Don't Stand By Me (COMPLETE) - Chapter 11: Chapter 11
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ELVIS
August 1st: 5.20am
I had become aware of the fact that my foot was likely going to take up permanent residence in my mouth. I could have faced this like a man but instead I did what any sane person would do in the face of Violet's wrath. I snored. Loudly. A sharp smack to the side of my head caused me to bolt upright, yelping. The light flickered on with ease and Violet sat up, arms crossed and a frown on her face.
"What truth?" Violet simply said.
I glanced back at Kiara, who had paled significantly. We made eye contact and I could sense in that instant that we were absolutely fucked. It became a question of which truth we wanted to reveal to her at that moment, if not both of them.
"Guys...you're freaking me out."
If our brains weren't riddled with the remnants of drink we probably could have come up with a quick lie. But in all honesty I was still a bit drunk despite my sleep and Kiara was drowsy. If we told Violet about college she would have a meltdown but if we told her about Brent she would have a meltdown and Brent would expose us anyway. We were royally fucked.
"Look, Vi." Kiara shifted and sat up, placing one of her hands on my thigh and digging her nails in tightly.
I winced.
"We need to tell you something and we just want you to stay calm, okay?"
Violet stayed silent, jaw tight.
"Do you remember Sophie?"
Guess that's what we're going for.
Violet frowned, "The bitchy girl you were sleeping with before graduation? Yeah, why?"
"Brent made a pass at her." I supplied when Kiara went silent, sniffling to herself.
"Oh."
"Oh?"
"Oh."
"Oh?"
"El-"
"No, Kiara. I'm sorry, we just told you that your boyfriend tried to sleep with another girl and all you can say is 'oh'?"
Violet barked out a laugh, shaking her head and I could see the tears forming.
"Look. I know Brent isn't perfect. This isn't a massive surprise to me. What is a surprise to me is you two keeping this a secret from me for weeks."
"Vi-"
"No!" She snapped, furiously wiping her eyes, "How dare you both? You're my best friends and what? You decide to keep his secret? Your best friend's boyfriend cheats on her and you think 'Nah, she doesn't need to know that'? You're all buddy buddy with Brent now?"
"It's more complicated than that-"
"Do not give me that line, Kiara. I'm not one of your whores you're trying to kick out in the morning."
I winced at the sheer venom in her tone, "V, that's hardly fair. We're sorry we lied but you don't need to be cruel."
"Fuck off!" Violet laughed, climbing to her feet, "Both of you fuck right off. Do not follow me, I'm serious." She stormed off to the front of the RV, leaving us sitting in silence.
"I was expecting a lot more weeping." I mused, breaking the silence and wincing when Kiara smacked my chest sharply.
"Not a time for jokes. We're such assholes."
"Should we have told her about us moving?"
"Well now that we've let the cat slip out of the bag, Brent will do that for us." Kiara sighed, throwing herself back on the bed, "What have we done?"
The RV slowed to a complete stop for a few moments, before starting up again. A light rapping of knuckles sounded against the wall and we both peered up to find Dixon standing there, an awkward smile on his face.
"Am I interrupting something? Violet practically shoved me from the driver's seat so I said I'd come say hi."
"No." Kiara climbed out of the bed, "All yours."
"You don't have to leave just cause I'm coming in." Dixon beamed at her, "The more the merrier."
I couldn't help but smile as a wave of affection ran through me at the sight. Kiara gave him a genuine smile and sat back down, patting the empty space between us both.
"Fine." She said sarcastically, "You've convinced me. Just for a few minutes though, I'm still exhausted and that bunk bed is calling my name."
"Not a nice thing to call my sister." Dixon smirked, climbing under the covers and pulling them up to his chin, snuggling into my side tightly.
"Hi." I smiled at him, dropping a kiss on his forehead.
"Hi yourself." He responded, before turning on his side so I was spooned up behind him, his attention focused on Kiara, "Are you okay? The energy felt...sombre when I came in."
