A new voice made me jump, flushing red with embarrassment. Of fucking course I got caught.
“Were you just talking to a little plant?” Quinn snickered. I hid my face with my hands, hiding my red cheeks from his curious eyes. “No,” I groaned, failing at keeping my composure.
“Yes you were,” he full-on chortled.
“Shut up. Why are you even here?” I peeked at him from a crack between my fingers. Quinn took a seat beside me, throwing his feet over the hole.
“Just bored. Got nothing to do for once.”
“Wow look at you,” I snorted.
“You’re lucky you’re weak as fuck so Laurie can’t make you do all that heavy lifting and shit.”
“For once my noodle arms have aided me in life.”
“Pfft for once.”
“Anything on the news? Are we in the clear?” Quinn shrugged as he sat beside me.
“We haven’t made the news so that’s promising. Even my coworkers and shit from back home aren’t reaching out to me or anything. It’s almost like they couldn’t care less if I’m gone for good.”
“That’s just how it goes sometimes.” I bit at the skin beneath my thumb nail, pulling at it until I tasted blood and the exposed bit of flesh stung in the cold breeze. “Do you still consider it home?”
“Well,” Quinn paused, reaching a hand to the empty sky as though grasping for the right answer.
“Mom always used to say home is more of an idea than a place. It could be a people or a hobby or a feeling.”
“Alright Buddha, I was just asking if you plan on going back there.”
“I don’t think so, honestly. I mean if I do, it would just be to move my remaining shit into a new place.”
“Yeah?”
He shrugged again. “There’s nothing left for me there.” Yeah. I know what that’s like.
“Doesn’t it feel kinda wrong?” I asked the little seedling. “Like it’s against the rules to just start over?”
“If you cared about rules that much, you would have just left me in that parking lot. Or even here.”
“Don’t tempt me. Are you packed already?”
“Mostly. We still have tomorrow though.”
“Mm.”
A snap of lightning lit up the gray sky, followed by a rolling rumble of thunder. And then the heavens split open and we were soaked in just a few seconds.
“Aw what the hell,” I groaned as I jumped up from my position. Quinn didn’t seem bothered at all. In fact, he seemed comfortable, like it was his natural habitat.
“Are you half fish? What are you doing?”
“Enjoying the rain.”
“Enjoy the rain some other time you psycho. It’s a downpour. Come on. Let’s go inside.”
“Go ahead, Imma stay out here for a bit.”
I sighed, watching the hole fill up with water. The tiny plant looked happy, swaying this way and that in the pitter-patter of rain while the dirt was drowned.
“Whatever,” I grumbled. “I’m going in.”
“Hey, Chris,” Quinn called as I shifted to walk away.
“Wha-”
A splash of water soaked my hair to my face as Quinn kicked up a mixture of mud and rainwater at me. I yelled in surprise. My surprise very quickly turned into murderous intent.
“You are so dead,” I snarled. Quinn, with a terrified laugh, scrambled to his feet to run away but I caught him by the wrist, forcing him back down to the ground. He squealed as he was pressed into the mud.
“Mercy! Mercy!” He giggled through his gags on mud.
“There is no mercy here,” I grinned proudly as I sat on top of his writhing body. “Fine then,” he smirked and suddenly we were flipped over, I gasped, cringing at the mud all over my hair and clothes and skin. I used my little knowledge of self defense to kick at Quinn’s inner knees to loosen his death grip on me. And, suddenly, we were rolling around in the mud, laughing like a couple four-year-olds. We only stopped when two feet parked in front of our heads. We both looked up to an amused Laurie, one hand resting on her hip.
“Aren’t you two a bit too old for wrestling?” She questioned. Quinn and I looked at each other, both of us clearly on the same page as we smiled innocently. And then I threw a fistful of mud at Laurie’s light-colored shirt and Quinn rushed to his feet, gripping my hand and yanking me up. We bolted like our lives depended on it, laughing harder than either of us probably have in months. Laurie easily caught up to our short and scrawny asses with her surprising speed. She threw mud right in Quinn’s face and he fell dramatically to the ground. I tripped over his log-stiff body and ended up face planted into the dirt. Quinn took this time as an opportunity to splash even more water and mud on both me and Laurie.
“Mercy!” I laughed.
“There’s no mercy here!” Quinn echoed my words from earlier with a goofy grin. I coated his hair in mud and he gasped at the cold.
“I’m too old to be babysitting,” Laurie huffed and, as both Quinn and I turned to glare at her, she threw dirty water in both of our faces.
