Stan's POV
Eight and a half hours before the last chapter
Kara had just... Kara had just fallen into the water. She stumbled, or tripped, or something. Whatever happened didn't matter now. She wasn't getting out, and I needed to help her.
I ran down to the river, but I was beat by someone else. Long, dainty hands went up to her red lips as she just stood and stared. Veronica. Veronica Ono. I had a class or two with her last year.
I tried to shove past her, but she pulled me back.
"Hey! You can't go in there!" she shouted.
"No. No, you don't understand. My friend fell in, and I need to save her," I said, trying to get out of her grip. "She can't swim!"
I didn't know if it was true, but it made Veronica let go. She just let go and stepped back, fishing her phone out of her pocket.
"Take your jacket off, at least," she said, still staring at her phone. A flashlight popped on, and she pointed it at the water. "We can't have you swimming around with extra weight."
I shrugged off my jacket, and threw it to the ground before jumping into the river. The cold water sent a shock through my system, but I couldn't lose any more time. With the help of Veronica's light, I searched through the dark lake.
Veronica's flashlight hit something downstream. Red shirt, yellow hair, hard to miss now. My shoes, heavy from the water, just barely hit the ground as I swam, giving me very little leverage to work with.
I grabbed Kara's wrist, and pulled her towards me. She had passed out, her bruised lips parted and purple. Why did I let her wander off? She didn't even want to come. Why did I make her come?
Because she felt she owed me something. Even with that shower cap over her head when we were dying her hair, she still looked beautiful. Very forward, very sharp. I just wanted to impress her so badly, and all I've done was mess things up.
"Get her out of the water!" Veronica shouted. "Jesus, do you want hypothermia, too?"
I pulled Kara with me out of the river, being as careful as I could with her body. I set her down on the ground, and slid my dry coat over her. Veronica stood towering above us, hands sitting on her hips. Even standing next to her on a normal day was intimidating, since she stood just an inch above six feet, but she looked much taller from down here on the ground. Her front teeth were stained red from constantly biting her lips.
Veronica crouched down to meet me, and she checked Kara's pulse. "She should be fine," Veronica said, "although we should get her someplace she can recuperate."
"Yeah, okay." I picked Kara up, which proved to be a bit harder than holding her in the lake. She had to be at least my weight, but I managed to stand up with her in my arms.
"Hey, where are you going?" Veronica asked as I began to walk back towards Bradley's house.
"To my car."
"No. No no no no no."
She jogged just to keep up with me, although to be fair, I wasn't walking very quickly. Veronica matched my pace, but I did nothing to invite her to speak.
"There is no way I'm letting you take her home," she said. "Not morally, I mean. You're obviously drunk, or high, or.... or both, and you are almost certainly not capable of taking care of.... of-"
"Kara," I finished for her. "And I'm fine."
"Please. If you don't do it for yourself, do it for Kara."
I had to stop there. She was right; as much as I wanted to help, I had no clue what I was doing. Veronica, still dressed like she was going to sell cookies in her plaid skirt and white blouse, was probably my best bet at helping Kara.
"Stay here," she said, lightly grabbing my arm. "I'll drive my car over here."
She turned her Mary James around, and began running back to the bridge. I lowered Kara back to the ground, and sat with her in the grass. My fingers found their way to Kara's hair as her head sat in my lap.
"Ugh."
Kara pulled the jacket closer to her body, and opened her eyes. She groaned again, and put a hand to her head.
"Kara! Oh my god, Kara, are you okay?"
She just tugged at the jacket again, making herself smaller. That couldn't be good. Luckily Veronica was quick, and she pulled over to the side of the road. I picked Kara up, and sat her in the backseat with me.
"So, where am I going?" Veronica asked.
I gave her instructions, and she began to drive off. I was going to have to come back for my car later. (Although I bet it won't be the only guest sleeping over at Bradley's tonight.)
