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Chapter 1: Final Destination
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2016, 6:30 A.M.
YOU'RE LISTENING TO LAKEWOOD LIGHT FM-
Ready for the weekend, Lakewood? Ready to lie, back, relax, put aside your cares? What? Still working? Huh…that's America, man. Work, work, work… Well, if the weekend can't cheer you up, here's something that just might:
You can always keep on driving.
***
Pancakes on the griddle, fresh autumn sun in the window, Tracy Chapman on the radio. It could be any American house on Saturday morning.
Son standing at the stove, turning pancakes with one hand and gently maneuvering the tea kettle full of hangover cure with the other.
"You got a fast car/I want a ticket to anywhere/Maybe we can make a deal/Maybe together we can get some…"
A mammoth groan from the prostrate form of Mother on the sofa, half her face covered with dried spittle, her fingers inches from the dusty floor.
"Anyplace is better/Starting from zero got nothing to lose…"
"Little bitch…" she mutters, as if in a dream.
She is, of course, referring to Niece who, just last night, she caught in bed with a local freelancer and stoner and from whom she learned, second hand, that psychopathic Nephew still thirsts for revenge.
"Maybe we'll make something/But me myself I got nothing to prove…"
"Ma!" Eli called, "Dee! Breakfast…"
Tina groaned a barely identifiable cussword, directed either at Eli, Deanna or all creation.
Eli shrugged, "…I hear you."
"You got a fast car…"
***
"…And I got a plan to get us out of here/I been working at a convenience store/Managed to save just a little bit of money…"
"Would that it were that easy," Theodora chuckled, looking from the radio to her colleague, "Well, not that it would be easy even then. Still, now…impossible."
She was standing at the window of the conference room, waiting for the stark yellow shape of the bus to appear out of the early morning fog.
She felt, in many ways, like a queen awaiting the arrival of an enemy host. Though, really, it ought to have been her own host. But her nerves would not settle.
"I worked at a convenience store when I was a girl," she told Teague who, of course, had not asked, "Stocked shelves, mostly. And dealt with perverts. You could say it prepared me for a life in academia."
"We won't have to drive too far/Just 'cross the border and into the city/You and I can both get jobs/Finally see what it means to be living…"
She smiled at him, "No offense."
Sighing, she continued, "That job put me through college. I wouldn't be here otherwise. Nowadays, a young girl gets a job in a convenience store she's lucky she can put food on the table, forget about a rosier future."
She turned to him, "How things change."
***
"See, my old man's got a problem/He live with the bottle, that's the way it is…"
"Tracy should've met my old lady," Brooke muttered, looking side eye at her uncle.
She cleared her throat, "…Mother," she corrected, not wanting to offend said mother's brother, her second to last living relative.
"Thanks for the ride, though." She almost added 'while Mom pukes up Quaaludes in the Solar' but figured it spoke for itself.
"He says his body's too old for working/I say his body's too young to look like his…"
He was a good-looking, if stony man, her uncle. Brooke could count the times she'd seen him before this summer on one hand and have dainty fingers to spare.
Still, with her dad gone and her mother back-but-not-'here', he was comforting. There was only so much her friends…even her boyfriend…could do.
Turns out, sex didn't fill every hole.
Jesus. Never think that again.
Not while her uncle was in close quarters at least.
***
"My mama went off and left him…"
"Mrs. Rod-ruh-gays!" Fitz bellowed, hurrying down the velvet-draped stairs of the house, "Turn that blasted rock music off!"
Mrs. Rod-ruh-gays had either died making the paella, or she was in open defiance of him. Fitz was betting on the latter.
"She wanted more from life than he could give/I said somebody's got to take care of him…"
"Boy!" he cried, twirling around his heel, "Boy!"
Biting his lip, he attempted, "Drew! I refuse to be late to my own son's eulogy."
"So I quit school and that's what I did…"
***
"Are you ready?" Howard asked Audrey, putting the car in park outside the graveyard. In the gray light of the morning the place seemed like a subdued watercolor. In earlier, quieter years, Howard had stolen here in these private hours, to spend some quite rumination over Helen's grave.
