I wake up to a hard tap on the window, and I twist my head around to see Duncan, looking at me and laughing. I climb out of bed, and slip my shoes on quietly. I look around, trying to hear or see if anyone's up – no, I'm safe. I slowly open the window and climb out.
"Hey, Princess," Duncan starts, and I expect him to come up with some offensive comment about me, so I wait patiently for it to come. He realises what I'm waiting for, although it takes him a few seconds to catch on. "I'm all out," he explains.
"Really? Already?" I say, slightly taken aback.
"Yeah, well, like, half of them were about you going out me with someday, so I had to dump all those ones. And it doesn't really work that well to say you're a goody-two shoes when you're coming out with me at nights, so yeah, Princess. Duncan's all out." I manage to laugh at this – though I don't really feel like laughing.
We jump from the tree, (well, he does. I get down properly) and walk slowly into the centre of town. There's an awkward silence between the two of us, and I can't think of anything in particular to say to him.
"They're out of juvie. I found out earlier. I should've told you," Duncan immediately splutters. It takes me a moment to realise who they're talking about. Last spring, I was kidnapped by them when I and Duncan were out. I feel like turning and rushing back to my house while shouting at Duncan in anger. But my throat is dry, and my legs feel like jelly. Not that I like jelly. Especially not green jelly.
And there's this sickening feeling I instantly feel inside – not like I'm actually going to be sick, but just that I'm not right.
"It ain't that bad, really," Duncan says. I feel like screaming – it was bad, it was bad, it was terrible, I say over and over to myself again. But I can't find words to explain any of it. 'It isn't that good' doesn't work. He should have told me. Part of me feels surprised he didn't tell me – I was with him that night after all. No – that's a lie. He was with the others first.
"Oh," I reply, shakily. I instantly regret saying this – it makes me look like I don't care when I really do. I don't want to go back. I don't want to go back to any of it – how I and Duncan became close, and how we actually learnt to like each other because we only became close from the worst things. In the summer, I actually thought we might go somewhere with it all. Make it somewhere with the relationship.
I realise I've been too quiet for too long. "Do you still want to come?" Duncan says impatiently.
"Sure," I say, once again – instantly regretting it again. I'm such an idiot sometimes. He grins, and then continues to walk into the centre, with me tagging along behind him.
When we make it to the centre, as usual, all the shops are closed, locks around some of their doors and entrances (although, it's mostly the really expensive jewellery places that have these) and signs that say 'CLOSED' are easily visible through the windows. I see Duncan looking around, looking into some shops windows and slowly observing what they have in them. He finally stops at a video-game store and signals for me to come over. "Of course," Duncan says, looking in and grinning, "video-games – a boy's best friend. You know – like dogs are a man's best friend, diamonds are a woman's best friend…"
"Yeah, I get it. 'Outside a dog, a book is a man's best friend, inside a dog; it's too dark to read.'" He had been picking the lock for the past minute are so, kneeling, but he stops to look at me when he hears me say it. "That's the corniest thing I've ever heard."
"I never said it was funny," I reply, grumpily. "And it's not that bad. It's rather good, I think."
"That's because you don't get real humor." He pauses for a moment, and looks around. "Too silent."
"What?" I ask.
"Here. It's too silent. We should get out of here," he says, breathlessly, rising to his feet.
"What do you mean by too silent?" I ask, but he's already dashing away. Something's wrong.
I have to go full speed to catch up with him, but he's already faster than me. My legs feel sore, and I'm barely running. Something's wrong.
"HIDE!" he screams at me. I'm stunned in the moment, but I quickly hide in a nearby alley behind a ginormous bin. I see him cut a corner, him still running quickly, and then I see it.
They're here. I curse under my breath. I barely say the words, scared that they might hear me. I want to close my eyes and look away, but I know I can't. What'll happen to Duncan if I do?
I remember the time I was kidnapped, how I gave myself up, hoping Duncan would just make it away safely. And he's doing the same for me now, I think, this being the first time the thought surfaces in my mind. I hear voices, but I can't make out the conversation that well. I hear Duncan laugh and say something like 'I'm not rude, I just speak what everyone else hasn't got the guts to say.' Part of me wants to slap him in the face for saying something like that to them, and I probably would if I wasn't so scared. I hear screams and shouting, and then footsteps, but they seem to be walking away. I stay there for about five minutes, and then slowly raise my head above the bin. I look around, but I can't see anyone.
"DUNCAN?!" I scream, panicking. "DUNCAN!" I jog around the place, looking for him. I feel terrible, like I'm going to break-down. And I am.
He's gone. Duncan's gone.
I start to make my way home, still saying 'Duncan!' but quieter. He's gone. He's really gone. I start to cry as I come up to my house and pull myself up the tree. I slowly slip into my room, and I slouch against the wall, slipping down from it slowly.
This is what he went through, I remind myself. He survived, and he wasn't scared, I try to tell myself. But he was Duncan, I think, and I'm not Duncan. I'm Courtney. I'm the goody-two shoes. The person who spends her free time studying. It takes me a while to bring myself to the fact that he isn't here. He's gone. For how long, I don't know, but for now, he's gone.
A/N – I AM SO SORRY! I had big test results this week, and I was celebrating tons, and I completely forgot about FF. And so, I'm going try to publish as much as I possibly can over the weekend to make it up to you.
Duncan's gone. I didn't plan that. It's just I wanted to imagine Courtney as the hero instead of Duncan, because it seems more fun to make Courtney heroic. And I thought it would be nice – the whole Duncan saves Courtney, Courtney saves Duncan.