Pretty Boy

Chapter XXIV: Pretty little things

Ollie woke up with a most terrible throbbing stomach ache. He grumbled to his feet. He hadn't eaten anything since he downed the entire bag of tortilla chips. He stumbled to the kitchen. It was quiet like always, he didn't know if his mother or father was home... most likely not. He yawned, the early morning light caused him to squint on impulse. A note was placed by the phone... odd.
It read
Do not try to leave the house
I will be calling at noon
If I find out you have left you will get an extension on your punishment.

He scoffed and slid the note into the garbage can at the end of the counter. Here we go again... he thought.

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Scarlett hung her head over the edge of the bed and played on her phone like she always did. Everything was starting to dull down. She did the same things every day, nothing exciting happened, and everything with Ollie just added to her ongoing depression and repulsive anxiety.

She didn't leave her room all day after she had come back from Ollie's the day before. She had no reason to.

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Ollie's eyes were starting to hurt as he gazed into the TV. Around 11:45 he turned it off and shut his eyes softly.

He was awoken by a loud rourous engine just outside his house. He rubbed his eyes and drew the curtains to see a red convertible sitting by the curb. The car proceeded to honk. Ollie took a step back from the window. Ollie squinted to see two men sitting in the car. The man in the driver's seat waved his arm out of the window, summoning Ollie.

Ollie paused and averted his gaze away, he drew the curtains back, he sighed. He then proceeded to take one giant step towards the front door. He opened the door slowly, he then pushed the screen door and leaned out.
"Hey there!" The man said excitedly.
Ollie stared suspiciously into his deep blue eyes. "Do I know you?" Ollie questioned, raising his right eyebrow just a tad. "I don't know- but I surely know you!" he bellowed, the same tone of excitement filled his voice. "Hold on..." Ollie held out his index finger and disappeared back inside. He thought of where he might've known the man from, it had caught his curiosity to know more, the past week had been a blur, and in his mind he couldn't just brush the man off. He turned around and began to gnaw on his finger nails, nasty habit. "Fuck," he whispered to himself as he turned around and stepped outside. The man had a toothpick in his mouth. Ollie couldn't tell what age he was, he wasn't old, but he wasn't too terribly young. Soft rock was blaring from the interior of the car. Ollie approached the vehicle slowly. "Okay- so I don't know you but you know me?" Ollie asked, crossing his arms. "I guess we never formally met... my name is Daryl Friend..." He said as he opened his car door from the outside, the hinges moaned as he pushed it slowly open. "That's my real name- and that's what I wanna be to you... a friend," He said with a charming smile. Ollie rolled his eyes. He had heard it all before in the movies. The swooning of the girl. The knight in shining armor that appears just when the damsel in distress needs him. However, Ollie wasn't in favor of being rescued, he just smiled and snickered. "Is that really your real name?" Ollie questioned with the slightest tilt of his head. "Got it right here in my car..." He said as he started walking slowly towards the trunk of the car. Ollie followed cautiously. On the tail of his car it was embroidered.
Daryl Friend...
"How old did you say you were?" Ollie asked seriously. "Well can't you see I'm as old as you?" Daryl said with a smile, clenching his jaw and switching his toothpick from the left to the right side of his mouth. Ollie looked down to see a pair of cowboy boots. He looked just like James Dean, only older.
"I doubt it..." Ollie said as he started towards the front of the car. "Well I might be a little older..." Daryl said as he put his hands in his pockets and started over towards Ollie. "Oh really? How much?" Ollie asked with a smile. "18"
"Oh... 18 I see," Ollie smiled and nodded at the obvious lie. "You like my car?" Daryl asked as he rubbed his cold raw hand over the exterior door handle. "Yeah it's nice... uh so how did I meet you again?" Daryl was quick with a response. "Through Mark," He said, looking straight into Ollie's squinted eyes. "You know Mark?" Ollie asked.
"Oh yeah... I know he's an asshole."
"I mean I wouldn't call him that"
"I mean he's friends with Peter so I automatically don't trust him..."
"You know Peter?" Ollie asked suspiciously.
"I know everybody!" Daryl said, the excitement creeping back into his voice. "Oh come on... now you're just playing-" Ollie said. He was transfixed in Daryl's eyes, he couldn't avert his gaze at all, no matter how much he wanted to. "Peter Carn, Mark Lindley, Peter stoll, Lance Cavinson, Chelsea Baker, Josiah Lee, and Jodey Haynes!" He spat as he leaned onto the side of the car. Ollie's mouth parted in surprise. "You really know those guys?" Ollie asked.
"I know your name's Oliver Bergman but you let everybody around you call you
Ollie..." Daryl said, spitting his toothpick onto the ground. "Look... maybe you better go." Ollie said wearily as he looked into the car to see the passenger. A man sitting blankly in the seat, a large gash of what Ollie could only think to be a burn scar resided on his cheek.
Ollie started back towards the house. He opened the screen door. "No- No You're here for me..." Daryl said, crossing his arms and legs. Ollie stepped inside, closing the screen door behind him. "My mom is gonna be here soon..." he yelled through the screen door. "She's taking me out to lunch- I just had to wash my hair first-"
"Look, why don't you come on out here and you and me can go for a ride- how bout that?" Daryl said as he made small strides towards the front door. "Nah- I got things to do..." Ollie said as he stepped away from the door and plopped down into the heavy recliner. Daryl pressed his face onto the screen door. "Ollie Ollie oxen free?" Daryl sang menacingly. Ollie turned away and crossed his arms with a humph.
"I got a surprise for you...Wait right there" Daryl said as he dashed back to his car. Ollie glanced over at the door. Daryl returned with a Walmart bag. "Thought you'd want these back..." He dumped the bag out onto the cold concrete. It was his makeup that he had thrown away the other day. Ollie slid out of his chair and onto the floor, he crawled to the door to see what it was. "You look so pretty when you wear it-" he said with a smile. "You're crazy-" Ollie said as he got to his feet, meeting his gaze with Daryl. He got caught in his eyes again. "Why don't you go in there and get all pretty for me- then we can go for a ride?" He asked softly. "What are you doing here?" Ollie asked, he could feel his emotions building. "I'm here to take you for a drive... you're my lover Ollie"
"I'm your what?"
"My lover- listen we can leave Andy here to watch the house while you're gone with your lover on a drive-"
Daryl looked over at the passenger who was still staring off into space. "You two should leave- now" Ollie demanded.
"You see Ollie I'm different... I won't leave you out to cry in the rain like Scarlett, or Peter, or Mark..."
Daryl leaned his head back onto the frost covered screen.
"I'll hold you so nice and tight you won't wanna be anywhere else..."
Ollie backed away, he didn't notice the tear that fell astray down his cheek. "You're crazy both of you-" Ollie said through clenched teeth.
"Listen- I understand... Everybodies scared the first time-"
Ollie backed himself into a corner and slid down the wall, walloped in his smooth monotone voice. "But I'm real gente I promise"
Suddenly, the passenger Andy spoke.
"You want me to cut the lines?!" He yelled. They both looked in his direction. Daryl huffed, exhaling a cloud. He stomped over to the car.
"Listen here Andy! He ain't like the other one's!"
Ollie took this as a chance. He crawled on all fours through the living room and to the kitchen. In the distance he heard Daryl's voice.
"So shut your trap Andy!"
Ollie reached onto the counter, he couldn't reach the landline on it's charger stand. "Fuck" He grunted.
"Ollie... I'm not coming in there"
Ollie stood up, revealing his place within the house, he took the phone off the charger. He dropped back down to the floor and held the phone close to his heart. The voice mail machine began to play. On it was a message from his mother.
"Ollie- you know I'm tired of this... if I figure out you are not at home- *BEEP*
The voice mail cut off.
"Sounds like you're mama ain't too happy..." Daryl responded through the screen.
"Please- leave me alone"
"And miss out on a nice drive with your lover?"
"Please- God"
"Now he ain't got nothing to do with this."
Ollie's breath paused for a second.
"Now why don't you put that phone back and come on out here... get your makeup, you can do it in the car-"
As if in a trance Ollie stood, his tears sticking to his face like clear glue. He started softly towards the man with the smooth trance like voice. "There you go." Daryl said as he picked up the makeup and began to put it back in the Walmart bag. Ollie stepped through the screen door.
"You've got your mothers face..." Daryl started
"Please... leave my family out of this," Ollie said calmly. Ollie took the bag and started towards the car.
"Look at ya- my pretty blue eyed boy," Daryl said.
"What if my eyes were brown?"
Andy got out and switched seats with Ollie.