Lately, however, things had been moving too fast. And it had rarely ever been safe to go out on one's own. Or to leave Audrey behind.
"You got a fast car/But is it fast enough so we can fly away?/We gotta make a decision…"
"If you'd rather not…"
"We leave tonight or live and die this way…"
***
Micah dreamed of clear water, stars, and Daniel Radcliffe in a canary yellow ballgown.
It was more wholesome than it sounds.
He woke up, dimly aware of music playing on his clock radio.
"I remember we were driving/Driving in your car…"
Blearily, he opened his eyes, feeling his hair spread across his face, a few strands hovering over a partially opened mouth.
Groaning, he turned over onto his side, realizing (remembering?) that he'd slept on the floor tonight, in a bedroll hastily fashioned from old costume fabrics.
"Speed so fast, I felt like I was drunk/City lights lay out before us…'
Slowly, he lifted his eyes, practically climbing up to the top of his bed, to find the bedraggled, shaggy-haired boy sleeping in it.
"And your arm felt nice wrapped round my shoulder…"
Micah could only stare at the peacefully sleeping Carl, his lips slowly moving to form the words, "Holy frick."
"And I had a feeling that I belonged/And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone…"
-Eli, Tina, Theodora, Brooke, Fitz, Howard and Micah
"Aye man you sure this the same shit you sold me last time man?" A bald headed dark skin black dude said aloud as he sat in the drivers seat of a light blue old 1989 Chevrolet Camaro, wearing a white T and faded blue jeans.
Standing outside of the car with his forearm on the window seal was Ryan who was clearly selling some drugs to make some money, old habits die hard he supposed. "Aye man...I've been selling to you since back in the day JT. You ain't gotta buy it, I know some other people who would love to get their hands on this shit. You can drive..." Ryan was interrupted.
"Ight man fuck it...let me get the usual shit and let's get on. You aint never know when some pig might roll up on a nigga ya dig." JT replied to Ryan.
Ryan simply just smirked and handed over the stuff and in exchange for some money, which he happily took and instantly put in his pocket. "Pleasure doing business witcha G" Ryan told JT before he drove off and Ryan walked across the street and sat on his front porch.
He sighed before pulling out the money and counting it making sure it was all there, suddenly his front door opened and some 40 something old man with raggedy hair and bushy beard came stumbling out of the house with a cigarette in his mouth and a half empty bottle of scotch in his hand. He had no shirt on and the legs of his pants were all ripped up, if anything the definition of white trash considering the neighborhood.
"Aye kid...tell your hot ass mom to call me later" The guy said as he stumbled down the steps.
Ryan ignored the man and continued counting the money but the guy turned around and approached Ryan who was still standing on the steps.
"Hey are ya def you little MF'!" The guy yelled out at Ryan, Ryan looked up from his money and simply just chuckled at the guy before going back to ignoring him all together.
The guy started getting angry, he downed the rest of the bottle before tossing it aside in the lawn. "Give me a light..." He demanded, when Ryan didn't respond he got closer, Ryan could smell the smoke, alcohol and complete disgust on the man and pushed him away.
"Get hell out of my face man...just leave." Ryan told him in the most calm voice he could muster.
"I said give me a damn light!" The guy retorted
Ryan stood still for a minute before he put the money away and pulled out a lighter, he tossed it to the guy hoping he would go away. "There...keep the lighter and just leave" Ryan demanded, he was about to go inside before the guy opened his mouth again.
"Funny how your moms like the neighborhood whore and your just her criminal son." The guy laughed after lighting his cigarette and taking a puff.
"What the fuck did you just say to me?!" Ryan questioned as he turned around in anger
"I said your moms a..." The guy didn't even get to finish his sentence before he was punched in the face and thrown to the ground, he got on top of the guy and started beating on him.
After a few seconds a blonde woman who looked actually attractive for her age came running outside in a pink robe and slipper to match yelling at Ryan, her son to stop. "Stop...Ryan stop, get off of him..!!" Ryan's mother yelled out.
