Chapter Text
Hey Everyone! This is the new Happy Hunting! I really hope you like it, dont forget to vote, and comment any constructive suggestions!
March 15th, 2001
~ Katie ~
Today, was especially agonizing. The voices were more frequent and I still had no idea how to make them stop. The fluorescent lighting of the halls wasn’t helping. I drudged alongside the rest of the student body as we all pushed through the doors to leave.
Just as I was about to make it outside, Trevor called my name from behind me. I heard it louder than he had actually said it. My head throbbed and my ears rang, though that was nothing compared to when the bell rang. I turned, passing him a half smile; good enough.
As I turned to him, I noticed Trevor with the two other guys he pretended were actually his friends. Trevor was popular, everyone liked him. He was sweet, handsome, charming… A good guy overall. Until recently. It’s like those boys got under his skin. He was turning into them. The classic douchebag, bully from those cheesy high school rom-coms.
He wasn’t my Trevor anymore. I had been talking myself up to break it off for a while. I just felt so guilty. Like I owed it to him to stick it out. What if it was a phase? I just wanted the old Trev back.
He paced towards me, his minion buddies close behind. “Please don’t be mad, but I can't go out with you tonight.” he told me. He didn’t seem apologetic. He wouldn’t be with those two standing behind him. My jaw loosened a little at the blow. I don’t know why. I should’ve expected this to happen.
“What? Why? We’ve been planning this for two weeks. We haven’t gone out in forever, Trev.” I argued. One of the guys behind him, Oliver I think his name was, snorted like something was funny.
“Come on, babe, don’t be so uptight. It’s a tradition for the starting lineup to chug beers and get shit-faced the night before practice starts,” he told me like I was all of sudden just going to understand. I hated when he called me babe like that, it was so insincere.
“Hell yeah, it is!” Oliver high-fived the other kid standing next to him. Trevor chuckled in support for the idea.
Students cursed as they moved around us, we blocked one of the doors going outside. I shook my head, narrowing my eyes up at him. “What’s happening to you-’ I tried to get out before he cut me off with annoyance.
“You’re seriously going to do this right now?” He rolled his eyes, turning his head, not looking at me. He always did that - he looked away when he knew what he was doing was shitty. I let out a deep, irritated breath from my nose before turning away from him. I didn’t have the patience for this. I was dying to get to my car for an Advil.
“I’ll call you later,” I muttered back to him. It was no use even trying to talk to him in front of his football buds. I didn’t wait for a response. Though, as the door closed behind me, I felt a stinging in my chest when I heard a faint, “Whatever."
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I finally got home. Pulling into the driveway, I could practically feel the bags pulling under my eyes. The empty house awaited me as I shifted into park and took the key out of the ignition. My parents were away for a week. They went on a short vacation after renewing their vows. I took a deep breath - I hated being alone. But reluctantly, I dragged myself up the walk into the house.
I dropped my keys in the dish by the front door while kicking off my shoes, and pulled out my phone while flipping it open. I wasn’t staying home if I could help it. My head was killing me, but I’d rather suffer through it than sit in my room by myself tonight.
I clicked down until I saw my best friend's name. She was going down the same path as Trevor, but I had known her since I was in the fourth grade. I clicked “Call” and it started ringing. Stacy picked up after the second ring. “Hey Katie, what’s up?” she answered.
I let out a breath of relief. “Hey Stace,” I was the only one who really called her Stace. When we were little that’s what I had thought her name was, she was so shy that she never corrected me. I only found out I was wrong after a playdate when her mom asked about the nickname.
“We should go out tonight,” I suggested. There was a silent buzzing on the other end. I set my bag down on the couch and started heading up the stairs to my room. “I’m sorry, C, I’m really not feeling all that great.” She lied through her teeth, adding a sympathy cough at the end.
I huffed as I made my way up the steps. “That’s okay. I hope you feel better," I told her, sounding a little too cheery. I flipped my phone closed before she had a chance to say anything else. I rolled my eyes. It’s like senior year was making everyone crazy.
