Austin didnt appear to be with us when we came back to the present. my thought fluttered around the places where he could possibly be.
It pestered me though, me wondering about him, but some things just go rogue.
As Casper suggested, he might have reached his own home, leaving us on our own. So I tried to relax, and return back home.
I pressed my finger on the bell button, as I watched the scorching sun glistening on the lawn grass that was ochre coloured due to the lack of gardening I provided. Well, can't blame things.
The door clicked open, and I got confronted by the person I knew I had to face, after all.
Menacing tears swimmer around her tears, as her lips quirked a shaky smile.
The bit of anger that had found a permanent place in my body towards her bubbled, when her arms squeezed me into a hug.
"I'm sorry, my daughter! I-I was so worried dense about you! We both were! During the storm, when you didn't return like the other students, I thought...I thought-" she left her words incomplete, and sobbed, her fingers scrunching my shirt even more.
I patted lightly, before parting and getting inside. Dad had the same sentimental form, hugging me for a while before I awkwardly separated.
I forced a shy smile without any further words before vanishing myself from them into my room.
As I was about to change my clothes, a thud noise made me jump.
"Are you okay, honey?" My parents chimed in together, as they knocked on the door, "You didn't seem to say anything. Are you going through some mental illness because of that traumatizing tempest? Or is it because-"
"I just need time, mom, dad. This change of surroundings is gonna take some time, okay? Just...just leave me alone for a while. This is not easy." I muttered out, exhaling one hell of a deep breath, before stepping away from the door.
-
As I slid down my shirt on my body, I heard mom call out to me, "Honey, someone special has come to meet you!"
At the mention of special, a vision of Austin flooded down my thoughts and my cheeks flushed a deep red.
Knowingly, I rushed downstairs to clear away any further misconceptions, since Austin was far from doing that.
I saw a bulky frame sitting on the couch, exchanging words with parents. My mom turned her head sideways to detect me with a glow-up smile, "Oh, see? We were just talking with your boyfriend."
"WHAT NO!" We both yelled in unison, "Clay is my friend, mom. Best friend, remember?" I stuttered out, glancing over at Clay who was equally abashed.
Mom's smile dropped, before it lit up again, "Well, no problem. Some things are just known future updates."
I mentally facepalmed myself, neglecting mom's mindset cause both of me and Clay knew we didn't have a romantic relationship, not then, not now and never.
Clay placed his hands on his thigh before getting up to approach my room, and by the look of his face, something was up.
-
"A party? Set by Brittany's brother? You must be insane! I don't even go to regular parties, and by meeting up with Brittany, you're telling me to perform a death wish? No, thanks."
I rolled my eyes, scrolling down the social media pages on my phone.
"C'mon, Beca. After all these ridiculous tragedies, we are ought to loosen up, you know?"
"But a party's not the answer."
"Staying in bed like a slimy snail ain't do that job either."
"But-"
"Butts are for sitting. You - my girl- are going to the party. Like everyone's going!"
"How many times should I have to repeat? I'm not everyone, I'm Rebecca."
"Well, that outdated. You're coming." I shook my head in denial while for the next few hours, he whined annoyingly and poked my guts like a dismanctional psycho.
Now to get myself out of that, I muttered a 'fine' for a while to calm his instinctual, unwanted invitations, when I knew I was going to ditch him anyway.
We squandered the times enjoyably and sass added, just when the bell rang again, but since Clay was the only come-and-go in my house, I assumed it was someone intended to meet my parents.
Except the time I realised my mom was calling out for me. Again.
-
"And I suppose, this is the boyfriend we were expecting, yeah?"
"Mom! And you, what the hell are your doing here?" I switched my attention to Austin, who doped with a leather jacket under his purple shirt. Guy's a fan of purple, I guess.
"Rebecca! Is that a way to talk to your boyfriend?" She inquired, demandingly before turning to Austin, "Oh, poor guy. Does she always talk to you like this?"
Austin pouted, front side of eyebrows innocently drawn up, "What can I say? I love her, anyway. I mean, she stuck to me for 4 years, yeah?"
My eyes widened, as I felt the molten irritation hurrying back to me.
I parted my lips to protest but mom caught up, "Aw. Such a sweetheart. But don't worry, I'm sure both of you are keepers."
I sighed, clutching my temple in frustration. The melodrama of that idiotic douchebag was getting on my nerves. How I wish I could scrunch him into a ball, hit it with a metal bat and letting him fly high over to a void of spider clowns.
And I didn't even know what I was thinking about.
"Now if you excuse me, can I steal this gorgeous scarlet art from you two for a small talk?" Austin pleaded flashing his somewhat charming eyes with blinks, and then bending down to take my mom's hand into his, sealing the scene with a kiss on the hand.
I was definitely throwing him out of my window the moment he set his garbage foot in my room.
"Now, shall we leave, for god's sake?" I demanded, gritting my teeth, digging into murderous thoughts I knew I could never execute anyway.
-
"Why did you have to tell them about us? I-I mean about something that isn't real." I questioned harshly, still hung on the fact, as we climbed upstairs.
I studied his expression, which was... unexplainable- a glint of hurt in his eyes that averted glances from me.
But then, the next second he lit up with a smirk.
"Well, we had to keep a good reputation of you, as for dating such a sweetheart like me."
"That's irrational."
"Are you rational?"
"What- of course, I am."
