Thieves Among Us
le premièrement
“Go Fish!” Heath cried out, throwing his cards in the air and pulling a pile of jewelry towards him. Clara half-watched a Heath add Fauna’s jewelry to an already impressive pile of baubles as she strained to hear the muttered conversation in the front of the car. They hadn’t stopped driving in three days because no one could agree on what they should do. They were all living off little sleep, but Heath had slept the least – dark shadows under his eyes descended far from where they should, making him look much older and gaunter than he should. Noah, Harvey, Will, and Fauna had quietly argued about what they should do, stopping only to try to give Heath some food or get him to sleep. Clara had done her best to distract him from their obvious disagreement, which resulted in some strange hybrid of Go Fish, Spoons, and Texas Hold ‘Em.
Clara had no idea how to play and, as she was too busy spying on the four in the front of the car, she was losing.
Heath had a coughing fit as he counted his hoard and Will looked back so quickly Clara was surprised he didn’t get whiplash. The argument in the front suddenly stopped, like Heath’s coughs had slammed the brakes on the entire conversation. A grainy song from the radio fizzled into static, but no one noticed – all anyone heard was Heath’s wracking coughs.
“Hey, buddy, want some water?” Harvey’s voice came out of nowhere as he suddenly appeared next to Clara. She jumped and bumped into him, making him spill the water he held out so carefully in his hand.
They ignored it as Heath graciously took leftover water, guzzling it down.
“Here,” Harvey said, taking Noah’s rejected jacket and motioning Clara to get up. She complied, and he spread the jacket out like an expensive wool blanket, sitting next to her.
“Got a bit bored arguing about where to go next,” he muttered to Clara as Heath started shuffling the deck. “I’m gonna let them hash it out for awhile, you know, babe?”
Clara nodded absentmindedly, watching Heath deal the cards out. “How in the world does he know how to do all that?” She asked, enthralled in Heath’s swift dealing.
“Taught him everything he knows about poker,” Harvey beamed arrogantly down at Heath. His smile faltered when Heath continued to pass out the cards. “So, uh, buddy, what game
is this again?”
“Hold Up the Fish,” Heath answered matter-of-factly, waiting for Harvey to start as he guarded his hoard. The sudden change from arrogance to bewilderment on Harvey’s face was priceless and Clara smiled, happy someone had joined her and Heath. The whispers began again, a quiet sputtering of a stubborn engine.
Clara had no idea how to play and, as she was too busy spying on the four in the front of the car, she was losing.
Heath had a coughing fit as he counted his hoard and Will looked back so quickly Clara was surprised he didn’t get whiplash. The argument in the front suddenly stopped, like Heath’s coughs had slammed the brakes on the entire conversation. A grainy song from the radio fizzled into static, but no one noticed – all anyone heard was Heath’s wracking coughs.
“Hey, buddy, want some water?” Harvey’s voice came out of nowhere as he suddenly appeared next to Clara. She jumped and bumped into him, making him spill the water he held out so carefully in his hand.
They ignored it as Heath graciously took leftover water, guzzling it down.
“Here,” Harvey said, taking Noah’s rejected jacket and motioning Clara to get up. She complied, and he spread the jacket out like an expensive wool blanket, sitting next to her.
“Got a bit bored arguing about where to go next,” he muttered to Clara as Heath started shuffling the deck. “I’m gonna let them hash it out for awhile, you know, babe?”
Clara nodded absentmindedly, watching Heath deal the cards out. “How in the world does he know how to do all that?” She asked, enthralled in Heath’s swift dealing.
“Taught him everything he knows about poker,” Harvey beamed arrogantly down at Heath. His smile faltered when Heath continued to pass out the cards. “So, uh, buddy, what game
is this again?”
“Hold Up the Fish,” Heath answered matter-of-factly, waiting for Harvey to start as he guarded his hoard. The sudden change from arrogance to bewilderment on Harvey’s face was priceless and Clara smiled, happy someone had joined her and Heath. The whispers began again, a quiet sputtering of a stubborn engine.
Heath played – and won – another twelve games before yawning so largely, his face split in half for a second. Harvey quickly created a makeshift bed out of Fauna’s many voluminous dresses. He swiftly tucked Heath in and told him an odd bedtime story of a highly censored Fight Club. Within minutes, Heath fell into a fitful sleep.
