Different
Chapter Nine: Pizza, then Pain
That night I stayed at Kori's, and went to sleep remembering the feeling of Gar's arms around me.
I smiled into the dark, wishing that I could see him one more time tonight…
You love me but you don't
You love me but you don't
You love me but you don't know me…
Kori and I slept until almost noon (this of course, was the consequence for staying up until 4:30 in the morning). We decided to skip breakfast, and were currently deciding what to do for lunch, when Vic IMed us.
Hey Kor!
Kori took the keyboard from me, and responded, Hello, friend Vic. How are you.
Fine. N u?
Wonderful, friend!
I rolled my eyes. This was going to take forever if Kori kept typing. I snatched the keyboard back from her, and typed, it's Raven. What do u want?
We want to know if you want to come with us for lunch.
I raised my eyebrows to Kori. "Want to go?"
"Yes! I shall see friend Rich, and-" Kori stopped abruptly.
"Everyone else, I know." I finished for her.
15 min? The instant messenger box chinged.
Yes, see you there. I quickly typed back, and was about to exit when a sudden thought came to me.
Hey, Vic, is Gar gonna be there? Before I could erase it, I accidentally sent it.
And could've kicked myself.
Yeah… why? I could almost see Vic saying this, and eyebrow lifted.
No reason.
And then I truly exited before I could make another stupid mistake.
Around fifteen minutes later, Kori and I started walking to Vic's. We walked most of the way in complete silence, content with each other. For a moment, I started humming a tune.
The May weather was truly strange. Today, it was pretty warm. Kori was wearing a peasant skirt, and I black jeans capris. The wind blew our hair around our faces, nearly whipping my hair out of its casual ponytail.
"Hey, Raven!" A voice cried from a few houses down.
"For once, you get my name right!" I yelled back to Gar, who was waving his hand in the air, flagging us over.
"Morning, friends!" Kori said joyfully, clapping her hands together.
"Uh, Kori, it's, like, past noon." Vic informed her.
"Oh. Never mind." She shrugged.
"Hi, Kori." Rich's called from the porch.
"Friend Rich!" Came the delighted reply.
Vic and I rolled our eyes at each other.
"So, Rae, how was your night?" Gar asked, his hands in his pockets.
"Really fun." I was too tiered to care if my grammar was correct, but wondered what Gar meant.
Did he want to know how the dance was, or, did he want to know what Kori and I did after it was over?
At the moment, I didn't care.
"So… how are we getting to the pizza place?" Gar asked, after we had spent about half of an hour standing around and talking about pointless things.
"We could call Alfred and send a driver over."
We all stared at Rich.
Rich shrugged, embarrassed. "Sure, pick on the rich kid."
"We're not picking on you." I started. "We're just not used to things like that."
He still scuffed at the ground, and sent a secret look at Kori.
"We can't drive without a parent. And 'sides even though I am sixteen" Gar said, almost sounding sad.
"What, you can drive?" I asked, slightly jealous.
"My parents have been secretly teaching me for a year. Though I am sixteen, I haven't exactly passed the test yet…" Gar coughed, and embarrassed sound.
Two thoughts went through my head at once. One, He's older than me!, and the other, Gar can DRIVE!
Slightly put out, I added, "Mine's in a bit."
And then, I remembered something.
…I think that they will grow great in power in the next month. Her sixteenth birthday awaits us. We shall show her our expectations of her…
The note. My father. The extent of my powers. What could be in store for me.
I must have stopped breathing, because Gar was suddenly saying, "Raven? Raven? Hey, Rae, are you okay girl?"
"My name is not Rae! It's R-A-V-E-N, RAVEN!" I snapped, but instantly regretting it.
A hurt look momentarily flashed in Gar's eyes. "There was really no need to yell." He mumbled, not looking at me.
"I'm sorry." I breathed, stress suddenly getting to me. "I've… just not been having too good of a day. I shouldn't have snapped at you."
"Okay."
Once again, Gar and I were on shaky ground. This somehow always happened, whether it is a lull in the conversation, or me snapping at him. I hated this. I wanted to get to know him better than I already did.
"Hey, lovebirds! Either you can get a room, or you can start walking with us!"
Vic was going to die.
We stopped outside of Piccolo's Pizza, and searched our pockets for money. Gar came up with a fistful of dollar bills, Vic found a sack of coins, Rich, a credit card, and Kori had brought her wallet.
