It Gets Better

by Flame Star

Rolling the Stones

Author's Note:

More arguing with himself this chapter. The conscience is again marked in red.

I didn’t get anymore sleep that night; every time I shut my eyes, I could still see Joey, standing over me and grimacing down at me. I was silent at breakfast, looking more than a bit shell-shocked from my terrifying nightmare.

“Hey, are you alright?” Dash asked, sounding concerned. For someone who talked herself up so much, and seemed to exude an aura of confidence and tomboyishness, she was actually very caring to people: at least, to me she was.

“I’m...I’m fine.” I lied, faking a smile at her. “Just, uh...thinking. Gotta a lot on my plate up here.” I touched a finger to my head, smiling slightly. “But don’t worry about it. I promise, I’ll be fine.”

She didn’t respond, merely nodding her head a bit as she watched, eventually returning to her cereal before stretching out her wings and arms. “You wanna know something, Alec? I think you’ve earned a day off.”

I looked up at her, eyebrow already raised before I even began to speak. “Seriously? Yesterday I ran out of juice after only a few minutes of actually using the damned things, and you’re saying that’s day off-worthy?”

“Yes, I am." She retorted, lifting her head to look at me. “Because that shows dedication. If you weren’t really committed, you would have quit the moment you started to feel tired. Well, that, and…" She trailed off, suddenly finding her now-empty bowl incredibly interesting.

I nodded silently, eventually beginning to concede to her point of view. However, I did call her out as she suddenly became much more meek than she’d ever been. “Ya know, if ya got somethin’ to say to me, just spit it out.”

She didn’t say anything for a long time, simply circling her bowl with her spoon before she sighed and looked up at me. Yet another small blush played at her tanned cheeks, a meek smile on her face as she rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, since I’m not gonna make you really do anything today, I figured that we...might as well get to know each other a little better. I mean, you are kinda living here until further notice, so...we should probably get a feel for each other.” At that, I smirked, raising my eyebrow at her quickly. A beat passed before she turned bright red, waving her hands in front of her wildly. “No no no no, tha-that’s not what I meant!”

“Sure it ain’t, toots.” I still held that cocky, semi-flirtatious smirk as I rounded up both of our bowls and silverware, depositing them in the sink before turning around towards her. “But yeah, sure, that sounds fine. You’re right, we don’t really know much about each other, and it’d probably be a good idea to get to know the guy who’s sleeping on your couch, and the girl who’s letting you sleep on her couch.”

Finally, a smile beamed on her lips, showing off her teeth. “Great! Lemme just, uh...actually get ready." She gestured down to herself, still in her pajamas: a pair of Wonderbolts boxers and an undershirt. “Even I don’t wear this in public.”

“Oh, come on, ya look fine. And yes, I do mean that in anything I’ve seen you where yet.” I smirked at her as I replied, crossing my arms. “But fine, fine. Go ahead and get ready, you know where I’ll be.”

She puffed out her cheeks indignantly before hopping off the stool, her feet just barely unable to touch the ground when she sat. As she walked away, I really couldn’t help but glance her way. Even this early in the morning, groggy as we should be, she still had a swing in her step as she walked, hips swaying with each and every step. Containing the urge to let out a whistle in fear of her possible wrath, I instead contented myself with silently admiring her body until she turned the corner, taking her out of my sight. Alone with my thoughts, I nodded to myself. “I definitely wouldn’t blame myself.” I said aloud, smiling to myself. “Definite ten, if I had to even put her on the scale.”

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When we finally set out, it was amazing what that girl could do in only five minutes: a shower and a complete change of outfit, along with what actually smelled like perfume. I didn’t say anything, but she actually looked like she was trying to impress someone. Who that someone was, I wasn’t quite sure, but they definitely needed to stop being an idiot and realize just how beautiful she normally is.

You’re doing it again.

Doing what? I’m not doing anything.

You’re basically saying how in love with her you are. You literally just said she’s always beautiful, you idiot.

I can think whatever the hell I want. I didn’t say it, now did I?

Maybe you should. You always say that it’s not nice to keep a lady waiting.