I stayed silent, really not wanting to shove my foot back in my mouth. I didn't want to overstep with Kiara, unsure of how she wanted to play this. I made eye contact with her and she held it for a moment, before glancing down at Dixon.
"Brent made a pass at a girl I was seeing." She said, gnawing on her lower lip, "And we didn't tell Violet. Because Brent threatened to tell her we're moving away at the end of summer."
Dixon nodded for a moment, before snorting a laugh, "You two are assholes, you know that right?"
"Yes." I groaned, tipping my head back, "It seems so stupid in hindsight now. We're moving in a month, she deserves to know."
"Imagine if she hid that from you."
"She wouldn't." Kiara sighed, "She's painfully honest. Couldn't keep a secret if she tried. We know we're in the wrong entirely, we just don't know how to make it up to her."
"Just explain, and apologise. And take it from there. Hopefully she can understand your intentions weren't to hurt her."
"Yeah." Kiara sighed, rubbing a hand roughly down her face, "I feel like the worst person alive right now."
"We can share that title." I groaned, flopping onto my back.
"We'll leave her be for now." Kiara suggested, clambering off the bed, "And see if she's willing to speak to us in the morning."
"Good plan." Dixon said, "I can make some cupcakes, might sway her thinking."
"Goodnight lovebirds." Kiara cooed, shuffling off to the bunk beds.
Dixon rolled over, looking up at me with wide, warm eyes, "Hey there."
"Hey yourself," I smiled.
He didn't say a word, lying there and gazing up at me. I tried to ignore the tugging in my chest but it was overwhelming. I broke our eye contact and instead wrapped an arm around him, tugging him closer.
"If we don't go to prison, we should go on a date."
I snorted, "Really?"
"Well, yeah. You had your way with me and didn't even buy me dinner first. I think I'm owed that."
I smirked, "Well if only to preserve your honour. And my dignity."
"We could go horseback riding."
"Have you seen the pants I wear? Hardly horseback riding attire. What about lunch at a nice French bistro..."
"Oh trust me I have." Dixon beamed, shifting in closer, "They are quite the sight."
"Mhm." I murmured, not even listening to his last statement as I leaned in, capturing his lips with mine.
I was still getting used to how boisterous Dixon was with these things. He moved swiftly, his hands everywhere all at once, his kisses fast and intense. I felt overwhelmed, but in a pleasant way, leading to a warm buzz that thrummed under my veins.
"Wait-" I gasped out as he moved his attention to my neck, "Violet's pissed enough, we cannot have sex in her queen bed. She'll turn us into the cops."
Dixon broke away with a chuckle, sneaking one last kiss before snuggling into my side once more, "We should try and get a few more hours of sleep."
"Good idea." I murmured, eyes sliding shut, "Goodnight, D."
"Goodnight." Without even looking, I could practically hear the smile on his face.
—-
"What the fuck!"
"Kiara, calm -"
"That passive aggressive little bitch, I'm going to murder her!"
"You don't mean that-"
"Like hell I don't! We are fucked!"
"Whuzgonnon?" Dixon slurred, fidgeting against my side.
I peeled my eyes open, the bright light making me want to curl back up under the blanket. My phone was continuously buzzing to the point where I wanted to chuck it across the room. Reaching around my head, I finally managed to grip it and unlocked it, spooning my body around Dixon's. I held my phone in front of his face and resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the amount of missed notifications.
ROADTRIP!!!!!!!!!!: 28 Unread Messages
July 31st, 20:12 - Cassie: Anyone have an android charger?
July 31st, 20:14 - Probably: Brent: Nope
August 1st, 01:24 - Violet: i threw upjdm
August 1st, 07:10 - Violet: Gone out for a while. I'll be back in a few hours.
August 1st, 08:20 - Kiara: wtf??
You must be joking??
Vi??
