Borderlines

Chapter Eighteen

"You can't be serious?" Garth scoffed. Fawn couldn't blame him for his initial resistance. The whole story was quite a shock.
"Because I would make all this up?" Travis's voice was laced with sarcasm, but Fawn caught a hint of insecurity.
"How should I know?" Garth snapped back. This wasn't going well at all.
"Garth, please." Fawn begged him. Garth sighed.
"So you want me to testify against Ruth in front of Clay and the rest of the Council?" He asked, looking at both of them. Fawn and Travis nodded. Garth leaned against his desk, rubbing his hand on his neck with a laugh.
"That's a lot of pressure on your head." He said to Travis.
"You think it's funny?" Travis growled threateningly.
"For someone who needs help, you sure don't act like it." Garth challenged him. Travis sighed and looked at Fawn.
"This is a waste of my time." He turned on his heel. Fawn looked at Garth, pleading with her gaze. Garth stood straighter.
"Travis, wait." Travis halted, turning to Garth slowly.
"I'll help you." Fawn let out a breath she had been holding.
"But I want you to understand, I am not doing this for you." Garth glanced at Fawn.
"I'm doing it for her." Both pairs of eyes landed on Fawn. She froze, uneasy about even breathing now. Garth crossed the room, coming face to face with Travis. Fawn noticed they were almost the same height.
"You hurt her like that again and I swear that I will make sure you never get near her again." Travis glared at Garth, his fist curling at his side.
"Is that a threat?" Travis demanded.
"No, it's a warning." Garth held the other boys gaze calmly.
"You should go find Willow. I'll find Emma and Garrett. They will be willing to help you too." Garth said to Fawn without tearing his gaze from Travis's.
"Thank you." Fawn said, hoping to break the tension in the room. What shocked her was, Travis. He nodded his head at Garth and took a step back, consenting to him. Travis waited for Fawn to follow him. She began walking out of the room, but Garth stopped her.
"Be careful. This stuff can get ugly really fast." He whispered to her.
"I will." Fawn answered. She leaned up and kissed him quickly. Garth kissed her back before letting her go. Fawn saw Travis look the other way and walked past him, out of the room. She heard him following her.
"Why did you have to do that?" Travis asked as he stepped up beside Fawn.
"Do what?" Fawn asked while they continued down the hallway.
"Kiss him right in front of me." Travis answered. Fawn let out a laugh, even though it seemed a bit inappropriate.
"Just because I said I would give you a chance, doesn't mean I gave up on Garth. In fact, I'm liking him much more than you right now." She saw Travis frown out of the corner of her eye. It didn't take them long to get to Willow's room since it was beside Fawn's. Willow's door was open and she organizing some papers on her desk. Willow glanced up and saw Travis standing in her doorway.
"Yes?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Willow, we need your help."