I flopped down on my bed with a groan into my pillow. I flipped to my side clutching the pillow close. My head was still sending sharp pains through my temples. I laid there for what felt like forever before deciding I was going to go out anyway.
I sat up, finding the actual motivation to get ready. I sighed before sluggishly pulling myself out of bed and opening the closet doors.
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I was ready after only a few minutes. My makeup was still done from school. It may have been a little casual, but I didn’t feel like changing it. I put on a pair of my favorite mom jeans, a belt, a baby T, and my converse.
I pulled my long chestnut brown hair up into a clip on the back of my head, leaving my bangs out. I took a final check in the mirror before heading back down to my car. By the time I had actually made myself get up to get ready - plus the time it took to get ready - It was already eight-thirty.
I walked down the driveway, standing next to the driver side door, and reached into my purse to grab my keys and make sure I had my fake ID. It was just a precaution. No one actually checked it anyway, I look way older than I am. I looked up for a moment and noticed the beautiful sunset on the horizon, and stood a moment longer to take it in.
I opened the door and I was off to my favorite bar, Rita’s On Ice. I was pretty sure no one that went to my high school even knew it existed. It was perfect.
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As I pulled into the bar, it was already dark out. I could only hope that my mind - and the voices - would give me a break just for one night. I shoved my wallet and my phone in the pocket of my jeans and walked inside. It was loud, music was playing and the room was filled with drunks laughing entirely too loud. Mmmm home sweet home.
I sat at the bar, watching as the bartender dried a few glasses, hanging them up. I held a finger up with a warm smile to get his attention. He sent a smile back my way as he took a few paces in front of me.
“What’ll it be?" He asked. His interest in me was obvious. I tried not to let that have an affect on me. “Gin Martini,” I told him. This would be the part where he’d ask for ID. It was no surprise when he didn’t.
I sat there for a while sipping my drink, enjoying the horrible sound of strangers attempting to sing karaoke. I heard a slurping sound not realizing it was me at the end of my martini at first. I waved the bartender over, ordering another.
I loved this. The LED lights, and neon signs hanging on the walls. It didn’t matter what was happening to any one of us outside of these four walls. We were all having a good time. I swayed back and forth with my eyes closed and a faint smile to the light and happy tune a girl was singing to. She was the first one that didn't sound terrible.
As the song came to an end, I opened my eyes to see a man sitting down on the stool in front of me. He was tall, with a lengthy structure. He had dark hair and wore a black leather jacket. He turned, looking at me as I checked him out.
As my eyes came back up to meet his, he had a slight smirk on his face, clearly self-satisfied. I turned in my seat facing my drink. I felt the heat in my cheeks as the embarrassment flooded through me while I realized I’d been caught.
I took a sip of my drink cursing at myself in my head. “She wasn’t awful was she?” He commented, clearly noticing my embarrassment. His voice was deep and a tad scratchy. I felt a smile pulling at my lips. “No, no she wasn’t.” I agreed.
“I’m Dean.” He introduced himself. I faced him once again. His smile hadn’t faltered. “I’m Katelyn,” I told him nervously. I don’t know why I introduced myself with my full first name. I never do that. He looked me up and down, I felt shivers run down my spine. “I like that, you have a memorable name Kate.” He nick-named me. I liked it. No one had ever called me that before. My mother tried it out once but my father shut her down, he said it wasn't girly enough. Like what does that even mean?
I took a sip of my drink unsure of what to say. “So, Kate, what’s your story?” He asked. I pulled the tiny straw from my glass, bringing it to my lips, downing the rest of it. I turned to him. “My what?” a slight giggle was present in the back of my throat.
“You know, Your story. Who is Katelyn.” He laughed at himself as he said the cheesy words. I gave him a skeptical look. “Why have I never seen you before?” I asked, not answering his question. I mean, I couldn't really, not without telling on myself.
