Don't Think Twice

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

Scene 1: Addington High

Danny Cole

"The classes are about to be empty. A bunch of people signed up for some college tour shit. We should get out of here," Jordan said.

"Yeah, alright."

"I'm gonna get my stuff real quick"

"Let some people know we're going to Mandy's. If you find Leo, tell him to come on, but not if he's with Elle." She's a backseat driver. And I'm fucking tired of couples.

Jordan nodded and went on his way while I turned to go back to the van before a bell rang and someone could try to stop me.

I didn't want to be here today, anyway. And the sun is shining brighter now that I'm leaving.

"Wait," I heard as I stood in front of my door, and Heather came racing down the stairs to get to me.

"You're not a narc now, are you?"

"No." She handed me a pamphlet.

"What?" The Bedell Wellness and Rehabilitation Center. "The fuck is this?"

"It's a good place."

"Rehab? What the hell do you know, trying to send me to rehab?"

"I don't know anything, but if you want help-"

"Fuck off, I don't need your sponsorship."

"It won't cost anything. My parents donate plenty of money there since that's where most of our neighbors and friends go when they get into a bit of trouble. It's known for discretion, I promise."

"Take your stupid pamphlet." I forced it into her hands.

"It isn't as if you have to check yourself in for weeks. They offer outpatient care programs."

"What makes you think I'm on something anyway, huh? You figured I must be because you don't like me, is that it?" I spat.

"I heard you in the staircase. And you're going through withdrawals, it's obvious."

"You don't give a shit. What, you're scared I'm sharing with Leo? Mind the dick that fucks you, Heather. Get off of mine."

She glowered and threw the pamphlet back at me before heading toward the school again just as Jordan was coming out of it.

He furrowed his eyebrows at the both of us but kept quiet until he got to the van.

"Friend of yours?" Jordan teased.

I rolled my eyes and sat in the driver's seat. "Am I waiting for anybody?"

"Nah, they're gonna meet you there. Can you drop me off at home?"

"Yeah, but you owe me gas money."

"Since when?"

"Since I don't have the gas to be driving you around everywhere."

"Or you're broke because you keep spending all your cash on bullshit," he muttered.

"Fucking whatever you owe me money." I don't need to hear shit from you or Heather and her goddamn wellness center.

Scene 2: Cornell University

Ethan Carey

"It does look less like an internment camp than I thought it would."

"Why did you think you would get that out of a campus full of small castles?" Tony said, staring at everything as if it were made of gold.

"You're easily impressed."

"I am...but admit it's pretty here."

"It's fine," I shrugged.

"Understatement."

"If you like these, wait until you see the houses the fraternities are in," our tour guide Malcolm said.

"No thanks, I'm not big on Greek Life." Or any other cults.

"Are you in one?" Tony questioned.

"Chi Phi, the oldest fraternity at Cornell. Consider pledging."

"Yes, drink the kool-aid." I patted Tony's back.

"Being a part of a brotherhood is a fun and fulfilling experience." Malcolm crossed his arms.

"Apart from the hazing."

"Oh, no, don't worry about that." I won't. If you haze me, I'll spend the rest of my life suing every generation of your family.

"I simply think there would be better things to do than wear cloaks and recite enchantments in a basement..."

"It doesn't take over your life. I'm on the lacrosse team."

"What position?"

"Midfield. Do you play?"

"I used to."

"Well, if you want to get back into it, our team is on a winning streak."

"It's too bad I haven't been recruited then."

"Ethan Carey, is it?" Of course, my name is the one you remember. "I know you have some pull, I'm sure you can get in front of our coach if you want."

"But what's in it for me?"

"Oh, right, you're not interested in any of this," he said sarcastically. "Get a physical, bring your birth certificate and photo I.D. If you decide to meet with him. Then, we'll see if you're even good enough to play on our team."

This is clearly a manipulative tactic dependent on how competitive I might be...and I am very competitive and a great player, and yes, you will see.

"You'd play for them but not for us?" Tony raised an eyebrow.

"I go where the respect is, Anthony."

"And the pretty girls you haven't spent the past few years offending."

"People grow."

"Sure, but you don't."

I sigh and throw my head back. "If only I didn't have to speak to my parents about this."

"Won't they be happy?"

"I'm afraid that is no longer possible. I'd keep this to myself if I knew where my birth certificate was."

"You haven't seen it?"

"No, why would I need to? I'm proof that I was born."

"What if you were stolen out of the hospital as a baby?" Tony asked, stupidly.

"If they allowed that to happen then they didn't deserve me."

"It's in your dad's office, most likely."

We walked past the tour group Alison is in and she glared...not at me but at Tony. He kept his head down instead of giving in to the death stare.

"What happened there?" I said with a smile.

"She's...trying to grow but having a hard time."

"Alison and I are birds of a feather. If I'm incapable of growth, so is she."

"You and Alison are not alike."

