What Did You Expect From Me?

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

Scene 1: Addington High

Leo Rylin

Jordan leans his head back against the lockers and closes his eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked.

"I was up with Angela all night."

"Never mind," I said quickly to avoid any unwanted details.

"No, she's sick. Flu season and everything. You should get a shot."

"I never get it." The shot or the flu.

"She said she's gonna stay in bed all day. I tried to make sure she was comfortable before I left, but I should get back."

Speaking of making someone comfortable.

Heather walks past us with a friend I don't know.

"What?" Jordan followed my eyes.

"I'm gonna give the Discman back to her."

"Why?"

"I don't want me keeping it to send a message." She doesn't have anything I gave her when we were together.

"What are you going to say?"

I shrugged. "I'll think of something."

"Go." He nodded toward where they were by the water fountain.

"Not right now."

Jordan squinted his eyes in skepticism, like he believed I was scared or something...I'm not scared of Heather.

"Well, I'm sleeping." He leaned his head against the locker again and shut his eyes.

"Dickhead," I insulted, and then took the Discman out of my bag and held it at my side while I went over to Heather.

She seems pretty happy today. What are the chances of her taking this too personally?

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure." She waved off her friend before coming away with me. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, uh— thanks for the ride last night, that was cool of you."

"Anytime."

"Probably no time soon, though." I hand her the Discman. "Elle isn't comfortable with me being friends with you."

"Why?"

"You know why," I said, trying to laugh off any memories that come to mind. "There's too much history."

"Oh...I'm sorry?"

I shrugged. "It's the past."

"This was a gift." She brought it out to me again.

I shook my head. "You gave mine back."

"That was different."

"No, it wasn't."

"It's too late. It clearly doesn't mean anything anymore," she said, defensively.

"Give it to Adrian."

Heather rolled her eyes. "He has one. You didn't-"

She opened the CD player and suddenly didn't look too angry anymore.

I left her mix in there.

She stares down and the CD and then back at me.

Why do you look so betrayed?

That's the opposite of what this is...

"Couldn't exactly play it for Elle..."

Heather turned and walked off like we weren't ever speaking.

Alright...bye.

Scene 2: Wendell Women's Clinic

Trevor Bailey

Vivian sighed when she saw me sitting outside of the clinic. "What are you doing here?"

"I noticed that my father wasn't coming to this one."

"So, you decided to?"

"This wasn't for a paternity test, was it?" I asked, revealing my true motive for showing up.

"No, we're doing that next month."

My clock is ticking...

"And what are you going to do if it isn't his?"

"That is all you are worried about?" She snapped, turning to face me. "Not the baby girl who will be subjected to the bullshit between you and your father for her entire life?"

My heart thrummed in my eardrums. "...Girl?"

"Arthur doesn't care to know, so don't slip up and tell him," Vivian replied, waiting by the crosswalk for the cars to still.

"He'll make sure it's taken care of, but I— I can't, Vivian."

"She."

"What?"

"She's taken care of," Vivian corrected, and I backed away, shaking my head. "This is the only time I've ever seen you acting like the scared little boy you really are."

"I can't take care of either of you," I called out as she crossed the street. "I can't!"

This is the part when someone says: "You should've thought of that before." But too often do I choose to learn from my mistakes.

Though, they are not usually this monumental.

And I don't normally get to see them driving off with the opportunity to further devastate me at any given moment.

That fear is what has been keeping me at a distance from everything and everyone. If I'm trapped how I think I am, I have to find a way to live with it. Even if it means confessing my sins in their entirety...

To the people I want to think better of me.

I walk into the cafe and Audrey spots me. I take priority over whoever she's talking to on her cellphone and she ends the call.

"I thought you forgot about me." Never. "Where have you been?"

"The pillage through Mecca." I climbed in next to her in the booth and laid across her lap.

"Discover anything about yourself?"Audrey asked, her hands twirling in my hair.

"Unfortunately."

"What's wrong?"

Her eyes studied my face, and it's not everyone who gets her full attention. I'm honored.

I can't bare her reaction.

I'll save our confessional for a later date...

I sighed, heavily. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Do I need to hurt someone?"

"It wouldn't be ideal, not this time."

"Is something going on?" She questioned, her concern growing.

I shook my head. "Let's talk about you."

Audrey smiled. "My favorite pastime."

"Mine too."

"War has been declared against me."

"Do I need to hurt someone?"

"Maisilyn Brody. She's made it her business to make my life more difficult and I didn't even know who she was before this."

"Hm..." I said in thought.

"What?"

