Dead End Kids
Part Six
“Can I walk to Starbucks from here?” Liz said after watching fifteen minutes of the TV movie’s credits with Spencer.
Dru looked up from her Bacardi at Liz. “Uh, I think so. It’s not a short walk, but not a long one either.”
She stood up and dug into her pocket, fishing out a twenty her mom had slipped her on her way out earlier. “I want a Strawberry Frap. I’ll be back.”
“You’re not going alone.” Brendon said from the floor, that best-friend attitude jump-starting. Dru agreed as she took another drink.
Liz just shrugged her shoulders and started walking towards the door. Brendon shuffled to his feet and snatched his coat from off the couch, barely bothering to slip his shoes on as he hurried after her out the door.
“I’m a big girl you know, you didn’t have to come.”
He snorted. “What kind of friend would I be if I let you walk outside in VEGAS at five in the morning?”
“Is it really five in the morning?” She pulled out her cell phone and marveled at the time. “Sweet, they’ll be open then.”
“You were going to leave, knowing they weren’t open?” She must be crazy.
“I just wanted to walk.”
“Oh.”
* * *
“Where’d Brendon and Liz go?” Ryan said as he exited the bathroom, drink in hand.
Dru was scribbling something down in a notepad, her face screwed in concentration. Spencer heard him, but simply shrugged his shoulders.
“Starbucks.” Dru said a few minutes later.
“At five in the morning?” Ryan said incredulously.
* * *
“You walk too fast.” Brendon said after five minutes of speed walking up the street.
Liz looked over her shoulder at Brendon and attempted an apologetic smile. She walked towards the sidewalk and sat down on the worn cement, pulling her knees up to her chest as she did.
“Cold?” he said once he’d sat down next to her. She nodded softly, so he took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders with a fond smile. “There.”
She gripped the fabric and pulled it around her tighter.
“This is one of those moments.” She whispered. She knew he wouldn’t understand, so she continued. “You know, where you feel infinite. I would die right now.”
“Don’t say that.” His eyebrows knit together in worry as he stared at her pale face in the fading night time.
“No, it’s a good thing.” She smiled up at him. “Trust me.”
He stared back down at her, worry shining in his eyes. He wanted to tell her.
She’s been your best friend since you were six, Brendon. Just talk to her.
He opened his mouth to speak, but she held up her hand to stop him.
“Remember that nightmare I had?” He nodded, images of the car after school flooding his memory. “Déjà vu.”
She kissed him on the cheek stood slowly, gracefully. She clutched his jacket around her tighter and began walking down the street. “Get up, Bren. I really want some fucking Starbucks.”
Chills were running down his spine once he’d caught up with her.
He knew it wasn’t from the cold.
* * *
“Let me get a cigarette,” Ryan said to Dru, who was cleaning up beer bottles absent-mindedly. She reached onto the coffee table and tossed him her pack.
“How long have Brendon and Liz been gone?” Ryan said, with his hand on the door knob. He knew better than to smoke inside Dru’s house.
“I don’t know, Ry.” She sighed in frustration, picking up a towel to clean up a puddle of Bacardi that had been spilt earlier. It was too early to be nice. “They’re probably fucking around somewhere, they’ll be fine.”
“Okay.” He stepped outside and lit the first cigarette he’d had since the party. He watched the smoke circle out into the lightening sky above him.
Secretly, he let his mind drift back to when he kissed Brendon.
He wasn’t as drunk as everyone thought he was.
* * *
The sound of the bell above the Starbucks door made Liz recoil slightly. Brendon laughed at her and coaxed her inside, the need to sleep growing greater the longer they were out here.
She shuffled up to the counter, to be met by a gruff looking employee; black hair in disarray and a slight five o’ clock shadow adorning his face. She looked at his name tag and grinned rather wildly.
“Are you Jon?” She said softly.
He raised an eyebrow. “Yes.”
“Oh snap.” She giggled and turned to Brendon with a mischievous grin.
* * *
Ryan had long since finished his cigarette. Now he was just standing outside so he could breathe a little easier. Inside, things seemed a little . . . cramped.
He took in such a deep breath, that it burned his lungs a little. Only a little and it felt good. His eyelids slid shut slowly, heavy with sleep.
He couldn’t sleep though. He was worried about Brendon. And Liz.
Liz and Brendon. Brendon and Liz.
Brendon and Ryan. Ryan and Brendon.
He smiled to himself.
“Hey, Ryan.”
