Don't Stand By Me (COMPLETE) - Chapter 24: Chapter 24

VIOLET
August 4th: 09:08
August 4th, 09:08 - Fitz: don't beat yourself up so much. You have a right to be upset
"Hey...can we talk?"
"I'm shocked you even want to associate with me." I snorted, voice muffled by the pillow my face was buried in, "Surprised you don't want to burn the witch."
"Are you going to be a bitch or are you going to act like an adult and have a real conversation with me."
Her words hit something uncomfortable within me, disliking the implication that I was immature or a child. I was an adult! Obviously. I sat up, scooting back against the pillows and patting the empty space beside me. Pearl gave me a soft smile, sitting down next to me, leaving a good bit of distance between us.
"Nobody hates you, if that's what you're thinking."
"It sure seems like they do."
"People can point out your flaws without hating you."
"Seems like a lot of flaws."
"It is." Pearl conceded, "But we all have them. Elvis talks down to everyone, is unnecessarily rude and speaks without thinking. Brent is crass and can't express his feelings. Dixon is a pushover and a follower, Cassie has her head so far up Kiara's ass it's making her blind and Kiara...well she's probably the most put together of you all, but she's still emotionally held off."
"Wow...you sure like to analyse people, huh?"
"I wanted to study psychology...once upon a time." She looked into the distance wistfully, "I'm not as dumb as you think."
"So what's your flaws?"
"I'm a bit of a bitch, for one. I'm spoiled, I like things a certain way. Very quick to tears. The list is endless really."
"At least you're honest."
"It's one of my favourite traits about myself." She smiled, "But I want to get to know you, Violet. I see a lot of myself in you."
"You're way less...valley girl right now."
Pearl shrugged, "Maybe I'm just comfortable with you now. Don't get me wrong, I like how I am, that's not changing, but I can be serious too."
"I get that." I nodded, "Thank you. I'm sorry for storming off."
"It's not me you have to apologise to." She gave me a pointed look.
I sighed, flopping back onto the pillows and staring at the ceiling, "I know. I will. I know I overreacted but I felt so attacked and cornered-"
"Girl, I get it. It's okay."
The layer of tension in my shoulders finally released and I exhaled. The entirety of this trip I had focused on my own problems, not even realising that everyone else was in the same boat, and some of them even worse off. It wasn't fair. And I realised that now.
"Thank you." I smiled, which quickly formed into a smirk, "You and Brent seem close."
She flushed, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh come on, you're the only person who's managed to make him smile it seems."
"Shut up, that's so not true!" She giggled, shoving my shoulder.
"Come on, spill!"
"We're just...talking. It's nice. He doesn't want anything from me. We just talk. It's nice getting to know him, he's a good guy. Even Charles, he killed him to save you."
"He really did. He had his hands around Kiara's throat. How did you even end up with a guy like that?"
"My father." She sighed, her face dropping, and she wrung her hands, not making eye contact, "He's had us basically in an arranged marriage since I was twelve. Since I told him that I wanted to be my true self."
"Your true self?"
She smiled awkwardly, "I wanted to be Pearl. Not his son."
My eyes widened in realisation, "Oh..."
She gnawed on her lower lip, "That's not a problem, is it?"
"Of course not!" I rushed to reassure her, realising my silence could have been taken as discomfort, "Sorry, you just threw me for a loop there. Wait...your father set you up with Charles?"
"Marcus and Richard." She snarked, "I'm surprised they didn't get married. The day I came out...I don't think I ever saw my father so proud. It wasn't because he cared. It was because I saved his precious union that he had always wanted. All he has ever cared about is his work."
"Do you love him?"
"No." She sniffled, eyes filling with tears, "I was obsessed with him. We had been friends since childhood and Charles was the first guy to really see me. He didn't care. But then he was just like the others. I caught him in bed with another woman and he didn't give a shit. But still I chased him." She laughed bitterly, "Hell, I chased him here! And for what? He never wanted me, not really. He wanted my money, the prestige that comes with the Montgomery name. He wanted his father to be proud of him...and I wanted mine to be proud of me."
"And Brent is different." I said with a smile.
"God, yes." She beamed, "He gets me, like really gets me. Like nothing I could say or do would drive him away. It's so refreshing. You know what he said to me when I told him?" When I shook my head she continued, "He smiled and just said 'so's my brother!' and moved on like it was nothing. And it is nothing, it's not the sole part of me. I am many things," She grinned, "one of those things being a major bitch, but it isn't all I am. And it's nice to be seen that way...especially by someone so hot!" She then gasped and shook her head, "I'm so sorry, you definitely don't want to hear about this. He is your ex..."
"I don't mind." I assured her, "Trust me. We didn't work. But maybe you two really could." Then I chuckled, "And to be fair...we accidentally killed your boyfriend so I call it even?"
Without warning, she grabbed me and pulled me into a bone crushing hug. For someone so tiny she had quite a grip on her, only spurred on by her genuine happiness in that moment.
"I feel like I should hate you...because you killed my boyfriend and all...but I kind of love you."
"I kind of love you too. Maybe we can be sister-wives?"
"Ew, freak!" She burst into a peel of giggles and I soon followed.
"Guess I better go face the music." I groaned, sitting up, tapping away on my phone.
August 3rd, 09:08 - Violet: feeling a lot better. I'll explain later<3
Pearl gave me a pat on the back before forcefully shoving me to my feet, giggling as she did. I flipped her off jokingly and moved to the main area of the RV to see Brent, Elvis and Dixon playing a game of snakes and ladders on the table.
"Am I...interrupting something?"