Ryan was pulled off of the guy and was panting a bit, his knuckles bleeding a bit as well. The guy stood to his feet and picked up his still lit cigarette off the ground and put it back in his mouth wiping the blood from his mouth.
Suddenly Ryan unexpectedly pulled out a gun and pointed it at the guy in front of him. "If I ever see on around here again I will fucking kill you...do you understand me. Your a worthless piece of shit who just got his ass beat by a 17 year old." Ryan threatened the guy before he took off running.
"For god sake put the damn gun down, you think your some gangster or something and your not." His mother said aloud unfazed by the fact that Ryan even had a gun in the first place.
"You need to get your shit together...I swear I'm like a damn baby sitter." Ryan retorted before he put the gun away and went inside the house.
His mother followed and slammed the door behind her, "You need to mind your own business Ryan" She told her son, "yeah well you need to stop doing drugs, keep a job and stop sleeping with guys like that." Ryan called back as he entered his room and opened up a vent pulling out a box, the box was full of cash and was obviously his secret stash of money he's been saving up. "Just a little more and I can get the hell out of this town..." He muttered to himself.
"You know what fuck you Ryan...how about you stop selling drugs. I might just call the police and this time there won't be no juvy you'll go straight to prison." His mother yelled out.
Ryan put everything up and grabbed a jacket for himself before walking out of his room past his mother and out the front door.
"It's too damn early for this shit" Ryan said aloud before he just got into his car and drove off away from his mother and the problems that followed.
He turned on the radio and heard Lakewood Light FM before lighting a cigarette of his own, he got to a stop light and let out a drag. "Happy Saturday Lakewood..."
Pretty girl is suffering, while he confesses everything/Pretty soon she'll figure out what his intentions were about
Tracy was prepped, and ready for this stupid retreat, though to be fair it was going to be on she was very well dressed for right now. She had gone and used some of the money to get her hair and nails done, and the rest was securely stashed and some spent on more pills for the retreat.
She arrived at the school, pulling up and parking her convertible before ensuring that her gun was securely stashed in her purse along with her stash of pills. She opened the door, pulling out her bag that was well packed, and her purse before making her way over to the school bus.
That's what you get for falling again/You can never get 'em out of your head
She ran a hand through her well maintained red hair, setting her bag with the others by the bus before she climbed onto the stupid thing and made her way to one of the usual spots that nobody would care too much about what she did, the back.
Once there, she slid into the seat, and eased her sunglasses up onto her head as she set her purse on her lap a moment. "Right...time for the boring retreat to begin."
It's the way/That he makes you feel/It's the way/That he kisses you/It's the way/That he makes you fall in love
Aleks was annoyed about this retreat, but she knew that it was something mandatory that they were making every student go on. So with a heavy heart she made her way to Lakewood High, looking at the dreaded means of transportation that awaited them, the bus.
She ran a hand through her short blonde hair, fluffing it up before looking over at her mother and giving her a one armed hug before getting out of the car and pulling her bag and purse out as well. She hated this whole thing, but she would suffer through it, the killings were starting again, how the hell could the school honestly want to still do this?
She's beautiful as usual with bruises on her ego and/Her killer instinct tells her to beware of evil men/And that's what you get for falling again
She made her way with her bag, dropping it in line with the few others that were there, but she didn't go onto the bus right away, no she stood outside and waited for Brooke and Emma to show up, knowing that the other two were making their way to the school in due time, which would mean that they would all get on the bus together.
'Hey Brooke, I'm at the bus figured I'd wait for you and Em to get here. Tracy showed up already, looks like a mess, but what can we expect, right? Anyways, see you soon. - Aleks' She sent the message to her friend before looking around and setting her phone into her purse.
You can never get 'em out of your head/And that's what you get for falling again/You can never get 'em out of your head
Deanna had spent the entire night going over theories with Noah and his murder board, and when morning came she found herself running back home and into the front door instead of down the stairs. "Hey Eli, can't stop to eat...running late as hell. Smells good though." She called to her cousin, flying up the stairs to change her clothes and finish packing her last minute things.