“Impressive,” Clara whispered.
“If you want to see impressive, you should see how quickly I get girls in bed,” he winked. He frowned deeply as Heath turned, about to wake up. “Come up to the front, he’s a light sleeper.”
Fauna turned around as the pair crept forward. “You better have not used my floral dress for Heath’s bed – last time he kicked a hole in my favorite one.”
“Oh, bull shit – they’re all floral!” Harvey said humorously, taking a pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket. Will looked furiously at the pack and opened his mouth, but Harvey cut him off. “Oh, piss off, it’s not like I’m going to smoke them – Heath’s still in the van.” Nevertheless, he hid them back in his shirt pocket. An awkward silence ensued, interrupted by Heath’s restless sleep kicking holes in Fauna’s dresses.
“We’re going to a motel,” Noah said, cutting into the silence with a cool indifference that couldn’t mask the awkwardness.
“What?!” Harvey spit out, his hand twitching towards his shirt pocket as his eyebrows knit together in anger. Noah glanced through the rearview mirror to Heath.
“Look, I’d rather not, but Fauna and Will have a point. Keeping him cramped up in a car, sleeping in dresses, can’t be helping anything.”
“They can find us at any moment, and you all know that. The last time we spent more than a few hours somewhere, the cops were crawling all over us, and you all know what’ll be following them. We can barely afford food, how the hell are we going to afford motel rooms?”
“Do you even know how cheap-" Noah started, but he was interrupted.
“Do you even know that we wouldn’t even be in this situation if you got the money from the damn bank in the first place?” Harvey hissed, hitting the side of the car in frustration. “Any of you, just tell me, how the hell do the pros outweigh the cons in this situation?”
“Look, Heath’s my brother, and he needs out,” Will said, staring blankly out the window of the passenger seat. He looked calm, but his jaw twitched like a mousetrap ready to set off. “If you don’t want to stop, you can set out on your own. He needs to get better.”
“Don’t be stupid, I’m not going to leave. How the hell do you expect us to get the money, huh? We’re in the middle of fucking nowhere, a whatchamacallit – one hat town.”
“What do we always do in these situations?” Noah asked quietly, staring at the road ahead. “Rob a bank.”
“Impressive,” Clara whispered.
“If you want to see impressive, you should see how quickly I get girls in bed,” he winked. He frowned deeply as Heath turned, about to wake up. “Come up to the front, he’s a light sleeper.”
Fauna turned around as the pair crept forward. “You better have not used my floral dress for Heath’s bed – last time he kicked a hole in my favorite one.”
“Oh, bull shit – they’re all floral!” Harvey said humorously, taking a pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket. Will looked furiously at the pack and opened his mouth, but Harvey cut him off. “Oh, piss off, it’s not like I’m going to smoke them – Heath’s still in the van.” Nevertheless, he hid them back in his shirt pocket. An awkward silence ensued, interrupted by Heath’s restless sleep kicking holes in Fauna’s dresses.
“We’re going to a motel,” Noah said, cutting into the silence with a cool indifference that couldn’t mask the awkwardness.
“What?!” Harvey spit out, his hand twitching towards his shirt pocket as his eyebrows knit together in anger. Noah glanced through the rearview mirror to Heath.
“Look, I’d rather not, but Fauna and Will have a point. Keeping him cramped up in a car, sleeping in dresses, can’t be helping anything.”
“They can find us at any moment, and you all know that. The last time we spent more than a few hours somewhere, the cops were crawling all over us, and you all know what’ll be following them. We can barely afford food, how the hell are we going to afford motel rooms?”
“Do you even know how cheap-" Noah started, but he was interrupted.
“Do you even know that we wouldn’t even be in this situation if you got the money from the damn bank in the first place?” Harvey hissed, hitting the side of the car in frustration. “Any of you, just tell me, how the hell do the pros outweigh the cons in this situation?”
“Look, Heath’s my brother, and he needs out,” Will said, staring blankly out the window of the passenger seat. He looked calm, but his jaw twitched like a mousetrap ready to set off. “If you don’t want to stop, you can set out on your own. He needs to get better.”
“Don’t be stupid, I’m not going to leave. How the hell do you expect us to get the money, huh? We’re in the middle of fucking nowhere, a whatchamacallit – one hat town.”
