Chapter Five 'Friend meet friend'
"Hey chief-man!" Chirped Gar bursting into the kitchen and leaning against the side of the counter. "Can you get me Rachel's tea stuff? And is there any soda around here?" He asked glancing around the kitchen.
The chief looked up at him from the food he was perfecting…or at least trying to. "Yes, I'll get Miss Rachel's tea; you can help yourself to the soda in the back. Just let me finish my crème brulee and I'll fix up her herbal tea," He answered softly. "Just make sure to be quiet because one little sound will-."
"Gotcha!" Said Gar giving him a thumbs up and heading into the back room. It wasn't very hard to find the refrigerator, it was the biggest appliance in the room, probably one of the biggest refrigerators Gar had ever seen. The teen stared up at it in awe. "Dude, I could fit a years supply of tofu in this thing," He whispered to himself.
"Man, no way, why would you possibly want to fit a years supply of tofu in something that was obviously made for a supply of meat. You're crazy buddy," Teased the unmistakable voice of Vic from behind him.
Gar quickly spun around to see his mechanical friend standing on the other side of the room with his arms folded across his chest. "Vic! What're you doing down here?" He asked sending his friend a smile.
"Came down for a sandwich," Vic Stated. "Mega monkeys 5 for four hours straight makes you work up an appetite, ya know? What about you?" He asked.
Gar pointed to the refrigerator. "Just getting something to drink, and bringing some tea back to Rachel. I figured it'd cheer her up a bit," Answered Gar laughing almost nervously.
Vic raised an eyebrow at him as he walked past him pulling open the refrigerator's door. "Rachel…Roth?" He asked. "She's been depressed and moody sense she first came here two years ago, or so I've heard. You're trying to cheer her up?" He asked pulling out two cans of soda and throwing one at Gar, which he caught due to reflexes.
Gar shrugged. "She's not so bad really," Said Gar. "I think deep down inside she's actually someone I could-."
"Oh. My. God. Oh my God!" Yelled Vic excitedly. "You like Rachel, as in you like, like Rachel!"
Gar could hear a loud scream come from the kitchen; he assumed that Vic's scream had killed the crème brulee. "Uh Vic…lay off whatever you're on because Rae's just a friend. Seriously, she's actually nice when you get to know her."
"You have a pet name for her?" Asked Vic taking a swig of his soda and smiling at him knowingly.
"Dude! No way!" Yelled Gar. "She hates when I call her Rae it's just…I mean it's a way to annoy her…I-I mean-."
Vic laughed at him and shook his head. "Sure, whatever you say. So I guess you're talking to her about her whole relapse thing?" He asked.
Gar looked up at his mechanical friend in slight awe. "How'd-when did-how do you know about that?" He asked quickly.
"The whole place knows about it," Answered Vic shrugging. "Well, maybe not the whole place but most of us on the second floor."
"Oh," Said Gar quietly. "Well, she doesn't really like talking to people but I think deep down she does want to get better."
"Did you find out what's wrong with her anyway?" Asked Vic curiously.
Gar opened his mouth to speak but he wasn't sure what to say, he couldn't exactly tell Vic what was wrong with Rachel. That would be betraying her trust and Gar didn't want to do that after he finally got her to open up to him. "She…she won't tell anyone, but I'm working on it," He said laughing a bit before walking past Vic and back into the kitchen where Rachel's tea was waiting on the counter.
"Well, if you're getting to be such good friends I'm sure you'll find out soon." Vic watched as Gar picked up the tea in once hand being very cautious not to spill it.
Gar sent him a large smile and nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure I will." He paused for a minute before looking at Vic and smiling slyly. "Ya know, maybe I could prove to you that she's not so bad," He suggested. "You could come back with me maybe, she might not mind too much."
Vic looked at the boy as if he'd just grown an extra eyeball. "Are you kidding? She'll probably throw me out the window or something."
"So, she's on the first floor right now anyway," Said Gar shrugging. "Come on, you of all people know what it's like to not have a friend."
"You're trying to guilt me into this aren't you?" Asked Vic narrowing his eyebrows at him.
"Uh, yes," Answered Gar nervously.
Vic groaned and chugged the rest of his soda before tossing it into the recycling bin and turning to Gar. "Fine, I'll meet Rachel and try to not get thrown out a window by her."
"Great!" Exclaimed Gar. "Then just follow me and don't worry I'm sure she'll be fine."
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"No. Way. In. Hell," Snapped Rachel glaring up at Gar menacingly.
"Come on Rachel, it's just Vic!" Complained Gar. "He's a friend of mine and he's willing to be nice to you, don't make me keep him out in the hallway the whole time."
Rachel's glare deepened. "I don't want people to feel sorry for me. How many times do I need to tell you this before you get it through your thick head?" She hissed.
"He doesn't feel sorry for you, he doesn't even know what's wrong with you, he's just trying to be nice," Said Gar folding his arms across his chest defensively.
"He'll see my arms, he'll know," Answered Rachel.
Gar stroked his chin thoughtfully before a grin spread across his face and before Rachel could speak he quickly whipped his sweatshirt off and threw it at her. "Put that on."
Rachel plucked it up with her thumb and index finger as if the piece of clothing was a disease. "It smells like old tofu," She stated in a deadpanned monotone.
"Please just put it on, it's either that or Vic finds out about-."
"Fine," Rachel said letting out a small groan before pulling the sweatshirt over her head, pulling the hood up and resuming her normal appearance.
Gar gave her a thumbs up. "All right so can I go get Vic now?" He asked.
"If you must," She said picking up the tea that Gar had set beside her bed and taking a small sip of it.
