Salvete everyone!
OH MY GOD 15K READS THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH I LOVE YOU WITH THE BURNING INTENSITY OF A THOUSAND SUNS IN WHICH THE DOCTOR IS BURNING UP TO SAY GOODBYE TO HIS ROSE.
So yeah. This chapter coincides with like five other chappies in this fanfic. It goes back to Meredith's and Denise's party, so if you need to reread some chapters to refresh your memory, they are chapters 15 and 2.7. This party for me is sort of pivotal because it's everybody really meeting everybody and all of their problems and issues becoming one. For the new Starkid sequel that I will write, it will be more of a sense of community for those issues coming together, but, as I said before, Brian Rosenthal will have his own part in his own POV, and the plot that goes with him will be sorta disconnected like everything before this party was.
I hope you enjoy and I really hope this ties up all loose ends that you may have!
CHAPTER 3.15; DYLAN'S POV:
Noah was shitfaced, and right now, I wanted to join him. Avoiding the rest of the party while we sat in Meredith and Denise's kitchen, he downed the entire beer in his hands. Eli had already told me it was because it was the anniversary of their father's death and I honestly had not lost anyone as close to me as that, but I felt as if he was being a little melodramatic at the moment. I mean, yeah, it was sad, but it was over fifteen years. Chill out man, you've had time to cope.
Noah gasped for air next to me. "I don't even know why I'm here right now, honestly."
"It isn't because of my gorgeous eyes and sweet love handles?" I asked, wanting to at least crack a smile out of Noah, but he remained sullen as he popped a can on yet another beer.
"Jaime Lyn dragged me against my will, that's why," he continued as if he were talking to himself. I felt a pang of confusion. No one called Jaime by her full name, so why did he?
"Well, maybe if you stopped the pity party and actually socialized with people, you wouldn't be a sunken prune. That's why they call it a party."
"Noah is not ready for a party tonight," he said as he refused to face me. Oh well, I thought, I know a lost cause when I see one. If he wanted to be the Debbie Downer tonight, then go right ahead.
I, on the other hand, was actually feeling back to normal. I mean, as normal as I ever get, but I wasn't sulking anymore. Sure, Lauren and Brian had been dating for about a month or something now and I heard it was going well, but I had gotten to the point where I was almost completely over her. I haven't seen or talked to her, but maybe the seclusion was best for me and for her. It was like our friendship and relationship and almost relationship was almost a vivid dream that I barely even think about anymore.
I turned on my heels, ready to leave Noah by himself when I ran into Jaime at the door. Her eyes darted from me to Noah back to me. Was there really something going on between them? He always would talk about how they became friends, but maybe he had a bit more than friendship on his mind...
"Going to grab a beer?" I asked smoothly, unable to contain a smile. Jaime blushed.
"Uh, yeah, is that alright?" she maintained her innocence.
"Yeah, perfectly fine." I took a step to her side, then whispered in her ear, "He could use a wild and crazy night." Jaime looked at me, almost shocked, as I did a little shimmy and walked away. I could almost hear the fuck you in my wake from her stare. I didn't care though, I just wanted Noah to not feel like a walking sympathy card for once this week.
I surveyed the party. Meredith and Denise lived in a nice condo, like the ones in San Francisco that I grew up in. Nick Lang had a little group around him that were listening to his story's every last word. Denise and Jeff were having an intent conversation by the fireplace only to be interrupted by Brian Holden slightly tripping in front of them, causing a loud uproar of laughs. Joey and his girlfriend, Maria, were taking selfies on their phones with their tongues out and scrunched noses. It all seemed so happy and normal, like it was a sitcom episode.
There was no sign of Eli or Joe. I figured they would be arriving together, but I thought Noah surely would of tagged along with them since the only ones he knew were Jaime and I.
Maybe, I thought, Eli and Joe broke up. That's why they're late and that's why Eli will drop everything at the door and run into your arms and kiss you hard on the lips. I snorted to myself. Even I knew that scenario was impossible, no matter how much I wished for it to be true.
