There’s a Rebel in My Bed!
Chapter 18 – Under The Dome
Song of The Chapter: Treacherous by Taylor Swift (2012)
The reason I haven’t been writing this story is because it was difficult writing two stories with big fan bases at once (TARIMB! And Just Friends). Both had to be of at least decent quality and so writing them at the same time meant that I would be paying attention to one more than the other, which tipped the balance of quality to one story. ‘Just Friends’ is finished; now I can focus on this as my flagship again (woot!). If you have to re-read chapters to get back on track, be my guest. Chapters should be every 7 to 14 days (SUNDAYS ONLY), depending on my college work load. Enjoy <3 and don’t forget to VOTE (75) & COMMENT (45)!
“Where should I begin, Evan?” Allen questioned coyly, hand on top Kasper’s hair and leaning just slightly on the edge of my bed. “Should I ask why Kasper is in your room or should I ask where have you been?” he kicked off of the bed, “or should I just ask you why the hell are wearing a blue tank with purple jeans?”
“What do you want, Allen?” I steamed again and he smirked in response, eye brow raised ever so slightly at the tone of voice I took.
He placed a hand on his chest. “Evan,” he said with a fake kind of shock, “I can’t believe you take this kind of tone of voice with me, especially seeing as I’m the one who is supposed to be outraged that Kasper Cruz is sitting on your bed spread shirtless and playing video games while you prance about in street alleys in the moonlight.”
“I was with Jacob.”
“Oh,” he smirked, patting Kasper’s head roughly, who of which grunted with each pat, more so out of annoyance than of anger, “So, while you’re on a date with one, you’ve got another waiting for you to come home.”
“I was waiting for him.” Kasper retorted with an eye roll but Allen waved him off and patted him again with a condescending chuckle.
“Oh please, Kasper. When I opened that door I thought you’re smile would have jumped off of your face.” Allen chided, “It’s like you’re a puppy waiting for your dirty owner.”
“Get out, Evan.”
“No.” he simply replied and even dared to take a seat next to Kasper. “I want answers.”
“What answers to do want?”
“Why is Kasper here and how do you know him?” I opened my mouth to reply but Allen quickly raised his hand before I could even get out a syllable. “If I even suspect you’re lying Evan, I will not hesitate to phone Jacob and send him a link to these pretty pictures of Kasper sitting half-naked on your bed.”
I blinked over to Kasper, but the second my gaping eyes met him, he averted them to his ripped jeans. “Kasper, you allowed him to take pictures of you? Why didn’t you punch him or something?”
Allen snorted as Kasper sighed, “I didn’t really have a choice…” he mumbled.
Allen nodded and patted him harshly on the back, “I dated his younger brother about a millennia ago, so I’m kind of off limits to punching in the face.” Allen smirked, “So, let’s get down to it. Why is this pretty little rebel in your bed?”
I swallowed. “Because we’re friends.”
Allen raised a brow, “…with benefits?”
“No.” I barked. “He’s just a friend playing video games.”
“Does Jacob know?” he scoffed immediately following the question, “Of course he doesn’t.”
“If you already know the answers, why are you asking the questions?”
“Because for once I’d like it if you told the truth. You’ve been sketchy since the day I met you.”
I closed – slammed – my room door. “If memory serves correctly, we didn’t meet. You dumped spaghetti all over me.” I hissed. “You’ve been a pain in my ass since you got here. So, please, please don’t assume that I owe you anything other than a swift kick in the gut.” I yanked my door open. “Leave.” My hands were trembling. “Now.”
Allen’s condescending smirk had all but shriveled up into a stone straight line; unable to read of any emotion. “Fine. But, please remember that I tried to get answers out of you.” He made his way to the door, stopping right next to me. “Now, I’m going to get them on my own.” He exited the room as a gust of chilling breeze floated in.
I huffed, closing the door back and turning to Kasper, who was leaning forward with his elbows pressed against his knees and his head resting in clasped, connected palms.
“We’re in trouble now, aren’t we?” I muttered and his eyes rose to meet mine.
