A Million Trillion Billion (What's Eating Gilbert Grape Fanfic) *ORIGINAL*

Chapter 25 - Someone Knows

I let Gilbert know where I'm going immediately after I arrive back at the house.
He's not keen on the idea, but he knows what I have to do.
I told him about Arnie, and Gilbert and Amy are getting in the car as I hop on Becky's bike she so kindly let me borrow.

"You sure you'll be okay?" She says, biting her lip with concern. I give her a grateful smile. "I think so. Thank you so much for letting me borrow this Beck." I thank her, following it up
with a hug and then telling her not to worry and that I'll be back soon.

As I pedal through the streets, tiring out my cold legs, I see Jimmy's house appear into view.
Moments later, I've parked the bike against a tree and I'm knocking on the Sullivan's door, once again.
Jimmy opens it, looking tired and worn out. "Hey Janie." He smiles a little, following it up with a yawn. "Hi Jimmy, sorry, did I wake you?" I say, raising my eyebrows. He shakes his head, "No, no it's fine, I've been up all night for the past few days." He replies.
He invites me inside, telling me that his mom is out, and I sit on the edge of the armchair.
"What's up?" Jimmy asks, as he sinks into the middle of the large sofa. "Jimmy, I knew that it was your dad who was responsible for the murder..." I start, examining his widened eyes, "I just didn't know he was related to you."
"Why is that so important?" He frowns, sitting up from his slouched position. "Because it means that you and I are... cousins." I say, and he gives me a strange look.
"Wait, then how...? What?" He shakes his head in disbelief.
"My father, his name was Daniel Parker. He had a jealous, controlling, narcissistic older brother who hated every bone in his body. His brother's name was Richard Parker,who I believe is your dad." I explain.
He grimaces, refusing to looks in the eye. "Yep. That's daddy-dearest alright."
"Jimmy, that doesn't mean there has to be any conflict between us, because none of it was your fault." I tell him, silently begging him to look at me.
He doesn't respond.
"Richard made me call him dad for years. He'd leave all the time, and not come back for weeks, with no message, nothing." I say.
"He'd be visiting us." Jimmy says, solemnly. He frowns, "Janie, there's something I have to tell you, I didn't get a chance when you ran off before, but-"
"I'm sorry for running off, it's just that Arnie's in hospital and-"
"My father, he escaped prison and- Arnie's what?!"
"Your father what?!"

We both stare at each other blankly, comprehending what the other had said.
"Arnie's got to have cancer removed from his the let side of his brain." I say, my hand remaining over my mouth in shock.
"Dad escaped a few days ago, and mom's been out with the cops lookin' for him ever since." Jimmy says.
I close my eyes, taking a deep breath in.
"He's looking for me." I say. "Someone knows, someone else knows he did it."

Jimmy states at me in confusion as I explain that Richard drove me away so that he'd never be caught guilty.
When he was caught, he never knew the identity of the person who turned him in, and now he knows my location, he's coming after me.

"What should we do?" I ask Jimmy. "We have to wait. All we can do is wait." He sighs.
"Come with me to see Arnie tomorrow, before he goes into theatre." I propose, spontaneously.
"No, I... I can't." He shakes his head, pacing back and forth around the room like he's been doing for the past half an hour.
"You have to, he needs to know that you're different. I can explain to him and everyone else what's happened to Richard and then it'll all be okay! Arnie will forgive me, and the others, they'll forgive me too, and-"

"Stop it Janie." Jimmy cuts me off.
I raise my eyebrows, taking a short breath in.
"It's not always about you. I'm not comfortable going in, knowing I'm probably responsible for putting him in there in the first place! They all think I'm some sort of monster, Janie! Don't you understand?" He walks over to me, with his threatening facial expression.
"They think I'm a killer. Just like my dad." He narrows his eyes at me.

He turns his back to me, leaning on the kitchen bench, with his head hung.
"You didn't put him in there." I say softly.
"I didn't mean to make this about me. I'm so sorry, I didn't know that you felt this way." I shake my head.
He stays silent, only moving to gaze out the window at the darkness.
"You're not Richard. There's a difference between being someone and being like someone."

"You think I'm like him?" He says, fixed in his pondering state.
"Of course not." I stand, walking over to him, "You've gotten it into your head that you're someone who is completely emotionally detached, someone who can only feel pain and hurt, and therefore takes it out on everyone else."
Jimmy looks back at me with watery eyes. "I never meant to hurt him, but I just saw him, and he was so happy, and then I saw Dan, and then I became my dad."
"Do you forgive me, Janie?"
I sigh, wondering how in the hell I put myself into such a clusterfuck, making everyone upset, tearing everyone apart.
Then I remember what really matters, what you've really got to hold onto.
"I forgive you."
I pull Jimmy into a hug, a teary one at that, accepting each other as family.