CW // violence
Word count: 4759
Your P.O.V:
Why was I doing this?
I think it was that I felt like I had nobody, and I craved somebody. Anybody. Even if it was someone like Dylan.
"Hey." He said when he saw me approaching him. He was leaning up against a navy blue, muddy pick-up truck with a cigarette in his mouth. He wore his same old college campus jacket like he usually does with a Green Day shirt on underneath, accompanied with jeans rolled up at the bottom and a pair of black high-top Converse with white Nike socks. But what I took more into account was his eyes scanning me up and down repeatedly. "You look..." He stood up as straight as a line, taking the cigarette from his mouth. "...Good." He exhaled heavily with an approved tone, like he was holding his breath with that pause he took. His cheeks were warm looking.
"Thanks?" I responded. "Just a shirt and a skirt, though." I chuckled awkwardly, looking down at myself. I guess my outfit could be considered exposing, so that's why he had such an interested reaction.
"Just take the compliment Miss Stubborn." He put the cigarette back into his mouth with a half smile.
"Mrs, more like. I have a boyfriend, keep in mind, so keep your eyes to yourself." I playfully whacked his side with the back of my hand on the way to the other side of the van. "Let's go. I'm starving."
He blew one last breath of smoke before stomping his cigarette out underneath his sneaker, and jumped in aside me. Jamming the key into the ignition, we pulled off in seconds.
The ride from then onto the main road was silence. I was too busy observing the heavy looking grey sky. It looked like it was gonna rain, and I was nowhere near prepared for that with what I was clad with.
I saw Dylan reach over and unclasp the glove box open that was in front of me, revealing a wide selection of CD's consisting of mostly rap, and only one or two of indie rock and punk.
"Take your pick." He placed his hand back on the steering wheel as my eyes averted to the items stored in the glove compartment.
The other things I managed to notice in his glove box were matches, an empty, crushed beer can, a dollar note, and a magazine. It honestly looked like a porn magazine from what I could see. I didn't care to grab a CD first. Instead, I grabbed that.
"Woah." I gawked, staring at the nude woman on the cover, which had certain body parts bigger than others. She was posed on a satin red double bed wearing nothing but black heels.
He looked over. "Oh shit—" He tried snatching it off me by leaning over and wavering his hand around to try blindly grab it.
"Hold on! I'm not done!" I turned away from him, flicking through the pages. I reached a page that you had to turn the two pages vertical to make the picture of the two nude girls full. "Wowww."
"Y/N! Come on, I'm driving!" He continued to try snatch it off me but I kept wiggling away from his hand, giggling to myself.
"Oh-hoh! These two pages are stuck together!" I laughed loudly. He managed to grab it off me when I was too busy laughing. He shoved it into the door pocket on his side before clearing his throat.
"You tell anyone about that and I'll kill you."
I looked over to him. His face was severely flushed.
"But I would've already told everyone about your..." I looked over to the title of the porn magazine. "Big-Breasted Babes Volume 12. Volume 12?! You have all of them, Dylan?! Have some self respect man!" I cackled loudly, my stomach hurting with every aggressive roar of laughter I let out.
"No, I don't!" He yelled back, embarrassed.
"Whatever, dude. Just do a better job at hiding it." I giggled as I rummaged through all the CD's he had to offer. Some of them familiar, but I've never thought of listening to. Most were nothing I was familiar with.
The most listenable CD I came across was The Clash's album, 'London Calling.' I held it so it was facing him. "This okay?"
He looked over for a second, before readjusting his head back to where it previously was. "Sure." He nodded a little.
When I got confirmation, I opened up the CD and retrieved the disk before slotting it into the stereo and pressing the play button. Once I put the empty CD back in the glove box, I kneed it shut gently and sat back.
Back to silence, all expect for the music playing faintly on low volume, undermining the loud, spluttering of Dylan's van as it drove. It beats spending a Sunday all to myself.