"Then why do you like me so much?" I taunt.

"Be quiet."

"...How do you start a fraternity? Can I do it?"

He shook his head and sighed. "No growth."

Scene 3: Cornell University

Heather Blakely

"This is where my dorm is. It's as nice inside as it is outside," Janine stood in front of the building. "First and second-year students are guaranteed housing."

"I don't think I'd be able to live in a dorm," I said to no one in particular.

"I wasn't going to live on campus, but my boyfriend does and I like being within walking distance."

"Oh, that's cute."

"He's a junior, so he doesn't have a roommate this year. It's convenient."

"Did you meet him here?" I asked.

"Yes. Are you looking for a guy?" She said slyly.

"No, only curious about how many couples go to college together."

"High school sweetheart you want to take with you?"

"Ha...no."

"The couples I've seen show up together don't usually leave together. Everyone believes you find your people in college because high school is such a small pool," she explained. "But you're from the city, so your pool is more of a beach. It might be different for you. You might already have your people."

While she spoke, three guys came running by, shirtless, damp, muscular, and a great advertisement for this school.

Wow.

If I don't already have my people, the options here aren't bad at all.

"Hey, Janine," one of them stalls to speak to her.

"What do you want?"

"Oh, you're with a group. My bad," he said playfully, taking in the new faces and centering on mine. "Hi, how are you liking it here so far?"

"It's nice."

"You're with a high school, right?"

I nodded. "From Manhattan."

"This is pretty tame for you then. Are you nervous?" He smiled, leaving room for another interpretation. "About going to college?"

"Partly."

"Don't be. I can tell you're a smart girl."

"You gathered that from what little interaction we had?" I challenged.

"Gavin!" His friend called from where they were waiting.

"You should swing by our house before you leave. Right over there," he pointed to a bricked building that a few boys were outside of. "We're doing a little celebration."

"I'll think about it," I said, giving Gavin enough assurance to run over to his friends with a smile.

"They only do the shirtless jogging when there are campus tours or it's orientation day," Janine stated. "Just so you know."

She meant it to be a cautionary note, but I was almost flattered.

"We have to stay with the guide," Audrey whispered.

"I know."

"Then why are you getting further and further from the line?" She asked...and I merged into a crowd of students heading toward the campus library. "What are you doing?" Audrey joined me despite her protesting.

"I'm going to the house."

"No," she huffed, but it was too late, I found an opening to go over there without being seen.

They had a sign in the front that said 'welcome!' And no one who passed us thought anything was out of the ordinary.

"Hey." A boy walks out smirking at Audrey and me. "Have you girls heard of the two for one special?"

"Heather, please," Audrey groaned.

"Aren't you curious as to what's inside?"

"No, because he walked out of there."

I ignored her and went into the house anyway, and she's too protective to make me go alone.

"They don't change much after high school, huh?" It's messy like they didn't bother to fully clean up after the last party. There are video games on the coffee table and random items of clothes sprawled around, as well.

I hold onto the stair railing as we go up.

"Don't touch that, there are no maids here," Audrey warned. "You do realize why they would invite you over, right? You're aware of the trap?"

Most of the rooms have their doors shut, and others are occupied, but we keep walking until I see an empty one.

"A Madonna poster," I pointed to the wall, hoping Audrey would be excited to see it.

"Guys don't pin Madonna posters because they like her music."

"They could..." I grumble and go toward a shelf with a few records on it.

There isn't much to look at. I personally change the station if Tom Petty is on, and I don't listen to any Bruce Springsteen song other than Dancing in the Dark. But...

Alone by Heart is in the player. Endless Love by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross is next to it....someone desperately needs a hug.

"Are you lost?" A voice startled me, and a boy wearing a Cornell sweater stands at the door.

"No, I'm sorry. Is this your room?"

"Mhm." He climbed onto his bed.

"We were just looking around. I'm Heather, this is Audrey."

"I don't care."

"She was being polite," Audrey scowled.

So, you're the one playing Heart...

"Are you okay?" I asked, recognizing this kind of sadness and irritability.

"He's rude and mute. Let's go." Audrey grabbed my hand.

"There you are." A guy pops in and looks at me and her before he sees the boy on the bed. "Hey, Paul," he said but didn't get a response, so the attention went back to us. "We heard you snuck in, come down, we'll hide you from Janine."

Audrey agrees and starts to follow him out, but I stop to face Paul again.

He couldn't bear to look at whoever that was, let alone speak.

"It's him, isn't it?" Paul glances at me but remains silent. "You were together."

"Wyatt doesn't believe in relationships. He prefers to have fun and then sneak into my bed at the end of the night."

"Are you in love with him?"

Paul laughs to himself and leans his head back against the wall. "He's not in love with me. I guess...and that's all that matters." I tilted my head, confused by his uncertainty. Even when I said I love you without hearing it in return, I knew it, and he held me to make sure I felt okay.