“Big trouble.” He answered at the same volume and with just as much trepidation as me. “Allen isn't the type to let up. He’s going to hound you from a distance now. Which, if you ask me, is worse than having in up in your face.” I didn’t answer; Kasper undoubtedly knew Allen way better than I did. Hell, I still wasn’t completely sure on why he hated me so much. That was always a mystery, and asking him directly would probably be fruitless.
I sighed, completely drained by today’s events; both the blissful and the aggravating. Days seemed that way for a long time now; a blend of bad and good, and if the conversation with Allen proved anything, it’ll be like that for a long time.
I took off my shoes and slowly walked over to the bed, falling backwards onto the warm and comfy mattress that eased what tension was in my back; though the aching in my head still remained. My hands went to rub my eyes as I felt the left side of my bed sink in and tiny hairs tickle the same side of my cheek. And in the silence that swirled and whirled around the room, with just breaths escaping my lips and entering Kasper’s, I heard him say softly, “What are we?”
The question went unanswered.
Morning came quicker than I had ever wanted it to. I woke up far earlier than I needed to. The clock had yet to even hit 7, but I was sitting up in my bed with my eyes in the mirror straight ahead. I never really looked at myself in the morning; looking disheveled with uneven eyes because of the light and hair shaped like the cool side of my pillow wasn’t something that I found appealing. But, for some reason, I had yet to stop staring at myself.
I could hear Kasper lightly breathing next to me; he must’ve been really tired to even stay as long as he did all night. Usually he would be up and packed by the time morning had snuck up on us and I had to wonder when he’d pop up again. But, when I got up he was still lying a few inches away from me with his hands curled around him and a bit of drool hanging between his lips. It was the most vulnerable – human – I’d ever seen him.
What are we?
I didn’t know. Lines were so blurry now that it was hard to even tell the relationship between K and I. Friends? More? I had no idea. Like I said, lines were blurry. But, one thing was for sure: I was with Jacob and I didn’t want that to change any time soon. So, perhaps I’d put Kasper in the pending pile for now and deal with it later.
I got up, slowly as not to disrupt Kasper’s sleeping and got what I needed for school before locking my bedroom door and heading to the bathroom and leaving the alarm clock to wake him up.
By the time I was completely ready for school, it had become clear that we weren’t alone in the house. I could hear mom talking to someone downstairs; someone with a deep, steely voice of sorts that was unfamiliar to my ears. So, I decided to do a bit of investigating and trudge with my bag in tow down the stairs and into the living room from which the voices echoed.
Mom was sitting down, dressed for work, though her hair was still wrapped in a towel. And across from her in Dad’s love seat was a man dressed in a suit that resembled coffee more than anything and the scent of it was fuming off of him as well. They stopped whatever they were talking about the moment I came into view.
“Evan.” Mom greeted and patted the space next to her. “Good morning.”
“Ah.” The tall sir said, eyeing me from head to toe in a way that made me uncomfortable. “So, this is Evan.” His voice was deep but, very smooth – lyrical, not the voice I heard upstairs. “I’m sorry for your lost.”
A few months too damn late, I thought, but smiled anyway as I hesitantly took a seat next to mom. “What is this about?” I asked, looking at the woman next to me instead of the man in front.
Her lips parted to speak, but the man beat her to it. “Investigation, son.” I looked over to him and got a better look at his face. Brown eyes, dark brown hair and a little mustache. He had his dark shades in his suit’s pocket and had a cellphone in his hand. “That baby’s body what you found in your room was exhumed and we are still trying to piece together what exactly happened that night.” He looked at mom. “Your lovely mother is just helping me out a bit.”
“And we were just about done.” Mom smiled and stood up to shake his hand. He looked confused but took it anyway, standing as well. “If you need any more information you can call the contact I gave you.”
His eyes bounced between me and mom and hung there for a second longer. “Sure, Mrs. Harris.” His gaze scraped back over to me. “I’ll see you around, Evan.” He said, patting me on the shoulder before exiting through the front door.
Mom huffed and I folded my hands over my chest. “Do I even have to ask what that was really about?”
