CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER | j. byers

v. | dig dug

        "You scratching yourself in the car?" he asked her. Cassie's head shot up to look at him, in slight fear and a defensive twinkle in her eye. "Your arm, Cass. You've been scratching at your tattoo." He intentionally left out that she had been scratching at her scars as well.

        "Leave it, Jonathan," she said to him, turning back to her bag.

        "Cass, can we please just talk about this-"

        "I said leave it!" she told him strongly, her head whipping back to look at him. She stared into his brown doe eyes, and the sight of him in slight distress broke her inside. "Please just leave it." Her next sentence was wobbly and teary, pleading with him to stop talking about it.

        The bathroom door opened and Nancy came out sceptically, her clothes bundled in her arms. Cassie wiped her eyes quickly, hiding her tears from Nancy. The taller girl grabbed her sweatpants and ran over to the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

        How could she be so stupid? To make her scratches so obvious when Jonathan knew to look for the signs. Cassie rubbed her eyes harshly in frustration. She wouldn't let herself make the same mistake again. The girl quickly discarded her heavy jeans for the sweatpants that she had stolen from Jonathan months ago.

        She walked over to the sink and turned the water on. Cassie splashed her face a few times with the cold water. She turned the tap off and dried her face before looking back at herself in the mirror. The teen took a deep breath before walking back out to the room.

        Jonathan and Nancy looked over at Cassie, seemingly stopping a quiet conversation of theirs. Jonathan grabbed his clothes before making his way into the bathroom. Cassie packed her things awake as Nancy watched her from the other bed.

        "Are you sharing a bed with me?" came Nancy's voice. Cassie turned around to look at her. A confused expression resided on the taller girl's face. "I- I just thought that - that you and Jonathan sharing would be awkward but I - I forgot that you guys usually share back home." Cassie nodded with Nancy.

        "Thank you, anyway," Cassie said. Nancy looked up from her lap at Cassie. "That's very kind of you, Nancy." Nancy nodded again.

        Jonathan exited in his night clothes and soon, the three slipped into bed. Cassie pulled the quilt up to her shoulders, her back facing Jonathan. The lights were turned off and Cassie felt Jonathan's arm draped over her waist.

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        The morning was cold and the trio were silent as Jonathan drove them to Murray Bauman. Smoke from Cassie's cigarette billowed out of her open window as they raced along. Jonathan placed his hand palm up on Cassie's thigh. The girl took it, enveloping his cold hand in her usual warm one.

        Finally, Jonathan pulled into what looked like an abandoned warehouse or garage.

        "Are you positive this is the right place?" Jonathan asked warily, putting the car in park. Nancy grabbed the business card she had grabbed from the Holland's.

        "3833," she read from the card. "Yeah."

        "All right," Jonathan replied simply, pulling his keys out. The two nodded between themselves as Cassie readjusted her sunglasses.

        "Okay, let's rock this bitch," she said, opening her car door. The two followed and the three walked over to the graffitied door that read Keep Door Closed.