On the Run

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Casey tried to fix her hair, her hands no longer could run through the knotted wet mess. She felt helpless, ugly, and very cold. A chill ran down her spine right when Damien offered her his hoodie. She wasn't sure if she should take it, but silently she did and smiled a bit at him, "I would like to go home, yes," Casey's voice suddenly got quieter, "But what if something happens?" She sighed a bit, she didn't want to appear weak or helpless. This was wrong of her to show this side. She would not be this kind of person, she refused.

She straightened up and said with more confidence, at least faking confidence, "I would accept a ride home, thank you. It's raining pretty hard and we both are getting soaked. Let's head to the car." She decided to take charge as she looked at Damien, she bit her lip a bit but started towards the car.
 
He nodded, still frowning. "Yeah, maybe." He couldn't shake the feeling that he knew her from somewhere else, though. She and Amy didn't look that alike, and it was a different kind of familiarity. They must have crossed paths somewhere along the way, but neither of them could remember it. He adjusted his position slightly, craning his neck to see if he could get a decent look at Casey and Damien. They appeared to still be talking, but both of them were soaked to the skin. Drew raised his eyebrows, settling back into his own seat and folding his arms.
 
Ellie shrugged, she couldn't work out whether Drew was just a bit fed up, or if she'd said something to annoy him. She sighed quietly and stared down at her feet and the filthy car floor beneath them, nudging something that looked like a candy wrapper and shaking her head disapprovingly. Amy wouldn't have minded it, and whilst Ellie definitely wasn't going to say anything about it, she hoped that Damien would be a little neater inside of her apartment.

She could see the pair talking in the rear view mirror and wondered how much longer they would take. She wasn't in any rush to get back, but she didn't like the feeling of hanging around and waiting, especially as she was being left with Drew. The car windows were already starting to steam up from the warmth and breath of the two people inside the car, so Ellie sighed and let her breath fog up the side window glass even more. When she was younger, she and Amy would draw smiley faces, or play tic-tac-toe on a fogged up window, but now she didn't know what to do, so she just watched as the rest of the window slowly fogged up around it.
 
Drew realised that the silence was getting a bit uncomfortable, and he sighed. If they were going to have to be hanging around together for the foreseeable future, he should probably explain. "Sorry. I was just thinking. It's just, I don't think it's because you're Amy's sister. Damien had to point you out to me as her sister. I just recognised you from... Wherever." He ran a hand over his hair, still thinking. "God, it's really frustrating. I must have been drunk or something." He laughed a little, leaning his head against the window.
 
Seeing Casey smile inadvertently made Damien smile too, and as she took his hoodie, he heard her quietly fretting about something going wrong. Before he could answer, she spoke again in a slightly louder and more commanding tone. She softly bit the corner of her lip, before walking the short journey back to the car. Once they had reached it, Damien opened the door for Casey, before heading around the car to the driver's seat. As soon as he was about to enter the car, he heard his mobile ring. The phonecall ended before Damien had the time to answer it. It was Alabaster. The phone showed that he had left two messages recently and now he was calling him. Damien could only worry - did he want his money back? He quickly pressed a button on his phone.

Hey, at hospital, must've tripped and ht my head on concrete. Doc just told me its St marys medical centr.

He frowned as he read the text message. For a tutor, Alabaster's writing wasn't great. Perhaps it was because he was only texting and didn't place any importance in the message. Then, he reread the message. How the hell was Alabaster in the hospital already? He had only been gone for short of an hour. Fortunately, St Mary's Medical Centre was only a couple miles away. Maybe he would go and visit Alabaster the next day, to thank him for the money. He saw the next message appear.

Hey, u there? I'm at the st Mary's hospital. Don't make me spam ur phone.

Damien opened the car door now, getting in the vehicle and wiping the water from his mobile's screen. He was a little confused as to why Alabaster had felt the need to text him again. He had fallen onto concrete, hadn't he? Surely he had to go through some check ups, or be kept in the hospital until he was medically advised? He closed the door and began to drive in reverse to get out of his parking space, hoping Alabaster would call again if something was really wrong.

"Did you guys get a chance to talk?" Damien asked Drew, his eyes fixed on the road.
 
Drew jumped a little as Casey and Damien got into the car. He altered his position marginally to make fully sure that he wasn't impeding on Casey's space. They were both soaked to the skin, and Drew didn't particularly envy either of them. He nodded as Damien asked him if they'd gotten a chance to talk. "Uh, yeah. We were trying to figure out where we knew each other from. It's just like we've met each other before, but I don't know where."
 
Ellie nodded, "Yeah. I think it must be that I've seen Drew's face on Amy's facebook... and the news, I guess... and I think he just sees the resemblance between Amy and I." She looked back at Drew and shook her head, "I really think that's all there is to it. Even if you don't remember me all that well, I'm sure I would remember a boy with blue hair. I'd need to have had a lot to drink to forget that."

Subconsciously, Ellie hoped that Drew would let the subject go now. She wasn't all that comfortable around him anyway, possibly due to the news reports, but also because of how it felt like he had been fixated upon where he had met Ellie before. If, indeed, they had ever met before.

