Sean led me to an old beat-up, faded red 1980's Ford Mustang.
"Nice car," I said.
"She's my pride and love," he replied, opening the passenger door for me. I slid into the passenger seat and he shut the door, coming around to the driver's side. He revved the engine, which roared to life, and then began driving.
We drove in silence for quite some time. I stared out the window, watching the streets pass by in a blur of people and lights. As time stretched forward, I found that the streets became less crowded, the lights had grown fewer, and the buildings were more dispersed. I wondered where we were going.
"Tori?" I heard, feeling someone shaking me awake.
I blinked.
It was dark out and I was sitting in a strange vehicle that was not my own. I looked around me to the source of the voice and the poking and realized that Sean was standing at the passenger side of the door looking down at me.
I opened my mouth to say something, but he beat me to it.
"You fell asleep twenty minutes ago," he said, holding his hand out. I gazed up at him, still confused because I couldn't remember why I was in the car in the first place. Nonetheless, I took his hand, mostly for the fact that he was holding it out so willingly and I just wanted to hold his hand.
Sean helped me out of the car and locked it. He led me to a blanket that lay on the ground. I took this moment to look around me and observe my surroundings.
We were most definitely not in New York City anymore.
At the moment, I was standing on a grassy ledge. Behind me was a dirt road, which led to a paved, winding road. At the edge of the ledge, there was a rusty railing. But this wasn't the fascinating part of the scene.
Looking out from the ledge, I could see the entire city, or at least what looked like it. There were a million twinkling yellow and white lights. The buildings were miniscule from our height. We must have been on one of those tall cliffs that could be seen from the far distance in the city. I had always wanted to go to those cliffs, but didn't know how. And now, I was standing on one of them with quite possibly the hottest guy I knew.
I turned to this hot guy now.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"It's a secret," Sean replied.
"It's not a secret if I'm here," I pointed out.
"Of course it is. You have no idea where we are or how we got here. Therefore, it's a secret," he replied, his eyes as bright as the lights from the city below.
"Touché..." I said slowly, looking back at the city. "Why did you bring me here?" I asked.
"You looked upset when you walked out of the studio. I thought you could use a place to let your emotions out," he answered.
I looked at him, a small smile on my lips. He looked back at me, returning the smile. Then he sat down on the blanket, drawing his arms around his knees. He looked up at me expectantly. I shrugged and sat next to him, pulling my own knees up to my chest.
It was a chilly evening. Fall had already settled in and the leaves were beginning to change colors. This meant that winter was a few short months away and then the ground would be covered in snow. It was crazy how quickly time seemed to pass by, not taking care of the world around it, not waiting for the world to catch up.
I shuddered against the cool breeze. I had only my thin white top on and my jeans. The chiffon of my shirt didn't really protect me from the chill of the air surrounding us.
Suddenly, I felt warmth fall onto my shoulders and I looked over at Sean. He had just placed his black leather jacket over my shoulders. He smiled at me and turned to face the city lights below, his blue-green eyes sparkling.
"Aren't you cold?" I asked him.
He simply shrugged.
"Not as much as you," he replied, not looking at me.
We sat in silence for a few long moments. It wasn't awkard or uncomfortable. It was calm and peaceful, like we were both lost in our own little worlds, thinking our own little thoughts, caught up in our own lives.
I thought back to earlier today: Lucas, Maya telling me he wanted me to go to homecoming with him, and then the preview show on Saturday.
Shit! The preview show!
I let out a groan and closed my eyes.
"Everything all right?" he asked.
"Far from," I grumbled, massaging my forehead with my knuckles. My headache was coming back.
"Want to talk about it?" he asked.
"You honestly don't want to hear the annoying life story of Victoria Grey," I remarked.
"Try me," he replied. I looked at him and then sighed.
"Remember when I told Jaque how my my aunt hates me?" I began. He nodded. "Well, she really hates me. And I put up with her until a few summers ago, when I brought my first boyfriend to her house for a few weeks when we were visiting her. Long story short, she was the reason we broke up," I explained.
"That sucks," he commented. I shrugged.
"It did at the time, because right after he broke up with me, he shot up on the popularity ladder and you know how important that is in high school," I replied. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Anyway, he wants me back now. He keeps trying to ask me out," I said. He looked at me, a curious expression on his face.
"Well, do you want to get back together with him?" he asked me. I sighed.
"I don't," I told him.
"Then tell him that," he said.
"I did," I mumbled.
"And he still won't leave you alone?" he asked me.
"He can be pretty persistent," I said.
"Hmmm..." he said, looking back out at the city.
We fell into a long silence. I was vaguely aware of Sean's arm, which was pressed lightly against mine. The moment I took note of this, I felt my cheeks flush with color.
"What else is wrong?" Sean asked, breaking the silence.
"What do you mean?" I asked back.
"You can't only be upset about an ex-boyfriend," he said.
"That's true," I muttered. "I guess it's just my aunt. She's been really annoying, moreso than usual. And my parents seem to have forgotten all about me and my little brother," I told him.
"Your parents?" he asked. I nodded.
"My mother is an author. She writes books about pregnancy," I explained.
"A valid topic..." he mumbled. I laughed and he smirked.
"And my dad works at NYU. He's a professor and an archaeologist. He's gone for a dig in Egypt," I said.
"Your parents sound awesome," he told me.
"They are, but they're never around," I said.
"Like now?" he asked. I nodded. I noted the light hairs on Sean's arms were sticking up and he had goosebumps all along his skin. I made to take his jacket off, but he stopped me.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"You look cold..." I started to say, but he shook his head, pushing the jacket to me again. "Sean, seriously, you'll catch a cold," I said.
