Don't Stand By Me (COMPLETE) - Chapter 16: Chapter 16

VIOLET
August 1st: 20:37
The energy in the RV had managed to hit an all time low. It was stifling, the tense air surrounding us all. The only ones who seemed immune to it were Dixon and Pearl - which was insane in itself. I disappeared for twenty minutes and she was full of laughter and smiles, cosying up next to Brent, surprisingly with a sock-free mouth. I had kept an eye on them, sitting cross legged on the couch, a bowl of pasta perched on my lap. It was the first time I had seen Brent laugh or honestly even smile since we had gotten here.
It was easy to feel guilty. I had technically cheated on him after all, emotionally and physically. Sure, he had hit on someone but I...well I was having genuine feelings. He never even wanted to go on the trip; he had spent the entire week picking fights with me over it, saying he didn't want to go and that he wouldn't have a good time. And he was right. Now he was stuck in the RV with the people he probably hated most in the world, no chance to escape.
He seemed lighter talking to Pearl, turning his head to glance at her with a grin that made my chest hurt with how reminiscent it made me feel. It wasn't that I wanted that smile to be directed at me, it just caused an ache at the memory of getting those smiles, of how I wanted nothing more than for him to flash one at me. And now all I got was stone cold stares and abrupt sentences thrown when he felt like it. Which was fair, we had both fucked up.
"Hey." Kiara sighed, plopping down next to me with a bowl in hand, "Is it just me or is everyone having the worst night imaginable?"
"Today was a hard one." I shrugged, "A lot happened. What's going on between you and Cassie? You're not glued at the hip."
"I don't have a clue. She hasn't spoken to me since before Pearl showed up...you don't think that she...?"
I glanced at Cassie, who was clearly side eyeing us without wanting to be caught, "Definitely not. She has a thing for you."
"I just don't get that vibe." Kiara shrugged, spooning some pasta into her mouth, "She seems like she just wants to be friends."
"Friends hold hands and have romantic, looking at the stars' dates?"
"Sometimes...maybe...I don't know. You're my only female friend."
"And if you tried that shit on me, you'd have none."
"Homophobe."
"Loser."
We snickered, before Kiara glanced at me, her expression going sombre.
"I really am sorry, you know."
"I know. I am too."
"Are we okay?"
I grabbed her hands with mine and beamed at her, "We are perfect." I munched on some pasta before humming thoughtfully, "Do you think we'd be a good couple?"
"God no!" Kiara snorted, shaking her head, "Could you imagine? We'd kill each other."
"We'd be hot, though."
"Damned right!" She raised an eyebrow at me, smirking, "Speaking of...an FBI agent?"
"I know." I sighed, "I'll cut contact with him."
"Hey, I'm not attacking you." Kiara said softly, "I'm just curious. Is he cute?"
"He's so cute. And sexy. Ugh...he's ripped too."
"And he makes you laugh?"
"Constantly."
"And he makes you feel special?"
"Like I'm the only person in the room."
"Then why on earth would you give that up?"
"Well I mean besides the fact that he's an FBI agent and I'm an accessory to murder. I couldn't hide that from him."
"Hmm sometimes things just work out. Don't give up on him just yet. If anything...you might get a nice hookup out of it."
"Kiara!"
"What? Don't knock it till you try it." She smirked, finishing off her pasta.
"Do you know what I'd love right now?"
"A drink?"
"I fucking love you, you know that right? You just get me."
"Stop hitting on me, I already said no." Kiara squealed as I pouted and pretended to try and kiss her, "Off, vile beast!"
"You guys know we literally have a hostage right now?" Elvis snarked from across the way, cleaning his plate in the sink.
He had a weird look on his face that I couldn't decipher.
"What, one hiccup and we can't have any fun? This seems like the perfect time to have fun if you ask me."
"If you suggest we should have a drink-"
"We should have a drink."
