[ R i a n ]
"Come on guys I need to go home" I hear my sisters voice through the wall. Didn't she already leave?
"Shh, Kat we already told you that you're gonna stay here with us for a little while" Alex says, obviously trying to keep his voice down.
"No... No. Please I'll be fine on my own" Her voice shakes
[ K a t ]
"You'll be even better here then," Zack says "Besides, we've missed having you around. Just stay"
"I can't"
"Why not?" He raises his eyebrows
"Because, Rian will know something's going on. I don't want this to end up coming between us like it did before. I really need to get out of here" I try to get out of Zacks grip but I'm rendered powerless against him.
"He'll just think you're staying with us because you miss us"
"Yeah, Kat, just stay here" Alex sighs "It's only for a few weeks then we gotta leave again"
"You guys he's my brother, he'll figure it out in two seconds" I cross my arms
"Then just stay the night with me" Zack says
I raise my eyebrows "Oh yeah that will go over well with him"
"Of course it will, I'm the ever-trustworthy Zack Merrick. Dads and brothers love me" He smiles
"Pleeeeeease" Alex begs
"One night" I sigh
"YAAAAS KAT I LUB YOU" Alex pulls me into a hug
"Lub you too Alex"
-------------------------------------------
[ J a c k ]
"Rian, do you really care what I think about something like this?" I ask, watching as he paces back and forth through the room
"To be honest Jack I don't give a shit what you think right now I just want Kat to be okay and there's nobody else I can talk to about it"
I nod taking a deep breath "You could just talk to her y'know"
"You know damn well that's not gonna help anything" He stops and looks up at me "I just need to find out what's going on"
"I think we both have a pretty good idea of what they're trying to hide" I scratch the back of my neck nervously
"Anything but that. That's the one thing I really cannot handle right now"
"You say you can't handle it, just think about how she feels having been dealing with it all this time. On her own"
"Wow, Jack, how ironic. You're telling me to consider how Kat feels"
That one feels like a fucking stab in the back "Listen, if you're gonna act like a dick then leave. You came here asking for my help and I gave you my best advice. I can't fucking go back in time and undo every bad decision I've ever made"
"I'm sorry" He shakes his head "Just please be civil and don't force anything on her, I will not hesitate to come after you if you do something shitty again"
"I know, Rian, she wont even listen to me right now. It's not like I'm gonna try anything on her"
"Just come with me to Zack's room and we'll see if we can get one of them to tell us something"
"Alright" I follow him down the hallway "But don't freak out at her if she is self harming again. It only made things worse the first time"
He nods and takes a deep breath, opening the door. Zack, Kat, and Alex are all staring at the television screen, their eyes slightly glazed over. They look to where Rian and I are standing and say hi. Then scramble to make up an excuse as to why Kat is staying here at the hotel.
"We miss her a lot and we want her to stay with us while we're here. After this month we've got to leave" Alex continues on about how much we'll miss Kat when we move on to a new place.
Rian interrupts "Alex just stop bullshitting me and tell us what's really going on"
Alex looks a little hurt and retaliates "I just fucking told you what was going on, Rian. Are we all of a sudden not allowed to miss Kat?"
"I dont-"
Kat runs a hand through her red, shoulder length, hair and interrupts "Please stop arguing"
"We're not arguing I just want to make sure you're okay, because I can tell you're already trying to hide something from Jack and I" Rian says harshly
"I think she has a pretty good reason to hide something from Jack" Zack retorts
"Wow, fuck you too" I mumble and pull Kat into the hallway.
"Jack whatever you're trying to do, just stop it" She pouts
"All I want is for you to just take a walk with me. Just around the town or something. No bringing up the past, no screaming or arguing. Nothing. If you don't wanna talk then we wont talk, and if you wanna talk then we can" I say, bending over slightly so I can look her in the eyes. They still shine like they used to.
She sighs and quietly answers "Alright, I'll go with you" She opens the door and says "I'm just going for a walk with Jack. We'll be back in half an hour or something"
"Kat I don't think you should-" Rian starts to say but she shuts the door and takes a deep breath
"Okay, let's go"
-------------------------------------------
[ K a t ]
"So what have you been up to since you moved to London?" He asks as we maneuver through the crowded streets
"Mostly working in graphic design, exploring, trying to make friends"
"Ooh making friends, your speciality"
"Yeah I know," I roll my eyes "But I've managed to make the acquaintance of a few pretty cool people at my workplace"
"Any, y'know 'special friends' we should watch out for?" He chuckles but I could tell he was being completely serious
"Not at the moment" We look around at the buildings and Jack sighs, stopping in the middle of the pavement
"Kat?"
"Yeah?"
"If you ever were to... Fall back into old habits, you'd come to us for help, right?"
I nod slowly. Fuck, he must know what's going on "Who else would I go to?"
"Work friends, I don't know" He shrugs "And uh... I know we're not on the best of terms but, if you need someone to talk to, I'm here"
"I know. Don't worry, no matter what you guys are my friends and family"
"Aww, Kat I just got all warm and fuzzy inside" He smiles, playing with the strings on his hoodie
I shake my head and continue walking. He slips his hand around mine. "Jack-"
"It's friendly" His smile grows even wider
"Yeah, yeah, okay. Whatever" I sigh, deciding not to start an argument in the middle of the busy town "Well, what do you wanna do?"
"We should probably get going back to the hotel"
"Oh the back and forth bitching" I nod "Let's get that over with"
"Or we could sit in the lobby and eat those big cookies and drink juice boxes and act like we're rich"
"Yes please" I chuckle
YOU ARE READING
Spilled Ink and Scribbled Lines (Crimson Lines Sequel)
FanfictionNow that Kat is living on her own in London, everything's starting to go her way. She's found a job, got an apartment, and met a bunch of new and interesting people. Two years after she left Baltimore, she runs into an old friend who decides its tim...
