I was scared. I was beginning to grow more fearful of myself each and every day. I started seeing and hearing more things that I shouldn't be. Like the voice in my head constantly reading over other voices making any actual sentences or words incomprehensible. Maybe I'm a schizophrenic. Or maybe I'm just insane. I sigh at the pessimistic thought. Either way, the diagnoses will never be good.
The strange part was - set aside from the fact that I was hearing things already & as if it wasn't already strange enough - things in my head really became jumbled and ramped up every time I got even remotely near three specific things; the abandoned house, my school, and Veronica. Although, obviously after what happened between us, I'd been avoiding her ever since.
"Do you ever change your clothes?" I ask with my calculus textbook in hand. I glance over at the girl I'd been talking to a lot more lately. The one who had actually freaked me out one night when the street lamps went out.
She smiles and laughs, pushing herself on the park swing. I usually ran into her here on my way home from college, as the park was very close by. "I do. All the time. You just don't know it because I wash them on the days you don't see me & then wear them the next when you do."
"Is that you're favorite outfit or something?" I question as I take the empty swing beside her. She seemed to be a very comforting person. Whenever I neared her, the things in my head, the jumble slowed down to a silence. Everything was quiet except for her voice; the only soothing person who had this kind of quality. It was something very rare to find in a person.
"Yeah it really is," she says clutching her neck. "It reminds me of my boyfriend."
"And where is he?" I wonder to myself how he managed to find such a beautiful and wonderful person.
"We got into kind of a huge fight & we haven't really talked since." she sighs sadly. Everything about this girl was interesting. I felt compelled to learn all that I could about her. I'm just curious about her life and the secrets she might be keeping.
"Why is your hair always wet? Do you take showers five times a day?" I joke around, kiddingly as I wonder if maybe she did actually take that many showers a day and maybe I just offended her.
She glares at me, with a more serious look than I could have imagined those kind brown eyes to make. "Why do you ask so many questions?" she asks irritatedly. I glance around nervously. Did I offend her?
"Sorry," I apologize sheepishly. "I just wanted to get to know you better. Can I just ask you one last thing? If you answer me honestly, then I promise that I'll stop pestering you with my questions."
She nods slowly, her small mouth curving upwards mischievously. "Ask away,"
"What -" The question seems to be left in the middle of my throat, it chokes me as I try to spit it out of my mouth. But it's as if the question doesn't want to be asked. Yet, I can feel from her presence that it wants to be heard. "What is your name? It dawned on me yesterday that I don't know what your name is even after speaking to you much more often."
"Lindsey. My name is Lindsey."
I nod my head and whisper her name in response, admiring the way it elegantally rolled off of my lips. "That's a good name. I think it really suits you.." I smile at her kindness with sympathetic eyes. Something about her aura or atmosphere felt lonely and sad. Maybe desperate too. My phone blares out a very loud and obnoxious ring from my pants pocket. Lindsey looks at me expectantly to answer it. I shake my head at her with a pouty looking face. "I don't wanna answer it."
Looking at me with intimidating eyes, I groan as I reach in my pocket already knowing who was waiting for me to pick up on the other line. "Hello?" I glare at Lindsey who smiles mischievously at the dirt beneath our feet. Veronica's voice pours over through the speakers, gnawing off my ear with her irritating voice. I pinch the bridge of my nose in annoyance. "Speaker," Lindsey mouths.
Putting the phone on speaker, I hold it between us so we can both equally hear her talk about irrelevant things. "Vic!" Veronica exclaims. "It's been three days, oh my gosh sweetie are you okay? Are you sick? Do you want me to bring over some soup to your house because conveniently, I'm already outside your house and I happen to have two bowls of chicken noodle soup I made specially that we can eat together! Well, actually I already tried to knock on your door but Jaime kept on insisting that you weren't home but I don't believe him. If you want, I can manage to get into your house anyways, I know my way very well around your guys' apartment."
"I wonder if she loses brain cells by talking too much," I whisper to Lindsey as we both interrupt Veronica's ramble.
"Vic why are you laughing all by yourself? Are you crazy or something?" I sigh of relief that she somehow didn't catch that a girl's voice was laughing with me. She would be even more upset if she knew I was hanging out with a girl and not her instead. My stomach tightens at the word 'crazy,' because hey, I just might be.
In a fake British accent Lindsey leans in real close to the phone and shouts: "Go fuck yourself!" which makes me laugh even harder and my fingers scramble to end the call. Obviously, I get a call right back no more than five seconds later and I'm daring enough to answer it.
"H - hello?"
"Vic, what happened? Did you go under a tunnel or something? I was telling you the story of what happened to me at the mall yesterday when a bunch of static just came over the phone and then the call ended." I give Lindsey a puzzled look wondering why Veronica didn't hear that last part. She only shrugs her shoulders with the expression that she could really care less.
"Uh, yeah I'm driving. Sorry about that Veronica, go on with your story though. I'm sure it is very interesting." I wink at Lindsey hoping Veronica wouldn't catch on to the obvious hint of sarcasm I spoke with. I don't think she was smart enough to understand what sarcasm was anyways. I glanced over to Lindsey once more, this time her eyes distraught on the puzzling thoughts in her mind. I could tell that a part of her was strangely bothered by something. But I couldn't place my finger on it.
"Hey Vic, my birthday's coming up," Lindsey whispers. "They're doing this thing by the college for the next couple of days. A lot of people there know about me so they're hosting this thing that a few friends of mine put together. It's gonna be a lot of fun and you should stop by this time around."
I nod my head excitedly. I really liked her, maybe not necessarily in an 'in love' kind of way but I felt like I had to look out for her or something. "Yeah, of course I will! Sounds great!" She only grins and looks down at her feet again. There was only Veronica's voice between us; that, and a new strange feeling settling down to engulf us.
No matter how many questions I asked, she always seemed to be preserving a secret that I will never figure out.
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Author's Note:
It has been so long! This chapter is extremely short and yet it took me almost four months to write it! I have a plan for this story but before school had ended I fell out of love with writing and I couldn't seem to finish writing a chapter for this story. I don't know if anyone is still reading it but I'm hear now and I hope to finish this story for you :). There aren't going to be many more chapters left since it is a shorter one. But anyways, vote and comment because as always, I want to hear what you guys think!
~Allison
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Selfish Machines (A Pierce the Veil Fan Fiction!)
Fanfiction"My grandmother used to tell me that right before you die your entire life flashes right before your eyes. So was it true? I was just about to find out." Vic Fuentes lives a plain life where the only 'big' thing that had ever happened to him was sta...
