Work Text:
The wind blew east, pushing back against the car as to tell it not to go onward. A warning, perhaps. If Courtney were less curious, she would have nodded at Mother Nature’s signal and U-turned right out of her hometown, but she has business to take care of.
Her hands stayed firm on the steering wheel, almost gripping it for stability as she entered the oh-so-familiar driveway.
It’s nice to know he couldn’t have changed that much.
A month ago, when Courtney was bottomless in college mid-terms and papers, she received a text message from a number that Courtney once had engraved on her heart. Her past…infatuation. It was nothing more…. texted her, asking if she would finally make the trek back home this Christmas holiday. Her roommates thought this text was exciting, as Courtney had been dedicated to her books the entire time she was at college. Their persuasion and the lasting ache in Courtney’s heart convinced her to make the drive. There was something about Duncan that Courtney couldn’t resist; it stuck with her like glue.
Focus!
The car made a series of dings as Courtney parked and unlocked it, then took a last look at herself before exiting the warmth of her car.
October 27th, 2017
Courtney didn’t care that tomorrow might be her birthday or that her parents awaited her arrival home. No, she has a chemistry test to study for, and no one is getting in the way.
In the little cubicle she tucked herself into, she had several books lying about, all scattered and open, similar to her mind. She would read and reread; if she thought she knew it all, she would read again. Good grades come at a cost, which is a whole bunch of time. Courtney didn’t mind, though; what else would she spend her time on?
“Jesus, I knew you were a nerd, but it’s 8 P.M. On a Friday.”
Courtney looked up to see a specimen with overgrown green box dye on the patch of hair he still had left and clothes that needed to be sprayed with holy water. His gaze was piercing, and Courtney had to take a long, hard second to think if the criminal record was worth it to punch him for interrupting her essential studies.
Sadly, she recognized him, freaking Duncan Tarun. It would be hard not to; he has been bugging her since he was expelled from his old school in freshman year. She would be minding her business, he would annoy her, and Courtney had to mentally restrain herself not to abuse him physically and verbally.
“Can’t you see I’m doing something here?” She chuckled before returning to her isotopes, “And besides, you’re here. Does that mean you're a nerd too?”. The chair beside her made a screeching sound as he pulled it out. He peered over her shoulder as he sat down, sending annoyance down Courtney’s veins, “Like I said, I’m trying to do something.”
“Sorry princess,” He called Courtney by the nickname she hated, “And, to answer your question, I had detention.”
“Till eight?”
“What can I say? They don’t like my antics,” Duncan smirked before he sat in the chair, pulling it closer to Courtney’s workspace, “Whatcha working on?”
“Nothing you care about,” Courtney said. She had had enough of this conversation and attempted to close herself off the delinquent. He relented and slowly got closer.
“What do you mean? I definitely care about…” His face contorted into confusion as he attempted to read one of the words on the page, “Clover two.”
“That’s chlorite, which proves my point. Now, if you excuse me, I’m trying not to fail tomorrow, unlike you.”
“You know you love me,” He looks up for a second, seemingly contemplating, “Isn’t it your birthday tomorrow?”
“Yeah, so what,” Her head refused to look up from her practice problems, but her eye slightly twitched at the question. In truth, Courtney was ninety percent sure her parents had forgotten about her birthday. Work has been stressful for them, and Courtney had neglected to bring it up, so she didn’t blame them. It still hurt, though; she always looked forward to her birthday.
“And you’re studying?” His face turned from concerned to happy as he remembered, “Man, my last birthday, we went wild. Jeff and I drank all of my dad’s basement beer, then graffitied the police station.”
“Isn’t that the time you called me to bail you out?”
“Yeah, you're the most lawyerly person I know.”
“I can’t even bail you out of jail; I’m fifteen,” She finally looked up from her books, happy that the discussion was finally off her upcoming birthday. He was still smiling, probably elated from the memory.