"Don't you want to know for sure? I would..."

"No, because...he sleeps next to me...and kisses me good night. He plays with my hair before he gets out of bed in the morning. He makes sure there's coffee left for me...and that I'm invited somewhere if he's going...and I remember everything about him because it makes him smile...and I'm pathetic gum stuck to his shoe...disclosing my feelings to a random girl I just met."

"Disclose them to Wyatt, instead."

"You're an outsider, you don't understand."

"I know it doesn't feel good to feel this way and keep it to yourself. If he cares about you then he won't let you be gum...whether he loves you back or not."

Paul grabs a petalless flower from his desk and says: "Not."

And daisies have so many petals to pull.

"...Nothing will change if you don't talk to him." And it's not as if there's anything in the way, there's no one stopping you. "What do you have to lose?"

"Wyatt."

"You don't have him."

Scene 4: E Broadway

Leo Rylin

"You know the scene where they're all sitting in front of the TV watching a movie where teens get killed?" AJ asked while Scream played on the lowest volume. "If someone mentions Jamie Lee Curtis' boobs, a killer will come in like Bloody Mary."

"This movie is too funny to be scary," Matt said.

I smirked. "I was home watching television. The Exorcist was on, it got me thinking of you."

"I wish all movies were comedies. Another good one is-"

"Angus," Amanda said happily.

"That is not a comedy," AJ complained.

"It is as much a comedy as Scream."

"No, it's not. Scream was funny, Angus makes people cry."

"You?"

"Empire Records," Kat suggested.

"I love that one."

AJ scoffed. "Girly answer."

"How would you know what's girly? It's not like girls talk to you," she snarked.

"Bad Boys," Danny added.

"That's action."

"Action slash comedy. It's fucking hilarious."

"They should make more. I could watch 5 of them," I agreed.

"Clerks," AJ continued.

"Berserker!" Matt sung.

Kat rolled her eyes. "Kevin Smith makes the same movie over and over again in varying qualities."

"Now she's a film critic," AJ scoffed.

"What about Jim Carey?" Matt asked.

Danny shrugged. "Eh."

"Liar Liar! Come on, what would you do if you could only tell the truth for 24 hours?" AJ asked.

"I wouldn't talk."

"Me neither. I wouldn't leave the apartment," Mandy shook her head.

"...What are you guys hiding?"

"I stole my neighbor's cat..." Mandy admitted.

"Marley's?" Matt said in surprise.

"Yeah."

"Where is it? Give it back!"

"He's under my bed. You saw how weird she is. He deserves a normal life. Maintenance let him out, she doesn't even suspect me."

"She's nuts already, you're gonna make her snap," he argued.

"Up until a year ago, I used to take money out of those donation boxes in stores," AJ confessed.

My eyes widened. "The ones for cancer kids?"

"The money probably didn't go to them anyway."

"Because you took it."

Danny shook his head. "Don't tell anyone else that."

"I became friends with this girl because she had a really hot older brother, and I wanted to sleep over at their house," Kat said, remorselessly. "She was nerdy, so she didn't even question it."

Mandy frowned. "That's so mean."

"But worth it. He joined the army, so I don't talk to her that much now."

"Once..." Matt started, "I pretended I didn't hear a blind guy asking for help because I was running late— I still feel bad about it, though." Judgmental looks shot his way, and you could see him getting nervous. "There were other people walking up! He was gonna get help," he tried to defend.

"Just not from you."

"It was a bad time. Shut up."

"These aren't good secrets." I laughed. "You're bad people. I wish you did have to tell the truth."

"Oh, okay. Your turn then," Mandy crossed her arms.

"I don't have anything. I don't run away from people asking for help. I sure as fuck don't take money out of donation boxes."

"You're not perfect. You have something in mind, you just don't want to tell us."

"I got a good secret," AJ smirked and then looked over at Danny. "I took Val out a couple times before you got together. She said not to tell you."

"You didn't," Danny scoffed in disbelief.

"I did. She's a good kisser too, huh?"

Oh, no.

You could see his jaw clench as he stared down AJ.

The conversation needs to be deterred before things get too charged up. Danny already wants to punch him just for his personality.

"Alright. I got something." I sighed. "But it doesn't leave the room, right?"

"Right."

"Yeah."

"The first...month I started dating Elle, I closed my eyes and pretended she was Heather whenever we messed around."

Someone snickers. "That's fucked up."

"Do you still?" Matt asked.

"Not really."

"Not really?" AJ chokes out with a laugh.

"I mean— no. I don't." It doesn't happen on purpose. Your mind just goes places sometimes.

"I'm telling."

"I don't," I said, adamantly. "Fuck off. I'm too wasted for this."

"She'd dump you if she knew that," Matt mumbled under his breath.

"Obviously, captain dumb-ass. That's why it's a secret," Danny rolled his eyes.

"So no one's gonna run their mouth."


You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net