these darkened stars {andy biersack}

chapter three

andy and alex drove in the opposite direction of the falling sun, towards a place neither of them were sure of. they would stop soon enough, andy supposed, but there wasn't a town for miles and miles in any direction. thankfully, she hadn't complained about his music yet. he plugged in his aux cord not longer after she joined him, and sometimes a demo or two of his would come on shuffle, but if she noticed, she didn't say anything.

they made casual small talk on the way, playing a very unoriginal game of 20 questions. so far, the only things he had learned about her were that her favorite color was forest green, she had a strong dislike of pineapple on pizza and was glad to argue about it for a while, she was from somewhere in ohio (where, she wouldn't tell), and she was horrible at playing any kind of instrument.

"hm," he pondered over his next question for a moment. he could still feel her eyes on him, which made him equal parts uncomfortable and flattered. "okay, okay. serious question, this is a make it or break it. make it, you get on my good side; break it, i'm making you sit in the bed of the truck for the rest of the ride."

alex raised an eyebrow challengingly. "bring it, stick boy."

"do you like batman?"

if andy wasn't driving in that moment, he was sure he would hear the sound of crickets in the silence that filled the space inside the vehicle.

"really?" she asked as if it was the most ridiculous question she had ever heard.. "that was really your question?"

"yes," he nodded, in all seriousness. "i have at least two batman tattoos on my body. this no-bullshit serious, sweetheart."

he turned his head to her and she cracked a grin, laughing. it was a lighthearted, feathery laugh that told him she wasn't taking this as serious as he was. "yes, mister no-bullshit serious, i like batman. my turn, what's your favorite thing about driving, besides the action itself?"

"probably all of the views," andy responded immediately. one hand was off of the steering wheel, moving it around like he always did when he talked about things he was passionate about. "i love getting to see different places all over the country because it's never the same, even when i come back to all these places. i see something different every time, and it's actually quite beautiful, especially the new sunsets, or even the sunrises."

alex nodded, lifting a leg up to the middle seat between them so she could look at him better. "i never really thought about that, it's kind of sweet."

he nodded, a smile splitting his lips. "uh-can i maybe ask you something more personal?"

"sure, but just be clear that question didn't count in the game."

"okay, so—why were you on the side of the highway in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a bag?" he asked, suddenly feeling as if he were being too nosey. his eyes met hers for a moment, dark green meeting bright blue. when she opened her mouth to speak, he looked back to the road.

"do you want the real or the fake version?" her voice grew softer, realizing they were now getting into the deeper questions. she was alright with that, being open with everyone wasn't something that she personally struggled with, and she figured it would be okay to tell her new might-be friend a secret or two. "i can give you both."

he shook his head. "i want the no-bullshit serious truth."

"well," she started before leaning back against the window. it hummed against her from the movement of the truck. "i graduated college a few months back and i've been living with my boyfriend since then. he was kind of a good guy, he had his moments. i thought i could just ignore when he got upset or angry and manipulative for no reason because the moments would pass. a few days ago—let's just say i got pissed drunk out of my mind around him because i trusted him, but he broke it and decided to get manipulative and take advantage of my... situation. so i packed up the next day and left."

"i didn't have a car either, so i just grabbed all of the cash i had saved up and started walking," she shrugged it off, like it was nothing. her words didn't give away the full extent of what had happened, but it was enough for his mind to make the connection. the air became cloudy with the devastating realization. he was angry at this man he had never known, and he was horrified.

"he is not a man," andy said softly, his hate turning to a cool ice. "that piece of shit will never be a man. he deserves to rot in jail, alex, i—" he choked on his words, his eyes finding hers, hoping she understood where he was coming from without having to voice it. she nodded, her eyes fading off somewhere into the distance.

he didn't know her very well, but he was glad that he was the one to pick her up before anyone else like that piece of shit had. he didn't want to pity her, she wasn't suddenly a charity case, but he was angry for her. any man or woman that went through that kind of situation deserved better.

cautiously, he reached out and raised his hand over her knee, his face contorting as if asking her permission before he touched her. her eyes snapped up and then, hesitantly, she nodded. he laid his hand over her bent knee, his thumb rubbing against the fabric of her jeans in a comforting gesture. the warmth from his palm spread through her, and she was grateful; grateful that andy felt nothing like him. andy's hand was much bigger, with long, slender fingers instead of short, stubby ones. his hands, as far as she could tell, were softer, more forgiving.

"i guess it's my turn, isn't it," alex said after a while, her loppy smile bringing up the atmosphere. "favorite kind of deli meat?"

his nose scrunched up in distaste. "actually, i'm a vegetarian. i do like cheeses, though."

she snorted, "big bad goth man is a vegetarian? i would happily like to know which kind of cheeses you prefer instead of meat."

"hey!" he grinned in mock defense. "you will be happy to know that i am not goth, i just like a lot of rock and black clothing."

"so.. emo?"

"yes," he nodded. "precisely. as for the cheeses, i'm more of a provolone or colby jack kind of gal."

she laughed at his ridiculous response. "a provolone or colby jack kind of gal? how do you decide which one to choose?"

"well i guess it depends on the day and how i'm feeling on that particular day," he shrugged, his grin splitting his lips to show teeth. "sometimes i like provolone, sometimes i like colby jack."

"you know what, i totally get that," she nodded in acceptance, her gaze sliding over to the radio where a new song started playing. "who's this one by?"

"it's just a demo i made a while back. it's not something i really do anymore but i like to listen to them occasionally," he replied with a nonchalant hum.

"oh, interesting."

"hey, there's a town up a few miles ahead, do you wanna grab a bite?" he asked, reading the sign that said there was a town only 10 miles ahead.

"oh my god," she groaned, "i thought you'd never ask."