“Well, how about this, as a birthday present to you, princess,” Courtney groaned at Duncan’s words, not looking forward to what else would spill out of his dumb mouth, “We go on a date.”
“A what?” She wondered out loud. Her face turned into one of shock, then of confusion. Where would he get the idea that she, Courtney Reyes, would ever go on a date with a convicted criminal?
“I’ll feed you McDonald's; maybe I’ll spray paint your name onto the side of it as an act of kindness,” Duncan explained, looking like this was spontaneous and meticulously planned out simultaneously. Courtney looked at him, her eyes forming into a glare to try to shoo him away. He moved out of the chair to his knees, clasped his hands together, and began to spit out some other stupid nonsense.
“I’ll start begging loudly if you don’t say yes, and I think Mr. O'Malley is still here. Maybe he’ll hear me,”
Courtney slapped a hand onto his mouth in fear, “Do not even think about it,” She sighed, thinking about what else she would do if she didn’t go with him tomorrow, which was nothing. Her parents would still be on their stupid business trip in Quebec, and her few friends indeed wouldn’t have time for something so spontaneously planned,
“I’ll go with you tomorrow, but you must pick me up and pay!” She took her hand off his mouth, and he laughed again.
“I knew you loved me.”
Present Day
Courtney still remembers that night like the back of her hand. Her parents forgot about her birthday, but Duncan didn’t for some reason. He brought her dollar-store chocolate and a bouquet of weeds, then bought her a hamburger. It was unorthodox for a proclaimed “first date,” but it was sweet. He was sweet.
I might be the only person who thinks that.
Courtney's hands became sweaty as she approached the front door, and her finger hesitated to press the doorbell. When that door opened, she would reopen their relationship, breaking the no-contact rule Courtney had enforced so strongly post-high school. With one last breath, her manicured finger rang the doorbell, which caused the dogs inside to go wild. Courtney bit her lip and looked down at the worn-down welcome mat she stood on. She silently wondered how many of her footprints still lingered underneath the bristle’s surface, as a little part of her would never leave this doorstep.
The door suddenly opened, “Jesus, I told you guys I don’t want to become a Mor-“ Duncan’s words caught in his throat as Courtney looked up, and they held eye contact for the first time in several years. Neither dared to utter a word, scared of throwing away something Courtney had worked so hard to reignite, “Oh, you actually came.”
Probably shouldn’t have left him on read.
“Hi,” She uttered, seeming unusually meek. She looked down at her shoes again.
The silence might kill me.
“I thought you said you were never contacting me again.”
“I didn’t contact you; it was the other way around,” She defended herself. She lets out a large exhale she had been holding onto in fear, “You want to go for a drive with me?”
The silence fills the atmosphere again, almost suffocating both into eternal quiet. Duncan’s fingers tap against the side of the door, creating a depressing song neither of them wants to listen to once more.
He finally decides to end their shared suffering, “Sure.”
December 22nd, 2017
Duncan’s car felt nice, Courtney decided. Sure, it smelled like stale McDonald's fries, and it took several times to click the seatbelt in place, but the car was Duncan’s. Courtney had also decided she liked Duncan.
Duncan's screeching metal songs filled the car, and Courtney would have put her hands to her ears if the two weren’t conversing over how stupid the new math teacher was.
“I mean, she gave me a D+! I totally deserved a C.”
“What do you mean by deserved? You either got it wrong, or you didn’t,” She looked at him with confusion, and he shrugged. She was glad he cared enough to argue about it, “I think she is awful at teaching. I don’t know why Mr. Sunter had to go on paternal leave. It’s not like he’s having the baby!”
They laughed at that as he made the big turn into the school. Courtney had made Duncan start leaving earlier so he could pick her up and they could both still be on time. Duncan had whined and complained about losing his time in the morning, but he still complied. Now it’s 8 A.M., and Duncan is frequently on time for the first time.