Veronica drove over the bridge, her car jumping with everyone shaky beam we went under. Kara paled, and had a hand to her mouth. I knew that sign well enough to tell Veronica to open a window. I unbuckled myself, and moved Kara towards the open window, where she began to puke.
"Oh my god!" Veronica shouted from the driver's seat. "Is she getting any of that on my car?"
"No," I lied. No use telling her the truth.
Veronica kept driving, and even after Kara finished vomiting, she dangled limply out of the window. I held her hair back, just in case, and sat with her the whole ride long.
The drive felt too long for an emergency. Kara had practically gone to sleep again, and I had pulled her back inside the car. She slept on my shoulder until we arrived to our destination.
"Is this her house?" Veronica asked.
"No. It's mine." I reached over Kara to open the side door. "Thanks for your help."
"Here, let me help you." Veronica got out of the car, and slipped one of Kara's arms under hers. I did the same, and we walked her to my front porch. I was able to get the door open, and we sat Kara in the living room. Veronica took a step back, and examined Kara.
"She needs to get into dry clothes," she said. "And a bath. She stinks."
Well, yeah. Anyone would smell like that after puking up almost a quarter bottle of alcohol. Hell, my stomach wasn't doing too awesome, either, and I've done this before. I reached out for Kara's hand, and gently rubbed it. Whether I'm trying to reassure me or her, I wasn't sure.
"So what exactly happened?" Veronica asked. "I mean, I'm guessing you two were at that stupid party, but..."
I sighed, and rubbed my eyes. "It was just a drink, but then... Well, we drank a bit more, and–"
"Did you do any drugs?"
"Yeah. I was getting to that part."
"Right. Sorry. Continue."
"It was just weed, by the way. And barely enough to really do any damage, but I think it was too much for her. Someone offered to pierce her lip, so that's where that came from," I said, pointing at her bruising lip. "She saw the blood, freaked out, and went outside. I think you know the rest."
Veronica nodded, and glanced over at Kara again. "I can probably get her into a bath if you wanna go get her some fresh clothes. Maybe – hopefully – that actually wakes her up, and we can put a little food in her. Then I should probably get home."
Right. It was midnight; why was she even here? But Kara needed the help, and I needed to provide it to her somehow. And she had a plan, which was good. I gave Kara's hand another squeeze, and stood up to get to my room.
"Stan?"
I turned around. Veronica slipped her headband back into her glossy black hair, her almond eyes fixed on me.
"Um, you do have a bath, right?" she asked rather nervously.
"Yeah," I answered. "Yeah, it's downstairs. I'll show you."
Veronica scooped Kara up from the couch easily, and followed me down my flight of stairs. I couldn't believe it. The first time I was inviting Kara into my house was with her passed out and being carried by someone who wasn't me. Not like I ever intended on carrying her down this flight of stairs, or carrying her, like, in general. But she was my... Well, I wasn't quite sure yet. Friend, technically, but I was hoping for something more.
I showed Veronica to the bathroom, and stood beside the closed door. The bathtub faucet turned on, and I could hear water running.
"Ughhhh. Where... Where am I?" Kara asked from the other side of the door.
"You're at Stan's house right now, sweetie," Veronica explained. "You got super sick, so I'm helping you - please don't touch my hair."
"You're very pretty."
"Yeah, I know, just... I'm gonna help you get out of your clothes, okay? You're soaked."
There was a bit of rustling from the other side. It felt wrong to stand there and listen in, but I wasn't quite sure what else to do.
The bathroom door opened, and I politely stepped away. I got a glimpse of Kara from inside, and I quickly shielded my eyes.
"Hey, you, go get her some dry clothes," Veronica said, snapping at me. "Does your mom have sweatpants or anything?"
"My mom doesn't live with me, actually."
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." She cleared her throat. "Go get her a shirt and some sweats. Briefs might work, too, if you don't have appropriate pants. And you should change, too. You're practically an ice-pop."