"Erm," He broke the social silence. "I wanted to take you out because, I feel really fucking bad for what I said the night we met. I want to let you know I'm a good guy." He looked over to me.
"So, you do this with every girl you call an ugly bitch when your drunk? Right..." I scoffed, looking out the window.
"I'm sorry, Y/N. I was having a bad night. My—" He hesitated to say something, but it ended in him forcibly sighing and coming out and saying it anyway. "My girlfriend and I broke up that night. I was so angry at her that I just started getting angry at any other woman at that party, and because I was drunk. I'm not usually like that. And—And you interest me. I feel like we'd be great friends. So, can we please start over?" He ranted, sounding awfully guilty of himself. At least he gives a shit about owning up to his actions.
I poked at the inside of my mouth with my tongue. "Oh, yea?" I observed him up and down with cautious eyes.
"Yeah." He said sincerely, and turned his head back to the road.
"One last chance. That's it." I slid down a bit more in my seat, getting more comfortable.
"Yes, ma'am. I won't fuck it up this time. I promise." He smiled over to me. I smiled back, not as big as him, but I did smile. I was still treading lightly with him. I didn't know his true intentions just yet. The way he spoke to me that one night was disgusting all excuses aside. But free food and a ride back home. That's all this is.
"How long have you been in Nockfell? I'm familiar with a lot of faces here, especially your boyfriend, but not you."
"You're familiar with my boyfriend?" My eyebrows furrowed. Those two are polar opposites. How'd they be familiar with each other?
"Yeah. I see him in the record and CD store I go in sometimes. It's the only one in Nockfell, so I do see his face there a lot. Besides, this town is small. You know a lot of people here after a few years."
"Right." I muttered, my mood drastically shifting since the mention of the L-Word. I needed to change the subject. "I moved here nearly a year ago. In February." I explained, making his lips pull down his face as he nodded approvingly.
"Nice. How you finding it? It's a pretty crummy town." He chuckled, casually sliding his hands up and down the steering wheel.
"I think it's pleasant." I shrugged. "A lot of nature and it's quiet. I lived in a city. So, it's peaceful to live somewhere that doesn't have traffic noises outside your window every hour of the day. Even the bags under my eyes are disappearing." I giggled, even fanning at under my eyes for emphasis, though my partially dark circles were covered with concealer.
"Huh." He expressed in higher pitch. "You don't say. I've always wanted to live in a city."
"Don't." I said, firmly. "It's disgusting. It's much better here." I pulled a sour face even at the thought.
"I dunno. Just seems like so much more to do. Living in Nockfell for years really bores you, y'know? It's so small." He somewhat frowned. I get it, though. The same stores and same people and never any new places to go, does seem miserable.
"Well what do you wanna move out of Nockfell for?" I raised my temple from the cold glass of my window to look at him attentively.
"I've always wanted to be a famous football player." He said, followed with a breathy chuckle. "That's stupid though. I don't think I'll get there."
"What makes you say that? You've got the build for it." I signalled my hand up and down his broad body.
He laughed. "Gee, thanks. I don't know though. It's a dream way out of reach for me." He muttered, his smile fading as he pulled into the diner.
"You don't know yet. Don't let yourself down."
Once he pulled into a parking space, he looked over to me and grinned. "Thanks, Y/N."
I found myself smiling back. "You're welcome."
He jumped out his side of the car, slamming the door after him. Once I realised I was smiling over Dylan, I wiped my lips like my smile was a dirty stain, before huffing with all my chest.
I got out of my side and slammed the door, a gust of freezing wind greeting me on the way out. All my body hair stuck up to a point as an aggressive shiver traveled all over my body.
"You okay, Y/N. Want my jacket?"
"Nah," I shook my head. "i'm okay."
I would've loved to take it, but I didn't want the people of Nockfell thinking we're a couple. Already most of the Nockfell residents know me and Larry are a dedicated couple, because they see us so often.