Duncan pulls into a parking spot and parks. The melody of the birds floats through the run-down truck, the only noise that can be heard. In about thirty minutes, Courtney would be internally stressing over the number of extracurriculars on her resume, and Duncan would be taking too long in the bathroom because he was trying out his new flavor of Elf Bar, but right now, they just sat.
Courtney put her hand on top of Duncan, and they enjoyed the beauty of the silence together.
Present Day
Why did I ever come back here why did I go back into his house oh my god oh my god oh my god it’s so awkward I’m going to drive this car off a cliff because I can’t take this why did I ever listen to him?
Courtney had turned left several times now, not knowing where to go with her ex-boyfriend. He sat stoically in the passenger seat, eyes locked in front of him like it would kill him to look at her. This wasn’t what she had in mind for a reunion.
You would think the guy that invited me in the first place would, I don’t know, talk to me? I guess not.
Duncan finally peered over to Courtney, diligently focusing on the road, fearing her mind returning to him, “How’s school?”
“Good,” Courtney sighed. She tapped her finger against the steering wheel as they were stuck at a long traffic light, “Yeah, it’s good.”
“Good,” Neither could hear each other say ‘good’ anymore, so silence filled the car again. Courtney kept on driving; Duncan kept on staring. Awkward, sure, but it was better than what they had before.
April 17th, 2018
“Courtney! Courtney! Jesus, stop running away!”
She walked quickly to the door, arms crossed and face red with anger. She should have seen it coming. Of course, Duncan would like the gothic, chill chick more than her. How could she be so stupid?
“What, Duncan, what could you possibly want from me that you couldn’t get from Gwen?”
“Gwen? Wha-“ He failed to find the correct words to de-escalate the situation, which only worsened Courtney’s anger. She went to turn around and storm out of the house before Duncan put his hand on her shoulder, “Wait! Let me explain!”
“Explain what! That you’ve been cheating on me?”
“What?” He reached the peak of his confusion, “No, no, Gwen is just a friend, I swear!”
“Just a friend, my ass; you guys have been talking all night! It’s like I wasn’t even there!”
“We just have similar interests, that’s all! You always complain when I start talking about my graffiti! Even when it’s about you!” Duncan explained, his words coming out frantic as he tried to convince Courtney to stay.
She huffed, turning her body away from him again, “I saw her blushing though! She totally has a crush on you!”
“It’s hot in here; she’s probably just hot. Chill out, okay?” He sighed, the franticness melting off his face, “Besides, I don’t think she even likes boys.”
Courtney felt embarrassed now, so she looked at her sandals. Duncan took both of her hands in his and grabbed onto them, making a silent promise of loyalty and love. Courtney moved her gaze to their touch, feeling loved but still sketchy the true intentions of Gwen.
“Hey, Duncan?” A mysterious voice called out. Both looked up to see a certain goth girl standing at the door, leaning on the frame with a smug look, “They want you.”
“Oh yeah, bye, Princess,” He let go of his firm grasp on her hands, gave her a final kiss on the head, and ran to Gwen, immediately engaged in laughter and continuing the conversation he supposedly left to comfort Courtney’s outburst. Her scowl returned as quickly as it went, and she made the final step out the door and to her own car.
Present Day
“Turn here.”
Duncan’s voice brought her out of her trance, and she looked over to see him pointing to the McDonalds on the corner between Elk and Plymouth Street. Courtney turned the steering wheel right to go into the parking lot, breaking the left turn streak she had dedicated herself to. She backed into a spot before she parked the car, and Duncan lept out of his seat.
“You want anything?” He held open the door, looking at Courtney.
McDonalds is disgusting.
Despite this, she says, “You know what I like.”
He slams the door, putting all the emotions he has bottled up over the years onto her car. Courtney sighed as the car was filled with silence once again, though this time Duncan lingered, with his scent and the cigarette discarded on the floor. She didn’t remember him smoking in the car, but maybe she was just stuck in her head.