His head snapped up at the sound of Brendon’s voice. He was standing above him, drinking slowly from his Starbucks coffee cup.
“Hey.” Ryan said back breathlessly.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Liz, and she saw him. He wanted to tell her to leave, just for a minute, but she was inside before he could think of the proper thing to say.
“Thirsty?” Brendon asked softly.
“Yeah.” Ryan answered back, just as breathlessly as before.
He couldn’t seem to stop his stomach from doing back flips. He couldn’t stop his mind from spinning. Maybe it was the sun rising up over the houses behind Brendon. Maybe it was the way he was smiling.
He looked at Brendon, who was holding his drink out to him. He nodded his thanks and took a small drink, then smiled. “Hot Chocolate?”
“I don’t like coffee,” Brendon said, blushing and kicking the ground.
“God, you’re adorable.”
* * *
“Jon’s cute, Dru.” Liz said as she dropped Brendon’s coat on the ground beside the girl.
Dru’s tired eyes lit up instantly. She scrambled to a sitting position and looked up at Liz. “You saw Jon?”
“Yeah, he was opening up.” She winked at Dru and silently slipped off her shoes. “You got any pajamas I can borrow?”
“Third drawer.” She said absently. “Well, did you, say anything?”
Dru could feel her heart doing all sorts of tricks inside her chest. Sinking and rising and sinking and rising. Stop it. She thought.
“Did you want me to?” Liz grinned.
“I-“
“He thinks you’re cute.”
“What?!” Dru’s voice squeaked loudly and then cracked. Her face turned a shade of red similar to the red stockings she still had on.
Liz nodded her head, smiling. “I may have let slip that you didn’t think he was so bad himself.” She winked at Dru as she slipped on a pair of plaid pajama pants.
Dru covered her face with her hands and giggled softly. Her heart was hammering in her chest a thousand beats per minute, and she couldn’t stop the room from spinning.
“It’s too early to be that excited, Dru.” Liz said with a yawn as she crawled under the covers. “Let us obsess tomorrow.”
“Deal.” Dru said, crawling into her bed beside Liz.
* * *
Brendon yawned, leaning his head against the siding of the house, which both him and Ryan had their backs against.
“Tired?” Ryan said softly.
Brendon looked at Ryan warmly.
“No.” He lied.
“Me neither.” Ryan lied back.
Both of them were asleep in the next five minutes.
Dru looked up from her Bacardi at Liz. “Uh, I think so. It’s not a short walk, but not a long one either.”
She stood up and dug into her pocket, fishing out a twenty her mom had slipped her on her way out earlier. “I want a Strawberry Frap. I’ll be back.”
“You’re not going alone.” Brendon said from the floor, that best-friend attitude jump-starting. Dru agreed as she took another drink.
Liz just shrugged her shoulders and started walking towards the door. Brendon shuffled to his feet and snatched his coat from off the couch, barely bothering to slip his shoes on as he hurried after her out the door.
“I’m a big girl you know, you didn’t have to come.”
He snorted. “What kind of friend would I be if I let you walk outside in VEGAS at five in the morning?”
“Is it really five in the morning?” She pulled out her cell phone and marveled at the time. “Sweet, they’ll be open then.”
“You were going to leave, knowing they weren’t open?” She must be crazy.
“I just wanted to walk.”
“Oh.”
* * *
“Where’d Brendon and Liz go?” Ryan said as he exited the bathroom, drink in hand.
Dru was scribbling something down in a notepad, her face screwed in concentration. Spencer heard him, but simply shrugged his shoulders.
“Starbucks.” Dru said a few minutes later.
“At five in the morning?” Ryan said incredulously.
* * *
“You walk too fast.” Brendon said after five minutes of speed walking up the street.
Liz looked over her shoulder at Brendon and attempted an apologetic smile. She walked towards the sidewalk and sat down on the worn cement, pulling her knees up to her chest as she did.
“Cold?” he said once he’d sat down next to her. She nodded softly, so he took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders with a fond smile. “There.”
She gripped the fabric and pulled it around her tighter.
“This is one of those moments.” She whispered. She knew he wouldn’t understand, so she continued. “You know, where you feel infinite. I would die right now.”
“Don’t say that.” His eyebrows knit together in worry as he stared at her pale face in the fading night time.
“No, it’s a good thing.” She smiled up at him. “Trust me.”
He stared back down at her, worry shining in his eyes. He wanted to tell her.
She’s been your best friend since you were six, Brendon. Just talk to her.
He opened his mouth to speak, but she held up her hand to stop him.