"Then you would've denied when your parents praised the 'us,'" he emphasized with quotation marks, "And protest back. But well, you didn't. You kept wondering about what crimes to commit with me- like for me, instead of clearing their misconceptions, anyway. Huh!" He teased.
How did he just intrude to my head at the end of day? It was irritating, but oddly satisfying.
I huffed and entered my room with Clay gawking at both of us. I assumed he would be furious about the interruption, especially by Austin but instead he got up with a smile and dropping everything that seemed to be loaded on his shoulders, he enwrapped his arms around Austin, most affectionately.
My jaw dropped, without question and my eyes were millimeters away from bulging out. My lungs, on the other hand, was about to wither away and die from the excessive amount of shocking revelations laid in front of me like a plain bitter gourd to gobble up. What the hell was happening?
Austin, on the contrast, seemed pretty cool with the hug aside from being bitten by an electric eel, and hesitatingly hugged him back.
"Good to see you alright. I was in a twit about your disappearance, you know?"
"O-oh, that's...cool."
"So...what seemed to change?" I questioned in a low murmur, but I noticed Clay pay no heed to my words, as he digressed the topic into another question.
"So, what brought you here?"
Austin's bewildered expression was still planted on with his frown, but he shook his head with closed eyes and turned to me, "I've got serious chattels for you to worry about. We've got to talk. It's about Casper."
Clay exchanged anxious glances with me, just after which we sat down, listening well to what he had to say.
-
My mouth was open in a silent scream, as I cowered. His words afflicted my feelings and everything good that had happened, "What in deuce? How could that thing be the Dark Lord?" I cringed with fear...about everything. Fear that made my knees knock again, fear that mocked me with reality, the reality that could be fake.
It took me a long time to restore crammed trust in Casper, regarding every suspiciousness and secret that he caused and hid. Cause deep down, I knew I could never doubt our platonic bond.
"And you said Casper was being all 'hey dude, what's up' with him, asking 'bout Beca's health a few days ago? Don't any of you think we should tell this to Organa?"
I frowned and vetoed the idea, the corners of my mouth drawn downwards.
"Wait, but that's not possible. I-it can't be-be. Cause what you said, directs to one thing- and that is Casper is someone- no, something else. And he is barely on our side, but rather just on my side. But that can't be! You saw how he helped us during every fight we had with those spiritistic monsters! He can't be on the Dark Lord's side! Th-that's impossible!" I glanced skeptically at Austin, as a white-hot lump of anger expanded in her chest, even allowing my mind to imagine all that for a second. What did Austin want to imply?
That the boy who helped me procure my self-esteem when all I could see in myself was pure failure and art of nothing but junk? The one who made me stand for myself instead of being a chicken wimp? And it was all because of him, I was content to the core with whatever and whoever I had company with.
"Look, Beca. I'm not calling Casper culpable for any of what we are facing, nor am I saying that the shadow he was speaking to was Dark Lord. All I'm saying is that there is more to Casper and this other world than what we are being shown. And it's important we find out about that. And no Clay, even if we tell Organa, what's the percentage she is going to tell us everything.? That's 0%. Cause all she has to say is for us to be out of this dementing situation while she decides to take care of things. But that's not just it. All of us know there's more mystery and spice to this."
"And each of these links to our lives, which we can't just deny." Clay chimed in.
"But let's stop now, it's almost 8 now. Our spirits would be coming anytime. And let's try not to think about it.
I nodded, feeling all those bizarre jars of suspicions intruding into my serenity.
-
After a time spent in wondering and celestial thoughts in the bathroom- which was never a problem since Casper wouldn't come inside, I shook my head to get rid of 'em and put myself into the pristine cocktail dress with fluffed sleeves, touched with a vintage, floral aspect.
As I stepped out, making sure my remembrance had none of what Austin said, and pleadingly looked at Casper for comments, whose jaw had been dropped since I can remember. A contented smile crept up to my face.
Before I was about to head out, we had an amusing time squandered. But that only made me worried sick about my fear of Austin's words being true.
-
He plucked at the cuff of his shirt, his eyes slowly raising up to face me, and when they did- I could tell he didn't blink for the next 2 minutes.
I wasn't dressed up gorgeously but had glimmer added to my light make-up, and I wouldn't deny about the dress being a ravishing knock-out, reaching up to only mid-thigh.
His eyes roamed from top to bottom and I blinked a few times, a flush creeping up my face.
Austin wore black jeans with a leather jacket under an abstract coloured shirt, and his hair slicked back.
He then gave a lopsided grin and began, "Beauty is wild, don't they say?'
"Hope you don't get tangled in the wild mess," I stated with matching haughtiness.
He smiled again, charming and gentle with a hint of mischief, and I could tell I was stunned by the beauty.
Oh lord, no.
He extended his hand, while the other was placed in his back like a gentleman, "May I take the pleasure to be your date. Which I am, but still."
"You know, you didn't have to put up this act," I say, placing my palm on his, giving a sideways glance at my parents who were in utter awe.
"That would be a rude gesture to view for your parents."
"Right." I rolled my eyes, unable to stop the wide grin spreading on my face.
I heard the door close behind with goodbyes and forwarded to my ride. Except it was something I forgot to expect.
"You get on the back and hold me for safety. 'Kay?" Austin inquired while I stared blankly at the motorbike.
"I...I can't ride on the bike. It's a sucker."
"Wha-what do you mean? I mean, are you telling you are afraid of bikes?"