Chapter Text
Breathe in
Breathe out
Breathe in
Breathe out
As their eyes adjust to the light above, as their skin adjusts to the temperature around them, as their ears adjust to the talking echoing through the halls, and as their minds finally take in their surroundings.
Blink once, twice.
They're in the backroom of that old game store, but it's different now. Cobwebs and dust covered the shelves and old items never sold. Sat at a table in the middle of the room were four unfortunate teenagers who just finished their journey and are home. All battle scars gone, all missing limbs back, but the trauma was still fresh and painful.
They're exactly how they left.
"We're.. we're home?" Scott asked breathless, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. They've been gone for months, but his phone says only a few minutes had passed, they left around 3:30, its now 3:35. Preston wiped the tears from his eyes, he laughed "I'm not quite sure if these are good or bad tears."
Clarissa's head fell into her hands as she leaned forward, she looked down at her leg, it's back like it never left. She sat straight up and looked around, "Ok, my leg is back. So where the hell Marvin?" At this question they took in their surroundings.
"I know we've been gone for a bit, but like, it was a minute here, why is it so dusty?" Dex asked, standing up from his chair, he messed with the character piece he picked. "It looks like this place hasn't been open in years. Yo Marvin!" He called out, tossing the figure on the table.
While Dex was talking, Preston found old mail. "This place closed down in the 80s. But this place was open before we left a- and it was clean!?"
"Let's get out of here before we get in trouble-" just as Scott said that, the three security officers bust through the door. The short one yelled, "Get out of here! You kids should know you can't be back here!"
The punishment was a stern talking to, luckily, the cops let them all off with a warning. The four teens stood there, watching them leave, they were quiet for a moment. The situation finally setting in, they all were finally able to catch their breath for the first time in months. No time passed for those cops, they were lost, unsure what to do now.
"So what now?" Clarissa asked, anxiously running her nails through her hair. The group looked between each other, hoping someone had an answer. Scott looked at his phone, his manager Karen was asking for him to come back. "I need to go back to work.."
Dex took a breath, also looking at a text from Michelle, Preston saw the message and sighed. "It's fine Dex.. I honestly don't care anymore that you're dating my mum."
"But I care." He said looking over at the Brit. "I'm gonna end things with her, it's not fair for you." Preston looks like he's about to cry again, he nodded before smiling. "Thanks, I- I realy appreciate that."
"I think.. I think I want to make things right with my parents." Clarissa said, "I want parents, not ATM machines." She joked painfully, Scott squeezed her shoulder.
Then an awkward silence fell, how are they gonna go back to a normal life after all this? Preston got out his phone, "we should trade numbers, we're the only ones that know what happened. We should support each other." They all agreed, and traded numbers.
After a moment they said their goodbyes, each of their hearts wrenching as they walked away from each other. A hole in their hearts had opened, all for different reasons.
Clarissa walked through the parking garage. Her heel clicks echoed across the floor, bouncing off walls as she made her way to her red jeep, she hated it when she first got it but now, she finally appreciates it. She got in and didn't start the engine, just sat there. She tapped against her phone and hit the call button on her mom's number. It rang and rang, she wondered if her mom would even pick up. Both of her parents are on a business trip after all.
"Hello?" Her mom said, Clarissa tried to catch her breath, but it just came out shakey. "Clarissa? Sweetheart, are you okay?" At that, she broke down, sobbing into her phone. "Shhh, it's okay. You're okay, what happened? I'm here." Her mother said in a soft voice, in the background she heard her dad's voice. "Clarissa? Honey, are you okay?" He asked her.
"N-no.. please" she managed to say before sobbing once more. "Do you want us to come home?" Her dad said, through breaths she was able to answer. "Y-yes.."
"Okay, don't worry sweetheart. Your mom is making arrangements with the pilot as we speak. We'll be home tonight, okay?" Her dad sounded worried, "I love you, honey." She wasn't able to say it back but it was comforting to hear. "Okay.. bye" she hung up her phone, and wiped her tears. Her makeup was running down her cheeks, she looked into her visor mirror and laughed. "I've looked worse."