She blinked. “An investigation. It’s really that simple. There was no break-in and they just want to know how someone got into the house without shattering a window or breaking down a door. And they are obviously concerned as to why someone would target us.”
“Did you tell them about…Tank?”
“No.” she quickly responded. “That would be unwise. He’s expecting that and he’ll probably kill us before we even got the chance to.” She sat back down. “So, be careful and stay clear of him.”
“That’ll be kind of hard seeing as he’s my English teacher.”
Her eyes shot over to me and blew up. “What?” she boomed. “And you didn’t think this was something to tell me?”
“I think a better question would be how the hell does he have the power to even get a job teaching high school students? What credentials does he have?”
“Masters in English and he owns a small little eatery on the opposite side of town that your principal loves their bacon. He's well connected. He’s not a street thug, Evan.” Mom noted or more so warned. “He’s a mastermind and an expert in manipulation and a businessman. It’s best to just not anger him; not until I get the money he is asking for.”
“Yeah.” I exhaled. “Got it.”
A few minutes later, Jacob was knocking at my door and ready to take me to school, though we did stop to get breakfast first where he told me about the college that his dad wanted him to attend. His eyes seemed to light up at the talk of it. He even choked a few times because he wouldn’t wait for the food to go down the right hole before starting to talk about the campus again that he saw online.
But that enthusiasm quickly died and the fire was drenched when he started questioning about what would happen to us. “I could visit you every single break I have.” He said with a half-smile. “Or I could have you fly out to see me.”
“No way.” I said shaking my head. “There is no way I’m having you spend money to get me out there.”
“Then maybe you can come and stay with me?”
“My mom wouldn’t allowed that, Jacob.” I sighed. “Maybe we could have one of those long distance relationships.”
“Yeah,” he snatched a bacon off of his plate, “those always work out.” He stood up. “I’m not hungry anymore.”
The drive to school was silent until we had arrived and he placed a kiss on my cheek, saying he’d meet me after school after his practice. Alex greeted him and gave me a poor excuse for a wave as they started for wherever they were going.
I looked around the front lawn of the school. Miko and Amari were sitting together under the shade of a one of the taller trees planted in the yard together. She was talking on her cell phone and he was scribbling stuff down in a book. I wanted to go and talk to them, but Miko and I still weren’t on the best of terms and just when I thought I would have to walk through the halls alone, Chris and the others were already sprinting in my direction.
I didn’t have a chance to escape. Chris lifted me up into a bear hug and span around with me in his hands so many times that he started rocking back and forth from the dizziness with me in his clutches in the air.
“Put me down before you kill us both.” I laughed and he obliged, opting to sit down on the cold cement because his head was still swinging. “So, what’s the 411, guys?”
Kimmy, whose hair was now a shade of blue, raised her hand. “It’s been a very busy weekend.” She sang, pulling her bag off of her back and setting it on the ground, opening it wide soall of us could see. She pulled out a file and opened it wide to a page with a lot of fine, printed writing. “You know those babies arms that you found?”
“I’m still trying to forget.” I groaned.
“Well,” she blinked, “those arms were once connected to a Ginger Bree, who died of lung cancer at the age of three. And the authorities, according to this, know that it was dug up by someone who souldn't have dug it up, because they found the steel part of the shovel broken off from the rest of it and they are searching for the other half now around the cemetery area.”
Bobby was the first to blink. “How…did you get all of this?”
“I’m interning for the chief of the police. I can walk into offices freely, they go on donut breaks every day at 3 and they had a copier machine,” she placed the folder back into her backpack and zipped it up, “you do the math.”
“So, what does this mean?” Chris asked, still holding his head with his hands. “There’s no way Tank or Mr. O’Neal or whoever, just threw that part of the shovel in the grave yard.”
“My mom said he owned a little diner across town.” They all looked at me. “Maybe he put it there so it wouldn’t be found?”
Bobby raised a brow. “Are you suggesting that we break and enter into an eatery?”
“Sounds fun.” Kimmy quipped and Chris nodded his head.
Bobby rolled his eyes. “That’s breaking the law guys.”