“Don’t mess with me,” she gloated before Quinn tripped her and we both began running away again.
Laurie, of course, called dibs on the only shower in the place. So Quinn and I were left to hose ourselves off outside the barn like dogs before we were even allowed to enter the house. That, of course, just led to more fooling around. By the end of it I wasn’t sure my clothes would ever be dry again.
Needless to say that was the best shower I had taken in the past few months. I was so refreshed I felt like I could sleep through the next two days. I hummed as I took my meds and combed through my hair, dressing into a pair of sweats and another loose flannel.
“You look like you’re in a good mood,” Quinn smiled as he knocked on the door frame.
“Where’s your shirt?” I scowled, hiding the way my ears burned at the sight.
“What?” he asked a little too innocently. “I don’t normally sleep with a shirt.”
I scoffed, falling back on the bed. Right, I sighed internally. He’s straight. Straight people are clueless. Toby would call it blissful ignorance, an enviable and innocent stupidity. Toby. I have to stop thinking about him all the time, remembering him over every dumb small thing. It’s clearly helping nothing, only making me feel even worse.
I could practically feel Quinn’s eyes skating across the room, focusing on the water bottle full of needles on the desk, right next to the shoebox. I could tell he was trying to keep his promise, trying not to pry. But the curious frown on his face was clear as day.
“You always wear such baggy clothes even though you’re thin as a twig,” he said. It wasn’t a question, more of an observation. But what do you say to that? I was still trying to figure out if that was a compliment or an insult.
“None of your-”
“Right, I know. None of my business.” A small smile that lit up his eyes betrayed him as he said those words. He opened his mouth, probably to make a dumbass quip like he usually did, but his face immediately fell.
“What-?” I started in confusion but Quinn just walked slowly to the window, peering down at the street below.
“Who’s that?” He asked with a cautious curiosity.
“Who?” I asked, getting close to the window.
A black SUV pulled into the driveway, right next to my car. A shady as hell looking dude walked out of the car, beefed up to fuck on steroids with shades and the kind of shoes made to crush a skull. And then everything clicked in a not-so-subtle way.
“Oh shit!” I hissed, leaping out of bed. “Shit.Shit.Shit.”
“What? What’s happening?”
“What do you think is happening, Quinn? Use your fucking brain!”
“Is that the guy? The one from the drugstore?”
“I guess! I mean, who else could it be looking like that and coming to this place so late at night?”
“Fair point,” he breathed. And then the panic struck.
“We have to go,” he suddenly realized. I was already throwing the rest of my shit into my suitcase. It's a good thing I didn’t have that much left to pack.
“Quinn!” I exclaimed in a sharp whisper. “Get the fuck out and put a damn shirt on!”
On command, the man left and I followed with my suitcase.
He wiggled into a shirt and threw a hoodie over his head to hide his face. He handed me a cap to stuff my hair into. Thank god this man is a minimalist and could fit everything inside a backpack. He double-checked that the Claire’s knockoff was in the back before following me to the top of the staircase. I held a hand out, signaling for him to wait. Laurie was already at the door, talking to the suspicious man.
“You happen to see two kids ‘round here? From Ohio. They stole something valuable and I’m supposed to get it back.”
“I’m currently housing my cousin’s boyfriend and his coworker but they’re only here to help me out with the business,” Laurie responded calmly. I wondered if she knew. Quinn and I crept down the steps, careful not to make a single sound.
“No shady business, Lady. Are they here? I’d like to have a little chat with them.” The terrifying figure of the man leaned forward into the house. Laurie’s much-smaller-body blocked his from entering. She sounded more pissed off when answering then scared, though she still managed to stay awfully calm.
“They just left. I can take a message, though.” What do we do? What do we do? Wait. Laurie held a hand casually behind her back. It took me a second to realize what she was doing. Pointing. That’s right. There’s a back door.
We just have to make it down the steps. Laurie, please stall.
“Come on,” I whispered to the man beside me. We crept down the stairs, one step at a time, careful not to make a sound. Thankfully Laurie kept him distracted as we made our descent and rounded the corner.
“You wouldn’t mind if I just took a quick peak, do you?” The man asked. His voice sent shivers down my spine.
“Actually,” Laurie sighed nonchalantly. “I do. Unless you have a warrant, you aren’t permitted in my house.”
“You got somethin’ to hide, lady?” His gruff voice accused. We made it to the backdoor. I carefully twisted the knob, inching my way out the door, holding it open for Quinn to slip through.