"Ki," Elvis groaned, turning to face us, "Do you have an alcohol problem?"
"No!" She sputtered, "But as I see it, we can sit in this RV and worry and panic, or we can sit in this RV and get drunk and have fun."
"Does anyone else think this is insane?"
"I'll pass, anyway." Brent said, "I'll drive."
"Come on, Brent. It might do you some good." Kiara tried hesitantly, her normal attitude with him completely dwindled.
"Did I stutter when I said I want nothing to do with you all? I meant that. You all can get fucked. Except the newbies."
"Cheers." Cassie called without glancing up from her phone.
"Fair enough, so he's out." Kiara said, "Anyone else?"
Cassie sighed, dropping her phone, "Fuck it, I could use a drink."
"I'd be up for some fun!" Dixon smiled, ignoring Elvis' eye roll, "Come on...don't be a stick in the mud."
"There's a corpse in our trunk and I'm a stick in the mud?"
"That's old news." I shrugged, "We can't put our lives on hold for a corpse. No offence, Pearl."
"Whatever!" She called back, swinging her legs as she listened to Brent tell a story.
"Someone's smitten." I smirked, raising an eyebrow.
"Ugh. You all suck. I'll take a drink." Elvis groaned.
"Excellent! Five it is." I clapped my hands together, "Let's go!"
Ding!
August 1st, 21:01 - Fitz: Is it weird that I miss you already?
August 1st, 21:02 - Violet: Feelings mutual
I tried to ignore the fluttering in my chest as I put the phone down, shoving it in my pocket. It was an impossible situation; something out of a crappy soap opera Elvis and I would tease Kiara for being so invested in. But I couldn't help it, he gave me butterflies. Also the danger of it all was a bit exciting, as terrifying as the outcome could potentially be. I decided to not let it bother me for now, content to get absolutely hammered and pretend nothing existed. We gathered around the small circle table and I poured each of us two shots, "We need them! For courage!"
"You're mad." Cassie snorted but downed her shots with ease.
She was wedged between Dixon and myself, not even looking at Kiara who was sitting across the table, watching her with sad eyes. It was a weird development that Kiara claimed to know nothing about, but something was wrong. In contrast, Dixon and Elvis were clung to each other, clearly enamoured. It was shocking to see from Elvis but really wholesome in a way that I couldn't help but smile every time I glanced at them.
I slammed back my shots and exhaled sharply, shaking my head and willing the acidic feeling to die down. I grabbed my glass of wine and took a sip, humming softly as I did.
"You can't go wrong with wine." I noted, to which I heard matching scoffs of disgust.
"Wine is for middle aged women and depressed teenage boys." Elvis shook his head.
"Bad things happen when people drink wine." Kiara shuddered, "Like that time Elvis ended up naked on the fire escape."
"Hey! That's private!" He groaned while Dixon snickered at his side, "What about that time when Violet swapped places with that stripper so she could finish her shift early."
"Fuck off! I was being nice."
"Until that guy shoved a dollar in your pants." Kiara wheezed, "You kicked him in the face."
"How about that time Kiara ended up at a swinger party and was too terrified to leave?"
"Well you all ditched me there! Assholes. Thought I would have had a threesome to leave." She shuddered, shaking her head.
Cassie snorted into her glass and Kiara shot her a small smile, which she didn't return. Short of spinning the bottle I could not think of a game that would bring them together and talk their shit out.
"Pearl!" Elvis called out, "Do you want a drink?"
We all turned to gape at him but he did not spare anyone a glance, eyes trained on the girl cuffed to the passenger seat.
"Sure! Let's get crunk!" She grinned, shaking her cuffs, "You'll have to cuff me to one of the chairs, though."
Elvis stood, ignoring all of our incredulous looks and went to uncuff Pearl.
"They've gotten...close." Cassie murmured, watching them closely.
"She's kind of endearing, once you get past the first layer of bitchiness." Kiara noted, "Maybe their bitchiness is compatible."