“What do we always do in these situations?” Noah asked quietly, staring at the road ahead. “Rob a bank.”
They first stopped at a gas station to change. Heath was busy playing in the front seat as they ruffled through the back seat for their clothes.
“Why is my coat wet?” Noah frowned, his eyes still hidden under sunglasses.
“Poker complications,” Harvey said, trying to hide a smile and quickly glancing at Clara.
“I can’t go in, you know,” Noah said, his frown etching deeper.
“It’s not like we were going to ask you to after what happened last time,” Harvey scoffed.
“I’ll do it. I know I have a dress back here somewhere…” Fauna reached towards the front of the car, only her ankles visible. Heath quickly jumped on her back, demanding a story.
“Looks like she’s busy,” Will said, squinting his eyes to look into the van.
“I’ll do it,” Clara said. “It’s mostly my fault you’re all in this problem, anyway. I worked at the bank for a few years, I know the basic workings of it all.”
“Please, you’re not intimidating in the least,” Noah said, looking at Will.
“At least I could get the money,” she shot back, and Fauna’s muffled laugh rang out from the car.
“Harvey and I will go with her, you stay with Fauna and Heath,” Will said.
“Yeah, Will and I are plenty intimidating. We’ll just get into suits, she can borrow Fauna’s dress, we’re in, we’re out, we get the money.”
And just like that, Clara was going to rob a bank.
Will and Harvey disappeared inside the gas station’s bathroom to change into their suits as Fauna began to dig around her clothes for a suitable dress for Clara to wear. Clara sat on a picnic bench away from the van, her nerves creeping through her stomach. Noah walked up and sat next to her. It was awkward, and he felt as though he should say something, but couldn’t find the words.
“Here,” he said after a long pause, taking his sunglasses off and handing them over to Clara. “It’s easier to care less and stay calm when you can’t see anything.”
“Clara, I found it!” Fauna called out from the van. Clara put Noah’s sunglasses on and walked towards her.
“Why is my coat wet?” Noah frowned, his eyes still hidden under sunglasses.
“Poker complications,” Harvey said, trying to hide a smile and quickly glancing at Clara.
“I can’t go in, you know,” Noah said, his frown etching deeper.
“It’s not like we were going to ask you to after what happened last time,” Harvey scoffed.
“I’ll do it. I know I have a dress back here somewhere…” Fauna reached towards the front of the car, only her ankles visible. Heath quickly jumped on her back, demanding a story.
“Looks like she’s busy,” Will said, squinting his eyes to look into the van.
“I’ll do it,” Clara said. “It’s mostly my fault you’re all in this problem, anyway. I worked at the bank for a few years, I know the basic workings of it all.”
“Please, you’re not intimidating in the least,” Noah said, looking at Will.
“At least I could get the money,” she shot back, and Fauna’s muffled laugh rang out from the car.
“Harvey and I will go with her, you stay with Fauna and Heath,” Will said.
“Yeah, Will and I are plenty intimidating. We’ll just get into suits, she can borrow Fauna’s dress, we’re in, we’re out, we get the money.”
And just like that, Clara was going to rob a bank.
Will and Harvey disappeared inside the gas station’s bathroom to change into their suits as Fauna began to dig around her clothes for a suitable dress for Clara to wear. Clara sat on a picnic bench away from the van, her nerves creeping through her stomach. Noah walked up and sat next to her. It was awkward, and he felt as though he should say something, but couldn’t find the words.
“Here,” he said after a long pause, taking his sunglasses off and handing them over to Clara. “It’s easier to care less and stay calm when you can’t see anything.”
“Clara, I found it!” Fauna called out from the van. Clara put Noah’s sunglasses on and walked towards her.
Clara’s mouth was completely dry. Her tongue felt like a block of sandpaper, weighing her mouth down and making it impossible to speak. Noah’s sunglasses made the world much too dark, and it kept slipping down the bridge of her nose. Harvey and Will walked like body guards, keeping Clara and her wobbly knees in between them, matching somewhat in dark suits. Will’s looked a bit out of fashion, as though he had it for years but never quite got around to wearing it until now. Instead of dress shoes, he wore jet-black sneakers and mirrored sunglasses. He was completely serious, like he always was, and kept his long stride up, his shoes barely making a sound on the ground.
