This update is shorter than most because I wanted to end it on a certain note and there wasn't much else to fit in before that point. Read on to find out what I mean. *grins evilly*
The following week went by slower than quicksand. No other point in their lives had ever slipped by at such a pace. It was ridiculous. Through it all neither did anything more to help their situations. Courtney ignored Duncan as much as he ignored her. They only gave passing glances to each other to try and gauge just how tortured the other was. It didn't help.
Courtney felt bad, really. She wanted to help him somehow, but she couldn't think of anything she could do that wouldn't screw things up more than they already were. The only thing that came to mind was to go with him to the dance. But she had already made her decision. That wasn't an option. She was going with Zane and that was all there was to it.
Duncan pinned like never before. He didn't fall for girls on a regular basis. Actually - ever. It wasn't in his nature. He played girls like a guitar and then let them go with only faint sympathy. But Courtney...she was different. She was a challenge and she had drawn him into her world with a merciless grip. And he finally understood the way the girls before must have felt about him.
Still, he didn't do anything. He stole glances out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't even speak to her. He didn't talk to Zane either. How could he? He had beaten him senseless and didn't deserve to even sit in the same room as him. Unfortunately being at school made that impossible. So he settled for simply leaving Zane alone. Actually, he left everyone alone. It was better this way.
As the week came to an end the Halloween dance was just around the corner. In fact, it was this night. The buzz about the dance was unlike any other. Every other sentence out of a student's mouth was about it. The only people not excited were the little trio. Even Zane couldn't be too happy about it. Sure he was going with Courtney, but in the grand scheme of things this mattered little. Duncan wasn't talking to him and Courtney wasn't saying all too much. This was destined to be the worst dance he'd ever attended.
Now back at her house Courtney sits alone. She crossed her arms over her chest and slumped down into the couch. It's a mere hour before the dance, yet she still wasn't getting ready. What was the point? Sure she liked Zane, but if it meant hurting Duncan - stupid Duncan - then was it really worth it. Unfrtunately she saw the answer as a terrible, earthshattering no. So she sat there. She stared dully at the black screen of the television. All that looked back at her was her unblinking expression.
Her stomach rumbled and she groaned softly. She wondered if she even wanted to bother feeding herself. She was one shake of a sheep's tail away from thinking she deserved to not eat. She snorted. She learned that stupid saying from an old friend. Now it was the only way to remember her. She left the reality behind when she moved to this crummy state.
She rolled herself across the couch and to the corner. She struggled up and stumbled out of the living room despite how much she wanted to continue to wallow. Oh well... She was hungry. And she had less than an hour. She should at least be doing something.
She meandered into the kitchen and slowly went through the cabinets - high and low. It took her five minutes to finally find something she wasn't repulsed by. Macaroni and Cheese. Actually, it was always a sort of comfort food throughout the years. A pained smile crossed her lips. At least some things never change. At least this stupid food was simple.
She mechanically retrieved a pot and filled it with water. She turned on the stove and laid the pot on top. She walked over to a chair at the table and slumped over in it. She let her head fall into her cupped hand and sighed. She tore noncommitaly at the corners of the flap. It will be a few minutes anyway. The water will boil just as slowly as she will move. And then both the water and her emotions will reach the peak, finally spilling over the edges of the body containing them.
She heard the simmering of the water and poured the macaronni into the pot. Nine minutes. She went back to the table, then she hesitated. She glanced over into the living room. She didn't like the idea of nine more minutes of silence and absence of any doing. She didn't want to be left alone to thoughts. They'll surely eat her up inside.
So with no other contemplation she moved toward the couch. She picked up the remote as she rounded the table and threw herself back against the cushions. She propped her feet up on the coffe table and sighed heavily, tapping the power button. Spongebob was on. Fun. But she was too lazy to change it so she just dealt with it.
The episode is extremely boring. Something about a band or something. She doesn't laugh. All it did was make her anguish sink deeper into her bones and push a deep rooted exhaustion to the surface. She yawned. Her eyes fluttered and she thought vaguely that she needed to get up. The episode was alost over -it's been almost nine minutes.
But it never happened. Her exhaustion wrapped itself around her in a stranglehold and she couldn't find her back to the surface. She sinks into darknes - into dreams of passion and fury and a pulsing heat that feels a little too real. And she never wakes back up.
...
Duncan trudges slowly down the road. He knows he needs to go home. There's no point to being out here - no vandalizing, no meeting up with friends, and most importantly no Courtney. He hasn't talked to her since his fallout with Zane. Why should he? She basically told him she wanted nothing to do with him before that and then again by so carelessly choosing his best friend to protect.
He growls deep in his throat. He kicks roughly at the ground, chipping up a rock. It flies across his vision and hits a tree, bouncing off and skidding along the ground. Duncan snorts and rolls his eyes. What once would have been so amusing now only aggravates him further. "Stupid rock." He should be going home he once more reminds himself. Yet he doesn't.
In fact, his feet carry him in the exact opposite direction of home. He is disgusted with himself, but he is pretty sure he's pretty close to Courtney's house. What's wrong with him? I must be insane. He turns hard on his heel and lashes out, kicking a nearby tree. It sends a shock-wave back through him. He shakes away the vibrations and continues on his way.
It doesn't change his mind about anything though. He still refuses to see her just as much as his legs refuse to heed to his demands. There's just something that compels him in her direction. What? Does he really think she'll change her mind less than thirty minutes from the dance. He scoffs. Idiot. Yet his chiding does nothing to change his course. He passes the distance steadily.
"Come on," He grumbles to himself. "Forget this. Go home." He struggles to turn himself around. It is then that something catches his eyes. Huh? His eyes narrow as he scrutinizes the strange sight. The sky is surprisingly bright. Actually, it kind of lights up unnaturally. He lets go of his desire to go the other way and investigates this strange sight.
He reaches the outskirts of Courtney's house before the truth dawns on him. His mouth drops open and the breath leaves his lungs. His heart beats double time. No... The sky is a blaze of orange and red, a blaze that stems from her house. The heat beats out at him even from here. Sparks fly and attack the lawn, creating a barrier that seems impossible to break through.
It's on fire.
Oh no! *panics* Again, sorry for how short it is. I wanted to end it on a cliffhanger. I also want to say that after the next chapter or two I don't know what I should do. :( I have a super long plot planned, but it seems so cliche and unbelievably long. You all think I should end it soon after this? I don't know. Your opinions are much appreciated! Please review!