His eyes widened a little as he took a deeper breath. “Just staying a few days.” He informed me vaguely. He waved the bartender over. “Bourbon,” Dean ordered simply. The bartender looked back and forth between the two of us, clearly disappointed, thinking we were somehow together.
I smiled at him, for some reason feeling bad. He turned to get the drink without a word. “What brings you to town?” I asked him. The bartender sat down the drink in front of him. I mouthed to him, asking for another as I slid my glass toward him.
It was no question, the guy sitting next to me was hot. Like, walked out of a men’s swimwear magazine hot. That’s not what I noticed most about him. For the first time, I wanted to hear those voices. His voice. I wanted to know what he was thinking.
“My job actually.” He told me, snapping me out of my thought. I nodded, he was being purposefully vague, but I couldn't complain. So was I. I grabbed the drink the guy behind the bar was handing me. “Well Dean, it’s nice to meet you,” I said. I took a drink, he did the same. I felt bad for the way I was looking at him. Trevor would be furious if saw me even sitting next to him.
It felt nice though, for someone to notice me. God knows Trevor hasn’t recently. But it wasn’t just that. Something about Dean caught my interest. Maybe it was the way he carried himself, or how he spoke like he was older than he looked. Like he was more mature than the guys his age.
He looked like he was just old enough to be here. Twenty-one, Twenty-two maybe. He looked me over again before saying. “It’s nice to meet you too Kate.”
“I’m sorry, has anyone ever told you your gorgeous?” he added. I nodded my head taking in the ridiculous one-liner. I stared at my glass with an unforgiving smirk. “What?” He pushed with a smile like he was almost embarrassed.
I turned to him “Does that really work for you?” I asked honestly. He chuckled, disappointed in his own game. He looked at me for a moment, his eyes widened as he realized I was genuinely asking.
He shrugged, as he thought for a moment. “I mean, yeah, usually.” he told me truthfully. I laughed to myself taking another drink. “Come on, I’m telling a beautiful woman that she’s beautiful. What’s wrong with that?” He asked genuinely with a challenging smile. I laughed at his question.
“It’s cheesy!” I chuckled at him. He was clearly offended by the lack of an effect it had on me. “It’s…” He started trying to defend himself. I arched an eyebrow, quite curious at how he would continue. He stared at the bar for only a moment before shaking his head in defeat. “Yeah, I got nothing, it’s cheesy.” He admitted.
I laughed once again, “But it works! I swear you wouldn't beileve how well that normally works.” He swore in his defense. I shook my head with a smirk. “Not tonight buddy.” I assured him. I finished the drink in front of me. Dean waved the bartender over once again. “Another one for the beautiful lady.” Dean looked at me as he said the words like he was getting the last word, in our mini disagreement. The bartender didn’t look amused.
“No, no I'm good but thank you.” I protested. I nodded with a smile to assure the bartender. “Oh c’mon. One more, on me.” Dean pushed. I looked at him, I opened my mouth to argue but what came out was, “Alright, One more. That’s it.” I told him trying to keep some ground after letting him push me over that easily. He smiled clearly happy with himself like he had just regained some of his game or something.
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One drink turned into two, and two into three. I don’t know what it was but I couldn’t say no. Correction, I didn’t want to. There was something different about Dean that I liked, besides the fact that he was clearly very guarded, as the night went on he was slowly becoming more and more genuine. I could feel it now, the alcohol. My body felt light and warm.
“So about that story of yours?” He asked again. That’s when I heard it. What I’d been hoping for since he sat down. “She is god damn beautiful, ain’t she?” it was his same husky, low voice. But his mouth never opened to say the words. I felt a smile creep across my face as I stared at him. I snapped out of it clearing my throat. “You’ll have to earn that one.” I refused.
He chuckled and leaned forward against the bar. He had taken off the leather jacket revealing his emerald green flannel. I smiled once more. I pulled my phone from my pocket. When I flipped my phone open seeing six missed calls from Trevor. So he can’t have a conversation with me at school, but he’s dying to once he’s away from his douchebag friends? Prick. There were no calls from either of my parents, leaving your kid at home alone for a week, without a word? Great parenting.