"Alright. Let's go then." He nodded his head towards the door before walking his way over to it. I followed a few feet behind him awkwardly, until he held the door open for me. "Ladies first." He smiled at me.
"Thank you." I said as I walked into the diner. The smell of greasy diner food filled my nostrils, as well as the stench of strong coffee. There were a reasonable amount of people here. Some people I know, some not.
We walked further into the diner, when I was stopped by a guy I've spoken to at the Purple Incubus. A young guy with a face full of piercings and crazy pink hair. He was sitting in a diner booth with two other people I haven't seen before.
"Y/N! Holy shit, long time no see!" He said through a mouth full of burger while putting it down back onto the plate. Oh god, I really didn't want to talk about Larry right now, but obviously he'll be brought up. Thorough goers of the Purple Incubus know Larry more than they do me, because Larry has been going since he was 16.
"Yeah, I haven't been to the club in a while." I chuckled a little, giving context clues that I wanted to exit the conversation through body language, like looking away.
He looked over to Dylan while chewing his food. Once he gulped it down, he pointed over to him. "Who's this?" He asked, sounding offended that the space next to me was being filled by someone he isn't familiar with rather than Larry. Me and Larry are known as the picture perfect couple at the Purple Incubus, because we're always seen holding hands, kissing and we're never seen arguing. Well, never argued. Past tense. So reasonably, this man was concerned.
"This is Dylan. My friend." I looked over to Dylan, in which was pulling a subconscious grossed out face, because though he acts like he likes alternative music and it's people, he's really just acting, and it's obvious. So seeing this man that looks like would take hours to get through a metal detector with the amount of piercings he has on his face, Dylan probably wasn't used to that.
"Uh. Hi." Dylan said in a monotone tone.
"Where's Larry?" The guy asked, now ignoring Dylan.
"Uh, y'know, back at the apartment." I shrugged. I wasn't the best at lying, because he was clearly seeing through my lies from how he was squinting at me.
"I've heard that you and him split. That true?" He asked while eating a fry.
I furrowed my brows in disbelief. "What? No! Who told you that?"
"People just assumed that back at the club. You and him are there nearly every weekend." He said through chewing.
I was starting to get pissed off. "Yeah, well people should know the facts before they make assumptions."
This created a thick silence in the conversation.
"See you later." I said to the man, before walking off, and Dylan followed behind me.
"Who was that?" Dylan whispered at me.
"Just some ass from the club me and Larry go to. Always offers us drugs." I huffed, sitting down in an empty booth.
Dylan sat opposite me with a concerned face. "You don't do that shit though, do you?"
"I mean, I've tried it. Drugs pass through that club like it's normal, but I don't do it. I've only tried it." I shrugged casually before picking up a menu.
"Good. You're too pretty to waste your life away to drugs like that." He shook his head while looking down at the menu. I looked up at him, and I found myself smiling again.
"Anyway, what are you planning on going for?" He asked, raising his head from the menu to look at me. I hummed in thought, looking from him to the menu repeatedly.
"Depends. Who's paying?" I sheepishly asked.
"Me. Duh. Don't worry about prices. I've got money." He said before pulling out his wallet and placing it on the clean table between us. The wallet seemed full, as the leather was bulging, like there was a wad of cash in there.
I blinked hard, looking at it, then looking at him. He seemed pleased with himself.
"How are you?—" I whispered loudly, leaning in closely and still staring at his wallet.
"My parents."
Of course. Explains the attitude and the typical white cishet man privilege reeking from him from miles away.
"Right." I sat up straight, squinting at his wallet. Maybe I should keep Dylan around for a bit.
Soon after a waitress walked up to our table. A kind faced woman with her brown hair tied up messily in a bun and was clad with a clean white apron accompanied with a blue dress.
"Can I get you two anything?" She asked as she flipped open her notepad.
"Yes please." Dylan went, before looking across at my face. "You go first."
