Don't Stand By Me (COMPLETE) - Chapter 10: Chapter 10

KIARA
JULY 31ST: 15:52
This heat was fucking killing me. Even with the windows wide open and the fresh air spilling in, I was still sweating like a pig. Dixon had decided to bake cupcakes that morning to 'cheer us up' and to rid the RV of the smell of fresh corpse, so the heat from the oven had taken hours to finally float out the window; it was stifling. It didn't help that it felt like a sex van, and of course I was the only one not getting any. Dixon and Elvis were joined at the hip, flirting and giggling since they had woken up in a way that was both sickeningly sweet and weirdly inappropriate. I was gracious enough to pretend I hadn't heard them moaning and groaning when Cassie and I had finally decided to go to sleep - they owed me for that.
Something was even going on with Brent and Violet, who had barely spoken after their weird moment when Violet tried to grope him followed by her climbing into bed with us. But with them, it seemed off. While they were cuddling and sharing kisses, Violet had a faraway look in her eyes I couldn't decipher. It was strange, seeing her distant in a way where she wasn't even speaking to me about it. There were times in the past where I had to beg her to stop telling me what was going on between her and Brent.
She had seemed in good spirits, though glued to her phone whenever Brent turned his head away. Which, with the amount of water he was drinking, was quite often. My mind was elsewhere, only taking small sips of my juice and gazing out the back window of the trailer, where Dixon's small car was easily visible. I watched as it swayed along the road, unable to tear my gaze away. There was a man there. A literal human being was shoved carelessly into the trunk like he was an old sleeping bag. My brain could make out the sounds of everyone around me; Cassie humming behind the wheel, Dixon and Elvis in fits of laughter over some story Violet was telling while Brent dozed off next to her, oddly quiet.
I stood, ignoring the chattering of the other three and made my way to the front of the RV, plopping down in the passenger seat.
"Hello there." Cassie smiled, eyes trained on the side of the road.
I took the time to properly take her in, her side profile shining in the sunlight. She was gorgeous, tanned and dark featured, her rounded face with a dainty nose pointed high.
"Hi." I supplied quietly, tilting my head.
"You like to stare, doncha?"
"Maybe you're just nice to stare at."
Fuck.
"Is that so?" The corner of her mouth tilted up in a smirk, "I would say the same but I just can't take my eyes off that beautiful Ford Fiesta in front of us right now."
I released the breath I was holding with a chuckle. I was being stupid. Last night, when Violet had cheerfully called both of us gay before promptly passing out, it had been awkward briefly. I knew she had done it on purpose, to push me towards the other girl, but I couldn't help but panic. My mind was flooding with possibilities, the worst of which being she was insanely uncomfortable around me and Violet had read her completely wrong. But judging off the smile on her face and the ease of her tone, maybe Violet had done me a favour.
"Are you holding up okay?" Her tone was soft, likely to shield our conversation from everyone else.
I smiled, but it felt strained, "Alright, considering. It still doesn't feel real."
"Same here. I'm half expecting Dixon to run for the hills. But he seems a bit too smitten at least."
"How nice for them," I drawled, "falling in love in the middle of a crime."
I glanced back to see them enthralled, now competing in what seemed to be a long and gruelling game of scrabble.
"I've never seen him like this." Cassie noted, and I could hear the curious lilt, as if interrogating me.
"Same with Elvis. He's very sensitive, but he'd never show it. Your brother could break him, you know."
"Likewise."
"If they get married does that make us sisters?"
"Ew!" She laughed, shaking her head, "Don't be gross, Ki."
I ducked my head to hide my smile; maybe things could work out after all, even with a corpse in the trunk.
—-
JULY 31ST: 21:01
"We should get drunk."
My head snapped around so abruptly I was shocked I didn't get whiplash. Before I could even elaborate on why that was a horrible fucking idea, everyone else had beaten me to it, protesting indignantly.
"Jesus!" Violet held her hands up, "It was just an idea!" A hurt expression spread across her face.
"It's actually not a bad idea." Brent chimed in from behind the wheel, "Maybe it'll calm you all a bit."
"You just want to get drunk." I snarked, folding my arms.
But, as horrible of an idea as it was, it would be really nice to just forget what was happening for a single night.
"Oh no, I'll drive for the night! I basically napped all afternoon so I could drive until morning. As long as someone gets up to let me pass out at some point."
"You are full of surprises." Elvis chimed from his position on the floor, rifling through his duffel bag. He emerged with a large bottle of vodka, waving it enticingly, "What do we say ladies?"
I couldn't help the smile spreading across my face at his words.
"Oh so when the man suggests it..." Violet scoffed, but couldn't hide her smile.
"Let's just be normal young people. Fuck it, might be our last chance." Dixon shrugged, pulling out an identical bottle from his backpack.
"Let's do it!" Cassie beamed and leaned in close to me before whispering, "Maybe we'll get that chance to finally stargaze."
