𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 - 𝑓. ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑠

023. BRIEF INTERMISSION WITH AN OLD COUPLE

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BRIEF INTERMISSION WITH AN OLD COUPLE ☂︎︎

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"YOU KNOW, I'm starting to get the feeling Dad's avoiding us."

Charlotte sighed. "Yeah, no shit."

"Hate to be the boring one, guys, but, uh, it's time we get the hell out of here." Lila pants, moving past the group.

"When you say 'we' who exactly are you referring to?" Five questions. She could see all the suspicions arising in his eyes and she mentally crossed her fingers that he wouldn't do anything stupid.

Lila turned. "Not a lot of ambiguity in that sentence."

"Listen, I don't know who you are or where you came from, but whatever it is, I'd advise you return posthaste."

Diego leaned forward. "She's right, Five. We gotta get out of here."

"I just saved your life, you kinder-shit." Lila sneers. "If I hadn't stepped in, all that would be left of you is a blazer and some bloody socks."

"And that's the problem." he seethed. "You're too good. You ask too many questions. You know too much. And you fight like you know what you're doing."

Diego nodded. "He's got a point."

"So I know how to handle myself, and that makes me the bad guy?" she exasperated. Her eyes fell on Charlotte. "You believe these idiots?"

"I have my opinion but I find that it's typically ignored so I've stopped giving it." she shrugged, picking at a loose string on her dress.

Diego rolled his eyes. "We listen to you."

Her eyebrows rose. "No, you don't. You're very stubborn people."

"And you're not?"

"Not unreasonably."

"Oh, so we're going there?" Diego started, pointing a finger at her. "You're denying being stubborn? Well-"

"You know I'm starting to want to send you back to the mental asylum."

"If both of you don't stop arguing I'm sending both of you to the mental asylum." Five snapped, causing a break in the bickering. He glared at Lila. "Whoever you are, you're in my way. If I see you again, I will kill you."

Charlotte wanted to laugh because the statement would've seemed silly if it weren't for the fact that she had known him long enough to know he was serious. He walked ahead and she followed, leaving Diego and Lila to the awkward conversation ahead. She fell in line beside Five who had reverted back to his normal angry self. Charlotte sighed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." he huffed, much calmer than she had been anticipating.

Her eyes passed over the bruise on his cheekbone. She frowned. "You're bruising."

"It's fine." he reassured, snapping twigs under his feet. "Just thankful I wasn't hit by your bat."

She laughed airily. "I should add nails next time."

He blinked, the corner of his lips turning up. "As I said earlier, hazard to society."

"You're a pretty bad influence." she replied with a grin, hearing Diego's footsteps. "And so is knife boy."

"Let's go." was all Diego offered as he trekked ahead, a bad mood had very obviously fallen over him.

The two behind him slowly followed, lightly bickering and fingers grazing but neither making an effort to intertwine them.