I heard her sigh, and I grinned a little wider, knowing that she wasn't going to win this battle.
"Fine, my name is Sarah." She replied, and I could tell she was annoyed at how I was able to defeat her in this battle of cleverness and determination.
"Heh, you seem so disappointed to tell me. My name is Daniel, and if you want to know where I live, you can keep following me." I still hadn't faced her at this point, so I didn't know what her face looked like at this point, but I was sure it was one of annoyance.
"So why haven't I seen you around?"
"Oh, I just moved here from New York." I said, wanting to keep my answers short. I was nervous having Sarah right beside me, because she knows me. Or, knew me. Either way, I was going to try to keep myself hidden for as long as I could. I know that as soon as she knew, everyone in the cul-de-sac would know. She isn't the best at keeping secrets, so there was no way in hell I would tell her who I was.
"So then, how do you know Jonny?"
"I became friends with him after I met him when I was riding my bike home." After I said this, I realized that my story was believable. I saw that it could fool almost everyone. Almost. I knew that it wouldn't work on Ed, Eddy or Marie, as they had bonds with me that would be hard to break.
"So, how old are you?" She asked as she walked a little faster to get a look at my face. I reeled back, and while I stopped and looked at her for a quick second, I replied "16" before starting up again and turning onto my street. I walked to my house and walked up the driveway to my door. Sarah, unfortunately, followed me up to my door as I took out my keys.
"Alright, well, I guess I'll see you later." I could hear a hint of disappointment in her voice, but I didn't feel bad for her. I felt bad that she would be walking out in the rain, but the cul-de-sac wasn't a long walk away.
"Thanks" I said quite plainly before shutting the door on her. I was acting rude, but only because I knew that with enough time people would find out. I looked through the peephole to see Sarah with a look of sadness before she went off to the cul-de-sac. I put my back to the door and slid down, sitting down with my knees drawn up to me.
"How the fuck will I keep this a secret?" I said quietly to myself. I didn't know how I was going to do this, eventually people would figure out, and I shuddered at the thought, burying my face into my knees. I could only hope that I could stay low for a while. Little did I know how hard that was actually going to be.
A.N: I know, six chapters, over 20,000 words later, and we still haven't met Marie. Sorry, I'm one for build-up, but the next chapter will be the start of school. So we should at least see Marie in the next chapter if we don't talk to her. Also, Sarah is now involved with this story, so that could make things interesting later. Alright, in the next chapter, school starts up again, and Double D meets a few familiar faces, so I will see you next time! As always, leave a review, as I love reviews.