"Perhaps...there lies your reason. She wanted you to know her." I smirked. "Better yet, she wants to know you."

"You assume my attraction to women means that all women are suddenly attracted to me."

"Everyone is attracted to you, Audrey. As you can see, it's your blessing and your curse."

"This is different. I told you, it's war."

"Is the war of hearts not still war?"

She looked down at me and rolled her eyes. "In your past life, you were the handsome, young guy wearing poet blouses and frequenting dirty pubs to recite lines from romance novels to charm the girls you found pretty."

I chuckled. "Not much has changed then."

Scene 3: Madison Street (Zach's Apartment)

Zach Teeling

I press pause on my remote and turn toward the window when I hear tapping.

My blinds are shut and the only light is coming from my tv. Whoever it is should've figured I was sleeping.

I open the window when I see Leo on the other side. "You know I'm grounded, right?" It was a bad idea lying to my mom about Connecticut.

"You've got company," Leo replied.

"What?"

"Before I let him up, tell me you are not messing around with this guy again," he said with a disappointed sigh.

"Evan?" I asked. "He doesn't have anywhere else to go."

Leo nodded in understanding...but I know he and Matt still want to beat up Evan.

I stepped back and waited for him to come up the ladder. I'm not surprised that I'm Rapunzel in this situation.

"Hey," Evan said, nervously standing in my window frame.

"Come in," I waved him through. "How'd you end up with Leo?"

"He was outside and told me not to knock unless I wanted to wake up your mom...I can tell he doesn't like me, but since I was already over here, he let me use the fire escape."

"Oh."

Evan shifted from side to side trying to fight the silence. He wouldn't look me in the eye for some reason..."Can I shower here? I was trying to put gas in my tank using one of those gallon things, and I fucked up."

"I can tell." I blocked the stench from my nose. "But, yeah, I'll get you a towel. And, then you can sleep here too."

"I-"

I huffed. "Would you just do it, please?"

He stared down at the ground again. "I'll be out of your hair tomorrow."

"Why? My hair doesn't mind."

"I only need to get the gas off of me. I'm really okay after."

"Alright," I nodded. "But..I get kinda scared at night. My plan was always to sacrifice Peyton if someone broke in. So, if you stay for a while, it would be helping me."

He chuckled. "I'm the sacrifice?"

" No, you can fight. I'll finally stand a chance and we can take 'em together."

"Okay, fine," he sighed. "I'll think about it, but only to help you."

Scene 4: Crown Heights

Danny Cole

Amanda opens the door and climbs in, throwing her purse on the floor. "Thanks for coming to get me."

She called me half an hour ago. I didn't answer the phone, my dad did and left me no choice but to talk. Now I'm out here saving Mandy from a bad date.

"What happened?"

She takes a frustrated, deep breath. "He picks me up and says we're going to eat somewhere, but he has to stop at his friend's house first because he left his wallet there. So, we get here and he tells me to come in and say 'hi,' and then he's like have a beer, we'll leave in a minute. And the whole time he's with his friends and they're talking and laughing and blasting music and drinking beer and I keep asking him if we can go, and he keeps saying 'in a minute.' Then more people show up and it turns into this party and I'm in a corner alone and I don't know anybody and I can't find him until I do and he's drunk with another girl because he forgot I was there."

I scoffed. "Who the fuck is this dildo? I'll kick the shit out of him."

"They left already."

"He left you outside at 1 AM?"

"I don't know him that well," she said like that excuses how he treated her.

"You said you work with him."

"He's new."

"If I see him, I'm saying something."

"You wouldn't know if you did."

"I'm guessing he'll be the guy sniffing your ass and begging for forgiveness."

"He can go to hell," she mumbled, staring out of the window and probably blinking away tears.

She's sad, I can tell. She's got this thing about guys not taking her on proper dates like something's wrong with her. Clearly, she keeps taking chances thinking she'll find someone who will, someone who isn't Matt, but I don't want to get used to these calls.

"Danny!" Amanda shouts.

I didn't even feel myself nodding out...

And as I jolt up, my foot hits the gas pedal before I can see the bright headlights coming at me. Amanda grabs the wheel, and the van makes a sharp turn to the left.

All I feel is impact, like my senses crashed just as hard as the van. There's glass all over the dash and little shards on my lap.

It smells like exhaust

And blood.

Amanda yelled: "What the fuck?"

I can hear her over the sound of the horn blaring. She's screaming at me but that means she's okay.

"Sorry," is all I could get out.

"Are you high?"

"I'm good."

"What is wrong with you, Danny?"


You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net