Chapter Text
It’s raining. In this verdant valley, it seems like it’s always raining. I suppose I should have expected that. Situated firmly between the coast and the mountains that towered around us, I was back in my grandpa’s old cottage. But this time, he wasn’t here. My grandpa was dead and all I had left of him was this cottage in shambles, split between me and the two idiotic twins that I had to call my brothers.
The plan was supposed to be simple: slap on some paint, swap a few light bulbs, and sell the place to some yuppie who wanted ‘rural charm.’ Done. Clean break. Goodbye, valley. We’d be done with the place and done with this chapter of our lives. However, it’s been three weeks since we arrived. The valley is perpetually shrouded in rain; the roof is leaking, the foundation is rotting, the yard is overgrown, and we don’t have the money on hand to undertake such a massive renovation. Never in my life did I think I’d return to the valley, to Pelican Town, to this house. And now it seems for the time being, I’m stuck. Stuck with a rotting house, incompetent brothers, and perpetual, stupid rain.
A laugh sounded from the kitchen, pulling me out of my thoughts and back into reality. Peeling myself from my fogged-up bedroom window, I made my way into the drafty hallway and toward the unmistakable sound of my brothers arguing.
“I really don’t see what’s so funny about stealing my food.” Andres stood with his back to me, but I didn’t need to see his face to know he wore his characteristic scowl, arms crossed, rolling his eyes as he chided the man in front of him.
“See that’s what you never understand,” Gabriel chuckled, holding a plate of breakfast high in the air, “If you really wanted it, you wouldn’t have left it unattended.” He brought the plate down momentarily, snatching a piece of bacon from it before lifting the plate again. “But now, I have to thank you, kind sir, for this wonderful meal you’ve prepared for me!” Gabriel chortled with a mouth full of bacon, shaking his head at his own jokes.
Andres turned towards me as I watched this whole thing unfold, “Well, well, look who’s finally awake. Think you can tell him to give me my food back?”
Of course, first thing in the morning, and I have to get looped into stupid theatrics. Grown men, fighting over food. Like a never-ending sitcom.
“Gabriel.” I shot him a glare.
His foolish grin spread across his face as he replied, “Vivian?”
“Give Andres his food, please, and make your own. Don’t you like cooking anyway?”
Gabe rolled his eyes, lazily shoving the plate into Andres’s hands. “Yeah, whatever. But no one knows how to have any fun around here.” He yanked the fridge open, mumbling and chuckling to himself about “sticks up asses” and “a bunch of lame party poopers.”
The twins were three years older than I, but they certainly didn’t act like it. You’d think from the ways they behaved that I’d be the eldest sibling of the household, but nope.
I grabbed a protein bar from the pantry. “Looks like we have to go grocery shopping soon or we’ll starve,” I mumbled dryly.
“I can stop by Joja Mart later today!” Gabe called from the kitchen, pots and pans clattering loudly in his wake. He was going to wreck the kitchen again. And I was going to have to clean it up. Whatever.
Just wanting to be rid of my brother’s antics, I made my way to the living room. The three of us had sparsely decorated it with a worn-down couch from Gabriel’s old flat, a television that didn’t even work half the time, a few posters tacked up on the walls, and some cushions on the floor for extra seating. However, they had yet to serve a purpose, as we hadn’t had anyone out yet since we first got here. Well, almost no one.
Robin McAllister was, among many other things, a fantastic cook who could make a mean pumpkin soup, a no-nonsense mother, and the town carpenter. She had been over several times now to help with some repairs here and there and bring a meal now and again. She had always been a close friend of my mother’s when they were young, and so I spent many summer days hanging out at her house with her daughter, Maru. She also had a son, but he was five years older than me, and never had much interest in some kid following him around. As I recall, he was mean, reclusive, and incredibly easy on the eyes. Yeah, so I might have had a crush on him. So what? I was 10, and any older guy with pretty eyes or dark hair was like a Greek god to me. Sebastian was no exception. But that was 11 years ago; for all I know, he could’ve fallen off hard by now.
