june 1, 2021.
Scottie and Lando were arguing again.
It had become a common occurrence recently whenever the pair were in each other's company. The screaming matches and nasty insults under their breath becoming the soundtrack to the house they shared with Max but neither side of the couple were bothered enough to be embarrassed by their actions.
They didn't know why they were arguing so much or why they felt so distant lately. Lando put it down to Scottie becoming too needy, Scottie put it down to Lando caring more about Twitch than his own girlfriend. They were bitter over feeling like they were losing each other—they were scared. They never meant anything they said in their arguments.
Maybe that's why no-one ever made the decision to leave.
They couldn't imagine a life without each other; they were too scared to see what that would be like. Lando and Scottie had been together since they were fifteen years old and were friends for four years before that—all they'd ever known of life was having each other.
How could you walk away from all you've ever had?
"I swear you just pick fights for the sake of it now, Scottie," Lando groaned, leaning against his elbows on the kitchen counter as he nursed away his headache with his fingers. Scottie was scowling. Lando hated when she scowled. "We've had this exact fight, word for word, five times in the space of two months." He added.
"Because you keep doing the same shit over and over," Scottie seethed through gritted teeth. "I'm so tired of it."
Lando scoffed out an irritated laugh. "I don't know what to tell you," He shrugged. He was being petty, acting unbothered when in reality he felt like his entire body was weak. He hated fighting with Scottie, it made him feel physically sick. "You're the one that came in here, guns blazing."
"I shouldn't have to come in here 'guns blazing' just for you to pay attention to me, Lando." Scottie sighed, rubbing at her eyes like a toddler does when they're due for a nap; the recent tussles between her and her boyfriend taking both a mental and physical drain on her energy.
Her scowl hadn't dropped but her eyes were beginning to well with tears and Lando knew there was no avoiding this argument however much he wanted to... Scottie had been living this argument out in her head for weeks already.
"Give it a rest, Scottie," Lando rolled his eyes, an awful taste in his mouth. "I'm constantly giving you attention."
"Sure, you are," Scottie nodded, a sarcastic laugh vibrating through her lips. "Except when you want to play a game on your XBOX with Max, or when you want to stream with Max, or when you want to play golf with Max."
Lando's eyes narrowed into a heated glare, standing from his leaning position against the counter as his back muscles tensed. "Don't bring Max into this."
"Why not?" Scottie questioned, feigning innocence as she watched her boyfriend's jaw clench. "Have I hit a nerve? Have I upset you? Am I not allowed to speak badly of the kid you hold on a pedestal?"
"Shut up, Scottie," Lando hissed. "He's got nothing to do with any of this."
"He's basically got a bigger part in the relationship than I do—I mean, for God's sake, Lando, you asked him to move in!"
"Excuse me for being a good friend."
"Try being a good boyfriend for once!"
Lando was seething, clenching his fists at his sides to stop the shaking. He wasn't sure if he was shaking from anger or from fear of how this argument was going to end.
"You knew what you signed up for when we got together; this life was what I'd already been dreaming of having," He finally said. "Fool you for expecting any different."
"I should've known you were going to stop paying attention to me and constantly put your attention on anything but our relationship?" Scottie retorted, her voice thick with emotion. Lando couldn't tell whether the emotion was anger or sadness. Maybe it was both. "I should've known that at fifteen?"
Lando stayed silent, staring at the girl in front of him. It was then that she finally allowed herself to cry and Lando wanted nothing more than to pull her to him, apologise a thousand times and promise to try harder but all his pride—his stupid fucking ego—allowed him to do was blink. Blink as if he wasn't effected. Blink as if he didn't care.
"Fine, you're right... fool me," Scottie nodded through her tears, grabbing her coat from the back of one of the dining table's chairs. "I'm going out, don't wait up."
Scottie... Scottie, stop.
Scottie!
Please.
Lando's mind raced with reasons to stop Scottie from walking out of that door and driving away but his mouth remained clamped shut. God, why didn't he say anything.
"Fuck!" He yelled, pushing at the water bottle that was sitting on the counter of the kitchen island. The bottle rattled as it hit the wall across the room and bounced back from contact onto the floor, slowly leaking its contents onto the cool tiles of the kitchen floor.
He hated arguing with Scottie; he hated everything to do with Scottie's smile disappearing. Sad movies, sad songs, stress from work... whatever the situation was, Lando always wanted that gorgeous smile back on his girlfriend's face.
Lately, he'd the cause of it going into hiding. He hated himself for it. He didn't know what was wrong with him, he just couldn't focus on anything for more than a few minutes anymore and his frustrations were being taken out on the love of his life rather than him talking about them.
Scottie was perfect. She was a dream.
