Westedge

Chapter 13: Pain With a Pinch of Sarcasm

Chapter 13

"I mean come on, we're fine anyway."

Rachel Askar & Leo Valdez

Chapter written by: Deaththenerd
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Ray A.

Wearily I rubbed my eyes on my jacket sleeve, stifling an exastusted yawn. I was rewarded several stares by the mass of people waiting for the camera click. I reluctantly snapped a few pictures fully aware that they didn't look as professional as usual.

I felt like I was a leaf, being pulled under the current of an oncoming river but I felt much to heavy to be a leaf.

Before I could contemplate my exhaustion any farther a promt cough reeled me back to my task at hand. "Sorry I haven't slept more than five hours in two days." The words sort of slurred together but I think they understood well enough.

After I apologized and promised to return in three days to print out the amature photos, I hopped into my well worn car and started to drive home. Recently the apartment had been empty, Kyle had been staying with Alexander in an at tent to cheer him up and I had no one else staying me. Although this was usually a blessing, it was impossible for me to sleep for longer than a half hour at a time. I made a split second decision and cut off another car to enter another row of apartments.

I was fully aware that I wouldn't have crashed into the blue sedan but the bulky man driving wasn't, he honked the horn several times and spat out unhearable profanity. "Yeah. Whatever buddy, just pretend I can hear you and I actually give a-" I broke off my words when I cut the car engine and noticed who's apartment building I was in front of. Its chipped paint no longer phased me, or made me think belatedly of depressing poetry; I just kept walking.

Bouncing on my heels and fighting off the urge to lean against the wall I rang Leo's doorbell and waited. I looked down the dimly lit hallway at the rain falling somberly against the darkening night sky out the grimy window, the awkward silence making me start into humming the chorus of "Jetpack Blues". After waiting a little longer I caught myself singing the lyrics aloud.

"Trying to find my peace of mind, behind these two white hallway lines, when the city goes silent, the ringing in my ears gets violent. She's in a long black coat tonight, waiting in the downpour outside--"

Leo opened the door, pausing when I stumbled backwards. I realized how ironic it was to be wearing a My Chemical Romance shirt and sing a Fall Out Boy song from the concert we went to.

Hey?" Leo asked more than he stated. "You did expect me to open the door right? I mean you rang the bell." I stopped nervously swaying and gathered up my courage. "Well yeah, but you sure took your time." I retorted. Leo stepped back allowing me to squeeze past the oak door into the familiar mess of a room. "I was... Preoccupied." He deadpanned with a hint of sarcasm. "Oh? You got a girl in there or something?" I replied blandly. The statement shocked  Leo more than I thought, because his eyes widened on the verge of yelling. "What?! No! No." The sides if my mouth quirked up despite my tired soreness. "So its a guy?" Leo didn't even bother to comment this time, reviewing it as pointless. "Did you like need something other than making a terrible gay joke?" So he was in that mood today.

Great.

"Well...I..." I started to feel a burning in my cheeks, indicating their change in color. "I hAVEN'T SLEPT IN TWO DAYS, MY ANXIETY IS GETTING WORSE AND  I CAN'T STOP WORRYING ABOUT YOU AND RUBY AND I CAME HERE BECAUSE I JUST WANT TO SIT HERE AND WATCH SHERLOCK WITH YOU" My voice grew in loudness until I felt my voice crack, I started to back away from Leo, but he just nodded violently. "Yeah. Ok. Ok." He grabbed the black TV remote and selected Netflix, the TV's newest update. I'd recommended he get it in order to stay up to date in me and Ruby's fictional obsessions.

"Elementary?" He said as he clicked the search box. "Ew! No! We need the real British version. BBC." I said nodding at the screen. "With Cumberbatch." Leo started the first episode grabbing a blanket for us to share. I tried to stay awake, to catch all of the best lines, to get caught up in the case, but my eyes betrayed me. Every blink got longer until I couldn't open my eyes and all the witty dialogue was beyond my comprehension.

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Leo. V

I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. And I sure as hell couldn't laugh at Sherlock when Ray's head sat delicately upon my shoulder.

After the first episode, my hand out of habit reached to select the next episode but I paused the credits instead and pondered the best way to get up. I knew Ray would kill me if I stayed here, but I couldn't bring myself to stand up and risk rousing her.

Before I got too far into my dilemma, Ray started to shift around, she squirmed until she rolled off of me, allowing me to move away. I hadn't gotten more than two feet away from her when she started screaming hoarsely, I'd never heard Ray scream before, not in pain or even surprise, but here she was on the stained couch screaming like I had stabbed her and twisted the cold metal blade.

"Ray! Shush! Shhhh. It's ok! Shhhh!" Careful to step lightly I began to shake her arm. Ray shuddered before opening her eyes and letting out a low groan. "... I.... I um..... I sort of h-have nightmares... About Ed..." She paused swallowing a deep breath, her eyes were glossed over so I could tell she was on the verge of tears.

"Go on." I prompted cautiously.

Ray stopped making eye contact in an attempt to hide the oncoming tears that threatened to spill. "Ed was my first... And last boyfriend. He was..." She paused finally looking at me, but something was different. This wasn't Ray. This girl was broken. She was beaten and scarred. I didn't know this girl at all whatsoever.

"Abusive." She finished.

That's when I felt all my limits shatter. I hugged her, ignoring the frozen wood that I knelled on. Ray pulled back but before I could let out an apology she pulled down the sleeve of her shirt to reveal a single jagged scar. I wasn't familiar enough with wounds to know what could have caused it, but I would be a fool to not know who'd done it. "That's why I have nightmares. That's why I have trust issues."

And I understood. I understood why are always pulled away, why she was reluctant to be in an others company for too long. Wow. This girl really was broken. "Hey... It's ok. I have nightmares about losing Ruby a lot. So I joke and I tease but it hurts. It'll never hurt as bad as that but I don't think I'd be able to laugh if she weren't at least alive." I tried to compare myself to her but I couldn't.

Nothing would ever amount to that unless Ruby did actually cease to exist.

"Do you think you can leave the TV on? When you go to sleep?" Ray said, ending the conversation. "Sure. Sure." I sat beside her until she didn't stir anymore, and her breathing grew shallow. "Goodnight." I broth. I wandered to my room with out bothering to get ready to sleep and as soon as my head hit my worn out pillow I lost consciousness.

As I wake up, I notice something different, like something has been torn from me once again.. "Ray?" I whispered. My voice came out scratchy from staying up late. I padded out into the living room and let out a sigh. She must have bolted after she woke up, I just didn't understand why.

I thought she must have felt better after confessing to me, not worse, but it appeared I was wrong.

After looking all around the living room I gave us and headed towards the kitchen to make lunch. I heard a distant scraping sound that made me jump a little. Pausing I craned my head to look through the doorway and there she stood. Ray had her same "Welcome to the Black Parade" shirt and black sweatpants on, but she had tied her hair into a messy bun tight to her scalp.

"Oh. There you are." I said dumbfounded. Here Ray was at 10:00 making breakfast in my kitchen. Never in my life have I expected this so far. "Yeah. Here I am." She cracked an egg precisely and utterly ignored my presence.

"Making pancakes in your house. I don't even make pancakes at my house, you should be both grateful and horrified." But I couldn't help but gawk at her, here we were, the boy behind the jokes and the girl behind the sarcasm. Maybe we could get along after all.