“Well, so is taking police files.” Kimmy retorted. “We’re already deep in the rabbit hole. Might as well see where it goes.” Her eyes went between the three of us.
“This is wrong, guys.” Bobby continued. “We should just tell the police about it and let them go deal with it.”
My gut said to go with Bobby. Seeing what Tank was capable of, it may be wise to just let professionals handle this. “I think Bobby’s right here, guys.”
“You guys are such pussies.” Chris mumbled and I fought not bringing up the fact that he was still reeling from a ten second spin. “It’s just a little breaking and entering; nothing major.”
“Why don’t we vote on it?” Kimmy suggested and we all slowly nodded in agreement. “All in favor of being punk bitches and calling the authorities?” I rolled my eyes as I lifted my hand and Bobby glared at Kimmy as he raised his. “All in favor of being masculine men and or women and going to deal with it ourselves?” Kimmy and Chris’ hands shot into the air and it seemed as if we had a tie.
Seemed being the operative word. Once Kimmy noticed that we were at a deadlock, she immediately started looking for someone to break the tie. So, she stood up straight and looked across the grassy plain until she must’ve found someone. “Over there.” She pointed, and all of us looked in the direction of her finger. “That guy, his hand is in the air.”
“He’s waving at that blonde girl.” Bobby deadpanned.
“And how do you know that.” Kimmy replied.
I took a moment. “…She’s waving back.”
“Assumptions, my dears.” She smirked. “3-2. We meet at my place at 7, we get there by 8.” She commanded, putting her bag over her shoulder and walking away with a little smile on her lips.
“I’m regretting telling you guys about this, already.” I murmured.
Bobby stepped next to me and heaved a heavy sigh “I second that.”
“I think I ate here before.”
“…You have horrible taste. Just looking at this place gives me explosive diarrhea.”
“Are you sure this is it?” Kimmy asked, turning her head to look me over. “And why didn’t you dress in black like I asked?” It was the dead of night and silent on this particular strip of business shops and such. I had to tell my mother that I was studying for a huge math quiz by Chris’ to even get out of the house this late.
“Mom said Heavy Al’s Breakfast Diner was the name of it and that it was Tank’s cover-up for his gang related trades.” I blinked. “You never asked me to dress in black.”
“I sent an email, Evan.” She huffed and opened her door. “Bobby and I are going to scope out the perimeter.”
“Bobby?” the other male questioned, obviously not so thrilled to be her sidekick. “Why me?”
“Shut it and get out of the car, you little girl.” Kimmy mocked exiting the car the same time Bobby did – grumbling all the way.
That left me and Chris alone in the back seat of Kimmy’s car. “So,” he began, “how’s…Evelyn?”
“Fine, really. She’s getting over you.”
“I noticed.” He answered. “She’s been running around with your friend as of late with heart shaped eyes.”
I snorted. “Yeah, I gave her his number. Hopefully this bit of puppy love will get her to forget that she’s angry with me for calling her pregnant and causing her break-up.”
“Well, you didn’t cause anything. She’s the one who did it with Alex, who, by the way, I still have to punch in the face. Not just for getting with my girl but also for sleeping and breaking up with you.”
“Yeah,” I laughing bitterly, “that’s something that I needed to be reminded of.”
“Sorry.” He quietly responded. “I can’t imagine how all of this feels. How do you deal with it? I mean, how do you cope? I would have already been having an anxiety attack if I were you.”
That was an interesting question. Why hadn’t I been reduced to a snotty mess yet? “I don’t know. Maybe I’m stronger than I think I am…or something worse is coming. Or maybe it’s because I feel trapped and closed in. Right now, I don’t see any lights at the end of any tunnels. Not in this or with Jacob, and, and I’m just…hopeless. It’s like I’m living under a dome that I can’t escape from...so what's the point, really.”
“Hey,” Chris silently said once he noticed my breathing starting to hitch. He rested a tiny hand on my shoulder. “I’m here – we’re here for you. We’re always going to be here. So, if there’s no light at the end of any tunnels, I guess we’ll have to make our own.” He whispered. “Plus, I brought a flashlight.” He smiled …and I smiled back. A genuine one and for the first time in months, the churning feeling in my gut wasn’t as evident anymore.
