Familiar Faces [a donnie darko fanfic]

Chapter Four

Donnie and I hung out at the park for around two hours; talking and goofing off. "I'm really glad we started talking," he admitted. I told him I felt the same way as we continued to swing as high as we could go. Here and there, the occasional kid would show up and play for a little while, but would leave soon enough. It was rather peaceful to be honest. Donnie seemed to forget his problems, laughing like his life was depending on it. It was the very beginning of October so the air felt cool.

I glanced at my watch and sighed. "We've been here for two hours," I mumbled, lowering my eyes. "I don't want to go home, but I know I have to get my chores done or else my mom won't stop bugging me about it."

"Your brother could just do your chores for you." Donnie wiggled his eyebrows and nudged me with his elbow. I stared at him blankly. "I'm kidding, I'll walk you home like the gentleman I am." He puffed out his chest, acting tough and proper.

"Thanks," I muttered, getting up from the swing. I kicked sand as we walked hand in hand away from the park. "You're great," I told him cheekily.

"I know," he teased, scrunching up his nose. The walk back to my house was around 20 minutes, almost an exercise in itself. We walked slowly, taking in the chilly air. "I'm excited for Halloween," I broke into the silence. Donnie tensed up beside me, squeezing my hand a little tighter.

"Yea, me too," he strained. He smiled at me, trying to assure me that he was fine. Although I hadn't asked, I was sure he knew my worried face and nature already.

"Fall is such a great month, you know? I love the colors of the leaves changing and carving pumpkins...." I trailed off. "Sorry."

"No, no. Don't apologize. It's fine, I want to hear about what you like and don't like. I like all the colors of the leaves too. It's nice," he babbled. "It's fun to draw them." There was a vacant look in his eyes that told me he was bottling something up. His gaze was lost in the distance and I worried.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

"Hey, Bayley called you," my mother greeted. "That was about 10 minutes ago, maybe you should call her back?" I nodded.

"Of course I'll call her back," I defended, heading over to the phone and pulling the cord up to the counter so I could sit. She picked up after the second ring. "Hi, I just got back from the park, what's up?"

"I just wanted to see if you wanted to take a ride with me to the record store later. I can't drive yet, obviously but my dad needs to go to a meeting around there and I thought maybe you'd like to come. After we look around, we could catch a movie... unless you have other plans."
"Well my mom does want me to do my chores, but what time are you thinking of going?" I asked, waving my mom over.
"Around 4 or 5. I'm not sure how long it'll take," she told me.
I mouthed the information to my mom, who nodded. "My mom's right here nodding, it's fine with her."
"Cool! We'll pick you up then. Better get those chores done," she urged with a chuckle.

Once I hung up, my mom offered to help. "You're quite popular, I wouldn't want to take that away from you," she sneered.
"Oh really?" I drawled. Flicking water at her. She stood up from bending over the tub and flicked some water back.
"Yes really, daughter darling." She approached me with a sudsy hand and smothered it against my neck.
"Thanks a ton," I remarked sarcastically, and in turn I rubbed some on her arm. We both laughed a little before washing of the suds.
"One day, you, me, and Dylan need to do something together," my mom suggested after a short period of silence.
"Like what?" I asked. She shrugged, finishing up the tub.
"Go out to lunch or dinner and hike or go to a movie, I dunno. Whatever you two like."
"That'd be nice. We hardly ever do anything as a family anymore besides eat dinner." That came out a little harsh, but I hadn't meant it to. My mom stared at me for a second, her words faltering.
"I don't know if you've noticed, but this hasn't been much of a family since you were 12," she huffed, referring to when my "dad" left. I didn't care, I hardly saw him as it was. All I cared about was my mom and brother.
"Mom, I-" I began but her expression when she spun around to face me told me not to say anything else.
"I need a nap," she stated, sounding kid-like. She strode past Dylan who gave me a questioning glance.
"What was that all about?" he asked in confusion. I filled him in on the details, although I spared the unimportant. He only looked more concerned. "She's been trying not to take her medicine. She wants to get better on her own."
I threw my hands in the air in defeat. "Hell, I would've liked to know that."
"Now you do, so expect her to be sensitive, bipolar, and more downcast. I tried telling her this wasn't a good idea but she didn't listen. I might call her doctor."