Harvey seemed much more excited. Despite living in a van, Harvey’s suit was immaculate. Wrinkle-less and perfectly proportioned, it seemed custom made, albeit sometime between 1934 and 1967. His sunglasses seemed to be of a different era as well, and something told Clara they weren’t some cheap knock-off from a trendy store. His hat hung low over his face, and Clara could barely see the smile underneath it. Nevertheless, he exuded an excited energy, and Clara could tell he was ecstatic, making her more nervous than ever. It didn’t help that Fauna was a good three inches taller than Clara, and the safety pins holding the hem of the borrowed dress up were jabbing into the back of her knee and the gigantic collar was itching her collarbones. Her legs were shaking in her high heels, and she had to take twice as many steps than normal to keep up with the boys. She tried remembering Will’s instructions, but it felt like her brain wasn’t working and her stomach was going to fall around her wobbly knees.
They reached the bank, and Clara thought she was going to throw up. As her hand touched the glass door, she realized that robbing a bank wasn’t exciting – it was terrifying.
They stopped in the lobby and Clara rearranged the huge purse hanging lifelessly on her shoulder. The fake gun inside glimpsed up at her, and Clara felt her face lose all color.
“I can’t do this,” she muttered, squinting through the sunglasses in complete terror. “They’ll just laugh at me, then call the police and I’ll go to jail because this is a federal offense!”
“Just – calm down!” Harvey said, slightly irritated.
Will hit him on the shoulder in annoyance and took Clara aside. “Just take a few deep breaths, okay? I’ll walk you through it again. Shoot for the fifth booth, with that dorky-looking guy, or the little old lady in booth two. Look back at us as you’re showing the gun, but not after – always keep them in sight once they know you have a gun, or they can get the cops. Don’t say anything, don’t make any facial expressions, and leave immediately; we’ll follow.”
Clara nodded once and shakily walked through the empty line. Besides the teller, she, Will, and Harvey were the only ones in the entire bank. Clara felt a surge of adrenaline as she walked to booth five and the shaking stopped.
“How may I help you?” the boy asked, a smile plastered widely on his face. Clara felt his eyes follow as she turned to Will and Harvey, and Will gave a slight nod – the boy took the bait and saw them. As she turned back, Clara let the purse open and was delighted when his mouth crashed open. He immediately began shakily stacking money and pushing it over as inconspicuously as possible as Clara carefully and calmly put the money in the gigantic purse. He shrank away once the money was gone and started to sway as though he would faint. Clara walked away quickly, her heels clacking on the floor loudly as she left without looking back, shoving the glass door open and turning the corner.
“Run run run run run run!” Suddenly, Harvey’s voice ecstatically rang out behind her and they ran into an alleyway where the van was waiting for them, back doors thrown open and the engine on. The three jumped in, resulting in a crumbled mess in the back of the van. Someone had the sense to shut the doors and the wheels squealed as Noah sped off.
“That was so much fun!” Clara exclaimed. She had never done something so exhilarating – her blood was pumping through her veins quicker than it ever had, her heart was pounding so hard she thought it would pound straight out of her chest, and she felt the sudden urge to run a marathon.
“Congrats, kid,” Harvey said, with the same excitement shining on his face. “You’re officially a criminal.”
No one noticed Noah’s glaringly white knuckles as he gripped the steering wheel or the steely indignation in his eyes as Clara was congratulated.
Harvey seemed much more excited. Despite living in a van, Harvey’s suit was immaculate. Wrinkle-less and perfectly proportioned, it seemed custom made, albeit sometime between 1934 and 1967. His sunglasses seemed to be of a different era as well, and something told Clara they weren’t some cheap knock-off from a trendy store. His hat hung low over his face, and Clara could barely see the smile underneath it. Nevertheless, he exuded an excited energy, and Clara could tell he was ecstatic, making her more nervous than ever. It didn’t help that Fauna was a good three inches taller than Clara, and the safety pins holding the hem of the borrowed dress up were jabbing into the back of her knee and the gigantic collar was itching her collarbones. Her legs were shaking in her high heels, and she had to take twice as many steps than normal to keep up with the boys. She tried remembering Will’s instructions, but it felt like her brain wasn’t working and her stomach was going to fall around her wobbly knees.