Cassie rolled her eyes.
"I think he's trying to gain her trust." Dixon piped in quietly right as the pair returned to the table.
Elvis cuffed one of her wrists to the chair, between myself and Kiara, leaving the other one free as he poured her a generous helping of vodka with a dash of cranberry.
"Girls like vodka cranberry, right?" He shrugged, slipping back into his seat beside Dixon, nestling in close.
"Girls love vodka cranberry." Pearl beamed, taking a big swig, "Ugh, slay."
Elvis stifled a snort next to her side while Kiara gave her a horrified look.
"Well, I think this is a perfect segue into a game of Never Have I Ever, don't you all?" I beamed.
I ignored Kiara and Elvis' matching groans, they always ended up loving this game, I don't care what came out of their mouths.
"Omgs yes! I've never actually played before!" Pearl clapped her hands with glee, though slightly awkwardly with the short leash she was on.
"No time to start like the present." Kiara smiled softly.
Cassie's face turned an interesting shade of red. At that moment it hit me exactly why Cassie had been pissy all afternoon; Cassie was jealous. A gorgeous, young, peppy blonde leapt into the trailer and Kiara talked to her the way she spoke to absolutely everyone - a little bit flirty but all in jest. Now that was an interesting development.
"Alright, I'll go first." I smirked, glancing around at everyone around me, "Never have I ever had a thing for someone in this trailer."
Unsurprisingly, everyone took a drink, myself included when I realised that Brent counted. Cassie's eyes narrowed as she watched Kiara take a drink, avoiding everyone's curious gazes. What interested me the most is the fact that Cassie drank, a fact that Kiara had somehow missed. I snorted into my glass, refusing to make eye contact with anyone except for Elvis, who shot me a wink and a smile, clearly picking up on what was going on.
"Do we need stories here...Kiara?" Dixon smiled softly, eyes darting between her and his sister, who were pointedly ignoring each other.
"Over my dead body." She raised her glass in a 'cheers' motion, finishing the last of her drink before pouring herself another.
"Time will tell!" Elvis sing-songed, winking at Kiara, who stuck her tongue out playfully at him. He then turned to face the table at large, "Pearl? Do you want to go?"
"Hmm..." She hummed, sipping on her drink thoughtfully, "Never have I ever killed a man."
Everyone stiffened.
"Well, technically it was Brent." Kiara muttered, yelping as Dixon elbowed her in the side.
"Jeez..." Pearl giggled, "Tough crowd. It was a joke, lame-os. Fine...never have I ever been walked in on during sex."
I let out a groan, chugging my drink as I tried to not picture the experience. Elvis and Kiara also drank and we all shared a look. The three of us living together for four years and having fairly active social lives...it had happened more than once.
"One time I walked in on Violet suspended from the ceiling." Elvis barked out a laugh once he finished his sentence, unable to keep a straight face.
"You bitch!" I squeaked, "That was a one time thing! Mark told me it was chic!"
"Stop it!" Pearl wheezed, hunched over, "I'm gonna pee!"
"Oh you think that's funny? One time I walked in on Kiara and some girl on the couch, covered in vomit."
"Hey, I wasn't involved in this!" Kiara flushed, "We had a big dinner...then she got a bit too...excited and ended up vomiting everywhere!"
Cassie and Pearl burst into a fit of laughter, smacking the table. Dixon was smirking into his glass.
"One time Elvis and I were facetiming all day while I was away interning and he forgot I was on the camera and started having sex. He started crying before I could hang up."
"What?" Pearl practically screeched, falling back into laughter.
"I was emotional!" Elvis covered his face with his hands, "Luke Perry just died!"
"Oh my god." I shook my head, "Can we hear a story about someone that isn't the three of us? We sound psychotic. Someone please target Dixon. He's far too quiet."
"Hey!"
"Sorry, gorgeous, luck of the draw." I blew him a kiss.