I glanced up at the time seeing it was 11:42. I sighed looking up at Dean dreading what was going to say. He was already staring down at me. “Everything alright?” he looked at me with soft eyes. I looked back and forth between them unable to believe how green they were.
“Yeah,” I finally said, pushing a tuft of hair behind my ear. I pushed my phone back into my pocket. “I should probably go home…” I huffed. He stared at me not saying anything yet but I could tell he wanted to. I raised my eyebrows, waiting for whatever it was he was going to say.
“Wh-” he started before pausing and pushing out a deeper breath. He looked back at me. “What if, you didn’t?” He suggested vaguely. I cocked my head to the side forcing him to elaborate though I knew exactly what he was getting at.
“Maybe you could… I don’t come back with me for a bit?” He added. I could tell this was unnatural for him. Not the question necessarily, but the way he was asking it. Like he was nervous.
He stared at me intensely as he waited for a response. For a moment I could hear my heart in my ears, almost as if it was a warning. I knew I’d feel so guilty about it tomorrow. Trevor was a shit boyfriend but he didn’t deserve this. So I was surprised to hear myself say. “Yeah… Okay.” I agreed with a girly grin. I hated that. But as I said yes his face drained and then he grinned like my answer was a relief.
He nodded like he was confirming that I said yes. I didn’t even know his last name. I’m not entirely sure what I was thinking. I was bored I guess, I wanted someone to look at me, just look at me. Trevor never did anymore. I mean he did. Of course, he did. But not like he used to. It was like he was only with me because I was some trophy or something. That didn’t make this right or justified. But something inside me just didn’t care.
I stood turned away from him and grabbed my purse. I started walking toward the door. Dean just stood there staring after me. “Are you coming?” I called not even turning to look at him. Dean snapped out of his stare and followed after me.
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I guess he had walked because I took him home in my car. It was only a few blocks so it made sense. I couldn’t believe I was going to go through with this. My heart was pounding, it felt like a hammer against my chest. I pulled into a space in front of his room. I turned the keys in the ignition. I got out of the car it had been pretty awkward. Other than his comment on my rust-orange 1972 Audi, it was pretty much silent.
He hadn't backed out yet so neither would I. I felt like I was playing a very intense and slightly immature game of chicken. Like I’m about to sleep with this guy?!?! What the hell? I don't do stupid shit like this. Do you know who would do some stupid shit like this? Trevor. Oh poor Trevor, how could I do this to him?
Okay… I’m for sure freaking out now and definitely regretting this. He got out of the car coming to my side. I stared at the dash breathing noticeably too fast. He opened my door. As I heard it I looked up at him forcing a smile. This was a TERRIBLE idea. What was I thinking?
I stepped out of the car. He closed the door behind me. I walked up onto the sidewalk, to the door. There were crickets chirping. Literal crickets. As I went to open the door a hand fell over mine. My view snapped back to him. It frightened me, I thought he was still a few paces behind me.
He smiled with a nervous laugh so I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong. I forced another smile back at him. He opened the door cautiously like he was worried something would jump out from the shadows at him. He turned to me realizing how odd what he was doing looked. He opened the door the rest of the way he stood to the side, gesturing me in ahead of him.
I took a few steps inside. I could hear my heartbeat in my head. As I thought about it I realized that my head, which was hurting constantly all the time, wasn’t hurting at all. I looked around the room. There was no way all of these things belonged to him alone. There had to have been someone else with him. Maybe two or three other people.
I turned around to face him. I felt so small now. Any confidence I had, had faded into guilt, or nerves. He slid his jacket off hanging it on the hook next to the door. He came behind me taking mine as well. As it slid down my arms, I knew I had to say something. One of us had to or this was going to end with me at home eating straight out of a bucket of KFC.