(TWO MISSED CALLS)
This isn't a joke Vi
August 1st, 08:42 - Violet: Go fuck yourself
August 1st, 08:42 - Kiara: I know but please we need to talk
Just come back, it's not safe
You don't even know where you are and you're alone
August 1st, 09:01 - Violet: I'm with a friend
Just take a few hours for a break, visit the town, get some breakfast. It's a nice area
Big police station
August 1st, 09:04 - Kiara: You think ur so funny don't u
August 1st, 09:10 - Violet: I thought you were my sister but I guess I'm two for two on being an idiot today
August 1st, 09:11 - Kiara: V...
Please come back
I'm sorry, I just want to see you
August 1st, 09:12 - Violet: Later
I took the keys. So u wouldn't get any ideas
August 1st, 09:15 - Probably: Brent : Babe we cant even shower without the engine on
Fuck
August 1st, 09:17 - Kiara: Just text me to let me know ur ok every so often
August 1st, 09:30 - Violet: k
Well, that explains the screaming currently going on outside.
"Fuck," Dixon breathed, "This is not good."
"Well, we're stuck unmoving on the edge of a town on one of the hottest days of the year with a corpse rotting in our trunk." I sighed, burying my face in the back of his neck, "This is going to work out swimmingly."
"Cmon." Dixon stretched his limbs with a crack, groaning lightly as he did, "Let's go stop hurricane Kiara."
"Hot, will help you hide a body and funny? Where have you been hiding all my life?"
"I've been off training for this day." He smiled, climbing out of bed and offering a hand to pull me up alongside him.
We left the bedroom area to find Violet, Brent and Kiara standing in the middle of the RV. Brent looked confused, Cassie looked concerned and Kiara looked about five seconds from secreting steam from her ears.
"Oh good!" Kiara cooed in a way that made it sound anything but, "You're up! We have a situation."
"I saw." I raised an eyebrow, "Is she alright?"
"She's alive. Until I get my fucking hands on her. She's dead."
"You don't mean that." Cassie implored, tugging on Kiara's arm, "She's your best friend."
"She's a rat is what she is."
"Ki." I butted in, "Don't."
She exhaled a harsh breath out of her nose, flopping down onto the pull out bed that had yet to be folded back into a couch. She sniffled lightly. I sidled down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder tightly.
"It's just..." She let out a sob, "I feel guilty enough as it is and I get that I fucked up. I fucked up bad but this is so over the line. The cops could be tailing us for all we know and she's left us here like sitting ducks with a corpse that is starting to reek. Am I insane for being angry here?"
"No." I soothed, rubbing a hand on her knee gently, "You have a right to be angry, as does she. You will get past this. She acted in the heat of the moment and she will apologise for that too. But right now there's no point in freaking out. We can't change what happens. We could go find her in the city if that takes some pressure off?"
"Yeah," She sniffled, "That would be nice."
"Why has she run off anyway?" Brent frowned, "I woke up this morning and she was gone. She's ignoring my texts too."
"About that..." Kiara looked up at him sheepishly, "She knows."
"She knows?"
"About you and Sophie."
Brent stood there, silent.
"We didn't mean to. She heard us talking about it-"
"Alright then."
"What?"
"Well. It's done." He shrugged, "Almost. You still have to tell her you're moving."
"We get to tell her?"
"She's probably miserable right now. You really think I'm that much of an asshole that I want to put her through more pain?" He scoffed, shaking his head, "I care about her."
"That's surprisingly mature of you, Brent." I chimed in, shocked.
"Oh I know." He paused for a moment, before fixing us with a blank expression, "But know this. I am done with the two of you. Any sort of niceness between us is dead. I have tried to be civil with the pair of you when all you have done for this entire trip is make fun of me, and talk shit about me no matter how much I try to connect with you. I am done trying to be a decent human being to you. Once this is done we never speak again and if it comes down to me or you two I am choosing me. Understood?"
The ice in his voice sent a shiver down my spine. He was oddly collected, stood with his arms crossed and his mouth in a straight line.
"Understood."
"Wonderful. I'll be back later. I need a fucking drink." With that Brent stormed out of the trailer, leaving us in utter silence.
