(1) Talk Me Down: An All Time Low Fanfiction Romance

Chapter 10: In-Between

        Despite the rivalry between my friends and the boys, Alex and Jack stuck around until the end of the shift. It was only a couple hours until closing and we had only one or two other customers. They sat at the end of the counter, out of the way, mostly talking to Rian and Zack. A couple times they directed the conversation my way, but I mostly kept to myself for the last few hours.

        Sue came back at closing, telling us we could leave and she would lock up. Alex and Jack headed out before us, waiting for Zack and Rian. I followed them out, noticing Nolan's car immediately. He looked at me, and then he looked past me. I couldn't help following his gaze to see that the boys had also noticed him. Before anybody had the chance to do anything, I mumbled, "See you guys later," and then walked quickly to Nolan's car. He didn't look any less angry as I slid into the car. He only looked at me once before starting the car and speeding away from the shop. The silence hovered over us uncomfortably, and I couldn't stop myself from glancing at him every so often. He could see me, watching him and he knew I wanted him to say something, but he refused to acknowledge me until I became frustrated.

        "You're acting like a child," I snapped, narrowing my eyes. He glanced at me, but briefly, and he still didn't say anything. I sighed angirl, crossing my arms over my chest and staring out the window.

        "What, you're mad at me now?" Nolan wondered, his voice a mix of bitterness and shock. I turned to him, staring at him in wonder.

        "Yes, I am, and I have every right to be. You could have gotten me fired and you could have gotten Zack and Rian fired on their first day because of your stupid ego. Alex and Jack hadn't done anything and you stormed in looking for a fight," I exclaimed, watching Nolan's hands turn white as he gripped the steering wheel.

        "So, what, you're on a first name basis with those dickheads now?" he growled, completely ignoring the point of the argument. He was attempting to turn it around on me when this was clearly all him.

        "You are not turning this around on me," I said harshly. "This is not about me and whatever relationships I have with them."

        "Oh, so you have relationships with them now?" Nolan responded, and I clenched my fists, unable to find something to say in reply. I was furious; I stayed silent until we turned onto Nolan's street. He pulled up in front of his house and I was unbuckling myself before he even stopped the car completely.

        I climbed out of the car, slamming the door as Nolan yelled at me. I had gotten out of the car as he was parking; he'd just barely stopped as I opened the door.

        My house was at the other end of the street on the opposite side; I could see the front porch light from where I was standing; it grew brighter as I got closer. I could deal with walking there; it would probably help me calm down, anyway. I turned and started walking away, listening as the engine stopped and the door slammed shut. Moments later, Nolan was grabbing my arm, spinning me around to face him.

        "What the hell are you doing?" he exclaimed, staring at me. I pulled my arm away from him, but didn't move.

        "I don't want to be near you, Nolan."

        "Kara," he sighed, no longer looking angry. I watched, waiting for him to say something, but he didn't. I went to move past him, trying to get away, but he grabbed my hand softly, stopping me.

        "I'm not going to stand here waiting for you to say something. We're either going to talk, or I'm going to leave," I threatened. "The resentment between all of you is getting old and it's getting old real fast."

        "I'm sorry, okay?" Nolan looked at me hopefully, but I wasn't going to let him off that easily. I knew his paology didn't mean a lot because he wasn't going to stop bothering Alex and his friends. What I wanted to know was what had caused the rivalry in the first place, but when I asked Nolan, I didn't get a straight answer.

        "They're just not good guys, Kara. I don't like that you always end up around them," he said softly. I bit my lip, not satisfied with his answer.

        "What exactly did they do then, huh? Because I haven't seen them do anything wrong except for when you and Jason egg them on," I questioned. "So, tell me why exactly you hate them so much, because I clearly don't fucking know!"

        "There's just, some bad histroy, okay? Don't worry about it. It's not worth discussing," He answered. I wondered if he thought I believed him, but for the sake of not fighting, I nodded, letting him wrap his arm around my shoudler. I leaned into him, tightening my arms around his torso.

        "Do you want to come inside for a bit?" Nolan asked after a few seconds, and I stepped back, letting my hands fall to my sides.

        "I don't know, Nol. I'm kinda tired." I said. He smirked softly, his eyes glowing even as the sun disappeared behind the trees, giving the sky a deep, blue-green hue. He leaned forwad, pressing his forehead against my skin. His breath blew across my face, and even in the warm summer night, I felt myself get chills.

        "Not even for a few minutes?" he pressed; his voice was just above a whisper. I closed my eyes and pushed myself against him, kissing him softly. When I pulle away I mimicked his smirk, "I'll see you later."

        Nolan shook his head, hugging me tightly before letting me go. I backed up a few steps, waved and then turned an dheaded down the street towards my house. A couple houses away, I turned around, seeing Nolan standing on his front steps. I waved again, laughing softly as he waved back and turned into his house.

        I crossed the street, only a few houses away from mine. "Kara!" A loud, annoyed voice called out and I froze, recognizing it instantly. The incident at the shop moment left my mind, and I wished I'd remembered it.

        I turned around, watching as Veronica stepped off her porch, cross the street and meet me at the other side. When she stopped, her hands found her hips, her typical stance when she was pissed. "What the hell was that?" she snapped, one perfect eyebrow raised. I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest in my own defiant way.

        "I was at work, Veronica. We could have gotten fired. You didn't need to call Nolan because those guys weren't doing anything wrong. You can hate them for whatever reasons; I don't really give a fuck. I don't want to be involved, I'm Switzerland. I don't have a side. Just keep me out of it," I turned, praying that Veronica wouldn't add anything else, but I didn't have high hopes. She liked to have the last word, so when she started talking again, I wasn't entirely surprised.

        "You cant be neutral, Kara. It's either us, or them. There's no in-between."