I sighed, turning on the TV, hoping to find a channel that would come through, but as my luck would have it, the storm turned anything good into hissing static. This entire valley seemed to mock me endlessly. I groaned and threw the remote down; it was going to be another long day. I was tired of being cooped up inside, listening to bickering all day, or stupid conspiracies every time Gabe got stoned. I needed to be anywhere but here. I pushed myself up off the couch and trudged over to the front door.
Pulling my boots on and throwing on a hoodie, I called out to my brothers, “Hey! I’m heading out for a bit, but I’ll be back in a couple of hours!”
Gabriel called back to me, “Okay, don’t die!”
“Yeah, I’ll try not to! Just promise you won’t burn down the kitchen while I’m gone!”
I heard an affirmative answer, and then something in the kitchen must’ve dropped and broken; a loud shattering sound filled the house. Nope, I’m not dealing with this right now.
So I guess that’s why I found myself outside in a horrible downpour trekking my way up the road through the forest behind my grandpa’s cottage. Up to the mountain to visit the only person in town that I could remotely call myself close to, Robin.
Rain plastered my hair to my forehead as I trudged along the so-called road, a stretch of mud and gravel that pushed up through the clearing, sucking my boots in with every squelching step. It seemed like a lifetime before it finally opened to a warm and familiar sight. Robin’s home was exactly as I remembered it. A large wooden cabin with a blue gabled roof. I could hear her voice in my mind, “Have I ever told you that I built our house from the ground up?” She loved to recount the tale to anyone who would listen, and who could blame her? It was a massive accomplishment, and as she would tell you in her own words, “It’s definitely been the highlight of my career!” I smiled at the memory as I pushed the front door open, a bell jingling as I entered. She always kept it unlocked in case a customer stopped by.
Before a word could escape my mouth, there she was, her eyes bright with worry, rushing out from behind her counter to greet me, “Oh, Vivi, you’re soaked to the bone!” She rushed to grab a towel for me from a hallway closet. “You must be freezing! What on earth were you doing out in that storm?” I didn’t have a chance to respond as she was ushering me into the kitchen. “Here, sit here, I have some coffee on, I’ll pour you a mug.”
I didn’t mean to be a burden, so I tried in vain to decline, “Oh, you really don’t have to. It’s no big deal. Honest.”
She shook her head, sighing as she fussed over the coffee. “You’ve always had a knack for getting yourself sick, you know. And I won’t have you catching hypothermia, not on my watch,” She looked over her shoulder, a smile almost as warm as a blanket radiating from her face, “Ever since you were little, it’s always been- Oh, cream or sugar, dear?”
She looked at me expectantly, and I remembered how much I missed that shine in her eyes. She was always passionate, whether about her family, her woodworking, or the mug of coffee she was preparing on a cold, rainy day. I never saw that kind of passion in my own mother’s eyes.
Robin tilted her head to the side, a quizzical look on her face. “Hey? Are you good in there?”
“Hm? Oh! Yeah, sorry about that.” I shook my head and forced a grin, “Always lost in my head, I guess. Um, yeah, I’ll just take it black.”
Robin passed me my mug, satisfied with my answer, and went to fix herself a cup as well. The warmth of the mug against my cold hands rejuvenated my senses, and it hit me just how chilly I had been before. I sighed as I took a sip of the drink. The drink scalded my tongue, but the sensation wasn’t entirely unwelcome. Robin sat down across from me at the dining table, stirring in her own concoction of cream and sugar, her spoon clinking against the porcelain. I took a moment to look around her kitchen, which was exactly as I had remembered it.
A sudden memory crossed my mind: raised voices, my mother’s furious eyes fixed coldly upon Robin. The night that changed everything. I shook the thought from my head and took another shaky drink from the mug in front of me. Now wasn’t the time for thinking back on such things.
“You know my Sebby only drinks black coffee, too. Have you seen him yet since you came back to town?” Robin seemed to ask the question almost absentmindedly.
I raised my eyebrows all the same, taking another sip before answering, “No, I haven’t even seen Maru yet. I’ve seen you and Lewis. That’s pretty much it.”