I felt my stomach rumble uncomfortably. Only a few of the people in this room knew about the bathroom upstairs with the soap that makes my hands smell like cucumbers and coconuts. I had no idea why they didn't stock all of their bathrooms with it, because if they did, I sure as hell would visit ten times more than I do now just to bathe in it. I snorted again. Maybe Eli would actually date me if I smelled like Meredith and Denise's soap in their upstairs bathroom.
As I finally washed my hands much longer than necessary a few minutes later, I promised to myself that tonight would not be a disaster like my life lately has been. I was going to keep my head held high and actually enjoy the presence of my friends.
That lasted a good ten seconds.
***LAUREN'S POV***
I didn't even have to pee, I just wanted that really good smelling soap on my hands right now. I showed up this party alone and depressed Brian wasn't here, so I needed a mood boost.
My life the past month honestly wasn't horrible, but wasn't some field of daisies either. I was with Brian most hours of the days, which was fine, I guess. He was a great guy and I was lucky to have him around. When I wasn't spending time with him, I made sure I showed Jaime how appreciative I was that she set us up by making up with her and teaching her and Juls how to (finally) cook. Life was great... I just couldn't shake the feeling that I was disconnected with everything. It was like I was in the passenger seat, watching a film of some chick's awesome life with her awesome friends and awesome guy by her side and everything was awesome.
Once I was up Meredith and Denise's spiral staircase, I saw a light from the crack of the door to the bathroom. I knocked twice to see if anyone was inside.
"Hang on a sec, I'm almost out." My breath caught in my throat. I knew exactly who it was: Dylan.
I mean, seeing and/or talking to him tonight was obviously inevitable. I knew he was going to be here and I knew I was going to have to man up and face him. I just wished that I had a beer or two in my system before I did so.
I tried to run away, down the stairs and pretended like nothing ever happened, but my feet were glued to the ground and my body was frozen. All I could do was stand there like a statue as Dylan opened the door to me.
He looked way different than how I remembered and loved him. He looked like he finally slept twelve hours after staying up for a week straight. He had purple bags under his eyes, translucent skin, greasy looking hair and like he lost a large amount of weight in a short amount of time. I could just tell that he was putting on a brave face and that he was dead inside.
That didn't stop the precedent wave of anger I felt douse my good mood. In our last meeting, I slapped him in public, he fought back and he stormed off like he owned the fucking place. He had done absolutely nothing to reach out to me and he acted like our friendship had never even existed.
His eyes grew wide at the sight of me. We stood there for three seconds just staring at each other awkwardly.
He finally spoke up. "Uh... hi..." he choked.
"Hey..."
"You gotta... poop?" I could tell he was mentally slapping himself. Dylan was never one to be confident in uncomfortable situations, and this was certainly no exception.
I nervously laughed. "Uh... well... no."
"Oh... that's... good. Good for your bowels, you know?" he stuttered.
"Yeah..." We stood there for what felt like an entire minute. "I'm gonna... use the bathroom... now..."
"Oh... okay... you do that. Have fun..." he said as he sped out of the situation. I exhaled for what seemed like the first time in that entire conversation. That had to be the most awkward thing I had ever experienced in my life.
I watched Dylan go. I was happy that was over, but a little voice somewhere begged me to chase after him and apologize. It wanted me to beg for us to be friends again and maybe things would be back to normal.
I told that voice to shut up and fuck itself.
***DYLAN'S POV***
One hour later, and that conversation with Lauren was still ringing in my head. I could tell it was one of those moments when you lay in bed at night months and years later and still cringe about something you said or something you did. I literally asked her if she had to poop after months of silence. What the actual, living fuck was wrong with me? Of all the things I wanted to tell her to get off my chest, I asked if her bowel movements were normal? I could honestly give a flying rat's ass whether she was intaking a normal amount of fiber or not.