Gar grinned and quickly pulled open the door only to find Vic standing by the desk talking to Nurse Bee about something. He raised an eyebrow at this and cleared his throat loudly causing Vic to spin around and let out a slightly nervous laugh. "Uh, you can come in, she said it's fine."
Vic seemed surprised by this. "Really? She's not going to hurt me or anything right?" He asked.
Gar shook his head and retreated back into the room watching Rachel glare daggers at him. "What'd I do?" Asked Gar.
"I wish you wouldn't try to force your friends on me," She said slight annoyance in her voice.
"I'm not forcing them on you," Said Gar rolling his eyes and turning his head to see Vic slip in the room shutting the door behind him.
"Whatever," Said Rachel in a deadpan monotone voice. "You're Victor I take it?"
Vic looked at the dark girl sitting on the hospital bed and did his best to be cheerful. "That'd be me, and you're Rachel," He stated. "Gar's told me all about you."
Gar quickly jabbed Vic in the side letting out a slight yelp at the contact with the medal. "Not everything, nothing much really, just ya know…the basic stuff," Gar stuttered hoping Rachel wouldn't lash out at him thinking he'd told her secret.
"Ah, yeah what he said," Said Vic a small smirk playing on his face.
Rachel looked from Gar to Vic slightly confused. "Okay…So Gar brought you here why exactly?" She asked.
"I dunno you needed more friends I-oh, no wait that came out wrong!" Exclaimed Vic holding his hands out in defense. "What I mean is that you seem like you could use a friend…no that came out wrong too. I mean…we all need friends here right? It would be hell going through everything alone right?" He asked nervously.
"Smooth," Said Gar under his breath.
"Hmm, sure," Said Rachel sighing.
An awkward silence passed through the room as the three just stood/sat there looking around the room.
"Okay…so this was nice," Said Vic breaking the silence after a minute or two. "But I guess I should be getting back to my room…you know the nurses don't like us roaming around randomly and all." He chuckled lightly moving towards the door. "I'll uh see ya around Rachel, later Gar." And with that Vic was gone.
"Dude!" Whined Gar. "What was that about? I thought you said you'd at least try to be nice to him."
"I was nice to him; you didn't see me kick him out did you? No, and you didn't see me harm him in any way did you? No," Answered Rachel in a dull voice.
Gar sighed seeming slightly annoyed, "Fine, but I don't see how you're going to let me help you if you can't even talk to my friends."
Rachel's glare she was holding on the boy softened and she sighed pulling the hood of the sweatshirt down. "If you haven't noticed Garfield, I have some trust issues," She stated slightly sarcastically.
"Yeah I know…but I don't know this may sound weird and you'll probably deny it but right now you seem kind of different. Almost…I dunno a little vulnerable," Gar said timidly.
"I'm surprised you even know what that word means," Said Rachel, a small smile forming on her lips.
"Come on Rae give me some credit," Said Gar trying to hide his shock that he had just seen Rachel kind of smile.
Rachel quickly pushed the smile off her face. "Rachel, my name is Rachel."
"Yeah, yeah, got it Rachel, sorry," He replied scooting closer to the bed. "But seriously, why do you hide yourself?" Asked Gar.
"Under my hood? I don't know I-."
"No," Answered Gar quickly taking a seat in the chair beside the bed. "I mean why do you hide your emotions so much. Everyone here thinks you're so cold and heartless."
Rachel looked taken back for a moment but quickly covered up her expression with a sigh and a shake of the head. "I've always been that way, it's nothing I can stop now." Gar saw a flicker of sadness in the girl's eyes as she said this and he slowly reached out to her hand again.
"You're not a very good liar, because I can tell that you want to show emotion. Heck, I've seen you show emotion before! You've gotten mad at me, you've seemed kinda sad before, and-."
"Stop," Said Rachel. "You're right, kind of. But I haven't acted on those emotions in such a long time and no one even knows about that. It doesn't matter anyway," She mumbled jerking her hands away from him. "Two weeks later everything will be back to the way it was."
"No!" Snapped Gar, causing Rachel to flinch a bit. "You're not going to be able to get out of this place if you don't believe you can get better."
Rachel rolled her eyes at him. "Isn't your time up soon?" She asked sounding very annoyed.
Gar groaned and looked up towards the clock that indeed stated he had been there for at least forty minutes. "Yeah…I guess so. But just promise me you'll try to get used to the idea of stopping your habit?" He asked meekly. "Please?"
Rachel nodded. "Fine, I'll try, if that helps you."
"Good!" Said Gar smiling brightly at her and bouncing up from the chair and towards the door.
"Wait!" Rachel called after him.
Gar turned to look at her smirking. "Yes?" He asked.
Rachel pointed down to his sweatshirt that she was wearing. "I think you might want this back," She stated.
Gar laughed. "Keep it for now; I'm sure you'll want to use the hood when the nurses come in right?" He asked.
Rachel did her best not to smile at this comment. "Yeah, I-um thank you."
"No, problem Rachel!" Said Gar happily. "I'll see you tomorrow!" And with that he scurried out the door and down the hallway heading to Kori's room.
Gar couldn't comprehend the feelings that were welling up inside of him as he left Rachel in the hospital wing, all he knew was that he had a bad feeling he wasn't going to be able to push them aside.
End chapter five!
Lookie who finally updated her story!!!!
I know I knowww…and before you all attack me for having to wait so long I'm just going to blame it on school work. ((mainly Spanish and geometry)) BUUUTTTT!! I have a four day weekend this week and you'll be happy to know that I'm planning on working on the next chappie then! Sooo review me? Pleasee. makes sad puppy dog face
Xoxo--Gothic goddess 14