Her shoulders slumped momentarily before a flash of an idea lit up her eyes again. “You know, every Friday night, a lot of the townsfolk gather at the Stardrop Saloon. You really ought to come this week! Everyone’s been dying to see you and the boys again.” She looked to the side before she began speaking again, a mischievous smile drawing at the corners of her mouth, “And anyway, if you’re still planning on selling the old Erikson place, it would be kinda nice to make the most of the time we do have left with you three around.” She grinned as if trying to convince herself and me that this subtle manipulation was actually working. Unfortunately, it was.
I placed my mug down, giving her a knowing grin. She wasn’t exactly known for being sly, but I loved that about her. “Yeah… Yeah, you know what? I will make a point of being there.”
She clapped a hand on my back, harder than I expected, causing me to almost spill my drink, and laughed victoriously, “That’s my girl! Well, it’s settled then. I will tell everyone that they can expect the one and only Vivian Erikson at the saloon, Friday night!”
I giggled at her dramatics, adding on, “One night only folks, you can’t miss it for the world!”
“Be there or be square!” She rounded it out with her best announcement voice as I stood up laughing, before draining the rest of my coffee and bringing my empty mug to the sink. When I turned back around, Robin had a different, sentimental look in her eye, and for a moment, my throat felt tight.
“You know, I really have missed you, Vivi. You were like a second daughter to me. You still are.” She looked down, “Ever since your mom and I had that fight…”
I placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, my own heart beating hard against my ribs, “I know. But I’m here right now.” I smiled as convincingly as I could. It wasn’t fair.
Inside, I felt a lurch of regret, but I couldn’t let my feelings get in the way of our plans. It didn’t matter how much I missed this town, or how much this town missed me. I needed to sell the house and never come back. However, as I left Robin’s house and the clouds began to part, I couldn’t help but think that one Friday night out on the town couldn’t be that bad.
Notes:
This is my first-ever fan fiction, so I hope you guys enjoy it! I’m relatively new to the world of fan fiction, but after years of writing stories, I finally decided that this would be some fun, uncharted territory for me. Hopefully, you guys like this story as much as I do!
Chapter 2: Watch Your Emotions
Chapter Text
I idly kicked stones, clattering in front of my feet, as I slowly made my way back down the road to the cottage. There were fresh puddles formed in the potholes, and a warm petrichor in the air.
April was coming to a close, and I had yet to wander all the way into town. I looked up at the canopy of trees above me, where the sky broke through in all of its baby blue glory. Nostalgia was flooding in before I had a chance to stop it.
There was a time in my life when I’d wait with such intense anticipation, staying awake all through the night, the day before I’d get into my grandpa’s rickety old van and drive the three hours to this town. Summers spent running through the woods, collecting shells on the beach, and drinking lemonade at Gus’s. The valley was like a sanctuary. I’d always dream in vain of coming earlier each year,
“I never get to participate in the Egg Festival! Zuzu’s Egg Festival sucks, there are too many kids, and I never win anything.” I’d beg my mom, hands clasped in front of my chest, pleading, “Please, can I go earlier just once, just for a day, even?”
My mother would sigh and shake her head, “If you aren’t winning anything, that simply means you’re not trying hard enough. You don’t need to be in some podunk town to make life better.” She’d kneel, hand over my cheek, eyes almost warm. Almost. “You’ll win this year, won’t you? You’ll win for mommy?”
“Yes, ma’am, I’ll try my best.”
Her eyes turned sharp as her lips pulled tight. “No. Not try. You will win. You always win. That’s why you’re almost my perfect angel.” Her voice was soft, but her words cut.
Almost a perfect angel. Almost. It was never good enough. Now this year’s Egg Festival has come and gone, and I’ve still never been. By the time it rolls around next year, I’ll be long gone. It shouldn’t matter, but for some reason, I felt like crying. Why?
I heard my mother’s voice in my head again, “Emotions, dear. Watch your emotions.” She was right, I was being ridiculous. Emotions, watch your emotions. I snapped back to reality, straightened my posture, and looked straight ahead. There was no time for daydreaming; there were things I had to do, and promises I had made. Eggs and emotions be damned.