I remembered Dylan is paying, so might as well go all out.
——— Time Skip ———
"Holy fuck I feel like i'm gonna barf." I huffed out an exhale with my cheeks hollowed. "Or give birth." I tapped gently on my bloated stomach while I walked.
"No shit. A loaded three course meal of greasy food. What did you expect?" He laughed, spinning his keys around his index finger.
"Fuck you and the tiny, minuscule burger you ordered. You're just petty because I wouldn't share." I said with brazen tone.
"Maybe I am. What about it?" He grinned at me before we parted ways around the truck. I jumped in my side as he jumped in his. Once he got the car going, he pulled off and asked, "So, where to now?"
Suddenly I thought how I ran out of booze back home. I sighed with exhaustion at the thought. "Can we run to the food store in town? I need to pick up a few things. Sorry."
"Of course. Don't apologise." He smiled, and I smiled back. Not to be kind, I just couldn't help but smile.
I rolled my window down and looked over to him. "Sorry to be a dick, but mind sparing a cig?"
He obliged, nodding his head down to where they were. In his cup holder. I grabbed them, and opened the lid. There were three left, and a flick lighter with a tacky design on it.
I found that I started smoking so much more since me and Larry's kind-of breakup. That and drinking. It wasn't like me, surely. But it's like he was so built into my brain that I'd do anything to forget about him.
I lit up the cigarette I had between my lips, and placing what was Dylan's back where I found it. I took a long, needed drag, before exhaling it all out the window.
"Can I ask you something, Y/N?"
"Depends." I looked over to him while I twisted the cigarette around my index and thumb in thought.
"Are you and Larry okay?"
When he asked this, he did sound concerned. It didn't seem like he had nosy content. Though i've stuck to the whole defensive thing all my life, I think he's proven himself enough now for me to open up a little.
"Not—Not really." I muttered with my head low. "It's fine though. I'm fine." I raised my head back up, to take a few drags of my cigarette.
"Why isn't it okay?" He asked once again.
"Just arguing over the past. You know how it is. Couple stuff."
"But...You two are like peas in a pod. I thought you would've got back together by now."
"What he said to me was...Hurtful. Who am I kidding, it wasn't just an ordinary couple argument. It was too hurtful."
"God, I'm sorry, Y/N." He frowned visibly.
"It's fine." I said with smoke escaping from between my lips. "I'll be sorted soon enough."
——— Time skip ———
I jumped out of the truck, soon to be met with Dylan in front of me. The parking lot was dead. Only two cars, and a van tucked away around the side of the building.
"Let's go." He said as he walked towards the two automatic doors that slid open before we could walk directly into them. The noisy bustle of people shopping and employees scanning items immediately flooded my ears.
I started walking down the first aisle with Dylan lingering behind me, which was a frozen aisle. An overwhelming chill overcame me, regarding the chilling vapour projecting from the freezers. I stopped and turned to Dylan.
"Do you mind if I..?" I muttered, running my palms up and down my bare arms. I didn't need to finish my sentence because he already took the hint with my shivery body language.
"Of course, Y/N." He said modestly, pulling the jacket off himself, revealing his muscular, tanned arms. He even put the jacket on me himself. The jacket was too big for me, but it was so soft.
I turned around to him with a warm grin. "Thank you. That's so much more better."
"No problem. What are you here for anyway?" He asked, walking a little more in front of me as I took my time to look left and right in the aisle we were currently in.
I came here for booze. But I didn't want to tell him that. It was pretty shameful.
I lied through my teeth. "I-I have pretty much nothing to eat at home. I'm in desperate need to pick up a few things. Like uh.." I looked around rapidly for an excuse, before settling on picking up a block of cheese. "Like..." I chuckled, looking down at it. "Cheese."
He laughed, sliding his hands in his jean pockets. "You desperately need cheese?"
