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"Okay, get her down." Nancy spoke as she got ahold of all the medical supplies she'd need. Mike sat El down on the ground, Cassie patting her head slightly in encouragement. "Okay. Lemme see."
They all cringed when Nancy rolled up El's pant leg, the large hole in El's leg leaking terribly.
"Oh, man." Cassie shook her head. "It's like she'd been empaled with a sword, sparing at dawn with the ex husband of her lover."
"Cas, we love you, we do." Lucas nodded as he held her shoulders. "But, it's just really not the time."
"What- hey, hey, what are you doing?" Max cut Nancy off when she went to open the wipes.
"I'm cleaning the wound." Nancy said back honestly as she looked back down at El's leg.
"No, first, we need to stop the bleeding, then clean, then disinfect, then bandage." Max listed on seriously, nodding her head each time. "I skateboard. Trust me."
Max pressed a gauze pad to El's leg, grabbing Mikes hand to press on the wound. "Keep the pressure on it, nice and firm, okay?"
"You need help?" Cassie asked Mike.
"I think I got it." he reassured her.
"We're gonna need water, soap." Max looked at Nancy and Jonathan as they nodded and headed off. The clatter of stuff falling made them look over, seeing Lucas had emptied his backpack with unnecessary supplies across the floor.
"Does any of this help?" he asked, looking down at the three with Will by his side. Cassie looked at the mess before giving Max her best smile.
Max gave a look of disbelief. "No. Go get me a washcloth and a bowl."
"A bowl?" he asked in disbelief.
"Lucas." the redhead huffed in response. Will smacked his arm, heading off quickly and leaving the remaining four.
"I should be in attendance incase things start to go south." Cassie inhaled as she stood up. "El, is your soul crushing and absolutely dreadful leg in a lot of pain?"
"Better when sitting down." she nodded as Cassie smiled with a knowing point.
"Ibuprofen." she confirmed. "I'll be on my way to get you some."
"I don't think ibuprofen is going to h-" Mike starter, cut off as Cassie circled the isle and headed for the pharmacy. "I love that girl but sometimes-"
"Sometimes." El and Max said on sync.
She scanned the shelves, looking for the bottle. A moment of silence was shocking, it took Cassie a second to realize she hadn't had it in the past few days. There was always noise, the world had been so loud. She sat still, just sat completely still for just a second. "If you're lost, you can look, and you will find me."
It was just a mumble under her breath, more of a hum. Her soul nearly left her body when she heard from the other side of the isle. "Time after time."
Moving the medicine, she peered through the shelf to be met with a grinning Lucas. "I thought that was Jesus Christ from above speaking to me."
"Not today." he said, leaning on the shelf to look through it at her. "Are you doing drugs now?"
"No." Cassie cracked a gentle grin. "Helping El with some of her excruciating pain."
"That's nice." he hummed as she grabbed the bottle. "You feeling okay?"
"Yes." she exhaled, walking down the isle as he followed her from the other side. "Are you?"
"Yeah." he said in rerun, they circled the isle at the same time and were face to face. "You totally beat the shit out of that claw with your book."
"It was the dictionary." she shrugged with a grin. "Who needs him?"
"Yeah, screw him." Lucas shook his head, grinning at her smile.
"Did you find the bowl?" she nodded, blinking her eyes up to him.
"No, but-" he reached into his pockets and pulled out a key chain. "-did this."
"I've been wanting to add to the collection!" she took it with a bright smile. "Do you think it counts as stealing?"
"Psh, no." he shook his head with a scoff. "No."
Cassie grinned, hooking it on her belt loop. Lucas nodded. "We also found some fireworks."
Cassies eyes widened as she looked up. "What?"
The hum of the freezers echoed in El's ears, the blind fold over her eyes. The group all stood around her in the freezer isle, Cassie rocked her head back and forth as a song played in her head. Lucas popped the New Coke can, making Max shh him.
"How do you even drink that?" Mike gave a look of disbelief his way.
"Because it's delicious." Lucas looked at him oddly in return.
"What?" Max and Mike asked on sync.
"It's like Carpenters The Thing." Lucas explained. "The original is a classic, no question about it. But the remake-"
He paused to take three dramatic sips of the drink before sighing loudly. "Sweeter, bolder, better."
"Cas?" Max rose her eyebrows. "Give us some big words."
"Mm." she hummed, rocking side as she thought about it. "Well, something sweeter is like the sun shining in on your soul, reminding you of how joy filled life can be. Like a blanket of excruciating pain, but the good pain. The pain they comes with happiness and love and emotion."
"But what about original?" Mike pointed out with a questionable look.
"Original.." she hummed, blinking as she looked up slightly. "Original is different. There's something about it, something that has such a hold on your heart. You can experience something new and beautiful and full of light and glistening beautiful. But, at the end of the day, there will always be an original. It sticks with you, even if it's not necessary better, it's tied to your soul and just won't let you go. Even if you try."
She looked at Lucas as he'd already been looking at her. "So, i'm a neutral agreement."
"Hey!" El yanked the blind fold off.
"Sorry." Mike apologized.
"Sorry." Lucas gave a worried look.
"My greatest apologies, El." Cassie nodded with a faintly flushed face.
El stared as Mike hesitated. "Did you find him?"
•
kylie speaks
when i wrote this book, this chapter was my all time favorite one
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