Duncan came out as soon as he came in, curse fast food, this time with a bag and two drinks. She prepared for her order to be completely wrong, even though he seemed confident, but she was proven wrong.
“You remembered?”
“How could I forget? I don’t think anyone else gets a hamburger without the burger.”
She shrugged and stole her sandwich before he could make any more jabs at her, then took her fries and drink. They fell into silence again, now comfortable, as it was by choice.
Courtney decided to break the silence, “What are you doing now?”
“Just got out of jail.”
“Oh,” I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that.
“Arson,” That makes sense.
The mutual sound of chewing filled the car once again, and both were weirdly content with the energy they created in the car, which was a welcome anomaly. Courtney put the sandwich down to drive the car down the road to a familiar spot for both. She parked the car once again in a spot three to the left, five back, and hidden enough to skip a class or two successfully. That’s why Duncan always parked here. I wouldn’t know about the skipping thing; I haven’t missed a day of school in my life.
Courtney’s memories overtook her as she saw the monotone brown building that was the town’s high school. She heard his distinct laugh as he leaned back in his seat.
“Do you remember Lindsay’s awful perfume? That sickly sweet vanilla?”
She groaned, slapping her palm onto her face in second-hand embarrassment, “She sprayed it in my eyes on time; it clashed with my refined rose,” Duncan rolled his eyes playfully at that, “I’m pretty sure I got a refraction for screaming at her, because she cried, which was so dramatic, if I may add.”
“I remember. You called me crying because you thought a detention would ruin your future in politics,” He laughed, “It didn’t, obviously.”
They both went silent again and ruminated on those times when a phone call wasn’t abnormal and their connection was still strong. The text that Duncan sent a couple of weeks ago was the only time they have contacted since Courtney put in place a no-contact rule post-graduation and blocked him (she unblocked him during a depressive drinking episode during her spring semester freshmen year). It’s kept her motivated; it’s kept him depressed.
Thank God for that.
January 13th, 2019
“Courtney! You come down here right this instant!”
Courtney visibly tensed at her mother’s angry tone. It seemed like every day now was filled with her disappointing glares and accusatory tones. She has worked hard all her life; why her mother was on her so much right now, she doesn’t know.
“Coming!” Courtney replied, dropping what she was doing to attend to her mother like a sheep. Duncan always commented on that.
“You are so mean to everyone else, but when your mom says anything, it’s all ‘yes, mother,’ ‘What can I do for you, mother?’ Pick a side,” He said not too long ago, but those words stuck with her. She didn’t know why because, for all she knew, he was utterly wrong with his analysis. It’s not bad to respect authority; she’s been doing it all her life. What does he, a guy who practically lived in the detention room, know about respect?
Courtney went downstairs to face her mother, who had gone through her school bag and picked out a recent math test on which she got a B+.
“What is this?”
“My math test,” Courtney wasn’t happy with it, but she had skipped the review session to hang out with Duncan, so in her mind, she deserved the grade.
“Why did you get a B+ on it? Do you know how much this affects your grade? Because I do! It’s 25%!”
Courtney knew this; she memorized the syllabus at the beginning of the year (and Duncan’s, just in case he started to slip).
“What’s your excuse?” Her mother exclaims, “I know your teacher has review sessions. If you were so bad at the topic that you couldn’t get an A on it, why didn’t you attend them?”
Courtney knew that admitting she was kissing her boyfriend in the back of his unsafe truck was a bad idea, so she lied, “I had other commitments.”
“Liar! I bet it was that boyfriend of yours, Dustin,” Not his name, but okay, “I’ve seen him around; he’s a bad influence on you.”
Courtney turned red at that statement, feeling defensive over her boyfriend. With a newfound annoyance, she said, “He’s not a bad influence!”
Her mother gasped, “Don’t talk back to me!” Courtney rolled her eyes, being more rebellious than ever. That proved her mother’s point, “You know what, go to your room!”