Keen to change the subject, she turned her attention back to Damien. "How are you? Your phone was ringing... Is everything alright?"
 
"Yeah, everything's fine," Damien replied, as he slowed down the car upon seeing a red light ahead. "It's just Alabaster. He injured himself and he's stuck in hospital. I think he wants me to visit him. I might go tomorrow afternoon, you know, just to say thanks for the money."

Damien felt a little uneasy about the money. He could only wonder from where Alabaster had found all of the money in the first place. If it had truly been his own, why would he be so willing to hand it over to a group of mere strangers? Sure, they were acquainted, but they were hardly close friends. Did Alabaster really know Amy so well that he would help out her friends through such a crisis? Damien knew that in some way or another, everyone present in the car were a little uncomfortable with each other. That's to be expected. It is quite morbid to accept that you were all brought together through the death of one girl. What if Amy hadn't died? Would he have still disliked Drew? Would he always have continued through life knowing Casey yet not really knowing her at all? His stomach turned, and he looked into his rear view mirror to see how Drew and Casey were holding up. Both seemed a little knackered, but were coping. He turned to Ellie, who looked the least tired of the lot. Maybe her glasses hid the effect of her tiredness. He pushed his foot into the pedal as the lights changed from red to amber to green, and the two vehicles in front had moved away. He then took a right turn. He had known the direction to Casey's house for a while. Amy had always been asking him to drop her off there so by now the journey felt quite natural to him, as if he was driving to his own home.

"Oh, guys," he said, giving Ellie a quick glance before concentrating on the road again. "Before we go to yours, we're dropping Casey off at her house. It's not too far from here, don't worry."
 
He frowned as Damien told them about Alabaster. "Seriously? He left, what, about half an hour ago? And he's already in hospital?" He shook his head. "And he's already texting you?" How bad could he be? Had the guy been drinking? It would explain his emotional outburst. The only other explanation was that Amy and he had been a lot closer than any of them had known. Drew had had his suspicions about him, but Amy had assured him that there was nothing there. He thought back to their argument the night she died and clenched his fists. Had she- had they? He stared out the window, clenching his fists even tighter. No. Him being jealous was part of the reason the police suspected him. He didn't need to get into any more trouble. He didn't make any comment as Damien mentioned them dropping Casey back, simply staring out the window.
 
Ellie frowned when Damien explained that Alabaster had somehow wound up in the hospital. She couldn't help but agree with the implication of Drew's words; something wasn't quite right here, but she didn't know what. Ellie didn't really know anyone in the group, despite the way she might claim to "sort of" know Damien from when they, and Amy, were both younger, but Alabaster was by far the person that she knew the least about. Had that been because he was struggling to cope with Amy's death? He had given Damien a large sum of money and then disappeared... Was it a suicide attempt gone wrong? Had he changed his mind at the last minute, or had luck spared him? If that was the case, why was he texting them now? There was definitely something strange going on, perhaps Ellie would go with Damien tomorrow and try to find some answers for yourself.

Damien then explained that he would be dropping off Casey en route to Ellie's flat. By her own admission, Ellie hadn't been all that friendly to Casey, but she now felt a pang of guilt at the idea of her leaving the group. Somehow, after what had happened to Alabaster, Ellie couldn't help but worry as to what might happen to Casey if she was left alone. She turned slightly in chair, looking diagonally across the car to the girl and then tilting her head to the side, trying to offer her a warm smile. "Are you sure about this? I've got space for another, so you're more than welcome to crash at mine." Ellie shrugged and looked down at the floor of the car, "It's your call though..."
 
Alabaster put down his phone. "Doc, get me some pills..." His head was pounding. His vision blurred. He blinked a couple times, but it didn't help. He was pretty blind. Alabaster took the medication without washing it down, trying to get the pill down quickly. He felt like he was being shot. In the head. Over. And over. Luckily, the medication worked quick enough to numb the pain before it got worse. Alabaster still couldn't see too well. "Hey, doc. Check my messages for typos." The doctor nodded and picked up his phone. "Yeah, some typos." Alabaster cursed to himself. "Today just isn't my day." The doctor stared at him, as he had just said the most obvious thing he'd ever heard.
 
Damien looked at Casey after Ellie had spoken. He was more than sure that Casey would refuse the offer. It seemed that she had made up her mind now. He turned his attention back to the road again, his mind wandering to thoughts of sleep. He knew he would be able to make the drive to Casey's and then Ellie's without kicking off at the wheel, but he doubted if he could stay awake any longer than he had to. A deep sleep was all he needed right now. He wasn't even sure if he could bring himself to take a shower or a hot bath this night, as he could always do that first thing in the morning. He could only thank God that he had an opportunity to refresh himself.
 
Casey sat in the car, she was shivering still from being soaked down to the bone. She decided to stare out the window to avoid any glances or looks from the others. Casey thought of the time she found Amy out in the rain after a party, Casey had gone home early to finish an essay so her parent's wouldn't get mad at her. She remembered getting a call at one in the morning, rain pouring down, and a quivering Amy on the other line. Casey jumped up right away to go pick up her friend in her parent's car. Amy hadn't ever told her what happened and why she couldn't get a ride home, all she did was stare out the window much like Casey was doing now.