What the hell are you talking about? There’s no way she’s all gussied up for me: she’d know better. At least, I hope she would.

Whatever. Just don’t let the chance pass you by when it shows itself.

Yes, mom.

After finishing my mental argument with myself, I turned my head to look down at her, taking in her appearance. Her hair was long and flowing, coming down just past her shoulders on either side of her head and longer in the back, almost halfway down her back. She wore a small cyan jacket that ended high on her stomach, showing off her midriff. Her jeans hugged her slender, muscular legs, ending just above her rainbow sneakers emblazoned with her cutie mark on the outside of either shoe. I found myself captivated by her, unable to look away even as she looked up at me, locking eyes with me before I was finally able to look away, cheeks painted red with embarrassment. We continued on in an awkward silence before I finally broke it.

“So...who’s the lucky guy?” I asked, trying to seem nonchalant about the situation.

“Huh? What do you mean?" She replied, obviously confused by my sudden question.

“Well, you’re obviously trying to show off for somebody, somebody I’m assuming you’re attracted to. That outfit doesn’t seem like something you just decide to wear on a whim." I stated, gesturing to her as we walked. “And as short of a time as you took to get ready this morning, I can tell that you put perfume on: I could smell it the moment you walked out of the bathroom.” Reaching our destination, the Café du Coeur, I took a seat at one of the tables, continuing to talk all the while. “And you did your hair. Normally you just run a comb through it to get out some of the bedhead, but today you went all out: you actually brushed and styled it today. I’d even say you used conditioner." She sat down across from me but avoided my gaze, either not wanting to or unable to look me in the eyes.

“I’m not trying to impress anyone, alright?" She eventually responded, finally lifting her head to look at my face as she spoke. “I just wanted to look nice today. Is that a crime now or something?" She pressured, now adamant about denying my accusations.

I noticed a waiter coming our way and held up a hand, silently directing him to another table to avoid interrupting our discussion.

“Since when do you ever ‘just want to look nice’? I’m not saying it’s a bad thing; in fact, I love the new get-up. It’s just that I don’t get it. You don’t care if people don’t like the way you dress, you said so yourself to just the other day. So, what I don’t understand is...why the sudden change?” I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table. “Come on, Dash. You can tell me. You’re my friend, and if there’s some guy you’re into, I’ll help out.”

She looked at me strangely, a mixture of relief and disappointment. “Really? You’ve only known me for...what, a little over a month? And you’re seriously saying that you’d help me get any guy that I may or may not be after?”

“Of course I am. Like I said, you’re my friend, Dash. And that’s what friends do: they help each other." I stated, pausing to gauge her reaction. She looked happy, maybe even ecstatic, before I continued. “Unless it’s me, of course.” Her face seemed to break for a moment, lapsing into a devastated visage for a fraction of a second. “Oh, don’t look so crestfallen. I just like to play hard to get.” Relief seemed to wash over her as she visibly relaxed before leaning across the table, punching me in the arm.

“You’re a jerk, you know that?" She said, now more easygoing and beginning to return to her old tomboyish attitude I’d grown accustomed to.

“Yeah, I know; but hey, I’m the jerk that you put up with." I replied, finally waving over the waiter. I cracked a smile at her and she countered with her own, and before long, we were laughing and making small-talk over our drinks.

----------

With the joy of the previous day’s bonding experience still fresh in my mind, and the nightmare that preceded it still gnawing away at me in the back of my head, I set out to gather my two other friends to discuss our recent endeavors, and to bring up the dream about Joey to Lindsey or maybe even Twilight, if I was feeling desperate enough.

I went around to the homes that my two companions were staying, leading them to the cafe I had visited the day before. As we three arrived and took a seat, we were approached by a server: specifically, the same one that had waited on Dash and I the previous day.

“Things not work out with that pretty girl, eh?" He asked, passing out menus to each of us and taking up his pad.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” I replied, confused by his statement.

“That girl you were with yesterday. Did things not work out? You seemed perfect for each other." He said, waiting to take our orders. Joey and Lindsey both look at me, smiling mischievously.