She had to pack a few last minute rounds of ammo and another gun into her bag before she went to the bus and go on it for that stupid retreat. She flung some stuff around, finding a fresh change of clothes that wasn't packed, changing into them quickly.
It's the way/That he makes you feel/It's the way/That he kisses you/It's the way/That he makes you fall in love
Once that was done, she finished packing her bag and hoisted it up over her shoulder, tucking one of her guns into her waistband, and some of the cash from the stash into her pockets. She made her way downstairs, looking at her cousin.
"I'll see you at the bus, gonna go meet with Smoke before hand, than get on that stupid trip." She said, rolling her eyes as she rounded out the front door and made a run for it before her aunt could shout out any obscenities about her being out all night.
It's the way/That he makes you feel/It's the way/That he kisses you/It's the way/That he makes you fall in love/Love
Emma wasn't sure what to expect about today, but she was walking downstairs to meet her mom at the front door. Her bag was already packed and waiting as she thought about everything going on right now. The recent murder, Terrance's death, this was all so insane.
"Hey mom, I'm ready...sort of." She called out, making her way into the kitchen and grabbing her coffee mug so she could fill it. She stood at the machine, watching it for a second as she absently felt the wounds from the previous two murder sprees.
Pretty girl, pretty girl/Pretty girl is suffering, while he confesses everything/Pretty soon she'll figure out/You can never get 'em out of your head
As she finally finished filling her mug with coffee, she stood there in the kitchen and sipped from it slowly. She wasn't sure what to expect when she got onto the bus, when she got to the high school for that matter. Hell she wanted to just forget the murders were happening again.
She ran a hand through her hair, checking herself over once more. She seemed in tact, mentally, physically and all over for that matter right now. But she knew that appearances were only the first of it all, she remembered after everything, when she had gone back and things had taken a rather nasty turn, her panic attacks, the way she was losing it, and Kieran had played into her fears to get her to trust him.
It's the way/That he makes you cry/It's the way/That he in your mind/It's the way/That he makes you fall in love
Emma had fallen for everything, and she knew that Deanna wasn't to blame for her brothers actions, but she had been so glad that Deanna had been there the night of Terrance's murder, she had witnessed that girl do something that none of them could, she answered the call.
She was grateful that the girl had been there, grateful that Audrey had invited them at the time, because honestly who knew where they all would be, more would have probably been dead if Deanna and Carl hadn't of been there that night. She leaned against the counter, sipping her coffee as she thought about the most recent events.
It's the way/That he makes you feel/It's the way/That he kisses you/It's the way/That he makes you fall in love/Love
- Tracy, Aleks, Deanna, and Emma
Eli blinked, looking off after Deanna, "But...but I..."
He sighed, "I got up at 4."
"Take a lesson..." his mother groaned, hefting herself off the couch, "Don't do nothing for nobody who won't thank you for it after."
"...you're awake?"
"No." she got to her feet, squinting at the clock on the wall with such force her eyes might have blinked out of her skull, "6:00."
"6:00," he repeated.
"Too damn early."
"Too damn late," he nodded to the kettle on the stove, "Have a drink."
Tina cocked an eyebrow, smiling coyly, "Why? Don't want Mama coming to school drunk?"
"We're pathetic enough, aren't we?"
They looked at each other for a while. Tina snorted, "Fine. But if it all comes out the way it came in, you're mopping it up."
"I know..." he leveled the pancakes onto a serving platter but, judging by how green Tina got at the smell of food, they should ration for now.
"Where did Tinker Blech get off to so quick? I thought she hated this stupid trip."
"She does. But she loves Smoke."
"So do I, but the bodega's all the way on the other end of town," but she smiled thinly as if to show she knew what he was talking about, "He was here last night."
"I know."
"She told you?"
"I have a nose, Ma."
"Lucky you."
He poured out some goopy brown liquid from the kettle (best not to list any of the ingredients; don't try this at home, you know), inching the mug to Tina, who proved she just might have a nose after all, audibly retching.
She smacked her lips over it for what felt like interminable ages before saying, "You know...her brother called last night."
He sighed, "You already know."