"Uh, no." I put the cheese back, giggling at my stupid miss at lying. I continued to pretend looking around, even picking up a few things and looking at them. Eventually we reached the alcohol aisle, where I could actually get myself something.
"Ooh." I expressed in fake interest, like I didn't intend to come in here just for booze. I walked down with Dylan to my side, and I laid my eyes on the cheapest bottle of of red wine.
"Hm..." I picked it up, observing it.
"You don't seem like a wine type of girl." Dylan hovered over me, looking at the brand. "Yuck. Don't get that."
"It's the cheapest. It's all I can afford."
"Not when you're with me." He observed over the aisle, squinting with focus.
"Ah-hah." He picked up a bottle that was $40. It had a shiny gold rim at the top with matte, opaque glass.
"I know this brand. My parents drink it. It's good." He nodded in approval, turning it over to the back, going on to read out the mixed ingredients that admittedly sounded delicious. He saw my intent looking at the bottle, so he put it in my hand.
"Wh— You sure? You don't have to. As long as it does the job, I don't care what it is." I chuckled nervously.
"It's fine. My pleasure. $40 isn't that expensive anyway." He shrugged. I smiled up at him.
"Thank you."
Larry's P.O.V:
It's like the universe knew I was planning on drinking my feelings away once again today. Because there's none of my favourite whiskey left in this store. The store I specifically come to all the time to get it.
"God, are you serious?" I muttered to myself, moving bottles around to see if there's any hiding behind the other whiskey bottles on the shelf. I cursed under my breath.
I stood up straight, turning my head to the left, at the start of the aisle. I saw a girl, hugging a boy with one of her arms. The girl looked awfully a lot like Y/N. Like her H/C hair, and her S/C skin.
The girl raised her head from his shoulder, turning my way.
It was Y/N. She was with Dylan. She was hugging Dylan. With his jacket on. She was smiling.
She saw me too. Her smile visibly dropped, like she knew she was caught in the act.
I couldn't decide if the feeling building up in me was rage or sadness, but the longer I stared, the stronger It grew.
His arm was still around her waist, and he saw me too. But he wouldn't move his arm from around her. Like he owned her.
She started to step towards me, but I turned the other way as soon as she did, forgetting why I even came in here in the first place.
Your P.O.V:
My stomach dropped once I saw Larry pacing away towards the exit. I felt like I was going to cry. I wanted him back just as bad. He just caught me at the worst time possible.
"Fuck!" I cursed loudly, slamming the bottle of wine back on the shelf, not hard enough that it would smash. I noticed Dylan's hand still around my waist.
"Get the fuck off me!" I shoved his hand off, drawing the attention of nearby customers.
"What? What's your deal?!" Dylan fretted, acting like he doesn't know what he just did.
I stared at him, tears forming in my eyes and my face twisting up in rage. "You—Asshole!" I yelled, turning towards the exit and leaving.
"Y/N!" He called after me, pacing up to me but my walking resorted to running.
As I expected, it was pouring rain overhead the dark sky as soon as I left into the parking lot. I enveloped in rain as soon as I left the two double doors.
"Y/N!" Dylan yelled once again, out of breath. He was a few feet behind me from what I could hear, but seconds later I felt him approaching me.
"Why did you do that?!" I sprung around and yelled at him, making his face grow confused.
"Do what?"
"Larry just fucking saw me with your hand around my waist!" I barked in anger.
"So?" Is all he had to respond with.
"Oh, my god." I broke out in sarcastic laughter. "I knew I shouldn't have come here. You clearly have the same intentions you had that night you fucking met me!" I screamed as I shoved his jacket off my arms like it was filthy. "Here. Have your jacket, and go fuck yourself." I shoved it onto his chest, before walking away.
"Where are you going?" He shouted as I was too far to speak normally.
"I'm going home!"
"It's raining! And the apartments are too far!"
"I don't fucking care!"