I wasn't finding any green too fast.
"C'mon, it's in here somewhere…" I murmured to myself, almost frantically pulling at my pockets. "Please, let it be in there…"
I nervously tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and went back to searching my pockets again.
"No!"
"Raven, are you okay?" Gar asked, sending me a concerned look.
"I don't have any money!" I practically wailed, grabbing the end of my ponytail and tugging on it.
"S'okay, Raven, it's on me." Gar said nonchalantly.
"Oh, I love you, Gar."
What… what… what..?
Gar seemed to falter. "You love me?" He said, almost teasingly.
Vic "ooh-ed", and Rich elbowed him in the ribs.
"'Course I do." I grinned back in reply.
Flirting. You're flirting with Gar.
What was this? A single dance- a dance with Gar- can make me act like this? One night is it takes?
We walked into Piccolo's Pizza, chatting loudly. We were seated by the hostess (this place was a casual Italian diner), and we took drink orders.
The order of the seats went like this. We had gotten a booth table. Kori was seated in the middle of Rich and I. On the other side, Gar sat across from me, with Vic across from Kori.
"Alright," Rich began, "What kind of pizza should we get?"
This, we were about to discover, was the most dangerous question to ask us.
"Veggie!"
"No way! Meat all the way!"
"How about peppers and onion?"
"Please, friends, the pizza with the adorable little fishes on them!"
The babble immediately stopped, and we all turned to stare at Kori.
"Anchovies? Anchovies? Kori, are you insane?" Vic asked incredulously.
"No, friends," Kori mumbled, embarrassed, "I just enjoy the taste of those little fishes."
Even I added, "Kori, I'm sorry, but there's no way we're putting seafood on our pizza."
"Oh."
"Well, I think it's a great idea!" Rich added stupidly, sticking up for Kori.
We snorted. "Yeah."
"How about veggie pizza?" Gar asked, pointing at a selection.
"No freakin' way, Gar." Vic jabbed him in the ribs. "If we're getting any toppings, it's gonna bedelicious, juicy chunks of meat!"
You could almost see the tears of joy streaming from Vic's eyes.
The talking increased, louder by the sentence.
It wore on my nerves.
It wore on my concentration.
It wore on my brain and created grooves in there.
It was really gettingannoying.
"ENOUGH!" I shouted, loud enough to shut all of them up and stop all conversation in the diner.
They blinked, surprised.
"Individual pizzas," I breathed dangerous. "Ever heard of them?"
"Okay, Rae." Gar nodded quickly, the first to agree with me.
"Thank you, and don't call me Rae."
"Sure, Ven." Gar grinned ridiculously.
The decision for individual pizzas did not stop Vic from gagging when Gar ordered the vegan's special, complete with soy cheese and broccoli. It also did not stop Gar from crying out in outrage when Vic ordered the Meat Deluxe.
None of us stopped from groaning when Kori ordered extra anchovies, mushrooms, and mustard.
As our orders were being brought out, we discussed school and other various things. I talked, truly enjoying myself. But when the pizzas were brought out…
"Don't eat them." Vic advised, watching the billows of steam rise to the ceiling.
"No, ya think?" Gar shot back sarcastically, blowing the paper wrapping off the straw and into my face.
"You're dead!" I playfully said, grabbing my spoon and flinging ice at him.
I completely missed and hit Vic instead. This caused Vic to grin devilishly, and he kicked me under the table.
"Damn, Vic," My shin smarted, and I rubbed it, "You kick really hard."
"I am on the football team, you know."
"Well, congratulations."
Kori poked her pizza with her finger, and quickly withdrew it. "Yes friends, it is most certainly steamy hot."
She popped her finger in her mouth to cool it off.
Click.
"What was that?" I asked, looking around.
Vic had his cell phone out, and then burst into hysterical laughter.
I arched an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"
He wiped tears from his eyes, and said, "Get a load of these."
He tossed me the cell.
I found a picture of a sleeping Rich, with his mouth hanging open, a cookie stuffed in it. I turned to another, and Gar had doodles drawn all over his face.
Kori leaned over my shoulder, and giggled at the picture of Vic in a dress.
"You make a very pretty girl, Vic." I said teasingly.
"Yeah-" Vic stared, and then caught on "Wait, who took that picture!" He turned to Gar, and growled, "You little grass stain!"