"She told me," she paused, "Smoke told me." she shook her head, "Eli, I think we'd be well rid of her. Trouble follows that little bitch wherever she goes."
Eli shrugged, "You ever think they could say the same thing about us?"
Tina shrugged, "That's different," she lifted her glass in mock salute, "Only trouble I make is for myself."
She took a swig of hangover cure and, promptly expelled it the way it comes in. Eli grimaced at the new mess, "...and me."
"And you."
-Eli and Tina
What a morning fog! Impenetrable, so it seemed. The secrets of the world lying within, the unexpected around every corner. The ideal life pictured by the weather!
Rather inclement weather, might I add. Dave Evans thought to himself, tugging at his collar. It was November but it never ceased to be humid in this town. Something told him this wasn't sweater season quite yet but who knew? The climate might finally push in fall weather. Until then, the summer lingered, clutching onto Lakewood like some parasitic creature.
Or maybe just onto himself. The town must be used to this climate. Dave, though, had to get used to this parasite, among other things.
Still, how he'd kill for some kind of breeze. Perhaps...
"A summer wind," Dave began to sing to himself, strolling down the halls of George Washington High. "Comes blowing in," he gave a nod to the custodian, Kent he believed his name was. Dave was still new to names, as his students had grown to tease him about. "From across the sea." He belted out the lyric in basso-style, entering the conference room, where his new superiors were waiting for the buses. "Ah! Edward! Theodora! What admirable weather we're having. The most sublime thing, isn't it?"
The alarm clock was bleating into his bedroom, but Zach didn't hear that was the room his mother had died in and...
Yeah, bad vibes. He never had gotten around to moving the clock down here, though.
"Aw, shitshitshit…" he staggered over the back of the sofa, hauled himself up the stairs, tripped on the way through the door ("shiicrapshitNO!"), and finally slammed his hand down on the clock.
"Ugh..." he panted, brushing some already sweat-matted hair out of his eyes, "Gonna be a good day."
One of these days, the prediction was bound to come true. Statistics. Or something.
Zach dressed in a feverish hurry. Sweats, GW hoodie (Lancer Pride! This was kinda supposed to be about school stuff), sneakers. There, all good to...
"Crap, I smell."
He seized a stick of deodorant from his cluttered dresser table and reached up under his hoodie to apply it. The brief flicker of his side reflected in the mirror exposed a twisted, ugly...still too fresh scar. He averted his eyes, already feeling goosebumps prickle on his skin.
"Alright..." his hygiene now taken care of and his duffel bag over his shoulder, Zach grinned at his reflection, "Go get 'em!"
And he tore down the steps, across the hall and out of the house, clear and easy as if he were running the ball to the endzone.
If only he could feel as free.
***
Zach made it to school a rough fifteen minutes later, having kept at a steady run. It was cool enough this morning, and you could make it to GWH faster on foot than on wheels if you knew what you were doing. Too many spotlights, and it was a bitch finding places to park.
He looked around the lot, at the few people who'd already arrived, some chatting with each other, some talking to parents. His Dad was out of town. Again. That happened more and more since Mom...
Positive. Happy thoughts. C'mon, man, everybody's gonna be down enough as it is...
"Hey, Squig-gee!" he greeted people as he walked, "Dan-yells!" Finger guns, "Keep it sleazy, McSweeney!"
He slowed down, getting closer to the newly arrived bus. Spotting a flash of blond in the slowly filling crowd, he quickened his pace, "Hey, Brok…"
It wasn't.
"..kss…" he finished, "Al. Eks. Aleks. Hi, Aleks."
Clearing his throat and feeling his face redden he attempted, "Seen Brooke?"
"None taken. My first job was on a boat, fishing for alligators," Teague replied, doing a mental check that his weapons were where they should be. Along with the backup mags.
"My job was to steer the boat and set the bait." He smiled. It always took weeks before the smell of chicken, fish and alligator would come off him. Those had been simpler times.
"Biggest one we ever caught was a 13 footer. He took us on a joyride."
He was about to ask Theodora if she was bringing...IT, when their new hire, Dave Evans walked in. A good man, in Teague's opinion. One who had suffered greatly. And certainly qualified for the job.
