Getaway Car

Chapter 25

After practice Riven headed to the infirmary. Marie was still in intensive care and on serious pain meds. The cause or effects of her pain completely unknown to anyone still. Riven wiped the sweat off his forehead opening the door to find Farah making another crazy concoction. Farah looked up at Riven already walking passed her. 

"Hello to you too Riv." 

Riven turned around to look back at Farah, a forced smile forming on his face. "Hi, Farah."  

Farah rolled her eyes and went back to her work. "She's not here you know." 

Riven stopped in his tracks, "what? What do you mean she's not here?" 

"She's not here." 

Riven fell next to Farah before she could even meet his eyes. "Farah, you let her leave?" 

"Don't worry lover boy she's not far, she's perfectly fine." 

Riven shook his head in frustration. "Yeah she's fucking gone on pain meds and almost died three days ago course she's fine to be out and about. What a doctor you are?" 

Farah's eyes narrowed, "Watch it, I saved both of your lives, you're not seriously gonna argue with me after that." 

Riven paused, looking hard into Farah's eyes. He couldn't find the right words to fight her with, all his stress fixated on Marie. "Look any idea where she might be." 

Farah shrugged smiling to herself, "I don't know, said something about art gazing and the library, she's a funny gal when she's high."

Riven wondered for a second before the light bulb lit finally in his brain. He raced out the door before Farah could call after him and sprinted toward the school. 

Marie's mind felt like a beautiful never ending maze. Not one of those scary ones that always take place at dusk as if the sun setting symbolized the slow, unstoppable loss of time. No, this one felt dreamlike and wonderful to explore. Marie woke energized and excited to step out into the sunshine for the first time in days.

She stole Farah's headphones from the counter and snatched her phone from her bed. Dying flowers Riven kept forgetting to water sat by her bed expediently. She took one and put it behind her ear, a tiny bright sunflower. Her cheeks couldn't help smiling and her stomach felt so giddy it made her laugh suddenly. 

She skipped out into the school grounds, feeling the grass in her toes. She must have forgotten she was barefoot because once her mind lead her inside, dirt tracks followed behind her. For some reason, she wasn't concerned about causing trouble or leaving dirt inside but only that she wanted above all else to see the old murals on the library walls that hung high and glistened when the sun hit the windows in the afternoon. 

Marie opened the library doors awakening everyone's eyes to her, in PJs and hair disheveled. Someone gasped and a couple of others' mouths fell open. She smiled and waved at all of them like a proud actress bowing to her audience. "Hi guys, I didn't die and I'm here to see some art." 

She excused herself and headed behind the bookcases to the pear at each and every painting. She grew lost in the depth of its beauty and the story behind each piece. Soon she heard a soft, scruffy voice behind her. "Marie?" 

Marie turned to see Riven smiling over at her from across the library. She waved like a small child greeting their best friend. Riven walked over to her and took her in his arms. She played with the back of his hair as he hugged her, completely taken with each strand's spikey, hazel cut. 

"You're hair is fascinating." 

"Yeah?"

"Uh-huh. It might be my favorite thing in the world at the moment, well beside grass."

"Grass? Why grass?"

Marie pulled away from him, taking his fingers to intertwine them at their sides. She laughed, playing with his fingers between hers. 

"I can't tell you that?"

Riven grinned confused, "why's that?" 

"Cause I said so." 

"Oh you say so, I see, okay. Die once and you're now the boss." 

"What makes you think I was never always the boss." 

Riven stared at her for a long time feeling all of it come crashing down upon him. All of it. Everything all together happening there, between them. "You're right I'm sorry, you always were."  

Marie nodded her head and took her hand to lead him toward the next mural. Riven watched her staring so comically into each detail, he had to keep himself from laughing. "They're all so beautiful, it's too much to handle isn't it?" Marie's eyes filled with tears as they traveled the length of the painting. 

Riven's expression fell, growing tense. "No, hey don't cry it's alright, okay? Do you want to leave, maybe we should go?" 

"No, I'm alright. I don't want to leave." 

Riven came to stand next to her looking up at the painting in front of them. He couldn't feel the depth of her feelings or the extreme way they possessed her but looking at it made him feel small and fragile. Like a little boy gazing up at stars or a faraway bird in the sky. He thought of lying in the forest darkness awaiting something bright and brave to rescue him, rescue her. 

He thought about life and what his had always been. How much time he wasted trying to occupy himself from the truth. The reality is that he was desperately and truly alone. Now, what was his life like now? He looked over to Marie whose eyes looked expectantly at the art desperately like it called to her secretly. He thought of waking up in his bed and finding her there with him. He thought of the forest and all it's many trees. 

He wondered what worlds they would find if they could continue passing through their time together. What little adventures awaited them, what worries threatened their happiness? He thought of drinking alone versus drinking atop his special rock with her speaker blasting another punk rock song he refused to agree that he liked. All of it seemed to lay ahead, in front of him. 

Riven closed his eyes, the noise dissipating all around him. For a while he allowed the silence to overtake him like a gigantic, crashing wave. Maybe it was getting some peace after so many days of fear and worry or maybe Silva's once-a-week meditation was finally getting to him, he didn't know. 

He felt Marie's hand brush his slowly before connecting with his fingers. He didn't open his eyes and let her hand lead him each step. He heard her warm voice carry him further along until he opened his eyes finally to see the vast oceans of her pupils facing him. "Lost you there sailor." She whispered, her lips inviting him closer. He grinned, completely drunk of her.

I love you, Riven thought. 

Notes:

300 reads! OMG, the fuck. This was all for funsies. Anyway thought this would be a cute little chapter before some drama and fun stuff comes next! Thank you for reading as always! Love ya'll!