Main Stage

Chapter 5: Fire

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Blessed you with some BTS goodness. 

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The drive to Dr. Keller's cottage was awkward to say the least. And long.

So very long.

Oliver had demanded to take her to the hospital after her purging episode. When she refused, he demanded to at least drive her car on the way to the house, a compromise Nella had regretfully accepted. 

Thankfully, Oliver had put on some music. Nella knew the song and the band, The Lumineers, and actually liked them quite a bit. She would never tell Oliver Kirkwood that. It irritated her that she and Oliver had anything in common at all. Though, having good music taste should have been a given considering the amazing music that Under Oath wrote and performed during last year's Main Stage.

She stared intently out the window in an effort to ignore the insufferable human being sitting mere inches from her. He turned down the music and tapped a rhythm on the steering wheel with his index finger before speaking.

"So, with that house, you obviously have the money for a car that doesn't sound like it's going to die, so why are you driving this piece of crap around."

Nella turned to peer at his face. It was lightly tanned and his dark hair shadowed his hazel eyes, making them appear more brown. His finger continued to tap.

"I like Murphy. He's been my car since I was sixteen. He was also the car that my brother bought when he turned fifteen." Nella tucked an auburn strand of hair behind her ear. "And that's house is my step-dad's. He's a doctor, so he has money, but I don't really like letting him pay for things for me."

He tapped the steering wheel again. "Do you not like your step-dad?"

Nella gave a small shrug. "Ken is alright. Better than my real one, anyway." She blinked, surprised at herself. Her biological father was an extremely personal subject. She didn't like talking about it with anyone, even Dr. Janice. Now that she thought about it, she had never mentioned her father to her actual friends, either. Then again, they knew not to ask. 

"Where's you're real dad now?"

He's dead, she almost said. She wrinkled her nose, irritated that he was drawing information out of her so easily. "Why does it matter? Where are your parents?"

"Dead."

She almost choked on her own air. Her blood ran cold and she turned to look out the front windshield. Panic officially setting in, she said the first thing that came to her head. "Well, shit." She visibly cringed. What kind of response was that?

A small laugh came from beside her. "Yeah."

"So that's why you and Uri live with with Nieta?"

"We've lived with her and her son since we were twelve."

Nella cocked her head. "She has a son?"

"Yeah, Brandon." 

"The bassist in Under Oath?"

Oliver's faced turned into sort of a grimace, as if he was angry. "Yeah. He also helps with the animated art for our shows. He used to go to your school, you know."

Nella hesitated at his sudden change in demeanor. "I remember him. Why did he leave South Creek High?"

He gave me a quick glare before turning his attention back to the road. The town was fading behind them as they headed out of South Creek and into the Henry community. "You know exactly why he left." His voice was sharp and Nella felt the storm of confrontation building.