“Such a gentleman.” I teased. He tisked. He came back into view as he hung up my jacket next to his. “I would definitely not go that far.” He grinned. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was as nervous as me. He didn’t seem like the kind that would be, but yet here we are.
I stared up at him as I worked myself up. I could do this I’m a big girl, I’m an adult. And before I had time to change my mind I took a few steps towards him. I watched his eyes flare for a millisecond. I closed my eyes and pressed my lips to his.
After a couple of seconds, he let his hands come down on my hips. I had a hundred thoughts running through my head. “Woah…” He said in a soft voice. Like he was surprised but in a good way. I took a step back not convinced I didn’t do something wrong. I looked up to a confused Dean. His height towered over mine. It must have half a foot difference. “What?” I asked sheepishly.
He shook his head. “I-I didn’t say anything…” He stammered. But he just had, moments ago. I heard it. Right? I looked at him returning his confusion. Before I knew it our lips had connected again. He took steps guiding me backward. He unbuttoned his flannel. I started breathing heavier squeezing my eyes closed tight. So much for “Before I change my mind” I thought to myself.
Dean took a step back as I had done. He looked at me and I shook my head slightly. There was a hint of concern on his face. “Are you sure about this?” He asked. Wow, a guy I’m sure has hooked up with more women than I can count, is asking me if I’m sure. Way to go Katie.
‘Y-yeah, of course.” I lied. I felt like now I had something to prove. He wasn’t buying it. He shook his head. “You don’t seem sure…” He told me. I looked at him. I could feel myself softening. I had a window. I could back out. I was thankful. “This is probably pathetic right?” I scoffed at myself. I went around him. I sat on the bed looking up at him.
He turned his body to follow my gaze. He shook his head. “What? That you don’t want to have sex with me? A little disappointing, yes. Does it bruise my ego... maybe, but pathetic? No.” He smiled like I was being ridiculous. I gave him an appreciative smile. It was a relief. I knew it was a stupid idea from the jump.
“I should probably go huh?” I added. He didn’t need an indecisive hookup, let alone one hanging around his motel room. He nodded agreeing with the idea. “You could.” He suggested, not wanting to truly hold it as an option. “Or,” He added. If my ears could perk up they would’ve. “You could stay. Drink a few beers, watch some cheesy cop shows.” He proposed. I chuckled under my breath before turning my view to him.
“You sure?” I gave him an out. He shook his head confirming his suggestion. “You're not the worst company in the world Kate.” I felt the warmth returning to my cheek’s again. “I have been meaning to catch up on some Prime Suspect.” I agreed. His grin widened, he’d hoped I’d say something like that.
“Alright then.” He confirms. He got up off the bed. I did the same. He went toward the minifridge, while I kicked off my shoes at the door. I sat on the bed again pulling myself back toward the headboard. I leaned against it waiting for Dean to come and sit.
He handed me a beer and I accepted it almost immediately. He sat down next to me, taking his shoes off before sitting the same way I was. We were shoulder to shoulder, he reached for the remote.
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We sat laughing at the screen, not because they said something funny but because of how terrible it was. Dean had something witty to say about every character. I made it through about four beers. I wasn’t a light weight but five drinks, and four beers? Kind of a lot. I could feel myself nodding off. I knew the responsible thing to do would be to go home but. But honestly? I didn’t want to. I leaned into Dean's shoulder. He was warm. That only made me more sleepy. He looked down at me, and as he saw how peaceful and fragile I looked while I was sleeping, he smiled to himself.
He leaned over, grabbed the remote, and turned off the TV. He pulled the string, turning off the lamp. He flipped toward me, and I tiredly flipped away from him. He snaked his arm over my mid-section. He pulled me a little closer. Right before I truly fell asleep, I could’ve sworn I heard him whisper, “Like I said, Beautiful.”
Dean let himself have that night. He needed it more than a casual, non-strings-attached hookup, God knows how much. He felt connected to someone, someone he wasn’t obligated to connect to. If he was honest he’d tell you it scared the shit out of him. But right then, He fell asleep, easily, for the first time in a long time.