Her mother was totally overreacted to this whole situation, that was for sure. But one thing was evident: she would not have reacted that way a year and a half ago. Courtney recognized that while storming up the stairs and slamming the door. The whole thing felt freeing in a way, A weird way. Is this what Duncan feels like?
She picked up her phone to call Duncan to ask him his opinion. But, when she pressed on his contact, “Dunkie <3”, she noticed something strange. The map showing his location wasn’t a satellite, but Courtney had the streets surrounding his home memorized because she checked it so often. Instead of his cul-de-sac, he was at an unfamiliar intersection.
Courtney pressed on the map to get a full-screen view of the map, then adjusted the settings so she would get a satellite view. She immediately dropped her phone when she saw the house on the screen. She was always one for the dramatics, but this shocked her to her core.
Ingrid Florals.
Gwen Ingrid’s house.
She walked over to her bed and screamed into her pillow louder than all her angry actions only a few minutes prior.
Present Day
“So, how’s school?” Duncan asked, putting down his drink in the passenger seat cup holder. Courtney sighed as she put the car out of park to continue driving to nowhere.
He already asked me this. I’m getting kind of tired of all this meaningless conversation. I could be studying fraudulent cases in the comfort of a library right now.
“Fine. The workload can be a lot sometimes, but I manage,” she said. She turned the car left into the street, sending them both sideways.
“You’ve always managed. I never understood how you did it, but you did. I always knew you would end up som-“
“What do you want from me, Duncan?” She asked. Courtney kept her eyes on the road, but her face was compressed into an annoyed look that made Duncan laugh.
“What do you mean, princess?”
“That. You keep mentioning the past, using pet names you didn’t even use at the end of our relationship, and texting me for no reason! There is no way you broke no-contact-“
It was Duncan’s turn to interrupt Courtney, and suddenly all past wounds that had been covered up with weak stitches had been reopened, “There you go again, with your ‘no-contact’ bullshit you are always talking about. Have you ever thought the world might not revolve around you?”
“No contact is a popular term! And besides, we both benefited from it. I didn’t need any more drunken texts from you saying how much better you were without me.”
“Because I was!” His eyes widened briefly as he stumbled over his following words, “F-forget about it.”
“No, tell me!”
“Do you realize how controlling you were during our relationship?”
“Oh, so you only texted me so you could ridicule my-“
“Keep your eyes on the fucking road!”
Courtney turned to face the road and gasped, seeing she was almost about to run a red light and into oncoming traffic. She slammed the brakes, sending them both dramatically forward and slamming back on the seats. She sighed in relief that her last conversation wasn’t with Duncan.
Duncan rolled his eyes, “Pull over.”
“No!” It was a good idea, but nothing he ever says is good.
“I’m not dying at the hands of some angry lady’s poor driving skills!”
The once-content silence that filled the car was replaced with the familiar sound of arguments. Stupid, irrational, and plain irritating to anyone who had to witness it.
July 23rd, 2019
She didn’t know how she’d let it slip under her nose for so long.
Courtney gripped her phone in anger (she’s been doing that a lot recently), seeing that Duncan wasn’t at his house once again. They had hung out earlier that day, and something had seemed off. Courtney talked it off, but it felt like she was jamming in a puzzle piece that didn’t fit. Duncan had surely felt it, too; that’s why he didn’t say much.
Right?
She pressed the “call” button under her contact name for him: “Duncan.” It took seven rings, when it usually took two, for him to pick up. Immediately, Courtney heard rowdy background noises and some trashy rap song booming from cheap speakers. Her mouth dropped open, not in shock, but in the audacity of that man!
“Hi, Mom,” Duncan’s voice dragged out the last consonant. Courtney gripped the phone harder as his drunken voice flowed out of the speaker. She inhaled slowly in an attempt to calm herself.
“Where are you?”