"Me?" I asked. "No. No, I'm fine."
"Look at you! You're shivering like... Like... Well, I don't know. Like you're cold, I guess. Now go get some clothes."
She slammed the door shut. The faucet turned off, and Veronica began to talk to Kara. Well, talking wasn't the right word. Her version of talking was about control and order; she was practically cooing at Kara. Sober Kara would have hated that, I was positive.
The idea made me smile, and I got to work, finding something suitable for Kara. I mean, she practically wore ratty shirts every day, anyways. She probably wouldn't mind a homecoming shirt from years past. And I looked through my underwear drawer for... well... I think it was quite obvious.
I also quickly changed out of my wet clothes, just as instructed. I didn't notice the goosebumps on my arms and neck until I put on a dry shirt and pants. My lips were practically blue, and I had been numb to it all.
I took the extra pair of clothes, and handed them to Veronica through a small crack in the door. She quickly shut it again, and so I waited for something else to do. How could I not be ansty? This wasn't exactly how I was hoping to spend my Saturday night. Everything had been going so well. I actually had Kara in my arms for a moment, and the world had stood still to watch us. She laughed and smiled more than I had ever seen her do before. Just in that moment, I was her's, and she was mine.
Part of me thought that only I could make her that happy. It was selfish – stupid, really. Then we went upstairs with all of Harvey's friends. That kid with all the piercings – what was his name? Tyler? – Tyler wanted Kara, and it made me angry. She was my guest, after all. And then he hurt her, and I just... I had to do something... I never would have guessed she was afraid of blood. Frankly, it seemed like a strange phobia for her to have.
"How are you feeling?" Veronica gently asked from inside the bathroom.
Kara was so quiet that I could barely hear her. I leaned closer to the door, wanting to know what was happening inside.
"Okay, well, here's some clothes," Veronica said. "I'll leave you to change."
Veronica slipped out of the bathroom before I could step away. I gave a little wave, but she didn't care. She seemed tired. I watched her brush her hair from her face and give a small smile.
"Thank you for helping," I said. "Especially when you didn't have to."
She shrugged, and leaned against the wall. "I felt like I owed her brother something, after..." Veronica shook her head. "Let's go get her something to eat. You do have food here, right? Like, edible food?"
"No. All we have are pretzels and more booze." I finally smiled. "Yeah, I'll show you what we have."
°•°•°
We ended up just heating up a can of soup, and split it three ways among us. It was one by now, and Veronica was beginning to get antsy. She finished her nighttime snack quickly, and stole quick glances between the clock and the door.
"Go," I said. "You've done enough."
She almost looked like she would fight back, but I think exhaustion won. She put her bowl in the sink, and tried to clean it, but I gently pushed her away and rinsed it out myself. Veronica listed what I should do for Kara like put her clothes in the dryer, and make sure she had at least a glass of water tonight.
"Do you have a notepad?" She asked.
"Yeah," I said. "It's on the–"
Veronica must have found it, because she stopped hovering over me. I put her bowl aside, and sat besides her on the couch where she scribbled a note down on a scratch piece of paper. It was a phone number.
"Call me if you have any questions," she said. "Or if you just wanna... talk, or something."
She brushed a short piece of hair behind her ear, and smiled bashfully. Kara probably would have made a very inappropriate joke around here. I just took the note, and wished her a good night. Veronica stood up, and left quietly.
"Hey."
I looked at the stairs, and spotted Kara. She rocked on her heels, playing with the shirt and staring at the dead TV. It took everything in me not to make any weird noise, because wow. She looked just like herself with boyish clothes, but those were my clothes, and they were all too fitting.
She continued to stare at the TV. Her eyebrows knit together, as if she was focusing really hard on something that just wasn't there.
"Expecting something to happen?" I asked.
"The TV," she said softly. "I think it's broken. It's too dark."
"I can turn it on if you want." I grabbed the remote, and pressed a button. The television illuminated instantly, and an ad began to play. Typical.
