Thanks to RogueNya, noro, darkfantasy16 and Brit-babe191 for the reviews :) greatly appreciated guys.
darkfantasy16 - So far there has been the Bobby/Kitty business and the crappy phone call with her parents. You'll find out more about her parents soon, I promise.
Brit-babe191 - You've got idiot number two now for keeps, no returns or exchanges! LMAO
In this chapter there is a lot of bickering and that's about it, bit of a filler.
Don't Let Me Get Me
I'm my own worst enemy - Pink
"There's no electricity?" I question with a grumble.
Okay, now I'm astounded; I'm on the verge of absolute panic. My inner palms are sweaty, I have that wide eyed deer expression glued to my face and there is a one in ten chance that I am about to experience my first cardiac arrest at the tender age of seventeen. He must be joking, yes, this is one huge wisecrack, I can't be expected to live without electricity.
"Nope." I can almost hear the smirk creeping into his voice. I would bet my life savings that Logan can smell my alarm. I watch him remove our bags from the trunk as I sit lethargically in the front passenger seat with my feet propped agreeably on the dashboard.
Who would want to live a life deprived of the use of electricity? I sure as hell don't. I might be out of my tree but I'm not totally gaga, although staying somewhere like this is guaranteed to drive me over the edge I happen to be teetering on, metaphorically speaking.
"So, no television, dish washer or washing machine then?" I ask still unable to accept that having no electricity means no added luxuries that I have become accustomed to.
"Nope." Logan grunts again, depositing the bags on the wooden porch and rifling under a plant pot for the key.
"But where do I wash my clothes?"
Realization is now dawning on me and it is not a pretty sight. Its not as if I'm planning on participating in a fashion show anytime soon but I need clean clothes. I know I'm currently in the middle of fucking nowhere with no one except Logan for company but you are missing the point.
"There's a creek over that way." He answers unconcerned, waving his hand in the direction of an array of trees behind the cabin. "You hand wash them, kid."
Hand wash them, he says. I wouldn't even know where to start. Oh God, I'm in domestic hell. Even when I found myself hitch hiking across Canada I never had to hand wash anything. Has the guy never heard of a laundry mat? We're not in the middle of the Arabian desert, you know, and civilisation is only a drive away. So I don't see why I should be forced into engaging in manual labour.
"No." I declare adamantly. These hands are as soft as a baby's bottom and they are going to stay that way.
"What do you mean, no?" Logan kicks our bags through the open doorway and leans wearily against the timber clad wall. "It'll be like campin', don't tell me you've never camped before?"
No I haven't, does he think I look like the kind of girl that likes to go camping. No wait, I have camped out before, the uh, alkali lake night but I really don't think he wants to reminisce about that.
"No I haven't, I don't think I come from camping stock, Logan."
"Well, no time like the present."
"No way." I huff indignantly crossing my arms over my chest in growing annoyance.
"It ain't gonna kill you, kid." He sighs, scratching his chin.
"Poor choice of words, you idiot." I rebuke.
He might question my sanity but I'm now examining his. What the hell made him say something like that? Is the bridge incident that easily brushed under the carpet.
"Just get yourself outta the car." Logan groans, brushing off my previous comment. I hate it when he does that, why won't he just argue. At least Bobby had his uses. Oh no, don't you dare think about the Ice prick.
"I'm not stepping foot inside that shack!" I screech rather hysterically. I personally don't even understand why I'm getting so hot and bothered about this. I've certainly slept in worse places, Doug's apartment for example. And now I'm thinking about another ex-boyfriend. What the hell, maybe my brain has been wired wrong. Yeah that's it, I wonder if I can sue God for shoddy workmanship?
My parents were always... And there I go again. I hate myself, I well and truly hate myself. I slap my head sharply hoping that my brain reads the warning loud and clear, no more discouraging thoughts, damn it.
"It's a cabin..."
"It doesn't look like it from where I'm sitting."
Interrupting someone before they have a chance to launch into their 'just-give-it-a-try-you-never-know-you-might-even-surprise-yourself-and-enjoy-it' speech is one of my favourite past times, go on I beseech you to give it a try yourself. Ugh, I sound just as bad don't I, what on earth am I turning into.
"Stop the bellyaching, you're startin' to grate on my last nerve." He growls. "Its got a roof and four walls, what else do you need?"
"I'd rather go back to the mansion." I gripe wrinkling my nose in disgust. Like hell I would.
"You said last night you didn't wanna!" Logan barks lighting himself a cigar and pacing back and forth across the length of the porch.
"Well, that was last night and this is now. Anyway I have important classes to attend."
"Don't try and feed me that shit. You ain't got no intention of goin' to classes." He shoots me one of his 'Do-you-think-I'm-fucking-stupid' scowls and the answer would be, yes I damn well do.
"So says you!" Okay no I had no intention of going to class but when did Logan become so accomplished at reading between the lines. Perhaps I smell different when I lie and I was never capable of being dishonest to Logan's face. We had this pact to always be truthful to each other whatever the circumstance or outcome.
"Marie, just get your ass outta the car for Christ sake!"
I think he is finally at the end of his tether with me, I never knew the guy had so much patience to begin with.
"No way." I'm entitled to change my mind, maybe I could stay at a local motel with hot water, TV and a washing machine within easy reach.
