Dynamics (Twoset Violin Fanfic)

Chapter Eight

By the time Brett finished his call with James, his roommates had woken up and were already talking.

"I'm never drinking again," he heard Kevin saying to Mark.

"Same, man," Mark replied, holding his head in pain.

"You guys took the painkillers? Drank some water?" Brett asked.

"Yes, mom," Tyler said, rolling his eyes. Then he winced from the movement.

Brett was silent.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1... he counted in his head.

"You know, we haven't seen Derek in a while," Mark said.

"Yeahhh, I wonder what he's been doing," said Kevin.

"Did he get the job at the," Mark waved his hand, "corporate thing?"

"I dunno... we should call him!"

As Kevin called Derek, Brett started throwing things into a bag. Phone, wallet, keys, dry cereal, EpiPen in case someone... throws soy at me, he thought, listing the items in his head.

He could hear Kevin's too-loud voice.

"Yeah, you should totally stop by, man!"

"Bring your girlfriend, for sure."

"Oh, she's with friends? They can come too, that's no problem."

"Will? Yeah, Will's cool."

This continued, with different people— some of which Brett had never even heard of— being invited over. Even though he could only hear one side of the conversation, he could tell it wasn't just Derek who would be 'stopping by'.

"Alright, see you then."

Kevin hung up.

"Uh, Brett, could you..." he trailed off.

"No problem," Brett said. It was fine, really. They didn't want him at their rager of a party, and he didn't want to be there. The crazed drinking, loud EDM, and random hookups weren't his style. He put on a reflective hoodie, slung his bag over his shoulder, and walked out.

Brett started his normal route throughout the city, walking through different streets, saying hello to the shopkeepers he saw nearly every day, leaving the cereal for the stray cat that always lurked by the deli.

When he reached the park, which was empty during the night, he was too tired to practice his handstands. So instead, he changed directions, walking even further, ducking between streets and alleys, enjoying the world blurring past him. Because maybe if he just kept walking, he could walk away from the apartment that smelled like beer and despair, from his brother and his parents that stared at him with cold, cold eyes as they began to turn away--

And suddenly he wasn't walking, because he had slammed into something tall and loud and distinctly person-like.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there," he said, taking a step back.

"Well, I definitely saw you! You look like a lightbulb, mate," said the tall man in front of him. He looked to be a few years older than Brett, with heavy eyeliner, all-black clothing, and a leather jacket, even though it wasn't cold out.

"Vincent!" said the woman next to him.

"Please excuse my friend. He doesn't mean it," she said with a smile. She looked oddly familiar, even though Brett wasn't really into goth culture.

"Nice hoodie, by the way," she added.

"Oh, thanks," he said. "It's just so cars can see me."

She shrugged. "It's cool."

"Thanks," he repeated. "Sorry again for bumping into you," he said to Vincent.

"Bye, have a good night!" blurted a woman with bright pink hair, who Brett hadn't even seen before. She must've been standing behind them. Now that he looked closer, he saw a fourth person; he looked painfully uncomfortable as the pink-haired woman dragged them all away.

For a moment, Brett just stood there, his exhausted brain still processing the bizarre encounter. But even when he continued, walking away from them, the group's conversation echoed through the empty park.

"What was that for?" he heard Vincent complain.

"He's too nice," the pink-haired woman said. "There's gotta be something wrong with him. Besides, who walks that fast through the middle of the night? Maybe he's hiding from someone."

If any of the goths responded, Brett didn't hear. If any of them glanced back, they would have only seen the spark of a reflective hoodie, disappearing into the night.

A/N: This chapter was a bit shorter, but the next one will be regular length. On a side note, (heh heh see what I did there) make sure to wear something reflective if you're walking/jogging/cycling at night!