Kiara's head slumped onto my shoulder, silent tears wetting my shirt. I didn't have the energy to tease her about it. Dixon and Cassie stood like fish out of water, unsure of where to look or what to do with themselves. It was a jarring sight, seeing the usually confident pair completely uncomfortable and not a smile in sight.
"Let's get ready." Cassie suggested, "And we can head into town. Get some breakfast and take a look for Violet."
"Good idea." I agreed, nudging Kiara.
She nodded wordlessly, standing and trailing back towards the bedroom where her bags were stowed. Cassie shot me a wide eyed look before scampering after her, grabbing her own bag on the way.
"You alright?"
I shrugged, unable to move from the couch bed just yet. I would have flopped down on it if it weren't for the smell of Brent's LYNX Africa wafting from the sheets. When I heard no sounds from Dixon, I figured he had turned back towards the bunkbeds to get his own bags and leave me to calm down.
I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt his hand envelop mine.
"I'm here, it's okay." His hand stroked mine gently.
I felt like bursting into tears. Nothing was okay and it was likely that things may never be okay again. But sitting there, with the smiliest boy known to man holding my hand, things felt a bit brighter. Like they could actually be okay again. It was nice for someone to just sit with me, not needing anything from me. I think he may have been the first person to check in on me this entire trip.
"Thank you." I sniffed, finally lifting my gaze to his.
His eyes were shining as they stared into mine. He squeezed my hand gently twice and gave me one of those soft smiles I had come to love so much. Dixon was truly a man of many smiles. There was his drunken grin, wide and sloppy. His dopey grin, saved for when he was laughing his hardest. There was his comforting smile, usually directed towards his sister. And there was this one, which I only saw when it was just the two of us. It felt like a promise, of something I did not want to think about yet. I squeezed his hand once in return and his eyes lit up.
"Come on," He pressed his lips to my forehead for a moment, before pulling me to my feet, "Let's get you into a pair of those pants of yours."
We dressed and readied ourselves in relative silence. It felt weird, doing my skincare routine with everything going on. But if I was getting arrested, it would not be with pimples all over my face. I'd at least get a good mugshot out of this. Dixon poked a finger into one of my face creams, giving it a curious sniff before grimacing and rubbing it into his jeans, ignoring my indignant squawk as he did so.
By the time we were ready Cassie and Kiara were standing by the window, poking their heads out. It was interesting to note their ease with each other, despite barely knowing each other. It reminded me of myself and Dixon, relative strangers but feeling much closer than that. It was weird to think that we hadn't known them a few days ago and now they felt like staples in our lives.
As they turned to greet us, Cassie hopped off the couch and began adjusting my hair wordlessly. I was too stunned to even stop her. It was interesting to note how much she had opened up in the last few days. While she shared Dixon's soft and timid demeanour, she was actually much more outspoken than him, with a sharp wit and a bravery that rivalled even Kiara's.
"Shall we, ladies?" Dixon announced, holding the door open for us all to cross through.
The sun blazed down on us and in that moment I was immensely grateful to myself that I decided to wear shorts. I slid on a pair of sunglasses and surveyed the area we were parked in. Violet, to her credit, had parked in a seemingly hidden area right on the outskirts of the town - behind the sign welcoming us to 'our happy home'. The town looked like something out of a movie, so small you could nearly see its entirety from where we stood. It was colourful though, with brightly painted houses standing to the forefront.
"That corpse reeks." Kiara scrunched her nose up, wafting the air with her hand.
"Don't remind me of it." I baulked as the smell flooded my nostrils, "I'll gag."
Facing the town, we all shared a glance and a nod before taking a step away from the RV and towards the town. Before we could walk more than five feet away, we were all stunned into silence by a loud chirping noise.
The distant sound of a cell phone ringing stopped us in our tracks. The sound was clear and distinct, chiming directly from the trunk of Dixon's car.
"Oh fuck..."