They reached the bank, and Clara thought she was going to throw up. As her hand touched the glass door, she realized that robbing a bank wasn’t exciting – it was terrifying.
They stopped in the lobby and Clara rearranged the huge purse hanging lifelessly on her shoulder. The fake gun inside glimpsed up at her, and Clara felt her face lose all color.
“I can’t do this,” she muttered, squinting through the sunglasses in complete terror. “They’ll just laugh at me, then call the police and I’ll go to jail because this is a federal offense!”
“Just – calm down!” Harvey said, slightly irritated.
Will hit him on the shoulder in annoyance and took Clara aside. “Just take a few deep breaths, okay? I’ll walk you through it again. Shoot for the fifth booth, with that dorky-looking guy, or the little old lady in booth two. Look back at us as you’re showing the gun, but not after – always keep them in sight once they know you have a gun, or they can get the cops. Don’t say anything, don’t make any facial expressions, and leave immediately; we’ll follow.”
Clara nodded once and shakily walked through the empty line. Besides the teller, she, Will, and Harvey were the only ones in the entire bank. Clara felt a surge of adrenaline as she walked to booth five and the shaking stopped.
“How may I help you?” the boy asked, a smile plastered widely on his face. Clara felt his eyes follow as she turned to Will and Harvey, and Will gave a slight nod – the boy took the bait and saw them. As she turned back, Clara let the purse open and was delighted when his mouth crashed open. He immediately began shakily stacking money and pushing it over as inconspicuously as possible as Clara carefully and calmly put the money in the gigantic purse. He shrank away once the money was gone and started to sway as though he would faint. Clara walked away quickly, her heels clacking on the floor loudly as she left without looking back, shoving the glass door open and turning the corner.
“Run run run run run run!” Suddenly, Harvey’s voice ecstatically rang out behind her and they ran into an alleyway where the van was waiting for them, back doors thrown open and the engine on. The three jumped in, resulting in a crumbled mess in the back of the van. Someone had the sense to shut the doors and the wheels squealed as Noah sped off.
“That was so much fun!” Clara exclaimed. She had never done something so exhilarating – her blood was pumping through her veins quicker than it ever had, her heart was pounding so hard she thought it would pound straight out of her chest, and she felt the sudden urge to run a marathon.
“Congrats, kid,” Harvey said, with the same excitement shining on his face. “You’re officially a criminal.”
No one noticed Noah’s glaringly white knuckles as he gripped the steering wheel or the steely indignation in his eyes as Clara was congratulated.
It wasn’t until the sun was minutes from setting that they reached a motel, bland and uninteresting. They rented two rooms, one for Heath, Will, and Fauna, and the second for Noah, Harvey, and Clara, each with three single beds. Darkness came quickly, and soon enough Harvey defiantly announced it was time for bed and everyone to shut up. Once the lights were off, Harvey’s light snores almost masked the sound of Noah closing the door, but nothing stopped the wind from rattling the blinds. Clara twisted and turned for what seemed to be hours. She and Noah used to talk of their shared insomnia before she ran away, and he always told her walking was the best antidote.
And suddenly she needed to go outside. She felt like the walls were closing in and she had to escape and find solace in her old friend. So she did, barely realizing she forgot shoes until her bare feet touched cold concrete and the door locked behind her, echoing in her keyless pockets. She thought she was alone at first, cursing her stupidity and self-indulgence. She sat on the edge of the outdoor hallway, her legs dangling over iron stairwells.
“What the hell are you doing up?” A voice came from above, brittle, cracked, and a bit hoarse. Clara looked up and only saw shoes swinging off the edge of the roof, attached to legs, attached to a body she could not see. But she recognized the voice and saw the white steel ladder climbing up a wall to the roof. So she scrambled up and sat next to him. He had a small camping lantern behind him, casting odd shadows. For once, he wasn’t wearing sunglasses and Clara was surprised at how little he had changed – how much younger he was at night, when his sunglasses were left behind.
“Remember when you told me the cure to insomnia was walking?” She asked suddenly, swinging her feet off the side of the roof.
“Is this going to answer my question?” He asked back and although Clara wasn’t looking at him, she could hear the smile creeping in his voice.
