Pieces of Us (SatoGou)

Chapter 3

The cab starts off down the road, the driver already knowing where to go, weaving easily in and out of the city traffic. We sit in silence in the back, both staring out the window at the neon lights and too-bright billboards. It's been less than a minute when as we're passing one, and the screen changes to a picture of me. I look away quickly, feeling awkward but unsure why.

Goh's looking back at me when my eyes wander to him. He's frowning, and I know he just saw what I saw. I start to wonder how I look from his eyes.

"Does Team Rocket still bother you?" He asks out of the blue.

It's such a random question that it catches me off guard, and I stutter a few times before I can come up with a coherent answer. "Uh, no. No, not for a couple years now," I say. "I think they're radio show hosts now. Why?"

"They haven't bothered me in eight years. It's been kind of peaceful, actually." He goes back to looking out the window. His words have stolen the breath from my lungs. Our first conversation in so long, and yet I can't think of anything to say back to him. Anxiety creeps in, its hand a death grip on my chest. I'm not even sure if he wants me to reply or not. He's got his chin resting on the palm of his hand, his elbow propped up on the door. I can't help but feel like this is a slippery slope, and I'm not sure if I want to be at the top or the bottom.

"Is that it?" The words slip out before I can stop them. Goh twists to face me again, his eyebrows furrowed, his jaw tight.

"Is what it?"

"Is that all you're going to say to me?" Why am I saying this? I'm so stupid-

"You want me to say more?" He has one eyebrow raised, and is almost leaning in towards me. I blanch, feeling heat rush to my face simultaneously.

"I don't know. No?" I try, then grumble, turning away from him, embarrassment phasing into annoyance, which is only amplified when I see my own face smirking back at me from another building. Then, as if things weren't bad enough, I hear him snicker. I want to ask him "Are you really laughing right now?", because we haven't spoken in eight years, and this is how he's acting, but I don't. I bite my tongue and hold my ground, not looking at him.

"Is that what you do now?" He starts again, and I know he's referencing the billboard without having to ask. I grind my teeth, trying to ignore his patronising tone. "Pose for a camera?"

"I'm studying in Unova, actually. Funny, I don't see Mew with you," I taunt, shooting him a smug look. I see his eyes flash, caught between annoyance and amusement.

"I've sighted it many times-"

"Well, anyone could say that," I cut him off. All of a sudden we're back to where we were eight years ago, lying in our bunk bed in the Cerise Laboratory, practically at each other's throats, taunting and teasing, first humorously, and then with venom. This isn't me. This is the opposite of me. After all these years, is this still what we bring out of each other?

He's gone silent now. I don't need to look to know he's seething. I should probably apologise, but he started it, so I don't. The cab starts to pull up, and I take in the first venue: a dark club, escaped strobe lights flashing pink and green across the pavement. A neon sign flashes above an entranceway crowded with people already too drunk, either smoking or looking in desperate need of air. I thank the driver and push open my door, the cold air rushing over me. The music inside is loud and bassy, the rhythmic booming filling me with dread.

I start to walk in, not checking if Goh's even out of the car. The bouncers let me through, and I see the familiar flick of recognition in their eyes as I pass. There's a desk where I buy entry, and the lady standing there recognises me too. The difference is, she tells me so. I smile politely and hold my hand out for her to press a stamp into the back of it, confirming I'm allowed to be there. The whole thing seems pretty dumb, but it's what Gary wants, so I'll go along with it.