“Okay!”
The both of us looked outside my side of the window, seeing as I was facing the entrance of the one story diner, and saw Kimmy waving at us in her black turtle neck and matching jeans. I sighed and opened up my car door, stepping out into the chilly night; surprisingly, it wasn’t snowing.
“The coast is clear. Chris and Evan will go inside and search, keep the lights to a minimum, if you find anything incriminating, bring it out.”
Before I even had the chance to nod my head, a pair of headlights was coming down the street. There was nowhere to hide, either. The lights were illuminating us and whoever was in the Jeep Cherokee had already seen our faces. “Damn it.” Kimmy mumbled, stiffening. The car slowed down right behind Kimmy’s silver one and the lights turned off.
For a moment, I contemplated just running, but that would require me to abandon my friends and the car and since they were sticking their necks out for me, I could at least go down with them.
The driver’s door swung open and out stepped a pair of yellow converses. And as the door closed and the full figure came into view, we all moaned and groaned. “What the hell are you doing here?” I spat.
“I thought you said we weren’t being tailed?” Chris aimed at Kimmy, who just shrugged her shoulders, speechless.
Allen looked an odd mixture of confusion and amusement as he crept closer and onto the walkway that lead to the door of the eatery. He eyed me first. “So, is this why you can’t give me any answers to your general shadiness as of late?” he eyed the others next and their choice in attire. “You’re cat burglars?” he looked at the building and scowled “And tasteless ones at that.”
“Go home, Allen.” I sighed, pinching my nose. “I’m in no mood for you right now.”
“I don’t care.” He replied, straight and honest. “You didn’t tell me what was going on when you had the chance and now, I’m here to figure things out on my own. So, either kill me or let me in on what’s going on.”
“Don’t” I chuckled, “you don’t want to give those options right now.” All humor was gone.
“Enough.” Kimmy said before Allen had the chance to smartly retort. “Allen, just…go with them and stay close. You won’t get any answers until we get what we came for. Deal?”
Allen eyed Kimmy for a second before turning his attention back to me with far more contempt in his eyes. “At least one of you barbarians have manners.” He mocked and Chris had to grab my hand to stop my fist from permanently knocking the smirk off of his face.
“Okay, everyone keep your cells close. Bobby and I will stand guard. Evan, Chris…and Allen go inside and search. If there are any problems at all, get the hell out of there.” Kimmy instructed and we all nodded.
Chris was the first to lead off and I made Allen follow behind him so he couldn't slip away, and me behind.
Chris, being an expert at picking locks got the glass front door open in about six minutes with tripping any alarms. Inside looked like any other diner, to be honest. Chairs and tables lined the walls on both sides of the door with a cash registers and whatnot straight ahead. It wasn’t anything fancy or high classed at all. And it seemed colder inside than it did on the outside. The streetlights did what they could to illuminate the room, which wasn’t a lot.
“Where do you think he’d keep it?” Chris whispered. “If he still has it?”
“No idea.” I answered back, trying to keep myself warm by rubbing my skin.
“Keeping what?” Allen queried. “And who’s he?”
“Remember the deal?” I hissed at him. “When we find what we’re looking for, then you get your answers.”
He grumbled under his breath, but otherwise went silent as he stood on the right side Chris near the front door with me on the other side.
“There’s a hallway that way.” Chris noted, pointing to the left of him.
Allen pointed to the right. “One’s that way as well.”
“Great.” I huffed. “We cover more ground if we split up, right?”
Chris nodded. “I’ll take that way. The both of you head right and get what you can find.” I nodded and he ruffled my hair. “Keep your phone on you. If anything at all goes wrong, you call me.”
“Got it.” And then we went our separate ways. Allen stayed close behind and remained relatively quiet as we stalked through the hallway. That was until we came to a steel door with a round window.
“What’s in there?”
“How should I know?” I barked. “This isn't my usual hang out”
“Yeah," he snorted, "there aren’t nearly enough boys here for you.”
