Familiar Faces [a donnie darko fanfic]

Chapter Ten

The rest of the weekend was chaos but it came in waves. Filming was a success but it left me with a bundle of editing to do. I wanted a small soundtrack to it, so I'd ask around at school. Everyone left before dinner time on Sunday except Lacey, Daryl, Bayley, and Donnie.

I fixed dinner, allowing my mom to relax. "I really appreciate all your help with the food and the preparation," I told her. Despite the exhausted look on her face, she smiled.

"That was really fun," Bayley chimed in. "It's fun to work the second camera." I glanced over at the equipment that remained in the living room.

"I am so grateful for all of you," I said, silently warning myself to not get all emotional. I hated it, I absolutely refused it unless it was necessary. I cried about my mom, that's about it. I didn't cry very easily, although I screamed and yelled and my voice would get shaky, I hardly ever cried.

Donnie and I made eye contact; it wasn't too prolonged. The subtle smirk that manifested upon his lips lingered after our contact broke away. For the rest of dinner, a respectful silence settled.

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"I'll take everyone home," Daryl offered once we all cleared the table. Donnie helped me rinse of the plates. He stole a few kisses and blew soap bubbles at me.

I walked my remaining friends out, hugging them and thanking them once again. Donnie walked over to me last after everyone else was in the car. He leaned in to kiss me softly, snaking his arms around my waist. Daryl rolled down his window and coughed loudly.

"That's quite a show. C'mon, Darko quit shoving your tongue down the director's throat," he snapped, but there was some playfulness behind his tone. I felt my face grow hot as Donnie and I drew apart. Bayley gave me a thumbs as Donnie got in the car.

As Daryl pulled away, I waved slowly. Lacey and Bayley, who were in the back, continued to wave until the car turned down the street to get to Donnie's house.

I turned to walk into the house, staring at my feet, the moment I glance up I was shocked to see Dylan standing in front of me. "You should get inside. Mom's still paranoid after the shit that went down at school." I nodded in agreement, following close behind.

"She's very happy to be involved," he added quietly before we reentered the house. Before we went to sleep, the three of us put the equipment in the spare closet. Then we parted ways to our rooms.

I stepped into my room and felt lonely, it was a weird feeling. It wasn't a traditional, sad loneliness; it was more of a pang. After being busy and around so many people, it felt odd to be alone. I knew I would see them in less than twelve hours, but in the hours that I was alone, I felt almost sad about it.

It was like the time I had an end of the year party in the eighth grade. I had all of my closest friends show up. We ate pizza and basically goofed off. It was a lot of fun and I got used to the presence of so many people, then when it was over it felt so strange that they all left.

I climbed into bed, slipping the cool sheets up and around my shoulders. My bed felt big and extremely comfortable considering I had been sleeping on the floor two nights in a row. Weariness hung over me like a cloud and I could practically feel the bags under my eyes. At least that night I would not be restless, for I could sleep with a sense of accomplishment.

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"So do you think you guys could do it?" I asked the three band players. They nodded. A trumpet player, a piano and xylophone player, and a drum player stood before me with eager expressions lighting their eyes.