"Hey?" I was brought back to the party by a few snaps in my face. "Earth to Dylan Saunders?" Joey asked.
"Sorry..." I said, taking a sip of my beer, then recoiling. I hate it when there are limes in my Corona, and this one had a wedge hidden at the very bottom.
"Like I was saying..." Clark continued to talk, glancing at me oddly, "Life of Brian was obviously the best Monty Python."
"Wait, are you serious?" Joey cut it like Clark had just murdered his entire family. "Holy Grail was a classic man!"
"Uh, no," Clark said shortly. "What was good about that one? The three joke. Was that all?"
"Dude," I finally joined the conversation since Holy Grail was a movie I would defend to the death. "That's where 'tis but a flesh wound' comes from, which is without a doubt the most famous part of any Python movie!"
"And," Joey added, "the only part from Life of Brian I thought was funny was a Latin part since I sorta understood it thanks to one year in school. Otherwise, it was pretty bland."
"Oh, so you thought that freaky fucking bunny was funny?"
"It was hilarious," came a voice from the door of the patio. We all turned to see Walker himself, riding solo with his beer in hand. I noticed that he did like a lime in his Corona. "We are talking about Monty Python, right?" he asked. I had a fleeting urge to punch him in the face.
"Yeah, and Clark here thinks Life of Brian is better than Holy Grail," Joey spat in Clark's direction.
Joe squinted his eyes, confused. "Are you drunk or something?"
"No! I'm just not a huge fan of it! Like, what was that entire thing about the soldiers that say 'nee' about? Even for Monty Python, that's a bit of a stretch," Clark defended.
"I mean, yeah, not their best moment, but you can't judge a movie on just one bad moment!" I interjected. I wished I could take a swig of beer to prove my point, but I didn't want the rush of lime.
"Actually, I thought that was pretty brilliant," Joe said while looking at me with a deadpan stare. I could tell by his tone that he did not approve of me.
"To each their own, I guess," I coldly responded. Joey and Clark exchanged nervous glances.
"Yeah..." Joey said. "Er, but anyways, there is no way you didn't like those rude French soldiers? Those were classic!"
"Okay, okay, I admit that those were pretty funny," Clark chuckled. "But seeing the movie as a whole, Dylan said not to judge it on one bad part, but it can't take over Life of Brian because of one or two good parts."
"And what was that second good part for you?" I asked.
Clark sheepishly smiled. "The coconuts." All of us groaned.
"Hey, hey now," Joe interjected. "The coconuts aren't all that bad."
"Are you kidding, man?" Joey asked. He buried his face in his hands. "I do not believe I'm friends with you two right now."
"That's what Eli said," Joe said, looking straight at me. I knew exactly what he was doing. His nostrils were flaring like I had just insulted his mother. He wanted any reaction from me so he could hold it against me, saying that I 'tried to steal her away.' I was not going to succumb, but anger washed over me like a bucket of water. He was acting like a dog that just claimed his territory, but Eli was far from property in any sense. It sickened me that I had doubts that Joe realized that.
"Eli obviously has good taste in humor, then," I shot back, my lip quivering to hold back the million of insults I wanted to throw at him.
"Are you insinuating something?" Joe spat.
"Oh, you know that word?" I finally cracked, sneering at him. "Seems like the only good thing Eli changed about you is your vocabulary."
"Guys," Joey nervously chuckled. "Guys... we don't need to get this heated over... Monty... Python..." his voice faded away when he realized none of us were listening to him.
Walker's face flushed both with embarrassment and anger. "What is it about you? Why, why, must you always seem like you want to steal every girl from everyone?" he screamed.
"I don't want to steal her!" I lied. "Has it ever crossed your tiny mind that I enjoy having a friend?"
Walker laughed coldly and almost maniacally. "Friend? Friend? Dylan, I see the way you look at her! All she is to you is a piece of meat and a fucking pickmeup after Lauren dropped your ass to the curb!" The anger was filling my lungs, making my brain fuzzy. I took a step towards Walker, but Clark's hand on my chest stopped me from advancing any further. If we were alone, I could knock him out right now. Payback will be a bitch.