"I'm fine, Tori," he said. Just as he said this, a strong breeze blew over us. Sean pulled his knees closer to him, trying to retain the warmth in his body. I let out a frustrated sigh.
"Here, you take the jacket," I said, shrugging it off.
"Tori--" he started, but I threw the jacket on him. He gave me a look and I felt bumps arise on my own skin as the cold air bit at it.
"I'll sit in your lap," I said.
He raised an eyebrow quizzically at me, but put the jacket on nonetheless. I moved so that I sat in front of him, my back pressed against his strong, broad chest. He wrapped his arms around me, enveloping me in his warmth. I felt a smile creep up onto my lips as I settled into him.
"See? All better," I said. He chuckled.
"I think you just wanted me to hold you," he whispered in my ear, sending chills down my back.
"Oh, shut up," I replied, feeling my cheeks burning. I thanked the higher deity above that it was dark out and he couldn't see.
"The winter preview show is this Saturday," I told Sean.
"I know. I handed out all the stupid invitations," he replied.
"Our homecoming dance is this Saturday, too," I said.
"Is your aunt making you go to the preview?" he asked. I nodded.
"Elizabeth has some family issues to deal with. So now I have to be her assistant at the party," I told him. He nodded, resting his head next to mine. I smiled at the touch.
"Senior homecoming?" he asked.
"Yeah, and my crazy friend made me promise that I'd go," I said.
"What's more important to you?" he asked me.
"I don't think I really have a choice here. I have to go to the preview or else my aunt will feed lies to my parents about how I'm the devil's child and I don't listen to anything. And my parents will believe her because she's doing them such a big favor by letting my brother and I live with her while they're gone," I said.
"You always have a choice, Tori," he said softly. I sighed and closed my eyes, leaning against him.
"I know, but sometimes one isn't at tangible as the other," I replied.
He was silent for a moment. We both were lost in our own thoughts for a few minutes, thinking about our own lives and our own problems.
I wondered how Sean could possibly have any problems in his life. He probably had a perfect life. I mean, he was gorgeous and nice, went to a good private school and had a good paying job. From what it looked like, he had friends that knew him pretty well. I wondered what his family life was like. I wondered why it was so easy for me to tell him about mine.
"Sean?" I said.
"Yeah?" he replied.
"Thanks," I said.
"For?" he asked.
"Bringing me here," I replied. "I needed to get away."
He smiled at me.
"Anytime, Tori," he said.
I smiled back up at him and I was once again astonished by the depth of his blue-green eyes. They were sparkling and kind and friendly, but at the same time, there was something lurking underneath the surface. Something was bothering him.
"My friend Maya and I each made a bucket list of things to do over the summer after we graduate," I said.
"Really? What's one of the things on your list?" he asked.
"Remember in Dark Knight, at the fundraising party that Bruce Wayne throws for Harvey Dent? When the Joker makes a guest appearance and then he pushes Rachel off the side of the Wayne tower?" I asked him. He chuckled.
"Yeah, what about it?" he asked.
"Well, you know how Rachel screams so loudly as she's falling off the side of the building, before Batman comes and saves her?" I continued. He nodded. "I've always wanted to scream like that. Just scream and not care that anyone hears me. Just yell at the world and get all of my frustrations out, without the norms of society stopping me. I feel like it would be really satisfying," I finished.
There was a silence.
"Sean?" I asked.
Then he started laughing.
"What's so funny?!" I exclaimed.
"That was the most random thing I've ever heard," he said. I pouted and looked up at him. He chuckled and ran his thumb along my cheek. "Let's do it," he said.
"Do what?" I asked as he stood up, bringing me up with him.
"Scream," he replied simply, taking my hand and leading me to the ledge.
"Seriously?" I asked. He nodded, his eyes bright, a smile at his lips.
"You don't have to be afraid of anyone hearing you out here. No one's around for miles," he said.
"Are you going to scream, too?" I asked. He nodded. I noticed that our hands were still linked and I smiled at him.
"Ok, let's do it," I said. He grinned and we both faced the city scape below us.
"On the count of three," Sean said, glancing at me.
"One," I counted.
"Two," he said.
"Three!" we cried together.
Simultaneously, we both shouted at the top of our lungs. We yelled as if we were falling off the cliff we were standing on. We screamed as if we had jumped out of a plane. We shouted as if no one could hear us.
After a few seconds of shouting, we both looked at each other, grins on our faces. Sean pulled me closer to him again, as the cold was biting at my skin, making my nose turn pink and my fingers go numb.
"Let's go?" Sean asked.
I nodded. He held his hand out to me and I grabbed it. He led me back to his car and as he drove, we both had smiles plastered onto our faces. I hadn't felt this happy in a long time. I felt exhilerated. I felt alive.
______________________________________________________________________
A/N: There you go! To all my Sean-lovers! This whole chapter had him in it.
Sorry I updated so late. It was a crazy first week of classes. I also caught a cold and I just felt like crap. But I'm better now. And it's the weekend! Yay!
I based the ending of this chapter off of a YouTube video I watched called, Nothing Left Unsaid by Kurt Hugo Schneider. It's a really inspiring and touching short video and in one part, the characters scream as if there's no tomorrow. I've always wanted to just scream like that, too. Tori's reasoning is actually my reasoning. I just want to scream sometimes.
Anyway, let me know how you liked the chapter. I think the song in the side bar is a good one for this chapter. Go watch that short video if you have time!
And you know the drill: Comment and Vote!
XOXO