The front porch creaked under my steps as I pushed open my front door, though I had to exert some force, as the wood had warped, causing the door to jam whenever I needed to open or close it. I must have shoved it with a little more force than necessary because it swung open with a bang, causing Andres, who happened to be sitting at the dining room table, to jump.
“Yoba! You scared the shit out of me.” He grumpily remarked, pushing his glasses up and regaining his composure.
“Yeah, sorry about that.” I kicked my shoes off and examined the disastrous kitchen. That’s what I get for telling Gabriel to cook.
“Where is your brother?” I sighed wearily as I threw a few pots and pans into the sink.
Andres squinted at me, “You don’t know? He’s at Joja. You told him to go. Remember?”
“Right, right. Sorry, I guess I’m a little absent-minded today.”
“mmhmm…” He wasn’t paying attention anymore, having turned back towards his laptop where he was texting someone.
“Did he at least take a shopping list with him?” I prodded as I threw away a few rotting apples from the counter.
“Nope.”
“I’m not surprised. Guess we’ll be stuck with frozen pizza and poptarts for a few days.”
“Yep.”
I finally let my curiosity get the best of me, “I didn’t know you had any friends…”
“Hm?” He looked up, confused, before I gestured to the screen,
“Who are you talking to?”
Andres rolled his eyes, as if I had just asked the stupidest question in the world. “It’s an AI chatbot. You know, Artificial Intelligence? We’re discussing philosophy, like absurdism.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Yeah, of course, Andres wasn’t talking to a real human. Why would he be? “You need to touch grass, man.” I playfully shoved him with my elbow, but he didn’t seem amused.
“Yeah… I’d rather not.” He turned back to typing away, so I gave up.
“I’ll leave you to it then,” I muttered under my breath as I walked to my room.
I stopped at my door and turned around. “Hey, Andres!” I called out to the dining room,
“What do you want?” He yelled back.
“I may or may not have agreed to us all showing up at the Stardrop Saloon Friday night!” Silence. “Did you hear me?” I called out again, to still no response. “Whatever,” I mumbled, before I heard a chair scraping back on the old wood flooring and the sound of footsteps hurriedly shuffling toward me.
“Why the hell would you do that?” Uh oh. I pissed him off.
“I don’t know, I thought it sounded fun.” I shrugged, trying to play it off.
“Fun? Fun!?” He threw his hands up in exasperation. “It sounded fun?”
“Uh, yeah? That’s what I said, isn’t it?”
He stared me down for a moment, jaw tight, arms crossed in front of his chest, before he scoffed, “Well then, you go have ‘fun’ running around playing villager. I’ll stay here trying to get the damn internet to work for once!” He turned on his heel and went to storm off.
“I’m not playing villager!” I tried calling after him, but the slamming of his bedroom door upstairs cut me off.
I tried to throw my door open so I could slam it as well, but the wood had warped, and the door jammed—just my luck. I wanted to scream or cry or kick a hole in the wall. Anything at all.
But then again, “Emotions. Watch your emotions.” Okay fine. I took a slow, deep inhale. Everything is going to be okay. I exhaled long and shaky, I’ve got this under control.
Gabriel slammed through the front door, grinning and oblivious, “I’m back! What did I miss?”
I walked over to greet him and eye the bags in his hands: pepper poppers, pizza, and poptarts. I wasn’t too far off. “We’re going to Gus’s, Friday night. Andres is mad.”
Gabe nodded, “Cool, cool.” Then he pulled a doorknob out of his pocket. “Also, I broke the front door.”
Chapter Text
The rest of the week passed in a blur. Robin came over once to help fix our front door and a hole in our porch. I couldn’t seem to fix the warped bedroom doors for the life of me, so they continued to jam with a bang anytime I opened or closed them.
My diet was suffering immensely from Gabriel’s lamentable shopping skills. So I found myself outside, running nearly twice as often as usual, partly to burn through the overload of carbs and partly to burn off the rising nerves at the impending consequences of my promise. Andres continuously brought up the fact that he was under no conditions going to show his face at the saloon. And then Friday night came.