August 1st: 5.20am
I had become aware of the fact that my foot was likely going to take up permanent residence in my mouth. I could have faced this like a man but instead I did what any sane person would do in the face of Violet's wrath. I snored. Loudly. A sharp smack to the side of my head caused me to bolt upright, yelping. The light flickered on with ease and Violet sat up, arms crossed and a frown on her face.
"What truth?" Violet simply said.
I glanced back at Kiara, who had paled significantly. We made eye contact and I could sense in that instant that we were absolutely fucked. It became a question of which truth we wanted to reveal to her at that moment, if not both of them.
"Guys...you're freaking me out."
If our brains weren't riddled with the remnants of drink we probably could have come up with a quick lie. But in all honesty I was still a bit drunk despite my sleep and Kiara was drowsy. If we told Violet about college she would have a meltdown but if we told her about Brent she would have a meltdown and Brent would expose us anyway. We were royally fucked.
"Look, Vi." Kiara shifted and sat up, placing one of her hands on my thigh and digging her nails in tightly.
I winced.
"We need to tell you something and we just want you to stay calm, okay?"
Violet stayed silent, jaw tight.
"Do you remember Sophie?"
Guess that's what we're going for.
Violet frowned, "The bitchy girl you were sleeping with before graduation? Yeah, why?"
"Brent made a pass at her." I supplied when Kiara went silent, sniffling to herself.
"Oh."
"Oh?"
"Oh."
"Oh?"
"El-"
"No, Kiara. I'm sorry, we just told you that your boyfriend tried to sleep with another girl and all you can say is 'oh'?"
Violet barked out a laugh, shaking her head and I could see the tears forming.
"Look. I know Brent isn't perfect. This isn't a massive surprise to me. What is a surprise to me is you two keeping this a secret from me for weeks."
"Vi-"
"No!" She snapped, furiously wiping her eyes, "How dare you both? You're my best friends and what? You decide to keep his secret? Your best friend's boyfriend cheats on her and you think 'Nah, she doesn't need to know that'? You're all buddy buddy with Brent now?"
"It's more complicated than that-"
"Do not give me that line, Kiara. I'm not one of your whores you're trying to kick out in the morning."
I winced at the sheer venom in her tone, "V, that's hardly fair. We're sorry we lied but you don't need to be cruel."
"Fuck off!" Violet laughed, climbing to her feet, "Both of you fuck right off. Do not follow me, I'm serious." She stormed off to the front of the RV, leaving us sitting in silence.
"I was expecting a lot more weeping." I mused, breaking the silence and wincing when Kiara smacked my chest sharply.
"Not a time for jokes. We're such assholes."
"Should we have told her about us moving?"
"Well now that we've let the cat slip out of the bag, Brent will do that for us." Kiara sighed, throwing herself back on the bed, "What have we done?"
The RV slowed to a complete stop for a few moments, before starting up again. A light rapping of knuckles sounded against the wall and we both peered up to find Dixon standing there, an awkward smile on his face.
"Am I interrupting something? Violet practically shoved me from the driver's seat so I said I'd come say hi."
"No." Kiara climbed out of the bed, "All yours."
"You don't have to leave just cause I'm coming in." Dixon beamed at her, "The more the merrier."
I couldn't help but smile as a wave of affection ran through me at the sight. Kiara gave him a genuine smile and sat back down, patting the empty space between us both.
"Fine." She said sarcastically, "You've convinced me. Just for a few minutes though, I'm still exhausted and that bunk bed is calling my name."
"Not a nice thing to call my sister." Dixon smirked, climbing under the covers and pulling them up to his chin, snuggling into my side tightly.
"Hi." I smiled at him, dropping a kiss on his forehead.
"Hi yourself." He responded, before turning on his side so I was spooned up behind him, his attention focused on Kiara, "Are you okay? The energy felt...sombre when I came in."
I stayed silent, really not wanting to shove my foot back in my mouth. I didn't want to overstep with Kiara, unsure of how she wanted to play this. I made eye contact with her and she held it for a moment, before glancing down at Dixon.