Kara, however, was amazed by it. Her eyes were glued to the TV, and she waddled over to the couch where I was at. She sat down, and immediately leaned into me, legs perched over mine. Oh boy. Okay.
"Let's get you something to eat," I said, sliding her off of me. I suddenly felt very cold again. I stood up, and grabbed her bowl from the kitchen, as well as a bag of saltine crackers.
"I got you some soup," I said. "I hope you're not allergic to anything in it. That would suck."
"Mm, soup." She graciously took the bowl, and hugged it to her chest. "Yummy yummy."
Drunk Kara had the same vocabulary as Sober Kara; the only different was that Drunk Kara was much nicer and more bubbly. I wasn't quite sure I liked Drunk Kara, mostly because I just knew it wasn't her. It made me feel like I was using her, or something.
While she ate her soup and crackers, I looked for something to watch. There wasn't much on for an extremely late Saturday night, which was surprising. When I found something remotely interesting to watch, Kara no longer seemed interested. She leaned against the couch, just staring at me.
"Why are you so nice to me?" She asked. "I'm awful."
"Awfully pretty," I joked. "And why wouldn't I be nice to you? I think that... Well, I think that everyone has a right to respect and kindness. We, as human beings, just forget that sometimes, and we get stuck wallowing away, eating up our own insecurities. Sometimes it just takes someone else to be there, to... To..."
I wasn't quite sure where was going with this. It wasn't like Kara would remember any of this tomorrow morning. I took her bowl, and cleaned up. When I came back, Kara was practically asleep again, so I turned off the TV, and led her back downstairs. When she would trip over a step, she'd freeze up. It would take a bit of coaxing to get her to start walking again.
Once we were downstairs, I slung Kara's arm over my neck, and helped walk her to my bed. She sat down obediently while I fixed the covers.
"Well, there you go," I said. "You can sleep here for the night. When you wake up, you can take your clothes from the dryer, and– Shit! I forgot to put your clothes in the dryer! Be right back."
I rushed to the bathroom, and grabbed the pile of clothes. They were still extremely damp, and sat there with my green jacket. I took everything to the washroom nearby, and put it in the dryer. I tried not to be weird about the bra (quite a colorful blue), and the undies. I threw those in more aggressively than the other things. I turned the washer on, and let it begin on its own. After, I got back to my room.
"I'm so sorry about that," I said. "Anyway, you should be fine to go back home tomorrow, but I think you should just stay here for tonight. I'll, uh, be sleeping on the couch upstairs if you need me."
I turned to go, but Kara caught the back of my shirt. Being around such a vulnerable Kara right now just felt so off. She would hate for me to see her like this. But I turned around to look at her – Kara, in my shirt and boxers – anyway.
"I, uh..." She swallowed nervously. "Can you stay down here with me?"
"Yeah," I said. "Sure. Let me just grab some pillows first–"
She pulled me into the bed with her, much to my own surprise. Her face was inches away from mine, and even after her extensive cleaning, the alcohol was still on her. Her bangs, while messy and uneven, were brushed to the side. She was... Cute. Pretty. Really, really pretty.
"Please don't leave me alone," she said.
"I... I won't." And I meant it. "Can I go turn the lights off first?"
She nodded, and I stifled a sigh of relief. I got out of bed, and turned off the lights before hobbling back. She still laid waiting, opening her arms to me. It was a tight fit, and the intimacy was strange, but it was something I could easily get used to. I draped an arm over her body, but she flinched.
"I'm sorry," I said. I took my arm off of her. "I didn't mean to–"
She gently took my arm, and put it back where it was. Hesitantly, she closed her eyes, and leaned her head into my chest. I wondered if she could feel how fast my heart was beating. I was worried that I was going to mess this up somehow, or get something wrong, but...
But Kara seemed happy again, or at least content. I managed to relax, and let myself sleep by her side.