"Hopefully it's a sign of the trip ahead, Dave. How are you this morning?
***
"You're welcome, Brooke," John replied, his eyes never leaving the road, hands at the wheel of his prized muscle car.
There was a lot they didn't say, regarding her mother. Yes, she was a recovering addict, and not the best mother in the world. But she was still his sister. He couldn't hate her. She and Brooke were the only family he had left. Unless you counted Daisy and Rocky. Which he did.
"You're sure you don't want me to come with you?" He had offered multiple times to volunteer as a chaperone. Compared to his previous lines of work...frankly it would probably be downright boring and mundane.
Then again, all things considered...maybe he did need a boring and mundane job. It's what Helen would have wanted for him. More than what he deserved.
***
"I've got it," said Audrey as she got out, and made her way to the grave. It'd been too long. Far, far too long since she'd paid Rachel a visit.
It was her fault she was dead. She brought Piper to Lakewood...
"Hey, Rachel," she said instead of crying.
***
Carl slowly but surely woke up at the sound of Micah's voice.
"How drunk did we get last night?" He opened his eyes to see Micah's face...a sight he could definitely get used to.
***
Maggie poured herself a cup of coffee to go and pulled Emma into a hug. "Did you sleep well last night?"
***
"I want you to stay safe, alright, Stavo?" Miguel said as they pulled into the parking lot. Stavo had come home early in the morning.
"I will, Dad," Stavo whined. Miguel smiled and shook his head. He was the exact same way, when he was Stavo's age...without everything Stavo and his friends had been through, of course.
A bundle of intrigues, Edward Teague.
"Somehow, that doesn't..." Theodora began, when the pleasant tones of the redoubtable Mr. Evans came echoing down the hall to them.
Educated, polite, and a crooner. And they say public education is for savages.
"Good morning, Mr. Evans," Theodora hadn't yet surrendered the title. Old fashioned of her, perhaps, but she tended to call most of the teachers by their professional names. She was the one that signed all their paychecks, after all, "Good to see you looking so spirited."
***
"No!" Brooke blurted before realizing how ugly that sounded.
"I mean...er...that's real sweet of you, but totally unnecessary. It'll be a complete drag. Bugs in the bedsheets, mold in the molding…"
But her uncle, seasoned traveler and connoisseur of le exotique as he was wasn't likely to be daunted by that. So she changed her tune, "And, anyway...I show up with some mysterious stud of a certain age six months after my Dad got skewered and..." she shrugged, "Well, people are gonna talk. I mean, how many women have used the whole 'Oh, this is my handsome brother from out of town, coming to help me in my hour of need' bit? Mom's suffered enough,
God, that was laying it on thick. Frankly, Brooke was more concerned that people would think John was comforting her. It's notdw like she didn't have a reputation.
***
"Oh, way too much," said Micah, getting warily to his feet, "And not enough."
He rummaged furiously through his closet. Beige sweater with green checks, green sweater with tassels, blue cardigan with faux-wood buttons...
"What do you think?" he asked, turning to Carl, "Blue or green?"
He paused, "Don't say you don't know. Go with your gut,"
He cocked an eyebrow, "I promise you a gay education and you're going to get one."
-Theodora, Brooke and Micah
John sighed and conceeded, "I see your point."
Appearances WERE everything, after all. He was still new to this town. People didn't know him. But maybe that was a good thing.
"Hopefully this trip will do you some good."
Especially after that recent death. Terrance Smith, the kid in question, had died too young. A victim of the town's local legend.
There had always an unspoken rule: Children were not to be harmed. Clearly this killer didn't have that code.
***
"Blue," Carl blurted out, almost immediately, "It matches your eyes."
Aleks looked up when Zach spoke to her, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "I'm waiting for her to show up, how are you Zach?" She asked him, shifting her purse on her shoulder as she looked at the male a moment. She remembered all the trauma they had all gone through, and she only wanted things to be normal.
"Sucks about Terrance, you know? I know he and Tracy were close, she's already on the bus and doesn't look sober." She said, shaking her head as she ran a hand through her hair.