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Scarlett sat upright against her headboard for a change of scenery on her phone. A knock was heard at her door. She rolled her eyes and didn't even bother asking who was there. Her mother came storming in. "Get up" She said, looking at her phone. "Why?" Scarlett groaned.
"Ollie's mom texted saying he's not answering her calls, so I'm sending you to go check on him."
"I thought I wasn't allowed to leave the house."
"Stop being such a wise ass and get up"
Scarlett rolled her eyes and got up out of her bed, she started out of the room. "What is wrong? I thought you'd be happy to see Ollie"
"We're not really on speaking terms..." Scarlett trailed as she paced down the soft plush carpet hall.
"Yeah well his mom is really worried-"
"Yeah well let her fucking worry"
Suddenly her mother grasped onto her hand and spun her around. She was met with a firm hand to the face. Scarlett yelped and held her cheek as she stood and stared at her mother in shock at what she had just done to her. Without another word Scarlett turned around and began down the stairs.
"Don't forget your coat..." She heard her mother say as she grabbed her coat and started out the door. She was on her way once more.

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She arrived at Ollies 10 minutes later, her cheeks pink from the cold. She went to knock on the door then realized the front door was open. She let herself in.
"Ollie?" She asked curiously as she made her way through the frigid living room. Everything seemed to be in order, nothing out of place.
"Ollie- Goddamnit where are you?"
She knew her mother would be mad at her if she didn't come home with news that Ollie was okay. She started towards his room. Empty. Every room in the house was bare of any sign of life. "Shit" she whispered to herself as she began out of the front door. She huffed and started down the driveway towards the garbage cans that hadn't yet been brought back up to the garage. Then she noticed him. The man standing across the street whistling an uneasy tune. She tilted her head as to what the man was doing, not knowing it was Andy waiting on his ride.
Just then a red convertible pulled up, similar to hers, but not quite. Andy entered the car swiftly and promptly as the car pulled away in a cloud of smoke. Within the smoke she found a body. A body cold on the ground. Ollie lay on the ground, a shoe missing, a wilt on his right eye. Scarlett stopped breathing for only a moment before letting out a heavy cloud of breath. Ollie looked up to see her. Tears streamed down his face as he tried to get to his feet. He whimpered.
Scarlett pursed her lips. Slipped her hands into her coat pocket and started down the road as if she hadn't seen a thing. She left Ollie alone, cold and helpless. His hands cracked, his eyes burned, his face turned red.

That was the day the room stopped spinning.

The End
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Thank you so much to everybody that read this! It means so much.
What did you think of the ending?
I had always envisioned it to end this way. Also I can't take full credit for some of the things in this chapter. They are based on the short story "Where are you going? Where have you been?" And also the film adaptation of that story "Smooth Talk" directed by Joyce Chopra. Check those out to see the origins of this modernized revamping! Thank you always for reading! Love y'all 💖