Gabriel stood at the front door, waiting for me; he wore a brightly colored shirt that looked like some acid trip-induced vomit.. His tattered jeans, muddy sneakers, and long hair, messy and falling past his shoulders, all told me that no one was going to take him seriously, but what could I expect from him? I prayed to Yoba or whoever was listening that he wouldn’t make too much of a fool of himself tonight, but deep in my gut I knew it was a hopeless endeavor. Not even the gods could save me from his embarrassment.
Gabe was scrolling on his phone absentmindedly when I stepped out of my room, shoving my door shut behind me. He looked up and eyed my outfit; his mouth already twisted into an amused grin. “You look like you’re going to a funeral.”
I rolled my eyes as I shoved past him, “And you look like you’re going to a rave. I guess it balances out.”
I looked around the room, and Andres was nowhere to be seen. That’s fine, he wouldn’t waste his time talking to anyone anyway. So the two of us stepped out into the night. I swung the door shut behind me, not taking for granted the fact that it didn’t stick anymore since Robin had been over.
The walk to the saloon was gorgeous as the stars were out in a partially clouded sky, glittering like diamonds above us. You couldn’t see this type of view in Zuzu. The night was peaceful aside from Gabriel, who was whistling very badly as he walked cheerfully in front of me. I couldn’t understand how he could be so relaxed at this very moment when we were about to walk into a den swarming with busybodies and gossip. I could hear the conversations playing out in my head already, and suddenly I became very self-conscious of the outfit I had decided to wear tonight. Was my lipstick too dark? Was I wearing too many necklaces? Or perhaps too much black? Shit, Gabe was right, I was walking to my own funeral, my own grave. Did I have enough time to turn around and change? I could bail now, Gabe could make some excuse; I had gotten sick, or perhaps an emergency came up.
“Wow! The town hasn’t changed a bit!” Gabriel’s voice rose over my thoughts, and I looked up, startled to see we were now standing in the middle of town, right in front of Gus’s. The warm, cheerful noise of chatter and music rose from inside. A soft yellow glow spilled out of the windows into the cold night. I could smell garlic bread and beer and one too many whispered rumours. Before I could change my mind, Gabriel was pushing open the door.
Have you ever walked into a room and immediately felt the gaze of every pair of eyes fall squarely upon you? Have you ever heard every conversation switch to whispers of your name? Yeah, it sucks. Gus’s jovial voice boomed from behind the counter, “Eriksons! You’ve returned!” And in an instant, the room erupted in recognition.
Gabe sauntered over and ordered a beer, laughing with Gus and Pierre about “time flying by” and telling tales of adventures he’d had that I was certain were eighty percent made up. I stood awkwardly rooted in place, affording Marnie a curt wave from across the room, where she chatted idly with the mayor. Robin was the first to make it to me, wrapping her arms around me in a warm hug, then taking my own arm in her hand to parade me around, saying “Hi” to every face I hadn’t seen in years.
“Maru! Look who’s here!” Robin beamed as my childhood best friend ran over to hug me as if we’d only seen each other yesterday.
“I’m so sorry I haven’t made it out to the cottage yet!” She apologized, with such sincerity that I felt was far out of proportion with something as simple as not stopping by.
“What?” I shook my head and smiled, “Girl, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for, don’t be ridiculous.”
She put an arm over my shoulder and led me towards the game room. “You have no idea just how much has changed since you’ve been gone.” She sighed, “And how much has stayed the same, too.”
“Isn’t that the case in all towns, though?”
“Yeah, I s’pose you’re right. Still, it’s weird when you actually think about it.”
“Well, that’s just how time works, I guess.” I offered with a smile, shrugging my shoulders.
She laughed, pushing the door open. “Ain’t that the truth!” before turning to the small gathering inside, “Hey guys, look who I have! The prodigal child returns!”
Sam was the first to leap up and greet me, bounding across the room like a golden retriever, his eyes sparkled as he dramatically looked me up and down.
“Dude! No shot this is the same Vivi from a whole freakin’ decade ago!” He flashed me that same boyish grin from all those years ago. “Man, where the hell have you even been?”
He was cute, I’ll give him that. And his whole “sunshine and dandelions” demeanor worked well for him. Even as he got older, he never seemed to outgrow it.