“No, but every woman likes her privacy, wouldn’t your mother agree?” Almost there. Almost there. Almost-
Bang. The door slipped from my fingers and slammed shut behind Quinn. Shit. Shit. The stranger’s head snapped up, peering straight into my eyes through the glass window of the door. And then I saw fire.
“Quinn run!” I yelled as my legs broke into a sprint. Shit it’s cold. Shit this sucks. Come on, legs, faster, faster. We headed for the barn, eager for coverage as the back door slammed open and the demon raced out. Damn he must run marathons in his free time.
“Chris!” Toby shrieked as he ran even faster. “He’s gaining on us!”
“You don’t have to tell me that!” I panted, struggling with my smoker’s lungs to breathe.
“Through here!” Quinn said as he sprinted into the brewery. I stumbled after him. Mister Mob Man was right on our heels. His extended arm was only a few inches away from grabbing hold of my collar. I’m not going to make it, I suddenly realized as we made it through the front of the barn. I can’t run anymore. I’m so fucking out of shape. I’m going to get caught and then tortured and eaten alive. So much for trying to live.
I imagined it, his fingers slamming around my neck, wrestling me to the ground, choking answers out of me. I imagined this stranger taking my pathetic life right here and now. And, suddenly, there was a thud.
I turned to see our prosecutor's body in the flower grave, stunned by the sudden fall as I crumbled to my knees, wheezing and gasping for air. Holy shit. That stupid grave was useful for something.
“Come on!” Quinn slung me over his shoulder with the suitcase in hand like I and the bag weighed practically nothing and took off. We were already at the car, throwing our shit in the trunk by the time the man shook himself off and began climbing out of the pit. Quinn threw me in the passenger seat and slammed on the gas in reverse, driving like a true crazy person. Before we took off for good, I caught Laurie in the doorway, an amused smile on her lips as she waved what felt like a temporary goodbye. And then we were speeding, flying against the asphalt, winding down many makeshift roads until we were sure our stalker was off our tracks.
It wasn’t until we were on the freeway that whatever the hell just happened began to hit. And, whether it was from nerves or disbelief or what, I began to laugh so hard my sides began hurting. Quinn looked surprised and then concerned and then he, too, fell into a mess of laughter. How ridiculous. It’s something straight out of a movie. I swear.
I rolled down the window and screamed every goddamn curse I knew at the world. What the fuck am I doing? Going to Pennsylvania with a thief while on the run for stealing the ugliest piece of jewelry I have ever seen in my whole life… I thought I was supposed to be getting closure for my dead boyfriend. Instead I’m… living a life that doesn’t belong to me. Or, is this what Toby wanted for me? A new start? Oh boy.
“You done?” Quinn chuckled, a frazzled look on his face. I sunk into my seat And rolled the window back up.
“So I guess that wasn’t the cops.”
“You think?” he asked sarcastically.
“And we still don’t know if he has a gun.”
“Let’s just assume he does.”
“Where do we go now? We’re not supposed to make it to Pennsylvania until like the day after tomorrow. And who even is that son of a bitch? Why is he interested in that shitty thing? Why does he even know about it?”
“Hell if I know,” Quinn said with a sigh. Damn I was really looking forward to Laurie’s cookies. “Let’s just get as far away from there as we can. We’ll figure the rest out as we go.” Well, it’s not like I have a better plan.
“Fine. But where we sleep tonight is on you.” I turned on my music, figuring we might as well enjoy what we can.
“You’re taking this better than I expected,” Quinn pointed out.
“Don’t remind me. I think I’m just numb right now. Or maybe I’m just depressed,” I grumbled. I braced myself for the witty remark but it never came. A frown carved itself onto Quinn’s otherwise angelic face.
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, not knowing what to do. This is why I hate talking to people. I always fuck up. I just don’t understand social cues all that well. With Toby or even Ria, it didn’t really matter. We all had the same trauma and awful sense of humor. But I don’t know how to act around Quinn, the kind-hearted stranger from a chance encounter running from the police, the man who lost his mother and loved her enough to steal for her, the man with curly brown hair and green eyes and deep skin and a puppy dog's innocence. Maybe it’s because, lately, he’s been making me question myself just a bit. Like who am I really? How much of my life was just me secretly trying to please everybody else?
Maybe I’ve always been scared that, once I remove all the flaws from my personality, I’d be left with nothing.
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