“Remember that nightmare I had?” He nodded, images of the car after school flooding his memory. “Déjà vu.”
She kissed him on the cheek stood slowly, gracefully. She clutched his jacket around her tighter and began walking down the street. “Get up, Bren. I really want some fucking Starbucks.”
Chills were running down his spine once he’d caught up with her.
He knew it wasn’t from the cold.
* * *
“Let me get a cigarette,” Ryan said to Dru, who was cleaning up beer bottles absent-mindedly. She reached onto the coffee table and tossed him her pack.
“How long have Brendon and Liz been gone?” Ryan said, with his hand on the door knob. He knew better than to smoke inside Dru’s house.
“I don’t know, Ry.” She sighed in frustration, picking up a towel to clean up a puddle of Bacardi that had been spilt earlier. It was too early to be nice. “They’re probably fucking around somewhere, they’ll be fine.”
“Okay.” He stepped outside and lit the first cigarette he’d had since the party. He watched the smoke circle out into the lightening sky above him.
Secretly, he let his mind drift back to when he kissed Brendon.
He wasn’t as drunk as everyone thought he was.
* * *
The sound of the bell above the Starbucks door made Liz recoil slightly. Brendon laughed at her and coaxed her inside, the need to sleep growing greater the longer they were out here.
She shuffled up to the counter, to be met by a gruff looking employee; black hair in disarray and a slight five o’ clock shadow adorning his face. She looked at his name tag and grinned rather wildly.
“Are you Jon?” She said softly.
He raised an eyebrow. “Yes.”
“Oh snap.” She giggled and turned to Brendon with a mischievous grin.
* * *
Ryan had long since finished his cigarette. Now he was just standing outside so he could breathe a little easier. Inside, things seemed a little . . . cramped.
He took in such a deep breath, that it burned his lungs a little. Only a little and it felt good. His eyelids slid shut slowly, heavy with sleep.
He couldn’t sleep though. He was worried about Brendon. And Liz.
Liz and Brendon. Brendon and Liz.
Brendon and Ryan. Ryan and Brendon.
He smiled to himself.
“Hey, Ryan.”
His head snapped up at the sound of Brendon’s voice. He was standing above him, drinking slowly from his Starbucks coffee cup.
“Hey.” Ryan said back breathlessly.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Liz, and she saw him. He wanted to tell her to leave, just for a minute, but she was inside before he could think of the proper thing to say.
“Thirsty?” Brendon asked softly.
“Yeah.” Ryan answered back, just as breathlessly as before.
He couldn’t seem to stop his stomach from doing back flips. He couldn’t stop his mind from spinning. Maybe it was the sun rising up over the houses behind Brendon. Maybe it was the way he was smiling.
He looked at Brendon, who was holding his drink out to him. He nodded his thanks and took a small drink, then smiled. “Hot Chocolate?”
“I don’t like coffee,” Brendon said, blushing and kicking the ground.
“God, you’re adorable.”
* * *
“Jon’s cute, Dru.” Liz said as she dropped Brendon’s coat on the ground beside the girl.
Dru’s tired eyes lit up instantly. She scrambled to a sitting position and looked up at Liz. “You saw Jon?”
“Yeah, he was opening up.” She winked at Dru and silently slipped off her shoes. “You got any pajamas I can borrow?”
“Third drawer.” She said absently. “Well, did you, say anything?”
Dru could feel her heart doing all sorts of tricks inside her chest. Sinking and rising and sinking and rising. Stop it. She thought.
“Did you want me to?” Liz grinned.
“I-“
“He thinks you’re cute.”
“What?!” Dru’s voice squeaked loudly and then cracked. Her face turned a shade of red similar to the red stockings she still had on.
Liz nodded her head, smiling. “I may have let slip that you didn’t think he was so bad himself.” She winked at Dru as she slipped on a pair of plaid pajama pants.
Dru covered her face with her hands and giggled softly. Her heart was hammering in her chest a thousand beats per minute, and she couldn’t stop the room from spinning.
“It’s too early to be that excited, Dru.” Liz said with a yawn as she crawled under the covers. “Let us obsess tomorrow.”
“Deal.” Dru said, crawling into her bed beside Liz.
* * *
Brendon yawned, leaning his head against the siding of the house, which both him and Ryan had their backs against.
“Tired?” Ryan said softly.
Brendon looked at Ryan warmly.
“No.” He lied.
“Me neither.” Ryan lied back.
Both of them were asleep in the next five minutes.