As Vic put Gar in a headlock, he stuffed napkins in his ears and hung a spoon off of his nose.
I reacted quickly, snapping a picture.
The flash washed over them, surprising them both.
"Oh, no." Gar started, and leaned across the table, attempting to snatch the phone out of my hands, "I don't like that picture."
I held it out of his reach.
"Too bad." I told him, and handed the phone to Kori.
"Ooh, look at this one, friends!" Kori squealed, and it was of Vic and Gar doing the funky chicken.
Vic glared at Rich. "I knew I shouldn't have given you the phone."
Rich smiled widely, and reached for the pizza. "I'd think it'd be cool enough now."
We all agreed, and got to eating.
Let's just say that we were a tad bit loud.
And, on top of that, very, very much enjoying the sugary caffeine-filled drinks.
"Okay, then get this," Gar said, tears streaming from his eyes, "I don't notice he was in the room the whole time!"
We burst out into hysterical laughter.
"Oh, my God." I choked out between the laughs, wiping my eyes. "Gar, you… you poor…"
"Hey, hey, everyone, I have a joke!" Vic exclaimed.
He took a deep, calming breath, and said, "Two guys walk into a bar. The third one ducks."
Kori immediately burst out into hysterical laughter. After a minute, so did we.
"That... that..." Rich tried, "That was the greatest thing I've ever heard!"
A few jokes later, we were all rolling in stiches.
By now, any word, even lamination (which I wasn't sure if it even existed), would send me into hysterics.
"I think," Kori started to say, but was caught up in giggles, "I think that we should be leaving soon."
"Probably." I took a few deep breaths to calm myself, and flagged over a waiter for the check.
The boys insisted on paying for everything. Kori and I just sat there, smiling guiltily and saying that it wasn't necessary, we'd pay them back.
They shook their heads, stiffly throwing dollar bills on the table.
"You're girls." Vic's said, "We're supposed to pay for you."
"Whatever," I sighed, lifting my hands slightly up in the air.
I yawned suddenly.
"What, are you tiered, Raven?" Gar asked, slightly teasingly.
"Of course not, Gar." I replied somewhat sarcastically.
"Alright," Rich said, ever the leader, "Let's go."
For the rest of the day, we all invaded the community park, scared the little kid out of their wits, and played "Extreme Frisbee".
Rich did call for a driver on our way home, and Bonnie picked us up. We piled into the limo, faces flushed, grass-stained, and fingers freezing.
"Well." Gar stated, pushing his hair back, casually, with one hand, "That was quite fun."
"Definitely," I agreed.
I let out a little breath of air and flopped against the back of the seat. If my calculations were right, my father wouldn't be home until later tonight.
That was, unless he got an earlier flight…
Vic was dropped off first, and then Kori. The conversation dwindled off as only Gar, Rich and I were left. I knew that I was going to be dropped off next, and I kept my eyes trained for my father's car.
Thank the Lord it wasn't there.
"Thanks," I started to close the car door, but was cut off by Bonnie.
"Honey, I don't think anyone's home." She leaned over the steering wheel, and tried to see inside the house.
"It's okay." I kept a smile on my face, and jingled my keys. "I've got a key."
"All right…" Bonnie trailed off, probably feeling guilty about leaving me home alone.
"No honestly, my father will be home in a half hour." I kept my hand on the still open door, and saw Gar's face.
Utter disbelief and shock. A confused look came over it, too.
And then it hit me. Last night I had told him my father wasn't really going to be home until nine at night.
I sent him a death glare, begging him to keep his mouth shut.
He shrugged, and looked at me suspiciously.
"Okay, then." Bonnie seemed much happier.
I finally shut the door, and walked up the front path. I shoved my keys in the lock, turned it, and let myself in. I flicked the porch light on and off a few time to let Bonnie know that I was safely inside.
I turned around and re-locked the door.
As soon as I stepped into the living room, I knew something was wrong.
There were bottles of Corona lying on the coffee table, and the hum of the refrigerator indicated that it was open.
A thrum of fear started to pound in my heart.
Oh, no… not now…
My worst fears were confirmed when I saw his silver car in the backyard.
Heavy footsteps came from behind me.
My blood froze in my veins.
I knew I couldn't escape it anymore.
I can no longer play these dangerous games.