"Were you always this God damn difficult?" Logan grimaces and cuts short his mindless pacing to give the thought his full consideration.
"Yes!" I cry shutting the car door and locking myself in. Now I would say Logan is the insane one for leaving the car keys in the ignition. Its just a shame I don't have a freaking idea how to drive. It looks like I'm stuck here.
Last night I undoubtedly crashed after the debacle on the bridge. I had been slowly overflowing with emotion ever since breaking up with Bobby and I refused myself the pathetic privilege of crying over the whole sorry saga. Losing a best friend, my boyfriend and my parents all over again in the context of a week was unexpectedly harsh and I never saw it coming.
I had no time to protect my heart from the battering that would come to pass. But now I've cried and released some of the pent up emotion, I feel satisfactory.
Yes, just satisfactory and I still have enough stamina to argue and attempt to prove a moronic point, hurray for me. Even if the point I'm trying to prove will never see the light of day and without a shadow of a doubt with thoughts like that I'll always be two steps behind the fortunate and deliriously happy person, damn it.
A knock at the window rouses me from my dismal thoughts. "Are you comin' out anytime today? The suns startin' to set."
"How observant of you, Logan." I gibe. I had in fact noticed the sun was setting and it is absolutely freezing in here. I tried to turn the heater on but there are so many buttons, dials and switches to play with I feel like I'm locked in James Bond's archetypal gadget packed car.
"Kid, now is the time to stop your tantrumin' cause' the temperatures gonna drop way below freezin' tonight." I hear him grunt as I recline in my chair refusing to look at him.
"I'm not having a tantrum!" I shout expressing my strong displeasure at the accusation.
"Yeah you are, you're throwin' your toys outta the pram. So suck it up and get over it, life ain't a picnic, sometimes you gotta do stuff you don't wanna do."
"If I was throwing anything you'd know all about it because I would be using your head as target practice." I howl working myself into a frenzy. "I'm not leaving this car!"
"You're gonna freeze, you'll be snowed in." He counters with his own branch of fury.
"A bit of snow never hurt anyone and its got a roof and four walls, what else do I need?" Uh, sort of, well they are walls in a way and if I can get this heater to work then my teeth will stop chattering and I will be as snug as a bug in a rug. "Nothing short of an apocalyptic crisis will make me leave this car." I blurt out while scratching my lower leg.
That damn itch won't go away, what the heck is going on? As I roll up my left pants leg to investigate the irritating tickling further, I release a high pitched scream in terror. "Spider, spider, spider, spider, spider, spider, spider, spider!" I screech as I attempt to shake my leg free of its offensive passenger.
As I watch the spider fall to the floor and scurry under my seat, I scramble to unlock the door. Why the fuck did I lock the fucking thing? Fucking open will you for fuck sake!
The door finally unlocks and I leap out of the car, sprint over to the safety of the porch and search vigorously for any other creepy crawlies that might be hiding in my clothes. Wait, why am I patting down my body, what if I squash one? Shit, now my other leg is tingling. No that's not a tingle its an itch... Oh shit, shit, shit!
I roll my other pants leg up to my knee in a panic, nearly falling over in the process and I hear Logan chuckling in amusement. "It's not funny" I whine still searching for any hidden insects.
"Who'd need a TV, kid, you're entertainin' enough..."
That's fucking fantastic, he can't even finish off his sentence because he is doubled over laughing so hard.
"Did you see the size of that damn thing?" I demand smoothing down my tussled hair and clothes. Okay, I am officially bug free... I hope.
"It was just a tiny spider." Logan snorts.
"It wasn't a spider, it was a tarantula, it was huge, gigantic, a massive, gross hairy eight legged blood thirsty tarantula!" I shudder at the image that my comment conjures up in my mind.
"Blood thirsty?" He asks shaking his head with an added smirk.
"It had fangs!" I exclaim angrily. I hate not being taken seriously.
"It was a little spider lookin' for a warm place to bunk down and found your leg..."
And he's at it again with the laughter. "The look on your face when..."
"I think I liked you better when you were short tempered, grumpy and moping around feeling sorry for yourself. Like when Jean refused to let you take Scott's place in her bed!" What the hell has come over me to mention the Jean, Scott and Logan love triangle? Well he's certainly not laughing now and I feel a rather shameless sense of achievement as Logan's face falls. "You were pathetic, you walked around with your tail between your legs. I mean Jean didn't want you, so you run away telling the professor all this crap about finding out your past! Then when she dies you abandon everyone again like a pitiful..."
"Enough!" Logan bellows narrowing his eyes and clenching his fists.
"The truth hurts, doesn't it, Logan?" I scoff with a stubborn smile. " Welcome to my world. Don't give me that look, you're the one that wanted me to talk, so I'm talking!" I hiss overcome with utter rage.
"Go inside." He orders, deliberately turning his back on me and walking away.
"That's it, run away from me again. When are you going to grow a backbone, huh?" I yell roughly as I watch him retreat into the adjacent woods.
As I stand alone on the veranda, I start to wish that I had kept my mouth shut. I know I have abandonment issues stemming from my own parents but now Logan too?
Shit, I wish I'd kept my mouth shut. I think I've really hurt his feelings.