“Uh...we weren’t together, buddy. She’s just, ah...just a friend." I answered, wishing I could hide my reddened face behind my menu.

“Really? Because you seemed more than friendly to me: anyone would have taken you for a married couple." He added, looking to my two friends and taking their orders before turning back to me, ready to begin talking again.

I slammed my menu down on the table, speaking hurriedly and rushing my words. “Just a coffee is fine, thank you!” With that, he left, heading into the cafe proper to prepare our orders. Joey and Lindsey stared at me accusingly, preparing to use this new information to interrogate me.

“So...who’s the girl, Alec?” Joey started, crossing his arms as he stared me down.

“Uh...heh, I, ah...don’t know what you’re talking about." I blatantly lied, avoiding eye contact with both of them.

“Really now?” replied Lindsey, assuming the same position as Joey. “Because it doesn’t sound like it. You’re avoiding the question. Now...who is it, Alec?" She finished. She was always able to see through my lies, able to force the truth out of me. I was silent at first, looking between the two before sighing, hanging my head in defeat before lifting it to speak.

“Dash. I was here with Dash.”

They continued to look at me, now even more accusingly.

“But not like that! She gave me the day off from flight training and said that we should get to know more about each other, seeing as though we’re living together now." I replied hurriedly, continuing to act defensively about the situation. Joey seemed ready to continue questioning me, but Lindsey stopped him, laying a hand on his shoulder.

“Alec, I’m not going to tell you what to do, but...what happens when we find a way home? Do you really want to hurt her when you have to go back home?” Lindsey asked, her voice soft as she spoke. “Just think about the impact that what you do has.”

My face hardened, brow furrowing as I replied. “I’ll do what I want to do, Lindsey. Who I get involved with, if anyone, is my decision and my decision alone. I will decide my own future; us coming here is a chance to start over, to take control of our lives and create our own destiny.” It was now that the waiter reappeared, bringing us our respective drinks. Before he had a chance to talk, I shot him a daring glare, challenging him to speak. Forcing a smile, he turned and walked away.

“Alec’s right, Lindsey.” Joey said, looking over to the girl in question. “Back home, we were nobodies: just some stupid kids in high-school. But here? Here we can be something, more than we ever could have been back home.” He continued, smiling slightly. “This place is a clean slate. It’s a chance to start over and forge a new path for ourselves.”

“We can’t just abandon our old lives! We have friends and families, people who loves and care about us who would be devastated if we just disappeared, not even to mention or significant others.” Lindsey turned to Joey, gesturing as she spoke. “Joey, are you really telling me that you’re just going to abandon Ariel? Do you not care enough about her to do whatever you can to get back home to her?” She turned back towards the table, now speaking to both of us. “And I want to get back to Anthony. I care about him, and my family, and my friends. I want to go home. Don’t you guys want to too?”

Joey was silent, head lowered in shame as he contemplated her words. I, however, stared directly at Lindsey, face dark as I spoke.

“I don’t have anyone to go home to.” I stated flatly, voice monotone even as I continued. “My family doesn’t care about me. The only reason they’d miss me os because they wouldn’t have anyone to do their work for them? And my friends? They’re all online, and they wouldn’t question it if I just stopped sending messages: I’ve disappeared before. Loved ones? Newsflash, Lindsey, I don’t have one back ho-there.” I corrected myself, unable to bring myself to call the place I had came from home. It just...didn’t feel right. Home is where you belong, and that is not where I belonged. I rose from my seat, starting to walk away.

“Alec, I…” Lindsey started, getting out of her seat and started after me, stopping in her tracks as I whirled around, cutting her off as I started to speak.

“Don’t you ‘Alec’ me, Lindsey. I don’t have anything to return to.” I walked towards her, now outwardly angry as I continued. “I’m an outcast there. But here? Here I have people who accept me for who I am, people who come to me when they need help. These people...they care about me.” After I finished speaking, I turned on my heel, leaving my two friends at the cafe in stunned silence after my sudden outburst.

Comments

[Mobius395]

I shall be expecting more...