It starts out as a deadly calm
And then escalates into screaming
As the blows rain down
The mourning birds begin their keening
I run faster through a twisting labyrinth
Of pictures and vases
Yet he catches up with me
And tries to make me silent
My soul floats by on broken wings
My fragmented memory lies in shattered pieces
Has it been this bad before?
A sleepless night follows…
When the morning's rays lay upon me
My arm gave a sudden spasm and I clenched my teeth in pain.
It is currently 2:30am, and I am lying under my covers with a flashlight, icepacks, and some aspirin.
Tonight was the worst beating of my life thus far.
I… I was so scared. This time, I ran and ran and ran and ran and… couldn't escape.
As I watched a blow land on my shoulder, I thought of today. And my friends. I could see Vic fighting with Slade, the football player that he was… and I could see Kori running to find the neighbor's phone to use. And Rich would be backing Vic up.
I could see Gar in front of me, defending me with all his worth and power.
A slap brings me flying back to reality.
Reality is pain… pain is real.
Fantasies can't save you…
Fantasies can't save you
And lying can save you from death.
But can you hide from Karma?
Or an angel's wrath?
Pain can be a waking call
Relieving you of things you don't want to know.
Is suicide truly a sin-
This I don't know.
Knives are sharp
Pills are mostly round
Questions in my head
Give me reason to want to drown-
Out these conflicting feelings
And crumble from within
Only you, my love can save me
Don't let me fade away……
Monday, I walked in a half-daze, dulled by lack of sleep and occasional shooting pain.
My hair wasn't washed, and I lazily pushed it back behind my ears. My make-up was fine, but my eyes were so tiered and heavy-lidded that I felt like lying down on the floor and sleeping until lunch time.
At least my sweatshirt was warm… I burrowed deeper into it, absolutely freezing.
A familiar form had its back to me towards the end of the hallway. I recognized him.
Gar.
"Mornin' Raven." He spun around to face me, and raised an arm in greeting.
I sent him a half-hearted glare.
Yawning, I mumbled, "Too early."
"Rough night?"
Somewhere, deep inside of me, pain and anger all at once. I felt my breath catch in my throat momentarily, and I merely smiled.
"Yeah, you could say that." I mumbled darkly.
He grinned, and leaned up against his locker. "Well, I'll see you at lunch."
"Sure."
We stood there for a minute, not taking our eyes off of each other, and his grin not fading a bit.
How long were we going to stare at each other?
He shook himself out of a reverie, and went to adjust his books in his arms.
"See ya." He grabbed my shoulder, a friendly gesture…
But I cried out in pain…
"Raven!" He exclaimed suddenly, letting go instantly.
Completely surprised, I felt tears coming in my eyes.
"I'm fine." I gasped, wiping tears from my eyes. I saw his uncertain, guilty glance, and I added, "Seriously. I'm fine, Gar. I'm fine…"
His eyes saddened, and he said, "Okay. I'm… sorry?"
I nodded, and started to cross the hallway to open my locker.
I could almost swear I heard him say,
"But you're not, Rae. You're not…"
Reviewer Responses:
ILUVBBRAE: ME GUSTA MUSICA! (wo0t, Spanish II)I dunno about your favorite pairing. Lemme guess: Rob/Rae?
Pozest-Illusion: 0o… okay… I won't ask.
Spirit-of-the-Lupine: Sorry… I was kind of running out of space. You'll get the introduction you deserve in the next DCC chapter- Raven's Sweet Sixteen!
Jimmy the Gothic Egg: Denial… is so much fun. (Except when you're in it yourself) And it's definitely not finished yet. Just like Broken. Where's of Living Lives and Surviving High School!
blackmagic111090: Holy crap, has it been that long since I've updated?
soaring-bright-flame: -is completely flattered- Well, thanks… I had no idea that you'd love that much.
The Last: Hey, friend! And email buddy! And rant buddy! And advice buddy!
Well, it's been… two months? –hides from wrath- You KNOW what's been plaguing my head lately! And WHO!
Not that it should interrupt my limited writing schedule, but still.
Yaa: You know I try…
Darkest Midnight: -backs away- Why are the hypothetical? And I will update… eventually!
The Hidden Girl: First paragraph: THANKS! I know, everyone loves Jo. So much so, that I'm considering using her in a real story of mine. As the main character. And you know, I just couldn't throw everything at you at once. I had to add stuff gradually, like the herbal tea addiction.