***
Emma wrapped an arm back around her mother, hugging her for a moment. "I slept alright, how about you?" She asked her, tilting her head to look up at her mother as she sipped on her coffee for a moment. She knew that the retreat was going on right now, and she had to be strong for her friends.
"We should probably get going."
Noah
As Noah awakened from his exhaustion fueled slumber he checked his phone and saw the time. His eyes widened and he jumped out of bed stripping out of his clothes and finding a fresh outfit grabbing his bag.
He sent a quick text to Brooke saying he was running late, but when he got to the school they needed to talk. He thought of sending a text to Jamie, but shook his head deciding not to. He didn't have time to deal with that kind of drama right now, he had to deal with the murders and the newest lead he just got.
Grabbing his keys he took off for the school.
________
Drew
Drew smiled softly as he heard his dad yelling, assuming he was still asleep. He walked out from the kitchen with a cup of coffee in his hand sipping it. He was dressed in all black, black tee, black overcoat, black jeans with holes ripped throughout, black converse hi-tops, and a pair of black sunglasses.
"So you decided to sleep in old man?" He asked as he took a sip, and gave a smirk. He may have to suffer this retreat, but he was going to fuck with his father the whole time.
_____
Sawyer
Sawyer Martin was already packed and waiting at the school, she was by herself in the corner going through her phone, insta-stalking Stavo as per usual. She had decided that she was going to make herself known to him on this trip, no matter what the consequences.
She and Stavo were meant for each other, and they would be together if the last thing she did. She just had to help him realize his feelings for her is all.
"Let's go then," replied Maggie, taking a long swig of her coffee before topping it off.
Emma topped off her own coffee, moving to pick up her purse and her duffel bag for the retreat. "I really wish this was under better circumstances." She said, looking over at her mother as she moved to the door. She made sure her phone was in her pocket, just in case she needed to text anyone on the way.
***
Deanna showed up at Smoke's place, knocking on the door as she adjusted the duffel over her shoulder. She was already bored and didn't want to go on this retreat, but she knew they had too. "Yo, you up yet?" She called out as she knocked, looking around as she pulled her hoodie down over her jeans to ensure her gun was hidden.
Smoke answered the door, his duffle bag in hand, and walked out.
"Hey, what's cracking with you?"
Deanna shifted so that she was standing next to him, "Oh you know, the usual. Broke Foster's window last night, that was fun." she chuckled.
She leaned up to kiss his cheek, adjusting her bag. "Ready for this stupid retreat?"
"Oh, I doubt it," said Brooke easily, "But it's something to do."
She winked, figuring he might appreciate the upper crust affectation that always implied there was something better to do. Which, in Brooke's case, was true.
She leaned forward, spotting the brutalist brick block of GW High in the near distance, "Would it be very bratty of me if I asked...politely...to be let out now? Just...you know, I have an entrance to make."
She cleared her throat, "Thanks. For the ride and...Mom and..." she looked at him, "Okay, forget it, I'm gonna be straight with you: I want you to be straight with me. That a deal?"
***
Micah beamed, "It does and it's my favorite color so you win bonus points."
He laid the sweater out on the bed, "You have a change of clothes in your car? 'Cause you can bum some of mine if you want. We're about the same..."
A knock on the door, "Micah! Bus leaves at eight and I'm on payroll so I'm already late."
Micah dropped both sweaters to the floor, staring at Carl.
So this is what gay panic feels like?
Considering recent events, it wasn't quite as bad as normal panic. Still.
***
Zach blinked, "Yeah...sucks."
More than sucks. Zach could still remember that night. Granted, he'd spent most of it knocked out and tied up...
But maybe if he hadn't been a giant drip and hadn't taken the bait, hadn't for once...
"Tracy?" He'd been making it a point of avoiding her since everything happened. Not that he'd ever spent that much time with her to begin with. She was kinda...well, crazy.
"I...uh..." he trailed off, thinking of something to say before settling on, "Hope she doesn't puke."
He paused, "That would be embarrassing. For her."