“I call complete bull shit!” Clara exclaimed. “It does nothing except get me utterly lost at inappropriate times at night.”
“On the positive side of things, you were never mistaken as a hooker.” Noah couldn’t help but smile as he saw Clara’s mouth snap open. He took a drink out of a bottle hiding in a paper bag and offered it to Clara, who looked at it with a mixture of curiosity, excitement, and a touch of nerves. She took the paper bag bottle, her fingers dangerously close to his, and drank.
“It’s not very smart to drink alcohol on the edge of the roof, is it?” She asked, and Noah shrugged as he drank.
“Beats just sitting here.” He passed the bottle to Clara, who drank without a second thought. “Or the alternative, listening to Harvey snore the entire night.”
She laughed, and they drank, and they talked. Suddenly, Noah wasn’t the cantankerous bastard he had been the past few days and Clara felt relaxed for the first time in years. By the time the camp lantern began to flicker into a softer light, they were teetering on the line between tipsiness and complete drunkenness. Clara had been laughing quite loudly and quite often, as she was apt to after a few drinks, and had to lean against Noah’s shoulder to keep from falling off the roof.
“So did you pay those cops to bust the theater in order to use my otherworldly robbing skills, or did you just get lucky?”
Noah laughed, breaking his face into a shadowed haze. “I wouldn’t exactly call it luck.”
Clara threw a hand to her chest dramatically, ruining the gesture with a mocking smile. “That hurts! And here I thought I was so special…”
“No, no, not that,” Noah sputtered, laughing, spilling a bit out of the bottle, happy he bought two bottles as he had just spilled the last of the original. Opening the second bottle, he continued. “What we do – ”
“Robbing banks, you mean?”
“Yes, that. It isn’t the most inconspicuous job, and we’ve quite the following. They somehow found us out there, and if I hadn’t taken you – well, anyway, we’ve been dodging the cops for a while now; Harvey thought it was too risky to stop, but we had to.”
It was quiet for a while, just the pair passing the bottle between each other, not saying a word, only drinking. They were closer now, so close their bodies were blocking any of the light from the lantern behind them. But then Noah fumbled the bottle, making Clara laugh as he valiantly saved it from falling over the roof.
An hour later it was even darker, and Noah and Clara were even drunker, the line between tipsiness and drunkenness crossed long before. Two empty bottles were off to the side, ignored in their paper caskets, as the two laughed loudly. They weren’t sitting anymore, but standing as Clara was trying to wheedle Noah into a dance.
“Oh, come on, your mom was a dance teacher!” She shrieked, grabbing at his hands as he laughed and pulled away, pulling her with him. Clara almost fell and got a case of the giggles and said, “Just one! We leaved next door to each other for years, and I never got one damned lesson. Just one, and I swear I’ll…I’ll never ask for anything ever again!”
“Fine, fine, just don’t tell anyone,” Noah smiled, pulling Clara closer to him as he put a hand on her waist. The both started laughing as he tried teaching her a very basic dance and as they tripped over their own feet from the alcohol, and they danced until they felt so exhausted they were leaning against each other, unable to support their own weight. They simultaneously fell down softly, Clara using his shoulder as a pillow, and fell asleep.
And suddenly she needed to go outside. She felt like the walls were closing in and she had to escape and find solace in her old friend. So she did, barely realizing she forgot shoes until her bare feet touched cold concrete and the door locked behind her, echoing in her keyless pockets. She thought she was alone at first, cursing her stupidity and self-indulgence. She sat on the edge of the outdoor hallway, her legs dangling over iron stairwells.
“What the hell are you doing up?” A voice came from above, brittle, cracked, and a bit hoarse. Clara looked up and only saw shoes swinging off the edge of the roof, attached to legs, attached to a body she could not see. But she recognized the voice and saw the white steel ladder climbing up a wall to the roof. So she scrambled up and sat next to him. He had a small camping lantern behind him, casting odd shadows. For once, he wasn’t wearing sunglasses and Clara was surprised at how little he had changed – how much younger he was at night, when his sunglasses were left behind.
“Remember when you told me the cure to insomnia was walking?” She asked suddenly, swinging her feet off the side of the roof.
“Is this going to answer my question?” He asked back and although Clara wasn’t looking at him, she could hear the smile creeping in his voice.