"Brent made a pass at a girl I was seeing." She said, gnawing on her lower lip, "And we didn't tell Violet. Because Brent threatened to tell her we're moving away at the end of summer."
Dixon nodded for a moment, before snorting a laugh, "You two are assholes, you know that right?"
"Yes." I groaned, tipping my head back, "It seems so stupid in hindsight now. We're moving in a month, she deserves to know."
"Imagine if she hid that from you."
"She wouldn't." Kiara sighed, "She's painfully honest. Couldn't keep a secret if she tried. We know we're in the wrong entirely, we just don't know how to make it up to her."
"Just explain, and apologise. And take it from there. Hopefully she can understand your intentions weren't to hurt her."
"Yeah." Kiara sighed, rubbing a hand roughly down her face, "I feel like the worst person alive right now."
"We can share that title." I groaned, flopping onto my back.
"We'll leave her be for now." Kiara suggested, clambering off the bed, "And see if she's willing to speak to us in the morning."
"Good plan." Dixon said, "I can make some cupcakes, might sway her thinking."
"Goodnight lovebirds." Kiara cooed, shuffling off to the bunk beds.
Dixon rolled over, looking up at me with wide, warm eyes, "Hey there."
"Hey yourself," I smiled.
He didn't say a word, lying there and gazing up at me. I tried to ignore the tugging in my chest but it was overwhelming. I broke our eye contact and instead wrapped an arm around him, tugging him closer.
"If we don't go to prison, we should go on a date."
I snorted, "Really?"
"Well, yeah. You had your way with me and didn't even buy me dinner first. I think I'm owed that."
I smirked, "Well if only to preserve your honour. And my dignity."
"We could go horseback riding."
"Have you seen the pants I wear? Hardly horseback riding attire. What about lunch at a nice French bistro..."
"Oh trust me I have." Dixon beamed, shifting in closer, "They are quite the sight."
"Mhm." I murmured, not even listening to his last statement as I leaned in, capturing his lips with mine.
I was still getting used to how boisterous Dixon was with these things. He moved swiftly, his hands everywhere all at once, his kisses fast and intense. I felt overwhelmed, but in a pleasant way, leading to a warm buzz that thrummed under my veins.
"Wait-" I gasped out as he moved his attention to my neck, "Violet's pissed enough, we cannot have sex in her queen bed. She'll turn us into the cops."
Dixon broke away with a chuckle, sneaking one last kiss before snuggling into my side once more, "We should try and get a few more hours of sleep."
"Good idea." I murmured, eyes sliding shut, "Goodnight, D."
"Goodnight." Without even looking, I could practically hear the smile on his face.
—-
"What the fuck!"
"Kiara, calm -"
"That passive aggressive little bitch, I'm going to murder her!"
"You don't mean that-"
"Like hell I don't! We are fucked!"
"Whuzgonnon?" Dixon slurred, fidgeting against my side.
I peeled my eyes open, the bright light making me want to curl back up under the blanket. My phone was continuously buzzing to the point where I wanted to chuck it across the room. Reaching around my head, I finally managed to grip it and unlocked it, spooning my body around Dixon's. I held my phone in front of his face and resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the amount of missed notifications.
ROADTRIP!!!!!!!!!!: 28 Unread Messages
July 31st, 20:12 - Cassie: Anyone have an android charger?
July 31st, 20:14 - Probably: Brent: Nope
August 1st, 01:24 - Violet: i threw upjdm
August 1st, 07:10 - Violet: Gone out for a while. I'll be back in a few hours.
August 1st, 08:20 - Kiara: wtf??
You must be joking??
Vi??