I don't know how I was probably going to have the best night of my life with a corpse thirty feet away. With the alcohol pouring freely and some random pop tunes blaring from Dixon's tinny speaker it wasn't long before I could feel that familiar buzz looming.
"Elvis, don't you dare light a joint in this RV that smell fucking sticks!" Violet screeched, pointing an accusing finger at him.
Elvis rolled his eyes, pocketing his lighter. I roll my eyes in turn and pocket the joint in my hand.
"Worth a shot." I shrugged, taking a large swig of the vodka before passing it along to Cassie.
"We should," Violet hiccuped, "We should play a game!"
"Alright, Saw." I teased, as I always did when she insisted on playing a drinking game.
She shoved my arm and burst into a fit of giggles. I followed along soon after. We ended up in a misguided game of ibble-dibble which wouldn't have made sense to me if I was sober, using a cork from a bottle of wine and a broken pen to try and mimic the instruments we needed.
"Number three ibble-dibble with no dibble-ibbles calling number five ibble-dibble with no dibble-ibbles!" Elvis announced with a flourish, tossing the cork in the air and catching it again.
"How are you so good at this?" Dixon asked in awe, his head flopping onto the other boy's shoulder.
"He could be saying absolutely nothing and it would still pass at this point," Cassie snorted, taking a long swig of alcohol, "How do you even win?"
"Does that make it my turn?" Violet frowned, "Am I five?"
"No you're one, I'm five!" I announced, "But I'm actually twenty two-"
"Oh my god me too-"
"So am I!"
"We're so old!"
We burst into a fit of laughter, completely doubled over and the game forgotten.
"Let's play, never have I ever!" Dixon laughed, settling into Elvis' side as the other man's arms wrapped around him tightly.
"Ugh, lovebirds!" I snorted.
"Gross!" Cassie pretended to gag.
"Okay!" Violet clapped her hands together, "Never have I ever...kissed a girl!" She giggled to herself with glee as she took a drink.
Everyone else except Dixon followed suit.
"God you have to let that go!" I groaned, "I was trying to be nice!"
"It still counts!" Violet giggled, pursing her lips at me.
"El's story is funnier. I was his hag to his parents for eight months."
"Forever my first love!" Elvis' hand brushed my cheek before we burst into laughter once more, pretending to lean in for a kiss but not being able to halt our laughter.
"Okay," Dixon smiled in a dreamy way, "Never have I ever...had sex outside." He took an immediate large swig of his drink.
"Guys you're meant to say things you HAVEN'T done!" I laughed, not taking a drink.
Elvis took his drink with a deep blush on his face that he sputtered out once he saw Violet take one.
"You've had sex on something that isn't a bed of rose petals?" He scoffed, "I am appalled."
"I've had plenty of sex." Violet smirked, "Anywhere you can name. Probably more places than you."
"Oh do you really wanna go there?"
"Yeah right-"
"Guys let's not-" I tried to interrupt.
"Like in Kiara's bed-"
"Excuse me?!"
"My heater broke!" Violet defended, "I couldn't have sex with cold toesies!"
"Your fucking toesies," I was sputtering, waving my arms wildly, "Can go fuck themselves! You desecrated my bed! My safe space!"
"Please," Elvis scoffed, "with the shit you're into, that bed was desecrated years ago."
"Out of line!"
"Children!" Dixon interrupted with a wheeze, crippled by laughter, "No more, I can't take it."
Cassie was bent over in absolute stitches, unable to catch her breath.
"I'm getting new friends after this," I muttered with a smile.
"Hey guys!" Brent called over his shoulder, "Any chance I can pull over for like twenty minutes? We're in the middle of nowhere and my legs are cramped as fuck."
"Yeah, go for it." Elvis called, "I'm in the mood to pee outside. Be one with nature."
"We could try that stargazing." Cassie murmured in my ear and I prayed the flush overtaking my body wasn't visible on my face.
Brent pulled over in front of a large scape of trees, exiting the RV after offering an arm to Violet, who took it gingerly and allowed him to lead her away. The pair began to walk a small distance back and forth repeatedly, in quiet conversation. Dixon and Elvis were swatting each other with tree branches while trying to pee a few feet apart. Typical men. Cassie on the other hand was looking at me with a wide-eyed expression, smiling that signature megawatt grin she shared with her brother.
"Cmon!" She exclaimed, grabbing my hand and dragging my hand and pulling me toward Dixon's car.
I hesitated as we neared, remembering the presence of Charles for the first time in hours. I felt a gnawing sense of guilt, having a wonderful evening and ignoring the looming inevitability that we were facing. But with the beam covering Cassie's features I knew there wasn't a chance I could say no to anything she said in that moment. She could ask me to drive off a cliff and I likely would have asked 'in the RV or the car?'. Her hand felt warm and comforting in mine, lingering a few moments more than she needed to as we reached the car. Thankfully she propped herself up on the front bonnet, far from the trunk where Charles lay.
He hadn't started to smell yet, which was a blessing. I knew it could take about three days but I was praying it wouldn't be noticeable to passersby. An instant game-over before we even left the state with some nosy cop smelling us from half a mile away.