As I approached the exit of the parking lot onto the main road, I heard someone running up behind me. I turned around and was met with Dylan, panting and soaking wet.
"Please, Y/N." He had that same sincere tone he had when he apologised to me. But now I know that tone is a fucking lie.
"You SAW him. And you didn't pull away!" I bursted angrily, my face flushing red.
"You two aren't on good terms anyway." He muttered angrily yet cowardly.
"That's what I'm trying to fucking FIX!!" I roared, tears swelling up in my eyes. "I love him so much, and you've just ruined that for me! Why, Dylan?" My angry face scrunched up as I cried. "Why?" I sobbed into my palms.
"Hey," Dylan cooed. "it's okay." He hugged me tight, and I didn't fight it. I wailed into his chest, barely catching up to my breath. He then raised my head so I was looking at him.
Before I could blink, Dylan kissed me.
I pushed him off me harshly, looking at him in disbelief. "What the FUCK?!!" I shouted, wiping my mouth.
"What?" He exclaimed like I was the one being delusional.
I seethed my teeth and continued to sob angrily. "I can see right through you, Dylan. You're just a selfish waste of a man eager for some pussy. I should've never given you my time." I spat, hot tears streaming down my cheeks subsiding the freezing pouring rain.
He looked at me as his whole demeanour changed. He stepped closer, and hovered over me intimidatingly. "And you're just a desperate attention whore that throws a tantrum when she doesn't get her boyfriends notice."
"You're the one to fucking talk. That's why you brought me here, wasn't it?"
He erupted into laughter. "Finally! She catches on! Why the fuck would I give you my time just to be friendly? Y'know, I bet that boyfriend of yours only wants you for your body."
"Shut up." I spoke though my teeth, my fists slowly bunching.
"Hah, I bet everybody that you've ever dated only wanted you for your body! You know why? Because you're insufferable. You're nothing but a pair of pretty tits and a nice ass. Anything that comes out of your mouth people don't wanna know."
My fist met his face as soon as those words left his lips.
He groaned in pain, his lip now bleeding.
"I must say, for a woman, you do pack a punch." He chuckled, wiping the blood from his lip, before going on to punch my face ten times hard. He punched me so rough I fell on my backside onto the ground. I cursed loudly, holding onto my nose, as it started sputtering blood.
"You're gonna regret saying all that bullshit to me. You're gonna regret not being with me, fucking whore." He kicked me in my rib, making me howl in pain and fall on my back. I cradled my side as I cried out in agony.
I heard him walking away, the splatting noise of the bottoms of his shoes hitting against the wet ground grew quieter and quieter the further he got.
I couldn't move. I was too much in pain, physically and mentally. I accepted defeat and continued to sob on the soaking ground as pathetic as I was. There was nobody around to help. The parking lot was dead. Only one car for the entirety of the parking lot, besides Dylan's.
Speaking of, I heard the roar of Dylan's truck engine in the distance, soon it sped past me and down the main road.
I didn't know what to do. The apartments wasn't walking distance.
I hissed in pain as I leaned down in my back pocket to grab my phone. I opened it up and went to my contacts. The first person who was in my sight was Larry. I wanted to call him so badly. But he probably wouldn't pick up, knowing what he just saw. If he doesn't pick up, he doesn't pick up, right?
I held the phone up to my ear after selecting his contact, hearing it ring and ring. A few times more, and he picked up.
"So that's what you've been so busy with, huh?" Larry's voice sounded over the phone, broken like he had been crying.
"Larry, please—" I sobbed. "Please come pick me up." I whimpered.
"Don't come crying to me. You knew full fucking well that man's intentions. I'm hanging up."
"WAIT! Please! Please don't hang up!" I begged though my cries. "He just— He just hit me, a-and kicked me, and I don't have a ride home, please. Please, Larry. I'm begging you."
It went quiet for a few seconds, the only thing filling the silence were my quiet sobs.
"I'm coming. Stay there."