“Stay close, you moron.” I barked, opening a door that seemed to lead into a kitchen.
“Whatever.” Allen responded quietly with his chest to my back, taking my advice a little too seriously and something told me he meant to do it just to spite me. I ignored it and trudged on. It was dark and I could hardly see anything but tables and steel pots and pans on the tables. “Can you find a light switch or something?” Allen asked in annoyance. “I’ve hit my toe like three times already.”
“Shut it.” I spat and he growled in response. “I can’t see shit; do you really think I’m going to be able to find a light switch?”
“Maybe you should’ve checked the wall next to the door when we entered.” He sassed as we slowly moved through the room. “And what are we looking for anyway?”
“I, as in me – I’m looking for something rather important and would be really appreciative if you just shut your face.”
“Fine…” he mumbled, but after just a few seconds of blissful Allen-less silence, he started up again. “Do you smell that?”
I growled. “The only thing I smell is your cheap-ass cologne. So, shut it.”
“As hurtful as that is, I’m serious you moron. I smell…gas.” He murmured. “I’m going to look for the light switch. Can you make yourself useful and see if you can find the stoves.”
I wanted to bark at him to not be ordering me around, but seeing as my nose was starting to pick up the scent of gas as well, I remained quiet and looked for the stove. And I found them in the worst way possible. “Shit.” I groaned, waving my hand back and forth and holding it close to me.
“What is it?” Allen said as the lights for the kitchen turned on.
“Burned my hand on the stove.” I squeezed out through the pain.
He jogged over to me and took my right hand into his, expecting it thoroughly with his eyes. “You’ll live.” He quipped and dropped it.
I resisted the urge to bang his head onto it and see if he'll live. “These were on.” I muttered, wincing just a bit at the lingering pain from the burn.
“Well, either someone enjoys cooking in the dark and went for a pee break or someone needs to get fired.” Before I could respond, there was the sound of a door crashing to an open. We both spun around the way we came and saw a figure dressed in black standing in between the door’s frame. Allen stepped closer with me behind him. “I guess chefs don’t wear the regular attire in this joint.” He murmured at the masked man. “Hey, burglar guy! Did you leave these stoves on?”
“Allen.” I trembled as the man in black raised a lighter with a tiny flame blazing on top of it. “I don’t think he’s a chef.” I backed the both of us up and just barley caught a glimpse of a door that looked like it may go outside to the left of me.
Before any of knew what had happened, he threw it. He chucked the lighter into the room! I grabbed Allen’s hand and crashed through a door that wasn’t so far from us, just before something ignited and huge and intense sounds echoed through the air. We got through the back door of the room just as it exploded and transformed into a pit of smoke and burning dish pans.
Allen started coughing and I was too busy hyperventilating to even do that. Fire shot out one of the windows in the back, making us take cover as glass from the window hurled into the air. Once it had stopped, I looked up at the burning building and desperately tried to see inside to no avail.
“Did you friend get out?” Allen muffled out, hands over his mouth and eyes squinted on the fire. His hair looked slightly burned by the flames, but my vision was blurry and I couldn’t be for certain.
What air was in my lungs had spilled out. My heart pounded in my chest like hammer being slammed against hard cement. I tried to head back to the door from which we escaped but, Allen quickly pulled me back.
“You are not going back in there, you dumbass!” he blasted and I yanked my hand away from him. “Did your friend get out?” he asked more sternly. “Did he call or anything?”
I couldn't think. Too many things were echoing at all corners of my mind. I tried to look into one of the windows to see if anyone was still inside but the flames blazing within were too thick to see through and the smoke made it impossible to go near without keeling over, coughing. Did Chris get out? Was he alive? How did Tank know we were coming? Who was the figure in the mask? “I don’t know.”
That escalated quickly.
VOTE & COMMENT and thank you for reading this, seeing that the hiatus has been sooo long. But, this is going to be finished up very soon and you’re going to be getting a lot of answers (and some more questions) in these final ten chapters, this fall! Can’t wait! XOXO