"What? What is about me that makes me seem like a tool to you?" I yelled, Clark's grip on my chest even harder, Joey trying to step between us.
"How many times have you taken a girl from someone?" he snapped.
"Are you forgetting that you did that to me?" I boomed. My sudden change in voice caused Joey and Clark to quickly back away into the corner. I heard Joey mutter, "Well, I don't think they're talking about Monty Python."
Joe took a deep breath, as if to calm himself. I was far from zen, with my hands in fists at my sides. "There's the simple matter that I just don't trust you completely."
"Good! Fine! I don't need your trust," I spat. "But you can trust Eli."
Joe looked terribly offended, his head shaking and his eyes darting around. "I know I can trust her!" he said incredulously. "But I just don't know what you're trying to do with her. I know her-- I more than know her-- but what I don't know is what you're doing!"
"Yeah, you don't," I yelled, "but you know I wouldn't lie to you. Can't I just be friends with someone?"
Joe's eyes turned cold. "I know what this is," he spat. "You want revenge. You're so bent out of shape of what I did, you want me to know how you FELT!" I was going to scream right back at him, but something stopped me. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a flash of caramel hair from the sliding door to the kitchen. I recognized the black shirt and mint skirt that Eli wore earlier today. She was storming away, followed by Maria. I felt a wave a nausea.
"Joe, stop," I firmly commanded.
Walker laughed evilly again. "What, are you too afraid to admit that I'm right for once?"
"No, you just don't know who could be overhearing this right now," I said coolly, hoping that his head could wrap around what I was suggesting.
Maybe it did, maybe it didn't, because for a moment, he looked sad. Then, the anger crept up again into his cold glare. "Do you think I give a fuck?!" Clark and Joey immediately resumed their previous positions of trying to hold us back.
"So you don't care that Eli just overheard?" I spat.
"Quite frankly, no. She needs to know you can't be trusted!" Walker bellowed.
"Eli is your girlfriend, not your student!"
"That's more than she will ever be to you!" I felt myself charge, but Clark had me in a hold so I couldn't even take one step forward.
It was my turn to laugh coldly. "You say you can trust her, but you don't know what she's been doing when you're not around!" I didn't even mean to say that, but Walker charged. Joey finally got a hold of him, but for that second, I knew I was about to receive another black eye.
"The fuck are you trying to say to me?" he shouted.
I put my arms out and chuckled. "Whatever the fuck you don't think it is. Because you can trust me and her."
Walker was shaking, breathing heavy like he had just sprinted a mile. "If Eli would ever spend any time with you, I would kill her."
"That's the difference between you and I. I would never hurt her."
"And you're saying I would?" he screamed, his voice cracking.
I leaned in close to him, Clark still holding me back. "You know," I whispered, "I knew Denise was cheating on me when I saw the bruises all over her body."
That was the moment. Walker shook Joey off of him and charged me. It seemed to scare Clark off, because he quickly unhanded me. Walker pressed his forehead to mine, his nostrils flaring, his jaw out, ready to strike.
"If you ever get near Eli again," he said in a deadly cold and calm voice, "I will rip your heart out."
"At least I have that organ," I responded, gritting my teeth. That seemed to be enough for Walker. He glared one last time at me and stormed out.
I ran my hands through my face. Did that really just happen? Oddly enough, I felt actually happy. Maybe I needed to say what had been said, or maybe it was because I had a good number of awesome comebacks. Either way, I was in a better mood than ever.
"Well," Joey said finally, "That certainly drifted off the subject of Monty Python..."
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Phew. This chapter took forever to write. I hope it's aight.
Well, 'tis the season. The hoodie season, the volleyball season, and most important (and depressing), the school season. As you know, I won't be able to post as much and all, so don't expect a million updates a second. I still love you all.
So yeah have a blast my scholars.
~Natalie