***
"'Old' is a subjective term," Fitz looked him, "What is that ridiculous get-up? You like like Donatella Versace."
Without a word, Maggie got in the car and started it up.
Aleks rolled her eyes, "You know her, she's got the cash to pay for everything. No doubt she has the pills to prevent her from doing just that." she said as she looked at the male.
She remembered that they had all looked for him that night, and that was how they lost Terrance.
A shudder coursed through her as she looked towards the bus. "I just wish this retreat wasn't happening."
***
Emma got into the car and looked back, sighing a moment as she looked out the window.
Another silent drive, it was what usually happened after everything.
Her only fear, was that somehow Kieran was involved in all of this. But of course she wouldn't voice that to her mother.
Noah
Once at the school, Noah waited patiently for Brooke to arrive, shooting a quick text to Emma and Audrey as well,
"Hey Em, Aud, emergency meeting at the front of the school."
______
Drew
"Your outfit says a lot, mine says I really don't want to be here, so don't fucking talk to me." He explained to his father. His coffee being a little low, he went back to refill it, straight black, no sugar, no milk.
As he returned, he smiled at his father,
"We going, or what?"
Zach shrugged, "I hear you..."
He'd been hoping he could get some kind of exemption on account of, you know, being kidnapped. But, nope, mandatory is mandatory.
"But...hey," he smiled, "Maybe it won't be so bad. I mean...they put it together to mean something. Maybe it will?''
***
"Audrey..." Rachel leaned over her headstone, propping her head up in one hand, "Long time no see."
Emma looked at her text message, tilting her head.
Alright, see you there Noah.
She looked towards her mom, sighing some before turning to look back out the window as she waited to get to school.
***
Aleks nodded her head, looking over at him.
"Yeah, well maybe. Let's just hope they don't make us hold hands and sing."
She taunted, knowing full well they probably had to do all of that and than some.
Fitz snorted, "I wouldn't get your hopes up. You're a curiosity to these people. One whiff of you and they'll be all over you."
He turned down the hall, "Rod-ruh-gays! A thermos of coffee and two boiled eggs. No salt."
He started across the entryway, "And here's another thing...I don't intend to march into this place announcing you're my bastard. Granted, there's no point keeping it a secret. Tracy already knows and that means everybody knows. The girl talks too much, and more when she's drunk, which is often."
He turned to Drew, "You are my son. You will not mention your mother. You will not mention where you came from. If anybody asks, you just woke up from a coma and you think you're 12-years-old. That might explain the dress-up. You do not under any circumstances, mention our arrangement.
"Is that clear?"
"What?" Zach cocked an eyebrow, laughing, "Don't like music?"
Noah
/Like A Man Possessed...Requiem../
Noah was standing in front of the school, not moving an inch, even as it began to rain. He was like a man possessed. Trying to stop tragedy in it's wake. He didn't care what anybody told him, he was going to be the one to stop this killer...Even if it killed him.
___
Drew
"Trust me I don't plan on telling anybody who I am, or why I'm here. I'm gonna do my time, deliver the check, and move on to somewhere nobody knows."
Aleks
Aleks chuckled, shaking her head as she looked at him.
"Oh no, Zach. I love music, when its the right kind." She said with a laugh.
"An enviable proposition," Drew paused in the doorway, "Get in the bloody Benz."
***
"Oh, yeah? What kind? Rap, pop, country, synthwave…"
Hey, it was good to see somebody smiling at least. Maybe he'd end up smiling too.
Aleks
"Depends on my mood really, what about you?" Aleks asked, tilting her head.
Sure it was probably not a smile worthy thing, but right now she had a little hope that this retreat wouldn't be all bad.
"Ooh a big fancy Benz, right away rich man." Drew laughed as he walked out the door and got in the car
"You want to be subtle, take the bus," Fitz snarled, getting behind the wheel, "I hope you brought some extra nickels."
***
"Eh..." Zach smiled, "You'd laugh at me if I told you."
Aleks
Aleks noted the smile, her hand reflexively going to the scar on her abdomen from that night.
"Well we're all one big bunch of scarred up people. What could possibly make me laugh at your choice of music?"