I giggled despite myself. “Where do you think? I’ve been in Zuzu, obviously.”
He shook his head, still grinning ear to ear. Always that dumb grin. “No, that’s not what I meant. I mean like, why didn’t you come back sooner?”
My smile faltered. “Oh, uh. I got busy, I guess.” I offered with as much sincerity as I could muster.
“She’s lying.” A voice came from the back of the room, uninterested and cold. “Her mother dearest figured this podunk town was too far beneath her royal highness for her to continue wasting her time in. Sent her to some uppity school that only rich kids usually get into.” Sebastian stepped out from behind the arcade machine he had been leaning against, “Or am I wrong?”
Dammit, he was just as I remembered —mean, reclusive, and now more than ever, incredibly easy on the eyes. I sighed, arms crossed tight, scowling at the one person who could ruin anyone’s mood in an instant. “No. You’re not wrong.”
The memory was bright as day. Lodged in my head like an old shard of glass you can never quite get out, no matter how much you dig at it. Robin’s voice was raised, almost shrill, juxtaposed against my mother standing rooted in one spot, arms crossed, face stony and grave. The scene reminded me of waves crashing against a cliff, tumultuous and powerful, yet the latter never moves.
“She’s ten, Maggie! For yoba’s sake, she’s only ten!” Robin’s hand was in her hair as she stared incredulously at my mother.
My mother responded evenly, “I know what’s best for my daughter Robin.” She spoke in clipped words as if she were trying to bite back paragraphs underneath “In our household, we prefer not to allow folly and failure to grace our doorstep.”
“But she’s a girl. You’re treating her like a machine!” Robin’s voice cracked on the last word, and I could see tears forming in her eyes from where I crouched low by the banister.
My mother was calculating, she was firm, and it usually exhilarated me to watch her tear down any competition that stood in her way. This time it was different; I hated what I was seeing. Nevertheless, I held my tongue.
“If you really cared about my Vivian, you would understand what I’m trying to do here. You are a strong woman, Robin. You have been afforded independence, intelligence, and opportunity. My Vivian deserves the same.”
Robin shook her head; I saw a rivulet of tears glinting down her face. “So you’re taking her away from everything she loves? You’d rather replace every original thought she could have with a mere collection of facts?”
My mother’s face grew cold, and her lips twisted with a fury I have rarely witnessed even to this day. “She is an intellectual Robin! Or don’t you comprehend that? She has won a scholarship to a school no one in this town could ever dream of affording! She has a chance to be something more than any of this, a chance to be truly special!”
“She already is special! And so is everyone else in this town!” Robin balled her fists at her sides, and she shook with anger. “Take her out of this place and leave us be if you’d like, but don’t you ever-” she pointed an accusatory finger in mother’s face “-ever forget where you came from, Margaret!” She spat my mother’s name out like a curse and pointed at the door, ordering us to leave her house.
As my mother grabbed my wrist, dragging us out the door, I turned and saw them: Maru sobbing inconsolably, watching me leave, and Sebastian furiously glaring as he slammed the door shut behind us.
Now I stood facing that same condescending glare all over again, and it was so wholly as I had remembered it, simply pasted on an older face.
“Mom says you’re selling the cottage. So you really had no plans to come back here, is that right?” Sebastian was asking questions that seemed deceptively simple, but they dripped with accusation.
“Yeah. That’s right.” I hadn’t moved from where I had entered the room, my arms still crossed over my chest.
He nodded as if I had just confirmed every suspicion he already had about me.
I found myself chewing the inside of my cheek, a habit my mother had never been fond of. I heard her voice again, “Quit that.” So I did.
Sebastian stalked by the pool table, setting up a game for him and Sam to play. Sam sat awkwardly on the edge of the table, eyes flicking around the room, evidently trying to come up with ways to break the tension. He didn’t have to think long, however, as the door to the game room swung open, rather suddenly, hitting me in the back.
“Oh shit, my bad! I didn’t realize anyone was- Vivi!” Abigail had her arms around me before I could turn around to face her.
Was everyone in this town always so friendly? Well, not everyone. My eyes wandered momentarily to Sebastian again, who was watching from the corner of his eye. Typical.