“Why do you care? Shouldn’t you be nerding out at nerd camp or bossing around a group of ducks,” He chuckled at his joke, which Courtney did not find funny. She set the phone on speaker mode to pace around while she yelled at him.
“You are at Gwen’s house,” Her voice takes on a hint of malice, “Again.”
“Jesus, is this about Gwen and I hanging out in January? That was six months ago, and for a school project, which you should approve of; grow up, you insecure bitch.”
“One hundred and ninety-one days,” She whispered, “And you do not get to call me that! Besides, how do I know you aren’t making out with Gwen right now?”
“I don’t know if you can hear, princess,” His usually endearing pet name sounded snarky coming out of his mouth, but Courtney ignored it, “But it’s not just me and her. There’s, like, fifty people here. We partying.”
Courtney stopped walking around her room, “A party? Why wasn’t I invited? Why didn’t you bring me?”
Duncan laughed again, “I’m not bringing the biggest narc around to a party; I’d get jumped. And the glares you have been sending Gwen since sophomore year haven’t made her like you too much.”
Courtney rolled her eyes at Duncan's grainy words. She was not a narc, but underage drinking is very harmful to an adolescent's brain, and Duncan should know that! She angrily hung up the phone, threw herself onto the bed, and screamed at her pillow.
On the other side of town, Duncan looked at his newly black phone, feeling happy that the annoying banchee on the other side of it finally died for the night. He looked at it for a second before shoving it back in his pocket, turning his attention to a girl walking up to him.
"You enjoying yourself?” Gwen asked with a soft smile, a stark contrast to her dramatic eyeshadow look that changed color under the disco lights. Duncan smiled back, forgetting all about Courtney and her earlier antics.
“I am, especially without someone screaming in my ear,” He mimicked Courtney’s facial expression while waving around his arms, which made Gwen laugh. Her eyes became brighter, and a blush rose to her cheeks.
You guys finally broke up?”
Duncan’s words of denial got caught in his throat. No, they haven’t broken up. Courtney still had his name in her Instagram bio, and they had plans for dinner next Saturday, but Duncan wasn’t feeling it anymore. Slowly, over the past couple of months, she unintentionally (or maybe she meant to; Duncan never understood Courtney) pushed him more and more away. Perhaps they should break up.
“Sure, I guess you could say we did,” He looked down at Gwen, who was now fully grinning. She fidgeted with her bracelets, looking down at her feet. Duncan tapped on her shoulder, confused, “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, yeah,” She looked back into Duncan’s icy blue eyes, “I’m happy for you. She’s always seemed so uptight and bossy. She just doesn’t understand you.” She opened her mouth to say something but was hesitant. Duncan motioned for her to continue.
“Go on, I’m listening.”
“She just doesn’t understand you…” She repeated, “Like I do.”
Duncan was taken aback by the statement, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, they leaned closer, shutting out the party's chaos and life in general.
“You sounded unsure of you breaking up with Courtney,” Gwen whispered, “You did, right?”
The hint of apprehension in her tone didn’t scare either of them off, “We’re done.”
They leaned forward a bit more and kissed.
Present Day
It was silent once again.
They were so loud during their relationship, always making their affection or anger known, but now? It seemed like no words were correct; none would be the missing puzzle piece they had been searching for so long.
Courtney did pull over into a gas station parking lot next to the air pump. They had stopped fighting, now sitting in silence.
“I’m sorry.”
I’ve heard that phrase a million times before; there is no difference now.
She didn’t acknowledge him, sitting in a pile of shame for almost proving Duncan right by getting them killed. I don’t like being wrong; we should all know that.
“Do you hear me?
“Why did you text me?” She asked the question again, which almost killed them, but she was curious. That’s the only reason she came; now she seriously regretted it.
“I-I,” His voice had taken on a weird, nervous tone abnormal to him, “I miss you.”
May 12th, 2020
Courtney had every right to be pissed.