"I'm fine, Ellie." She said simply with no thanks, clipping her words at the end to show her resilience. She didn't even look at Ellie when she spoke, she just continued to stare out the window.
 
Ellie give a slight shrug of her shoulders when Casey refused to stay over. It was what she had expected, but at least this way it was clear that she had made the offer, and the other two had been there for it, so no-one could say that she wasn't trying to accommodate the girl, even if the two didn't get along. Ellie had never had much to do with Casey, and she remembered all the times that Amy would come home upset or crying about something that Casey had said and done one day, only to patch things up the next day and come home with Casey, having invited her over for dinner. Whilst both girls had been a lot younger then, and Ellie was sure that Casey had grown up since those days, she still struggled to accept that this girl was a "good" friend to her sister. She didn't doubt that they had been friends, or that Casey was hurting, but could such an up-and-down relationship ever really be "good" for Amy?

With such thoughts already in her mind, Ellie then considered Drew, sat in the back of the car with Casey. From what she had seen online (and heard from her mother) Amy and Drew's relationship was pretty explosive, too. Ups and downs, rather than anything consistent. Inwardly, Ellie sighed, she had been in a relationship like that once and she knew how exciting and addictive it could be, when even the fights were more exciting than dates with other people, no matter how emotionally exhausting such fights might leave her.

Perhaps, if she had been a better sister to Amy in recent years, then she might have been able to change things. She could have talked her out of dating Drew, or, at least, she might have been able to give her tips on how to handle someone like that. She should have been closer to Amy, she knew that, because now that her sister was gone, Ellie realised that of the four people in the car, she knew only Amy's past, and not her present. Which bands did Amy listen to? Where did she go to eat? What movie was she looking forwards to seeing this summer? Ellie knew none of this, and, whilst she could probably find the answers on facebook, that would just confirm what she had been trying not to admit; she was as close to her sister as she was to people from high school that she hadn't seen in years.

The acceptance that she would never be able to get to know her sister again choked Ellie up and it took her full concentration to stop herself crying about it. Instead she just sniffled a bit and rested her head against the door frame, watching the lights of houses, shops and cars flash past as Damien drove towards Casey's house.
 
Drew listened to the exchange between the two girls. He'd calmed down a little, but he still had his suspicions about Alabaster. A tutor should be over the death of his student by now, even if they had been relatively friendly. They all seemed to be holding up better than him. Maybe he'd just been drinking. He didn't miss the hint of hostility between Ellie and Casey, and he wondered if there was a reason for it, or if they just didn't get along. Then again, maybe Ellie had seen the fights between Amy and Casey before she moved away. Every time that Amy and Casey had argued or had just fallen out, Drew had heard all about it, and he'd helped her feel better. But despite all of their fights and disagreements, he couldn't deny that they had seemed to be good for each other. He'd seen them when they were together, and they had had a certain kind of chemistry.

He sighed and ran a hand over his damp hair. Secretly, he envied the girls for having a home to go to. He and his father had argued on the night he'd kicked Drew out, and he'd told him that he was exactly like his mother. Drew had yelled back that he'd rather be like his mother than a coward like him, and his father had told him to get out and not come back. So Drew, still fuming, had packed his bag and had walked out. At least he and Damien were in the same boat now.

He sighed a little and adjusted his jacket on his lap, leaning his head against the window a little.
 
Damien listened continued to drive, somewhat appreciating the brief peace which overwhelmed the vehicle. The silence seemed to echo in the car, with the only sound he could hear being the vicious hum of the engine. For him, the seconds seemed to pass like minutes as he turned down various streets and roads until he eventually reached the street Casey's house was on. He slowly pulled up at an empty parking space close to her door and he turned around, smiling at a distant Casey as if signalling their arrival. He undid his belt and opened his car door, before looking at Ellie and saying, "I'll be back in a sec."
 
Ellie nodded her response to Damien, "Don't worry. We're hardly going to go anywhere."

She smiled as he shut the car door and then wiped the condensation off of the window and peered out at the houses across the street. She had never seen where Casey lived before, and whilst she knew that the neighbourhood wouldn't necessarily reflect Casey, it might help to give Ellie a better idea about what one of her sister's closest friends was like. Ellie kept looking out of her window, intentionally facing the opposite direction to where Casey and Damien would be walking; she didn't want to be accused of trying to eavesdrop especially when the pair of them obviously wanted some amount of privacy, so Ellie felt it was best to leave them to it.
 
Damien stood outside the car patiently, with his hand fidgeting in his pockets until he pulled out his pack of cigarettes. Opening the pack, he managed to pull out another cigarette through the heavy rain, and continued to flick the lighter, but each time the rain would put it out. After several vain attempts to do so, he eventually gave up, cursing quietly under his breath, before putting both the pack and the lighter away once more.
 
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