A Conformist Love Story: Goth Kid Pete x Reader

Chapter Nine

~Time Skip~

It was currently one in the morning, and Michael and I were sitting silently in my car as I drove us to the warehouse. In the back seat sat three gallons of gasoline, and the radio quietly played Fascination Street.

I couldn't tell what couldn't been worse. The tension the filled the car along with Michael's hostility or if Michael would have spent the entire ride interrogating me about the entire situation. Knowing Michael, it was only a matter of time before he was to make a snide-

"So, tell me. How did you find this place?" Michael asked.

His words weren't filled with spikes nor spite. It was the first time all week that I had heard Michael speak to me in such a tone. Considering our little argument, we had in front of the others, I figured Michael would be counting the seconds until he could belittle me, but he didn't. His words were calm, like I was actually talking to my friend again.

I lit my cigarette and took a drag. "Like I said before, I saw Luke Carper driving, later in the evening- after we were done reading poetry at the cemetery. Luke drives the same car as me- I didn't know if you knew that- but I decided to follow him, leading me to the warehouse, where I saw multiple of them."

"(Y/N) had nothing to do with this?" he questioned, lighting his own cigarette. "They weren't trying to kidnap their emo queen?" Michael laughed, making fun of the entire situation.

If you only knew...

I felt my jaw clench as I struggled to keep my comments to myself. I so badly wanted to tell him off, but I had to know my place. Right now was not the time...I just didn't know when the right time would be.

"No, she had nothing to do with this," I assured him.

He looked at me shocked. "So, this really was just a coincidence?"

I nodded to him.

He let out a realizing laugh. "I really thought this was some mission to save your conformist girlfriend from the emos...However," he sharply spoke, his eyes piercing into me, "If I do find out that you're lying, I'll have no choice but to kick you out of the goths."

I clenched my jaw a little tighter in some way to control how much I wanted to tell him off. "I'm aware."

That was all the more our talk consisted of. I almost thought I was going to get a glimpse of the old Michael, but I was wrong. I knew it was because of Henrietta. The older we got, the more he fell for her. It was easy to connect the fact the (Y/N) triggers that so much for him. He used to be so much less angry.

I pulled up to the warehouse. We both got out simultaneously, neither of us speaking. I grabbed two gas cans and so did Michael. Michael kicked down one of the broken back doors, and we let ourselves in.

In front of us sat a garden of the stupid plants that were seen before. I had seen them last night but not this many, and it had to be five times what we saw as kids.

"Do you think these things are really taking over people?" I asked.

"No, conformists are just fucking idiots," Michael grumbles as he stared to pour out his cans.

I followed his lead until we had the entire back half of the building soaked in the flammable liquid. Then, I waited in the car as I watched Michael throw the match. The building immediately went up in flames, and Michael ran back to the car for some sort of protection. Once he was in the front seat, I took no time to speed off.

Neither of us spoke on the car ride home. That by far was the biggest crime we've ever committed and largest fire I've ever seen. Michael was thinking the same thing; I could tell, but we took care of it.

It wasn't until I dropped Michael off, did he say something. "Regardless to how you found their hang out, good work."

He didn't even give me a chance to respond before he got out, but I knew he meant it.

"Never speak of this again," he said before slamming the door shut.

I couldn't help but smile to myself as I drove home and called it a night.

~Time Skip~

*Your P.O.V.*

I woke up in the morning to get ready for school as usual. However, as I was getting my bowl of cereal in the kitchen, the news on the television had caught my attention.

"The fire seemed to have started in the middle of the night," Tammy Thompson announced.

"Unfortunately, they do report that the fire did cause one casualty," Tom Thompson continued. "Luke Caper, a South Park High School Emo, was in the building at the time of the fire and did not make it out in time, leaving one less douchey emo kid in our community."

I'm not telling you because it's kind of illegal...

Pete's words rang through my head as I watched the news show footage of the burnt down warehouse that I was brought to only a night before. The more I watched of the news, the more I started to feel my heart race, and mind panic.

Pete did that. Pete burnt that building down...Pete killed that-

"Oh, I'm sorry dear, was he a classmate of yours?" my grandmother asked.

"I think he was a year a head of me...I didn't really know him," I told her. "But, uh, I better get off to school."

"Well, okay dear, but if you need anything, just call," my grandmother smiled to me.

I gave her a small wave and reassuring smile before grabbing an apple and walking out the door.

*Pete's P.O.V.*

I walked into school that morning, going straight to the back door. When I got out there, I saw that it was emo free. The only person back there was Michael, who was smoking a cigarette and scribbling something in his journal.

"Just the person I've been waiting for," he grumbled, not bothering to look up at me.

I'd have to admist, his words caught me off guard. I figured after last night, we wouldn't need to have any more chats. I was hoping after last night everything would just go back to normal.

"Did you know that Luke was in the building?" Michael asked me.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"Last night, when the warehouse burnt down, Luke Carper was in there...were you unaware of that?" he repeated.

I had no idea, honestly. I guess it would only make sense for the emos to keep someone there, but the fire started at the back half of the building. He should have been able to-

"He died last night," Michael added, taking another puff of his cigarette. "No one can know about last night."

Just as he finished talking, the back door swung open, and Henrietta came to join us, in a lighter mood than usual. "You guys really did it. The whole school is emo free."

She held a genuine smile on her face, and I couldn't help but notice that Michael hid one as well. Things were finally going to start going back to normal. We were just missing-

My thoughts were soon brought to a halt when Firkle came through the door. He walked over to us all casually as if nothing happened and lit himself a cigarette.

"What do you think you are doing?" Michael snarled.

"I know it was you guys who burnt down that warehouse, and seeing that the emos are no more, I'm joining you guys again. Unless you want to be turned in," he threated.

"What and escape with the rest of the nonconformists?" I rolled my eyes.

"The coffee sucks in prison," Firkle pointed out.

"Welcome back," Michael intantly said to him in a panic.

I couldn't help but glare his way.

You've got to be kidding me...