(TWO MISSED CALLS)
This isn't a joke Vi
August 1st, 08:42 - Violet: Go fuck yourself
August 1st, 08:42 - Kiara: I know but please we need to talk
Just come back, it's not safe
You don't even know where you are and you're alone
August 1st, 09:01 - Violet: I'm with a friend
Just take a few hours for a break, visit the town, get some breakfast. It's a nice area
Big police station
August 1st, 09:04 - Kiara: You think ur so funny don't u
August 1st, 09:10 - Violet: I thought you were my sister but I guess I'm two for two on being an idiot today
August 1st, 09:11 - Kiara: V...
Please come back
I'm sorry, I just want to see you
August 1st, 09:12 - Violet: Later
I took the keys. So u wouldn't get any ideas
August 1st, 09:15 - Probably: Brent : Babe we cant even shower without the engine on
Fuck
August 1st, 09:17 - Kiara: Just text me to let me know ur ok every so often
August 1st, 09:30 - Violet: k
Well, that explains the screaming currently going on outside.
"Fuck," Dixon breathed, "This is not good."
"Well, we're stuck unmoving on the edge of a town on one of the hottest days of the year with a corpse rotting in our trunk." I sighed, burying my face in the back of his neck, "This is going to work out swimmingly."
"Cmon." Dixon stretched his limbs with a crack, groaning lightly as he did, "Let's go stop hurricane Kiara."
"Hot, will help you hide a body and funny? Where have you been hiding all my life?"
"I've been off training for this day." He smiled, climbing out of bed and offering a hand to pull me up alongside him.
We left the bedroom area to find Violet, Brent and Kiara standing in the middle of the RV. Brent looked confused, Cassie looked concerned and Kiara looked about five seconds from secreting steam from her ears.
"Oh good!" Kiara cooed in a way that made it sound anything but, "You're up! We have a situation."
"I saw." I raised an eyebrow, "Is she alright?"
"She's alive. Until I get my fucking hands on her. She's dead."
"You don't mean that." Cassie implored, tugging on Kiara's arm, "She's your best friend."
"She's a rat is what she is."
"Ki." I butted in, "Don't."
She exhaled a harsh breath out of her nose, flopping down onto the pull out bed that had yet to be folded back into a couch. She sniffled lightly. I sidled down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder tightly.
"It's just..." She let out a sob, "I feel guilty enough as it is and I get that I fucked up. I fucked up bad but this is so over the line. The cops could be tailing us for all we know and she's left us here like sitting ducks with a corpse that is starting to reek. Am I insane for being angry here?"
"No." I soothed, rubbing a hand on her knee gently, "You have a right to be angry, as does she. You will get past this. She acted in the heat of the moment and she will apologise for that too. But right now there's no point in freaking out. We can't change what happens. We could go find her in the city if that takes some pressure off?"
"Yeah," She sniffled, "That would be nice."
"Why has she run off anyway?" Brent frowned, "I woke up this morning and she was gone. She's ignoring my texts too."
"About that..." Kiara looked up at him sheepishly, "She knows."
"She knows?"
"About you and Sophie."
Brent stood there, silent.
"We didn't mean to. She heard us talking about it-"
"Alright then."
"What?"
"Well. It's done." He shrugged, "Almost. You still have to tell her you're moving."
"We get to tell her?"
"She's probably miserable right now. You really think I'm that much of an asshole that I want to put her through more pain?" He scoffed, shaking his head, "I care about her."
"That's surprisingly mature of you, Brent." I chimed in, shocked.
"Oh I know." He paused for a moment, before fixing us with a blank expression, "But know this. I am done with the two of you. Any sort of niceness between us is dead. I have tried to be civil with the pair of you when all you have done for this entire trip is make fun of me, and talk shit about me no matter how much I try to connect with you. I am done trying to be a decent human being to you. Once this is done we never speak again and if it comes down to me or you two I am choosing me. Understood?"
The ice in his voice sent a shiver down my spine. He was oddly collected, stood with his arms crossed and his mouth in a straight line.
"Understood."
"Wonderful. I'll be back later. I need a fucking drink." With that Brent stormed out of the trailer, leaving us in utter silence.
