Sometimes Things Fall Apart

Chapter Five

       The drive home was fairly short. I was glad to finally have a moment to relax. When I pulled into the driveway, I expected Rick to get up and walk home without another word. Instead, he stayed and offered to help. "For the crystal", he said. I appreciated it, nonetheless.

       When everything had been put away, I grabbed the bag that still had my gifts for the family while Rick grabbed his crystal, still not telling me why he had wanted it in the first place. We made our way over to the Smith residence and I followed him inside. 

       "Hey, (F/N). Where have you guys been all day?" I set the bag on the table, careful not to let anybody see anything just yet. "We went shopping. Rick randomly showed up this morning and tagged along. I didn't mind, though. He was helpful, even if he was an ass." I grabbed the stuffed donkey from his pocket and waved it in the air, making Beth laugh. I put the plushie back and sat down at the table.
       "Here, Beth," I pulled out the little trophy. The phrase 'World's Best Horse Doctor" was engraved in a plaque beneath a mini statue of a horse getting its leg patched up, which is definitely not what would happen, especially if that horse were a race horse...
       "Oh! That's wonderful!" She set the trophy down and walked over, pulling me into a hug before she ran off to put the trophy on display. "And, Jerry, this is for the comment I made last night. About you getting a job?" I pulled a Star Wars coin out of the bag, handing it to him as his expression changed. He went from cranky to happy in a few seconds. 
       As Jerry ran off yelling for Beth to look at his coin, Morty and Summer made their way downstairs, wondering what was going on. "Morty, come here!" I pulled an action figure out. It was one he was talking about last night. "Th-thanks, (F/N)! I'm never taking this out of the box."

       Around ten minutes later, the action figure was being thrown around the room as Morty imitated his flying action. 

       Finally, it was Summer's turn. "Here, Summer." I handed the palette to her, watching her reaction. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Aw, that's so cool, (F/N)! You gotta let me try it on you later." 
       "Maybe another time." I gathered the garbage, placing it in their bin. "Well, it was nice to see all of you for a few minutes, but I have to head back home. I still have a few things I need to set up. Have fun with your crystal, Rick." From somewhere in the garage, I heard a fairly loud bang, causing me to cringe as I made my way outside. Walking across the street, I didn't really know what to think. 

       Rick had completely put me off. The first day, he was a total ass. There was no doubt about it. But he looked like he knew me. 
       Today, he was a great deal of help while I shopped. Sure, his crystal was the most expensive thing I ever bought in my life, but it wasn't my money going towards paying for it. It was whoever the Galactic Federation was. Their money was what paid for the crystal. Maybe I'll ask Rick about it another time. If I remember. 

       Once I got inside, I went straight to setting up my lab again. I only had three or four more boxes to unpack, so it wasn't too awful. I set a few items up on the shelves and threw four prototypes into a drawer attached to my desk before locking them away.

       "At least now I know it's set up. Finally, I can stop worrying." I grabbed each of the now empty boxes, exiting the garage. I locked it behind me only to find Rick standing in my living room. "Ooookay then." I made my way to the storage room and dropped the boxes off before I went back downstairs.

        "May I ask why you're suddenly in my house?"
        "You could ask, but you won't get an answer." Fair enough. He was nice all day so why not finish off as an asshole?

       "Seriously, though. Did you need something?" 
       "Nope. Got everything I need." He just stood there, staring with an almost angry 'I knew it' face. "So, you graduated Valedictorian eugh two years early, your parents were never around, they died while on a mission in space, you've eugh never experienced life, and you have a seemingly unlimited amount of money. Anything you're not saying, (F/N)?" He gave me an icy stare as he folded his arms. 

       "No, not really. Wh-Why do you ask?" He cocked half his unibrow, "Probably because of the lab. And the flux capacitor."
        "Shit."

       "You're eugh in it, princess."