"Not at all!" Dixon grinned, but for once it seemed strained, "Wanna join?"
"N-" I stopped myself, realising it was small things like this I could do to make a change, "Sure."
"You can be pink." Elvis put a small piece down at the starting line, handing me the dice.
I threw it, landing a six and moving my piece forward.
"I'm really sorry." I said quietly, eyes trained on my piece, "To all of you. I've been...lost in my own world since we've gotten here and it's not fair. I'm going to try harder, I promise. You obviously don't have to accept my apology right now, I will prove it."
"Thank you." Brent said and I lifted my head to see him smiling softly at me.
I smiled back and handed him the dice; maybe things could work out.
"Before we completely move on..." Dixon began, "I don't think we properly discussed Violet dating an FBI agent? While we're running from the FBI?"
"It's not a big deal!" I insisted, "We've just been texting. He doesn't suspect a thing. He really likes me."
"Are you using him...for some kind of get out of jail free card?" Brent asked.
"Do you really think that little of me?"
"No, but, that's what I'd do."
"Well good thing I'm not you," I snarked, folding my arms, then softened, "I'm sorry. That was mean. No, I'm not using him. I genuinely really like him but...I doubt it'll last. How could I ever keep a secret like this from him?"
"Hello sexy beasts we have returned!" A voice trilled as the door opened, revealing Cassie and Kiara grinning ear to ear, holding a now empty gas canister.
"Shall we get this show on the road?" Cassie beamed, "I'll drive."
"Well," I grinned, "it seems you two have made up?"
Cassie's blush and Kiara's smirk told me everything I needed to know. God I had gone from the only one in a relationship to the seventh wheel in a sex RV. Lovely.
"And you all seem cosy." Kiara noted, climbing behind the wheel as Cassie sat in the passenger seat, watching her with a soft expression.
"I think a chill day is exactly what we need."
"Totally agree." Pearl smiled, coming from the bedroom area.
"You know we haven't used that TV yet." Dixon noted, "Does anyone feel like watching a movie?"
"Honestly yeah." Brent nodded.
We all piled onto the couch, squishing close together in order to fit and a blanket draped over us all. I found myself wedged between Elvis and Pearl, my head resting gently on Elvis' shoulder. Pearl's hand found mine under the blanket, intertwining our fingers gingerly. For the first time since this entire trip started, I felt comfortable, safe and truly bonded with the people around me. Maybe it had taken a while for me to yank my head out of my ass, but the rude awakening seemed to be exactly what I needed in order to figure out the kind of person I needed to be, the kind of person my friends deserved.
Everything felt lighter.
I glanced over at Kiara and Cassie, deep in conversation as they drove. A wide smile spread across my face as Kiara brought Cassie's hand up to her mouth, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles.
Even if it lasted all of five seconds, everything was perfect.
—
"Girls night time!" Pearl exclaimed, clapping her newly freed hands together and staring at us.
"Pass." Elvis murmured from his position, curled up in the passenger's seat while Dixon drove.
"Didn't realise you joined the team." Pearl glared at him, "Girls?"
Kiara opened her mouth and I knew she was about to reject the girl's offer but Cassie pinched her side gently and she sighed, nodding.
"Girls night it is." She said, rolling her eyes.
Cassie and Pearl squealed in unison, grabbing our respective hands and dragging us towards the bedroom area. I glanced over my shoulder to see Brent huddled over the table and scribbling furiously onto a sheet of paper, his tongue poking out the side of his mouth like it always did when he was concentrating.
I was actually very eager for a girls night, having packed my travel bag full of face masks and nail polish in case I could get Kiara drunk enough to want to join me. Apparently she just needed to be whipped instead.
"Stop fidgeting!" Pearl reprimanded, trying to rub a charcoal mask onto Kiara's grimacing face.
"It smells bad." Kiara muttered, the movement of her mouth creasing the mask.
I giggled and held my hands out to Cassie, who was debating between blue and green for my nails. She settled on a midnight blue and began carefully painting without smudging.
"So this is a girls night." Pearl said, glancing around at us all, "The movies said there would be more pillow fights."
"If you hit me with a pillow I'm throwing you out the window." Kiara muttered but there was a small smile beneath the mask, crinkling it at the edges of her lips.
"Well what else can we do? Talk about boys? With a lesbian couple and a girl whose ex is outside?"
"You have the hots for Brent?" Cassie gasped, the movement sending nail polish flying, "No way." She glanced at Violet, "Sorry."
"I'm all for it." I shrugged, and I genuinely was, "Me and Brent were over before we were even over, he deserves to be happy."
"Once we get out of all this, we should take a trip. A real trip." Pearl beamed, not sensing the energy in the room, drastically dropping her words, "Like Paris...or Barcelona!"
"Yeah..." Kiara sighed, "Maybe."
"Hmm, what else do we do at a girls' night?" Pearl hummed thoughtfully, instructing for Kiara to wipe off her face mask, "Ooh, talk about our sex lives!"
"Dear god, please no."
"Come on." Pearl wheedled, "I've only slept with Charles, give me something here!"
"My ex would only have sex with socks on." Cassie grimaced, "I could always feel them against my leg."
"One time, Brent and I tried to have sex outside and he got poison ivy on his-"
"Stop!" Pearl squealed, hunched over in laughter, "I don't need the mental image!"
As we continued on I couldn't help but beam as Cassie sidled over, resting her head on Kiara's shoulder. I watched fondly as Kiara dropped a kiss on top of her head before making eye contact with me, flushing instantly. I sent her a playful wink before tuning back in to whatever story Pearl was telling as I too enjoyed my first proper girls night ever.