Kiara's head slumped onto my shoulder, silent tears wetting my shirt. I didn't have the energy to tease her about it. Dixon and Cassie stood like fish out of water, unsure of where to look or what to do with themselves. It was a jarring sight, seeing the usually confident pair completely uncomfortable and not a smile in sight.
"Let's get ready." Cassie suggested, "And we can head into town. Get some breakfast and take a look for Violet."
"Good idea." I agreed, nudging Kiara.
She nodded wordlessly, standing and trailing back towards the bedroom where her bags were stowed. Cassie shot me a wide eyed look before scampering after her, grabbing her own bag on the way.
"You alright?"
I shrugged, unable to move from the couch bed just yet. I would have flopped down on it if it weren't for the smell of Brent's LYNX Africa wafting from the sheets. When I heard no sounds from Dixon, I figured he had turned back towards the bunkbeds to get his own bags and leave me to calm down.
I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt his hand envelop mine.
"I'm here, it's okay." His hand stroked mine gently.
I felt like bursting into tears. Nothing was okay and it was likely that things may never be okay again. But sitting there, with the smiliest boy known to man holding my hand, things felt a bit brighter. Like they could actually be okay again. It was nice for someone to just sit with me, not needing anything from me. I think he may have been the first person to check in on me this entire trip.
"Thank you." I sniffed, finally lifting my gaze to his.
His eyes were shining as they stared into mine. He squeezed my hand gently twice and gave me one of those soft smiles I had come to love so much. Dixon was truly a man of many smiles. There was his drunken grin, wide and sloppy. His dopey grin, saved for when he was laughing his hardest. There was his comforting smile, usually directed towards his sister. And there was this one, which I only saw when it was just the two of us. It felt like a promise, of something I did not want to think about yet. I squeezed his hand once in return and his eyes lit up.
"Come on," He pressed his lips to my forehead for a moment, before pulling me to my feet, "Let's get you into a pair of those pants of yours."
We dressed and readied ourselves in relative silence. It felt weird, doing my skincare routine with everything going on. But if I was getting arrested, it would not be with pimples all over my face. I'd at least get a good mugshot out of this. Dixon poked a finger into one of my face creams, giving it a curious sniff before grimacing and rubbing it into his jeans, ignoring my indignant squawk as he did so.
By the time we were ready Cassie and Kiara were standing by the window, poking their heads out. It was interesting to note their ease with each other, despite barely knowing each other. It reminded me of myself and Dixon, relative strangers but feeling much closer than that. It was weird to think that we hadn't known them a few days ago and now they felt like staples in our lives.
As they turned to greet us, Cassie hopped off the couch and began adjusting my hair wordlessly. I was too stunned to even stop her. It was interesting to note how much she had opened up in the last few days. While she shared Dixon's soft and timid demeanour, she was actually much more outspoken than him, with a sharp wit and a bravery that rivalled even Kiara's.
"Shall we, ladies?" Dixon announced, holding the door open for us all to cross through.
The sun blazed down on us and in that moment I was immensely grateful to myself that I decided to wear shorts. I slid on a pair of sunglasses and surveyed the area we were parked in. Violet, to her credit, had parked in a seemingly hidden area right on the outskirts of the town - behind the sign welcoming us to 'our happy home'. The town looked like something out of a movie, so small you could nearly see its entirety from where we stood. It was colourful though, with brightly painted houses standing to the forefront.
"That corpse reeks." Kiara scrunched her nose up, wafting the air with her hand.
"Don't remind me of it." I baulked as the smell flooded my nostrils, "I'll gag."
Facing the town, we all shared a glance and a nod before taking a step away from the RV and towards the town. Before we could walk more than five feet away, we were all stunned into silence by a loud chirping noise.
The distant sound of a cell phone ringing stopped us in our tracks. The sound was clear and distinct, chiming directly from the trunk of Dixon's car.
"Oh fuck..."
End of Don't Stand By Me (COMPLETE) Chapter 11. Continue reading Chapter 12 or return to Don't Stand By Me (COMPLETE) book page.