Cassie patted the hood beside her and I hopped up, leaning back against the windshield. I tried not to shuffle too close but before I could even overthink it she had squeezed right next to me, our sides flush together and her head leaning on my shoulder. Her breath was hot on my neck as she leaned in and began to murmur.
"One thing I love about being just outside of the city. You can see Cassiopeia. That's her right there." She pointed her finger up, "Follow my fingertip."
I tried my best to follow her gesture, staring straight up at a clump of stars that looked like nothing. I frowned. She glanced up at me and giggled, grabbing my face in one of her hands and tipping my face sidewards.
"See, it looks like a W!"
At that moment, I realised it was straight ahead of me. It was gorgeous. Once I had noticed the small lines conjoining it, I noticed another slightly west, shining brightly.
"Our mother loved the constellations." Cassie murmured, turning on her side to face me, "Named me after that exact one."
"Woah," I breathed, "That's a gorgeous name."
She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes as it normally did, "I always feel closer to her when I leave the city. The bright open skies always let me see the stars more clearly."
The use of past tense struck me, but I didn't push her to mention anything. She had a faraway look in her eyes.
"It's nice that you have that." I smiled softly, "I don't remember much about my parents, but sometimes in the quiet I can almost feel them, if that makes sense."
"No, I get that. It's like that with my mom too. I know she's with me. I don't believe in all that," she waved her hand dismissively, "stuff about death but," she shrugged, "I would like to think they're out there somewhere. I'd like to think she pushed us all on the same path."
"Bit of a shit path for you to wind up on." I joked, hoping to make a real smile appear.
She huffed out a breath, smiling softly, "I don't think so. I think I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be."
I smiled at her and froze as I realised just how close to each other we actually were. I could feel her breath washing over my face and I glanced down at her lips quickly. I knew I had the perfect opportunity here, all I had to do was lean in...
"Guys, let's move it!" Brent's voice boomed, startling us.
My body jerked, rolling off the hood of the car and thumping onto the patch of grass below. Cassie fell into fits of laughter, clutching her stomach as she smoothly slid off the hood. I jumped to my feet, brushing my clothes down quickly and willing the flush of my cheeks to die down immediately.
"That never happened." I said, chuckling.
"Your secret's safe with me." She smirked, bumping my shoulder with hers as we piled back onto the RV.
Maybe my crush wasn't as misguided as I once thought.
I bumped into Elvis, who was stumbling slightly as he trailed behind Dixon towards the RV. I could smell him immediately.
"Really?" I smirked, "Smoked without me?"
"Well, you were busy." He nudged me with his elbow, dropping his voice down low, "What's the 411 there?"
"I'll tell you whenever I figure it out." I muttered back, then glanced forward at Dixon, "Me and you definitely need to go have a chat."
He nodded, "Let's go do that."
We all clambered into the van, Brent taking off with ease. The music began blaring again and slowly Elvis and I edged out, ignoring Violet's curious gaze and turning the corner to her queen bed and plopping ourselves down, staring at the ceiling. If Violet was drunk enough she would have stumbled after us, slurring her words that we were abandoning her. But she had enough clarity to sense that we needed some time alone, which was appreciated.
"You know we haven't had a chance to talk properly since this trip started." Elvis began, "What the actual fuck has happened in two days?"
"Well it looks like we're fugitives. And accessories to the fact."
"Fuck me."
"And you're also whipped."
He sighed, covering his face with his arm, "I know, it's pathetic."
"It's not pathetic, it's sweet. He's a nice guy."
"Maybe too nice...why the hell did they choose to come with us? Who willingly goes into the belly of the beast for someone they just met?"
"Maybe the prospect of you was too good to give up."
"My dick's not that good." He chuckled, then sighed, "I really like him already. You know how in movies when they go through the most traumatic shit you can ever think of and end up in love after a week? It feels like that territory."
"Well when he has to save you from dangling off a cliff you can confess your undying love for each other."
"It just feels easy. We talk and laugh and have fun even though there's a corpse rotting twenty feet away. You know?"
I knew, better than I cared to admit aloud.
"I just don't want to do anything stupid, anything that puts us in danger."
I smiled at him softly, "Just be happy, El. Take that tiny scrap of happiness and hold onto it as long as you can because God knows what's going to happen over the next week."
He nodded slowly and we drifted into an easy silence after that. We lay side by side, the steady rocking of the RV easily lulling us to sleep. At one point we had rolled completely over, my chest plastered to his back, my arm winded around his waist.
"Stop coming onto me." Elvis murmured as I stirred awake.
There was no noise throughout the RV save the humming of the engine.
"What time is it?"
"Too early, who cares. Go back to sleep."
"We need to finish our conversation."
"Tomorrow." Elvis groaned, "I'm tired."
He hummed under his breath, then sighed, "None of this would be happening if we told Violet the truth."
"Told me the truth about what?"
Oh fuck!