And Slade, yes I know, we all hate him. So much. But, he was there for a reason in chapter eight. You'll see why.
I know Jo rocks!
Yes, Kori and Amanda are in the same grade. And hey, this goes out to everyone: Anything that looks like it could have a plotline developed off of it, or it could turn into something more, probably will.
And thanks. Looking forward to yours, too.
Martson: Wow. I love your review. Thanks so much for all the "angle-pointing-outness" (PROOFS! GEOMETRIC PROOFS!), and your general reviewingness. Man, do I need some sugar…
Sangofanatic: I know, poor Raven. But, poor, poor Raven in the next few chapters…
EveningCatMoon: Oh, really? How about… Band? For three hours and it's twice a week? And then all-day-long competitions on Saturdays, and mandatory football games (because I'm in the band) on Fridays? Oh, and let's not forget the joys of homework. And Youth Choir. That too.
But thanks for liking it, anyway…
Xox.AnniePotter.xox: -laughs- So I'll just pester YOU. Where's more of My Shining Star, huh? –hugs- Thanks anyway. You rock too. The dance wouldn't have been the same without you.
iamhollywood: Ooh. –blushes- You're too sweet.
iforgetmyname: Um… sorry, but your character isn't in it yet. But it will be, okay? And thanks for liking it!
broken.ballerina: -twirls in a circle- Cool. I sure will. And you keep reading!
only-getting-darker: -raises eyebrow- Suuure… but I'll try. You'll see. Keep looking, 'cuz I'll do it someday. I will. I'm serious.
This, my friend, will get you to read every chapter.
Tritium: BOOYAH RIGHT BACK ATCHA!
Coeus: As I'm going to put on my profile someday soon, "Think you've read it before? Well, you've never read my version." And thanks so much for reading what could be an overused plot line. Thanks so, so much…
AURORA: Nope, as I said, it's not the end. You'll know if it's the end by the explosive ending…
TerraTitan27: Dreams always do come true… as long as you work at it, give it your all, and as the sweat is pouring down your back… whoa, sorry. Went all Comp-Band pep talk on this response… but you get what I mean.
starlit moonshadow: -bounces- I dunno. But it's very possible to get hyper from sugar. Do you like sugar? I do. Sugar rocks. Like my story. And like my reviewers.
Angel in the Shadows: Cool. Thanks. ;)
Gizmo-Bunny: BBRAE ADDICTS UNITE! Wo0t! Cool, many people like I Never. But never, ever play it with a bunch on high school band kids. We've got our minds so incredibly deep in the gutter (mine included) it's not really funny…
As Robin (the colorguard advisoress) said, "There's a reason why the band is known for throwing the best parties…"
Rae-n-BB-4-evr: -bows- thank you, thank you.
DarkSoulEmpress: Of COURSE I'll be your friend. –drags new friend over to computer- Do you like it? Huh? Huh?
animegoddess12345: THANKS!
moo: -hugs to death- You've reviewed, like, every single one of my chapters. I SO look forward to your reviews. Awesome. Favorite songs, shippy moments, and it was cool! Thanks! –hugs again-
onyx-worrystone: Ooh, thanks for the Oreos. –munches on said cookie- Cool. Hope you keep reading.
Sarah1281: You'll see. You'll see. Love is dangerous right? And love hurts. So many outcomes… what do you make of it. (PLOTLINE ALERT. PLOTLINE ALERT.)
TEENTITANS32194: Hurry to update isn't in my vocabulary lately. High school is… is… and then there's band competitions on Saturdays, and football games on Fridays… But I'll try.
DreamerGirl02: 2:19am? To read my story? –falls over in disbelief- You don't want me to finish it soon though. Trust me. The ending would be so crappy. I've got so much for this story… -cackles maniacally-
romancejunkie: Thanks so much!
gothicgoddess14: YAY! You reviewed! Did I tell you that I can't get enough of your stories… and that I'm immensely happy that you're reading mine:D
And now, some announcements:
The poetry's back! And I've written some honest-to-goodness poetry- MY poetry that I'm going to use… because it fits so well…
I'm very, very busy. I'm so sorry if I don't update as much as I usually did. But I'm trying- I really am. I swear. You can ask The Last, or Katie. Or my fingers… -massages the said appendages-
SO THANKS SO MUCH!
Wish us luck at our competitions- and to not miss first place by .15 this time (and then wind up with third)!
Review- it'll so make my day.