When the depressing (not shocking) news broke that Duncan had kissed Gwen at the party Courtney had called into, she responded badly. Not in a typical way, like eating ice cream and sobbing into her best friend’s sweatshirt. No, this was the senior year; it was go time. If they thought Courtney was the all-time nerd before, they should see her now.
She put all her heartbreak into college applications, not once looking up from her computer or notebooks all first semester. Some people say they have senioritis and no motivation, but she buckled down. She was accepted to Yale, finished her senior tennis season with a state title, and was on track to be valedictorian for the 2020 class. It felt fulfilling, even if a major piece of her high school puzzle was missing.
Seeing Gwen and Duncan on top of each other in the hallways didn’t bother her at all, and the deep ache that sat in her bones was not her being upset; it was arthritis. Courtney was sure of it.
Courtney didn’t know what she was supposed to do now. They canceled the final exams because of the virtual learning they had adapted, and all the hard work Courtney had put into the prom committee had gone to waste. So yeah, she was pissed.
Courtney was brushing up on some vocabulary words from her trusty dictionary outside when she got a text from an unknown number. She picked up her phone and reminded herself of the spam text informational session she attended online last Thursday, so she turned off her phone and began looking at the meaning of the word “adulterer.”
The phone rang again from the same number. Courtney picked it up angrily and almost silenced it, but not before reading the notifications that sprung on her screen.
From: +1 918-829-1920
I miss u
Court
Princess
we broke up a month ago
Im sorry
hello?
“What the f-,” Courtney didn’t swear, just in case her mother was lurking (she was stuck in Nice, France, but she had her ways). She kept her phone in front of her, forgetting her dictionary and her pride.
Her heart pounded with pain as she read her nickname on the screen, one she hadn’t been called in so long. Princess, his princess. She hasn’t been anything for anyone in a while other than her mirror’s biggest crier.
In truth, she wanted to text Duncan that she was on her way to his house, ready to jump into his arms and give it her all for the summer, but this relationship turned both into cruel people. Courtney needed to cut ties and move on, no matter how large the scar would be.
From: Courtney R
Please don’t contact me again.
Present Day
Duncan’s words didn’t shock Courtney; she’d heard them before, but they were unexpected in the moment. Courtney stared at the air pump, trying to find the words not to break both of their hearts.
“I think it’s time for me to head back,” She backed up out of the spot, pointedly ignoring pleading eyes for an answer to his unasked question.
“Courtney, my mind has been a non-stop record of your voice and ambition; no one does it in this small town like you do!” Courtney didn’t process his words, almost breaking the speeding laws as she drove back to his house, “Courtney, answer me!” She stayed stoic, which created a tangible tension in the air of the car.
She pulled into his driveway and parked the car. She turned to face him, “Duncan,” She took in a large inhale, “I miss everything about you. The nicknames, the rebellion, even that stupid outgrown green mohawk that hurt my eyes every time I looked at it. I miss the weekly McDonalds, the car rides, the phone calls, all of it.”
“Don’t you want it back?”
Her voice slightly cracked with her admission, “It hurt me when you left; I don’t want to go through that again.”
“I won’t leave you again!”
Courtney sighed, a slight tense chuckle slipping out. “So what, after four years of radio silence, we will pick up where we left off? I don’t know if you remember, but our relationship wasn’t awesome.”
“Well, I can-“
“Duncan, no.” She interrupted him before he could make his case, “I don’t even know why I came back here. It will only make this harder, but I don’t want to see you again. We need to move on.”
Duncan looked like he wanted to say more, but instead, he grabbed Courtney’s manicured hands and put them into his calloused ones. She didn’t protest, and they sat silently for one last time.
“Promise you’ll do great things for me?” Duncan asked quietly.
“Only if you promise not to get into any more trouble,” Courtney looked up from their hands into his eyes, seeing his beautiful blues turn teary.
“I promise,” Courtney let go of his hands as he got out of the car, breaking into a jog as he ran to the door.
Courtney turned on the car and let the wind take her home.