Abigail swung in front of me, and it was then that I saw the fiery girl I recognized.
“Whoa! You dyed your hair!” I would’ve been shocked if I hadn’t known her constant affinity for standing out.
Her bright purple hair glowed under the lights from the arcade machines, casting what seemed to be an amethyst halo around her head.
She laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Yeah! You like it?”
“Yes, of course. It suits you. Purple was always your thing.”
“And black was always yours. You’re kinda like if a spooky academic vampire descended upon town.” She waved her fingers as if telling a ghost story, complete with an ominous “Oooh…” A glint of mischief ever present in her eyes.
She pulled me by the arm over to the couch, where Maru had already been sitting, nursing a can of Diet Coke and trying to ignore the awkward tone her half-brother had caused earlier.
“Come sit with us! We like to watch the boys play pool and place bets on who will win.”
I chuckled, “Oh? Is it usually a pretty close call?”
Abigail threw her head back and laughed, “Not even a little! My Sebby always wins by a landslide!”
Did she just say ‘My Sebby’? I glanced between the two, and it clicked in an instant. They were most likely together; if they weren’t, I’d be surprised.
Sam looked over, almost offended by her comment about him always losing. Almost. But always with that playful smile dancing across his face, “Hey! That’s not fair! I’ll win one of these days, but it would certainly help if I had a few more cheerleaders and a lot less doubters.”
This caused everyone to laugh, except Sebastian, of course, who merely broke into an amused smirk. A stupidly attractive smirk. Dammit, I really needed to stop staring.
The rest of the night passed in a similar tone. I sat on the couch and observed the dynamics of the room, occasionally partaking in some small talk with the girls on either side of me. Sam lost time and time again, and like clockwork, he’d insist, “Just one more game, man, I swear I’ll win this time!” He never did. But it was entertaining all the same. Sebastian ignored everyone aside from an occasional smartass comeback when Abigail or Sam gave him a hard time.
Eventually, Gabriel came in looking for me, mildly drunk and smiling like a fool. “Vivi! We gotta get home. It’s getting really late.” He drawled before waving at everyone, “Hi guys, it’s been so long. Except for you, Sam, I just saw Sam earlier this week.” He gave Sam a knowing point, which Sam returned with equal enthusiasm.
“When did you see Sam?” I inquired.
“Oh! At Joja Mart!” Gabe excitedly remarked.
Sam nodded, “Yup! I work there. I was so totally stoked to see Gabe that I forgot to finish mopping, and my boss Morris got, like, really pissed off.” He laughed while recounting the tale, and I couldn’t understand how someone could be so casual about getting in trouble. I suppose some people just invite “folly and failure”, as my mother would often say. Sam was undoubtedly one of those individuals, but I don’t think he minded.
“Alright. Tonight was fun, but Gabriel is right, we gotta head out now.” As I stood up, Abigail and Maru stood with me, both hugging me.
As Maru pulled away, she asked, “Will we be seeing you around more often from here on out?”
The question shouldn’t have shocked me, but I suppose I hadn’t given it the appropriate thought. I opened my mouth to answer, but foolishly, the words made their way before I could think about what I was saying. “Yes! Of course.”
Maru’s eyes lit up, and I hated myself for giving her that hope. I shouldn’t have ever shown my face at the saloon in the first place. I knew that I had no intentions of returning, and the less time I spent around these people, the better. The easier it would be when I needed to disappear from here for good. My future wasn’t here; there was nothing for me here.
As I was leaving the saloon, Sebastian shoved past me. Under his breath, he muttered one word so quiet I almost didn’t catch it, and it cut deeper than it should have:
“Liar.”
Notes:
I will begin updating this story every week for now. I have a massive backlog of chapters already written, but I didn’t want to put them all out at once in case I run into writer’s block. If this story starts getting more attention down the line, I might start posting bi-weekly, but for now, there will be a new chapter every Saturday. Anyway! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! We got some juicy flashback scenes and then the long-awaited Sebastian entry. I had a lot of fun setting up this chapter, so I hope it was fun for you guys, too.