Dex walked around the mall, he ended up throwing away the dick lollipop. Besides that, he was trying to come up with the perfect words to say to Michelle. Should he text her- no, definitely call. He needs to be mature about this, he also needs to call up his school and try to get back in- hopefully they'll understand he made a horrible mistake. He also needs to apologize to his mom, but he can do that at home.
Around 6pm, he ended up outside on a bench, his finger hovered over the call button of Michelle's number. "Oh my god Dex... you can do this." He pressed the call button, it rang a few times before she answered. "Dexter? Why didn't you come over?" Her voice seemed annoyed but also concerned.
"Yeah, sorry about that. Stuff came up and-“ Dex stop lying. “That-… that’s not true. Okay, look- I can't be with you anymore." He said, Dex can’t beat around the bush or avoid the conversation any longer. "You're married, you have a family.. I would hate it if I found out my mom was cheating on.. my dad. I'm sorry."
He heard her breathing on the other side. "Michelle, I think you and your husband should talk to someone if you're really unhappy with your life. You’re probably mad at me, and don’t want to listen to what I have to say, but if anything, at least do it for your son."
She sighed, "you're right. And if my son found out... god. I love my son, and I completely forgot about him. What if he did find out?" Dex knows that answer, and it's not pretty.
"I don't think he would be very happy. If I were in his shoes, I would probably never be able to look at my mom the same." Dex said, Michelle was quiet on her end. "Sorry, if that was blunt."
She sighed, "no, it was exactly what needed to be said. I can't disappoint him. Thank you, Dexter."
"Yeah, no problem.. bye." Dex said wanting to end that conversation as soon as possible, he didn't even let her finish before hanging up. He leaned his forehead against his phone.
He was so lost in thought he didn't see the person approaching him. "Dex? What are you still doing here?" He looked over quickly at the voice, Scott stood there, one of his bag straps hanging off his shoulder. "I thought you'd be gone by now- wait, you look sad?"
Dex laughed and stood up, looking up at the other. "Nothing gets past you, huh?"
"Don't avoid my question, dude."
Dex's smile dropped as he looked away from Scott. "I- ah.. I just ended things with Michelle."
Scott look surprised, "really? Wh- wow. Um.. you good man?"
Dex laughed at his poor attempt at comfort. "You're so shit at comforting people." He leaned his head back and laughed harder when he saw the sour expression on Scott's face. "I'm fine dude. Seriously, I mean, yeah I'm sad but, me and her.. we were never really dating, we were just.. ya know."
”yeah, I know what you mean.” Scott nodded, "okay, cool. Anyway bye man, I got to get home soon before it gets too dark." He looked over at the sun starting to get closer to the horizon.
"You live far?"
"Eh, from my house to the school it’s a 15 minute walk. And from the school to work is like.. 30 minute walk." Scott said, trying to sound nonchalant. Dex did the math in his head, "wait, that's a 45 minute walk!- Are you seriously gonna walk home?"
"Yeah." He shrugged. "I do it all the time. I mean- It's not like I have a car, and my mom is working the night shift at the hospital most of the time now, so she can't pick me up. And the old man is out of the question." Dex guessed that the 'old man' is his stepdad. He looked at his phone. "Where do you live, I'll give you a ride." He pulled his car key out of his pocket. Scott quickly shook his head, "wha- no, no. That's not necessary!"
"I don't care."
"Dex, I'm capable of walking home."
"And I don't care." He said looking back up at the taller guy. "I'm giving you a ride home, now where do you live?"
He feels like he lost to a persuasion roll, but he gave in, slightly. "On River Oak street by the hospital, but you're dropping me off down the road. My stepdad would flip his shit if he saw me getting out of someone else's car, especially a guy."
Dex starts walking through the parking lot, Scott beside him. "Why should he care?"
"I don't know. He's transphobic and homophobic, so he’ll see his stepdaughter getting out of some guy's car, and then automatically think I’m getting pregnant." Scott said, they both shared an equally confused look. Dex looking completely disgusted. “That’s so.. what?”
“Dude, I don't know either. At this point it’s hilarious that he thinks someone would want to date me. At least in his heart I have friends.” Scott laughed at his own joke, Dex laughed a little bit. He knew humor is Scott's coping mechanism, he knew just to laugh along too.