"I got one." Kiara piped up, "Never have I ever sent a dirty text to the wrong person."
"I've had one sent to me by accident. By my boyfriend. Who meant to send it to one of his dumb whores." Pearl muttered, sipping her drink despondently.
Dixon sipped his drink discreetly, but I made eye contact with him.
"A story?" I joked, smirking at him.
He sighed, "I was seeing this guy and we were...talking and I accidentally sent it to my professor instead."
"You had your professor's phone number?" Elvis chuckled, taking a swig of his drink, promptly choking when Dixon shook his head.
"No, it was an email."
"You sexted via email?" Kiara exclaimed, shoulders shaking as she restrained herself from laughter.
"He didn't have a phone! He was 'unplugged'." He gestured with his fingers.
"Wait..." Cassie smiled wide for the first time all evening, "Did he even own a laptop?"
Dixon turned bright red.
"Oh my balls!" Pearl squealed, "Did you sext a guy who was using a library computer?"
"Fuck off!" Dixon's skin was practically scarlet, his face submerged in his drink.
"Poor baby." Elvis rubbed his back, trying to hold back his laughter, "We all get desperate sometimes."
"Moving on please." Dixon groaned, face in his hands.
The night continued as such, all of us sharing embarrassing stories and taking the piss out of whoever was subjected to it. It was freeing, even with Pearl who had opened up greatly. By her fourth drink it was concerning how close she was to tipping her chair onto the ground, but at least she was smiling. Elvis had been engaging her the entire time, dropping snarky comments to make her laugh and involving her in the games, filling her in on private jokes that she wouldn't have understood. I assumed he was trying to get on her good side, gain her trust enough to not have us murdered but there seemed to be more to it than that. He seemed to be genuinely enjoying her company.
"Whippee!" She randomly exclaimed, blowing a raspberry at Cassie, who had been glaring at her for some reason, probably Kiara related.
"Someone is a lightweight." Kiara smirked, sipping at her own drink.
"Well, I've never drank before soooooo..."
"What?" Elvis frowned, "Never?"
"Aren't you twenty four?" Dixon chimed in.
"No!" She yelped, "If anyone asks, I'm a ripe twenty one...and thirty six months. But no, I've never gotten drunk."
"How is that possible?" I bobbed my head to the side, "It's so much fun! Surely your life is all parties and liquor?"
Pearl's expression dimmed, her shoulders slumping, "I don't know. All my boyfriends preferred drugs and I never wanted to touch the stuff."
"What about your friends?" I said softly.
"F-friends?" Her voice broke, "Yeah uh they didn't like drinking either."
"Oh sweetie." Elvis' eyes widened, "You don't have friends, do you?"
"Of course I do! I'm like the richest and most popular girl in the country, duh! Course I have like fifty besties."
The valley girl voice was back in full effect, after disappearing for most of the night, right after she had settled in.
"Pearl." Kiara reached across the table and held her free hand, "It's okay if you don't have friends."
Pearl sniffed loudly, "Well...it's hard! Everyone just wants my money and gets bored. Or they're scared of my father, or my boyfriend. You guys don't get how easy you have it."
Kiara snorted at this but didn't comment.
"Well hey," Dixon smiled at her, tilting his head sideways, "You have six new friends right here."
"Really?" Her expression brightened, her eyes wide and hopeful, yet still brimming with unshed tears.
"Of course. Right guys?"
Various mutters of agreement sounded through the RV, one of which came from Brent at the wheel.
"Wow...friends!" Pearl giggled, taking her hand back from Kiara and polishing off the rest of her fairly full drink, "Who would have thought? My boyfriend's murderers are my new bffs!" She burst into a loud cackle, while we all looked around awkwardly.
But she seemed content, and that was enough to get us by for now. Keep the princess happy and her daddy wouldn't show up and blow us all to pieces.
August 2nd, 00:10 - Fitz: Hope you're having a great night, beautiful.