Revamped!

[*casually sitting in public trying not to laugh and look crazy to many strangers*]

A Thorne in His Side: Part Six

Thorne pulls into his driveway and already knows he should've stayed out somewhere. He knew that the bad news at his door would happen eventually and to think it had to be the one time he decided to come home after school. The stars aren't in his favour. Thorne doesn't take time to compose himself when he turns off the engine of his car. He rips the bandage right off and gets out of his car. When he closes his door, he watches as Kate Fallow stands up from the seat on his front porch. Thorne approaches her and can't think of anything to say. What could he possibly say to Kate Fallow after all this time?

"Your parents said you'd show up here soon," Kate starts.

Thorne nods. "Of course they did."

Kate smiles a little. "Hi, Thorne."

"Hi." Thorne feels himself tensing because of all the awkwardness. "Kate, why are you here?"

"We need to talk."

"About what?"

"Our relationship."

Thorne scoffs even when Kate's face shows that she's serious. "Kate, we don't have a relationship anymore."

"Thorne, please."

Kate takes one of his hands into both of hers and holds it up to her chest, meaning to be at her heart. Thorne takes a sharp breath before seeing the openness in her eyes. Like himself, she has some words to say and seeing herself this close ignited him to want to scream them aloud.

The silence between them had gone on for too long now to pretend it was anything other than it was. There are no words; all that's left are two faintly beating hearts. The moment ahead of him is like something living and breathing, something that's barrelling towards him at an alarming rate, and it seems like only a matter of time before it will knock him flat on his back.

Thorne pulls his hand back to himself. "Fine. We'll talk. But don't think this will mean anything. I don't need you polluting my life. Give me like ten minutes to change out of my uniform."

Thorne goes into his house and closes the door behind him before falling against it. His dog runs up to him, jumping on his hind legs excitedly and Thorne can't reciprocate. His entire body shakes as he climbs the stairs to go to his bedroom.

Kate Fallow was his first girlfriend. She was geeky, sweet, and smart. When he first fell for her, she had the humility to her smartness. The Kate Fallow of today parts crowds and shows her midriff. He knows that something for her is there because it made him believe in it ridiculously to the point where he would run away. That's why he'll go to Kate. She was his first everything to him (well, except his first time).

-o-

Kai and Cinder stop their walk over to his house when he hears his phone ringing. He pulls it out of his back pocket and sees that it's Thorne. Cinder takes his phone and mockingly chucks it onto the road with full force but Kai stops her, taking his phone back and laughing at her. Cinder nudges him with a smile.

"At least put it on speaker," Cinder says.

"Always for you," Kai responds as he picks up the phone.

Captain Thorne: If I paid you my inheritance, would you push me down the stairs?

Kai takes a moment to process what he heard and if he heard it right. "What?"

"I'd do it for free," Cinder replies instantly. That sentence from Thorne alone was enough gold that she didn't need his inheritance.

Captain Thorne: At least I can see who I should've called instead.

"Thorne," Kai says as he and Cinder continue walking, "what the stars are you talking about?"

Captain Thorne: Kate and I will talk.

"Talk or talk?" Kai questions.

"Now, I have a bigger motive to push you down the stairs," Cinder says. "You're so screwed up for going to talk to her."

Captain Thorne: Come on, Kai! Be my wingman here.

"As your wingman, I'm flying away from this situation," Kai says. "Bye!"

And while Thorne yells for him not to hang up, Kai hangs up. Cinder looks at him impressed and a little surprised. Kai puts his phone away and pulls her closer as they take a turn down the street and approach his house.

-o-

Wolf stands at the receptionist desk of the gym he now works at and sees the phone ringing. He picks up the receiver and glances at the caller ID. It doesn't say exactly who is calling but just the number and, aces, Wolf hates that he recognizes it. The only question Wolf has is how the caller got the number to his workplace. The internet, obviously.

"What?" Wolf grumbles on the phone.

Thorne: Hello to you too.

Wolf rolls his eyes. "What stupid thing did you do this time?"

Thorne: Kate wanted to talk and I said yes.

If only Wolf wasn't at work, then he would hit the wall in frustration. A part of him wished he was with Thorne so he could hit him instead.

"Kate wants to make out with you," Wolf tells him.

Thorne: I know.

"Is that why you said yes?"

Thorne: No!

"Good because if you hurt Cress, I'll kill you."

Thorne: Aces, Wolf, what do you think of me? First Cinder would push me down some stairs and now you'll murder me. If I called Winter, she might threaten to poison me. Hurting Cress is the last thing I ever want to do. She's just so tiny and precious and needs a blanket of bubble wrap. Do you guys have some Lunar pact?

"Obviously." Wolf looks up and sees Scarlet entering the gym. He smiles a little. "Look, I gotta go."

Thorne: No! I need your help. If it's your boss coming, pretend I'm considering a membership.

"It's not my boss, it's Scarlet." Wolf mouths her a hello to her as she leans on the front desk.

Thorne: You'll leave me for your girlfriend?! You're on the clock!

"She comes first."

Thorne: Wolf!

"What's that? I can't hear you over my lack of caring!"

Wolf hangs up amidst Thorne's pleas and Scarlet smirks a little as she plays with a pen on the desk.

"Hey," Wolf says to her. "What are you doing here?"

"I like this new job," Scarlet responds before remembering what she heard from Wolf's conversation on the phone as she was coming. Even she knew who that was. "What did our dear Carswell Thorne do now?"

"Plan to meet up with his ex-sweetheart."

Scarlet rolls her eyes. "Idiot."

Wolf nods in agreement. He looks at Scarlet for a bit longer and notices how tense she seems, jittery almost. A part of her seems uncomfortable with something which worries Wolf since he last saw her at school when she convinced him to let her borrow his car. What throws him off is that she isn't looking at him but beside him.

"You alright?" Wolf asks, pushing one of her curls back.

"When does your shift end?" Scarlet asks.

"An hour." He tries to study her to see what she wants but he isn't sure. "Why?"

"We live or we're given the chance to live but sometimes living is hard and complicated because of fear."

"What are you talking about?"

"I want a tattoo."

Scarlet's words suck the air out of Wolf's lungs and he's speechless. He has a series of tattoos on his body and the idea of his Scarlet getting one of her own enlightens him, and turns him on in the way that makes him nervous, especially since Scarlet appears to be unsteady at the moment. He senses that she made this hasty decision the second she walked in.

"And you want me to come with you?" Wolf asks her.

"Sure," she replies. "You know a good place to get them anyways."

"I'd to come even if you said no."

"Then, I'll be waiting over there until you clock out. I took your car here."

Scarlet turns on her heel to go wait on a bench by the entrance. Wolf thinks about how he has to try and get her out of this hasty choice of hers.

"Scarlet, wait," Wolf says. She stops walking and he walks away from the counter to approach her. "I've gotten these done before and you won't like it."

"Meaning that you're tough enough to handle it and I'm not?"

Scarlet cocks a brow up, waiting for his response but Wolf bites his tongue. Scarlet pats his shoulder victoriously and heads over to the bench, waiting for his shift to end. Wolf just shuffles back to his desk, staring at the clock as the seconds go down.