Lando knew he was going to marry her, he didn't know when or how he'd finally propose but he was certain that he would. He'd known since they were pre-teens and still "just friends". He'd put Scottie Sung on a pedestal ever since that first day of school when he was told to take the seat beside her in their shared morning tutor group.
He wasn't sure how long he stood there, against the counter, eyes closed and mind racing, but when his phone ringing finally brought him out of his thoughts, it was dark outside. As dark as the middle of the night would be.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket, frowning in confusion at the blocked caller ID. "Hello?"
"Hi, may I speak with Mr. Lando Norris?"
"Speaking." Lando replied warily, he'd never had a journalist call his mobile number before without scheduling a time first via email but he wouldn't put it past them to somehow scavenge his private number from somewhere.
"Hi, Mr. Norris," The girl said. Her chirpy voice sounded strained, forced; like she was trying her hardest not to worry him. "I'm Kaye, I'm calling from Surrey Police. I—uhm, I'm calling on behalf of Miss Scottie Sung."
"Scottie?" Lando repeated incredulously. "What? Why are you calling me about Scottie?"
"You were named as her emergency contact on her medical records," Kaye tried her best to explain and Lando heard her gulp down the line. "Are you able to come down to the Police department so we can talk?"
"Emergency contact?" Lando was so confused... so naively confused. "Why do I need to come to the Police department? Can you not just explain to me what this is about? I don't have time to trail all the way to your department."
"It may be best we conduct this conversation in perso—"
"No," Lando protested, growing annoyed. "I want to know what this is about."
Silence. 1, 2, 3 seconds passed.
And, then...
"Miss Sung was involved in a three-car collision tonight," Kaye finally said. "Unfortunately, due to her injuries, Miss Sung hasn't made it—"
Immediately, all Lando heard was ringing in his ears. It was that kind of ringing you get in your ears after a concert, all sounds muffled besides that God damn ringing. His knees buckled and he felt himself hitting the ground, pushing himself back onto his bum and sliding his back against his kitchen cupboards.
He hadn't heard his phone hit the ground or Max entering the room. He hadn't heard Max calling his name or picking up his phone and speaking with Kaye. He hadn't heard the sounds of his friend's sobs or the sound of his own screams as if he was in physical pain.
He hadn't heard any of it.
But, he'd heard what Kaye had said.
Unfortunately, due to her injuries, Miss Sung hasn't made it. Unfortunately, due to her injuries, Miss Sung hasn't made it. Unfortunately, due to her injuries, Miss Sung hasn't made it.
"Lando."
Unfortunately, due to her injuries, Miss Sung hasn't made it. Unfortunately, due to her injuries, Miss Sung hasn't made it. Unfortunately, due to her injuries, Miss Sung hasn't made it.
"Lando."
Unfortunately, due to her injuries, Miss Sung hasn't made it. Unfortunately, due to her injuries, Miss Sung hasn't made it. Unfortunately, due to her injuries—
"Lando!"
All of a sudden, he could hear again. He could hear his sobs and cries for it to be a mistake, a misunderstanding. Not Scottie. Not his Scottie.
"Max, please." He begged, letting his best friend wrap his arms around his cradled body.
Max had never seen Lando cry so hard in his life and the sight broke his heart even more than it was already. Max held his friend tighter, stroking his hair as he pulled Lando's head onto his shoulder.
"I'm sorry." He said, trying to calm his own tears.
"No," Lando wailed. "Not Scottie. Please, Max, not Scottie."
Max felt himself choke on his sobs, endless apologies leaving his lips as he rocked his best friend in his arms. He suspected Lando's and Scottie's families were already informed or being informed, and Lando's parents would be on their way to the couple's shared home but he wasn't sure if he could handle consoling his friend much longer.
The sight of Lando was breaking Max, it was turning his stomach over and clawing at his chest. Not only was he in pain from losing one of his best friends but he now had to watch his other best friend become nothing but a puddle of tears on the floor of his own kitchen from the news.
"She was right here," Lando sobbed. "I don't understand. They've made a mistake. Max, tell me they've made a mistake."
"I can't, Lando." Max shook his head.
Lando continued crying, hand against his chest as if the pressure would take the pain away from his heart.
He continued muttering denials until his parents arrived, finding Lando crumpled in Max's arms in their kitchen. The sight of their son crushed them even more than they thought it possibly could.
Cisca immediately pulled her son into her arms, shushing him like she did when he was a newborn. "My boy," She muttered. "Oh, my boy. I'm so sorry."
"It hurts, Mum." Lando whimpered.
"I know," She whispered, kissing her son's forehead. "It's OK, Lando... it's OK."
It wasn't OK. It never would be.
Not in Lando's opinion, anyway.