~

The conversation went much smoother with Willow than it had with Garth.
"Of course I will help!" Willow exclaimed, as if asking for her help was an insult. Fawn smiled and hugged her friend. Willow glanced at Travis. She was treating him cordially, but not cold like Garth.
"I know the Chief of Police here. He owes me a favor that's long overdue and it sounds like I can cash it now."
"Thank you so much Willow!" Fawn exclaimed. She just knew her friend was going to make a great queen. Willow grinned.
"Just don't let your stupid boyfriend get himself into trouble like this again. I'm pulling a lot of favors here."
"Willow!" Fawn exclaimed, Travis was not her boyfriend!
"Oh please Fawn, I knew you two would be getting together sometime when you had your first argument two years ago." Willow scoffed. This time Travis seemed a little shocked by her statement, his eyes stretching wide. Fawn rolled her eyes. Willow was smart, but that statement was a bit much.
"How's your romantics going with the new rule change?" Fawn asked Willow, changing the subject. Willow let out a long sigh.
"Same old, same old. Nobody has bothered to take notice of me besides Garrett and you know how that's going to work." Travis looked up from examining a picture on Willow's wall.
"That's surprising. I mean you are pretty attractive." Before Fawn could open her mouth to say anything to Travis, Willow beat her to it.
"Number one, I don't want someone to like me just because I'm pretty. Number two, I don't even like you, so don't try any of your Travis romances on me." Fawn covered her mouth to keep from laughing as Travis looked quite shocked by Willow's rejection.
"That's right Travis, not every girl thinks you're all that." Willow said pointedly. This made Fawn laugh, which earned an angry scowl from Travis. Willow rubbed her hands together.
"Well I have some work to do so if you two could just scatter for a bit." She smiled. Fawn said one more thank you before leaving the room with Travis. Fawn wasn't sure where to go from there so she followed Travis to his room. They left the door open so if Garth or anyone else came by they would see them.
"So what now?" Travis asked, sitting on his couch.
"We wait until Garth tells us he has the others ready to testify."
"What if they don't?" Travis asked.
"They will." Fawn reassured him. Standing there awkwardly, Fawn wasn't really sure what to do, much less say. Travis patted his couch and scooted over to one end.
"Come, sit." He told her. Fawn slowly walked over to the couch. Even though this whole situation wasn't his fault, the air around both of them seeped with uncomfortableness. Minutes ticked by in silence until suddenly Travis began talking.
"Someone shoot me." He said. Fawn looked at him, alarmed by the statement.
"What?" She asked.
"I wish someone would just shoot me. This silence is tearing me apart." He looked at her, his green eyes intense.
"What is going on in the pretty head of yours?" Fawn rubbed her forehead. Sometimes she wondered if Travis was actually interested in her thoughts or just felt like provoking her.
"I'm confused, that's all." Fawn glanced at him. Travis tried to reach for her hand, but she pulled it back. Travis retreated, but seemed to understand. Fawn swallowed.
"Did you have to go through with it?" Fawn asked quietly. Travis sighed.
"Fawn, whatever she drugged me with...I don't remember a thing. If I could have stopped this I would have." Fawn could hear the pain laced into his words. He regretted it, deeply. Both of them looked up as Garth appeared in the doorway.
"I've brought the reinforcements." He smiled. Standing behind him was Emma and Garrett. Fawn looked at the group closely.
"Where's Willow?"
"She'll be here soon, but she wanted you to know that we should continue to the throne room even though she's not here yet." Fawn wondered what was keeping her friend. Were the police not as willing to help as Willow had thought? Travis stood up.
"Then that's what we will do, Ruth might have already spoken to Clay." He walked out of his room and everyone parted to let him through.
"So much for a thank you." Emma said, rolling her eyes. Fawn walked over to her.
"He's thankful, trust me." Emma watched Travis before grabbing Garrett, who seemed a bit surprised, and dragging him after Travis. Fawn felt Garth lace his fingers through hers and she smiled to herself. They began to follow the others. Garth cleared his throat, sounding a bit uncomfortable. Fawn looked up at him.
"What is it?" Garth squeezed her hand lightly.
"Do you like him that much?" He asked. Fawn felt her footsteps falter and she slowed both of them down, so the group couldn't hear them.
"How long have you known?" She asked.
"The minute you walked out of his room the morning the archives were burned." Fawn sighed. So had Garth just been playing it off as nothing lately?
"Fawn, you said-"
"Nothing happened Garth, I swear." Fawn stopped him so she could look him in the eyes properly. Garth bit his lip, which Fawn found oddly adorable in the moment.
"I believe you." He nodded. Fawn started walking again.
"You don't mind me seeing him do you?" She asked tentatively, feeling like Travis was a touchy issue for Garth. Garth let out a long breath.
"I don't really like Travis, as I'm sure you know." Fawn nodded.
"But I can't tell you what you can or can't do, Fawn. I may not like it, but it's your decision and I'll respect it." Fawn smiled. How was Garth such a forgiving person? She couldn't figure it out. A thought stuck her.
"So you're still willing to help him, even though there's a possibility that it might push you to the side?" Garth nodded.
"As I said, I'm not doing it for him, I'm doing it for you, because I care about you. If you think he's innocent, so do I." She smiled and pressed her head against his shoulder briefly.
"Thank you." She heard Garth chuckle softly. A warm sound, with something comforting about it. The throne room doors came into view, sleek and solid. Travis looked at everyone.
"You guys ready for this?" He asked. Fawn detected a little shake in his voice.
"The question is, are you ready?" Garth said. His voice was low, the same way it had been when he and Travis had talked earlier. Travis nodded quickly and shoved open the throne room doors, banging them against the wall for added effect apparently. All heads in the room snapped towards the group. Fawn felt a shock run through her. She didn't know what was more surprising, the fact that Ruth was already in the throne room or the fact that Clay was sitting on King Marcus's throne. Everyone in her group seemed equally shocked. No one except the king and queen were ever to lay a finger on that throne. Fawn watched as Ruth whirled, her eyes landing straight on Travis.
"It was him!" She screamed loudly and took a step toward Clay. Her finger pointed straight at Travis while she continued to cower in fake fear.
"That man forced himself on me!" Clay looked at Travis, his eyes narrowing.
"Seize him!"