Dex walks up to a black, early 2000s toyota camry. He puts the key in the door and unlocks it, "okay dude, so it's been a few months so I forgot if my car is dirty or not." He warned him, Scott laughed slightly before opening the door and getting in. It was surprisingly clean, but he noticed something cool above him.
The cloth roof was covered in drawings and people's names, "whoa.." Scott said quietly looking up at it, Dex watched him. He watched how Scott slightly smiled looking at the doodles that covered his car, he noticed that the scars on Scott's features had completely disappeared. Dex scanned his face, like he was mapping out Scott's face in his head to remember every detail. He wasn't sure why, he forced his eyes away and started up his car. "Ah.. yeah, my bandmates thought it'd be fun to make doodles on my car, then my other friends and partners started doing it too. I think it's fun."
Scott nodded, "it matches your personality, and like, punk rock vibe."
Dex bit his lip, “thanks.”
”Didn’t expect you to have a cute little car though, but that also fits you too.” Scott teased, Dex clutched his hoodie, dramatically leaning against the driver side door. “How dare you offend Linda.”
“Linda?”
“All moms named Linda are hot.” Dex said, sitting up straight, grinning proudly as he pulled out of the parking spot.
The car ride was quiet for the most part, the radio playing some classic rock song. When they passed by their high school Scott spoke up. "It's kinda weird that we never saw each other at school, like obviously we couldn't have seen Preston, but you, me, and Clarissa."
"Yeah... I mean I thought yall looked familiar. Maybe we have a class together?" Dex said, Scott snickered beside him. "What?"
"You mean had? You dropped out, remember."
".. Actually, I'm gonna come back, finish junior and senior year. I can't be a rockstar if I have no idea how to manage funds and schedule stuff, y'know."
“You're a junior too? But you're 18?"
Dex shrugged, "held back twice, I'm shit at English. This year though I have a bomb-ass teacher. Y'know Mr Wilford, 7th hour with him is amazing." Scott thought, his face showed pure confusion. "Wait- do we have 7th hour together?"
"Holy fuck! That's why you look familiar! You sit in the front- on the left. I sit in the back left corner." Dex laughed, he ran his fingers through his hair and then snapped. "Clarissa's also in that class- she sits in the back too but the right corner!"
Scott thought back to his 7th hour, he might have seen them back there before. "Holy shit.. yeah. That's insane. We just never had a reason to talk to each other, that's crazy man." Something about that made a pit in both their stomachs, the car ride was quiet after that.
Preston sighed as he made his way through the grand doors of his house, maids and butlers rushing past him, all ignoring him. On his ride home, he made a decision, he needed to find his parents first though.
He went to his dad's study, pressed his ear against the door, heard his parents talking inside. As much as he would love to come back later, this might be his only chance to see them both together at the same time. He knocked on the door, and heard shushing from his parents before getting an answer. "Come in."
He opened the door to the study, his mum and dad were standing in front of the desk in the center of the room, bookshelves lining the back wall. Preston struggled to look at his mum but took a breath. "I need to ask you both something important."
His parents looked at each other, his dad nodded. "You have our full attention."
Preston opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He rehearsed what he was gonna say on the way home, so he knows exactly what to say. Taking a breath he tries again, "I.. I want to change schools."
His parents look taken aback, his dad laughed nervously, "You're joking?"
"No. I don't want to go to the academy anymore, I want to go to the high school. I- I just want to experience being a teenager. I appreciate everything you gave me, I really do but, I also wanna make my own choices too." Preston said, his parent's faces are unreadable, but that was normal for him. "Mum, Dad, please?"
His dad shook his head, "no, end of discussion." Preston went to agure but his mum stood up for him. "I think that's a great idea."
"Michelle, please. You can't be serious?"
"I am very serious, James. Preston isn't going to be teenager forever, we should let him do all that dumb rubbish now." His mum smiled at her husband, "We were dumb teenagers in high school, and in college we didn't act out as much as other sheltered kids did. Let him be stupid now, so he doesn't have to be later."
His dad pressed his lips together into a tight line, he looked over at Preston. "Are you sure?"
Preston grinned brightly and nodded, "yes, sir."
"I'll talk to the principal to get you transferred." With that, he was overwhelmed with happiness, he'll be able to see his friends now. It was all cloud nine from here.