“I call complete bull shit!” Clara exclaimed. “It does nothing except get me utterly lost at inappropriate times at night.”
“On the positive side of things, you were never mistaken as a hooker.” Noah couldn’t help but smile as he saw Clara’s mouth snap open. He took a drink out of a bottle hiding in a paper bag and offered it to Clara, who looked at it with a mixture of curiosity, excitement, and a touch of nerves. She took the paper bag bottle, her fingers dangerously close to his, and drank.
“It’s not very smart to drink alcohol on the edge of the roof, is it?” She asked, and Noah shrugged as he drank.
“Beats just sitting here.” He passed the bottle to Clara, who drank without a second thought. “Or the alternative, listening to Harvey snore the entire night.”
She laughed, and they drank, and they talked. Suddenly, Noah wasn’t the cantankerous bastard he had been the past few days and Clara felt relaxed for the first time in years. By the time the camp lantern began to flicker into a softer light, they were teetering on the line between tipsiness and complete drunkenness. Clara had been laughing quite loudly and quite often, as she was apt to after a few drinks, and had to lean against Noah’s shoulder to keep from falling off the roof.
“So did you pay those cops to bust the theater in order to use my otherworldly robbing skills, or did you just get lucky?”
Noah laughed, breaking his face into a shadowed haze. “I wouldn’t exactly call it luck.”
Clara threw a hand to her chest dramatically, ruining the gesture with a mocking smile. “That hurts! And here I thought I was so special…”
“No, no, not that,” Noah sputtered, laughing, spilling a bit out of the bottle, happy he bought two bottles as he had just spilled the last of the original. Opening the second bottle, he continued. “What we do – ”
“Robbing banks, you mean?”
“Yes, that. It isn’t the most inconspicuous job, and we’ve quite the following. They somehow found us out there, and if I hadn’t taken you – well, anyway, we’ve been dodging the cops for a while now; Harvey thought it was too risky to stop, but we had to.”
It was quiet for a while, just the pair passing the bottle between each other, not saying a word, only drinking. They were closer now, so close their bodies were blocking any of the light from the lantern behind them. But then Noah fumbled the bottle, making Clara laugh as he valiantly saved it from falling over the roof.
An hour later it was even darker, and Noah and Clara were even drunker, the line between tipsiness and drunkenness crossed long before. Two empty bottles were off to the side, ignored in their paper caskets, as the two laughed loudly. They weren’t sitting anymore, but standing as Clara was trying to wheedle Noah into a dance.
“Oh, come on, your mom was a dance teacher!” She shrieked, grabbing at his hands as he laughed and pulled away, pulling her with him. Clara almost fell and got a case of the giggles and said, “Just one! We leaved next door to each other for years, and I never got one damned lesson. Just one, and I swear I’ll…I’ll never ask for anything ever again!”
“Fine, fine, just don’t tell anyone,” Noah smiled, pulling Clara closer to him as he put a hand on her waist. The both started laughing as he tried teaching her a very basic dance and as they tripped over their own feet from the alcohol, and they danced until they felt so exhausted they were leaning against each other, unable to support their own weight. They simultaneously fell down softly, Clara using his shoulder as a pillow, and fell asleep.
“Rise and shine, lovebirds!” Fauna called out. Clara felt a stabbing pain in her back and groggily realized she was still on the roof. She sat up and looked at Noah, who was stretching the arm she had been sleeping on all night.
“Sorry about that,” she mumbled, hiding a yawn.
“Have you seen my sunglasses?” Noah called down, and Harvey sullenly passed them up. He quickly put the sunglasses on and slid down the stairs with military-like precision, and Clara followed. The motel rooms locked, everyone climbed into the van and drove to breakfast.
“Sorry about that,” she mumbled, hiding a yawn.
“Have you seen my sunglasses?” Noah called down, and Harvey sullenly passed them up. He quickly put the sunglasses on and slid down the stairs with military-like precision, and Clara followed. The motel rooms locked, everyone climbed into the van and drove to breakfast.
♠ ♠ ♠
Well, my friends, it's been awhile.Sorry about the long absence, hopefully this looong chapter makes up for it. Please stop by and dash off a quick review, it would really mean the world to me. Thank you for reading!