The Creative Process

Chapter Two: IM STILL A VIRGIN

         We fell asleep on the couch, our heads laying on either of the arm rests. My casted foot was laying over the edge of the couch and my other was entangled in both of his. I woke up slowly, blinking awake, stretching, shifting around on the couch; while Arthur woke up all at once, yawning and sitting up right away. I groaned and disentangled myself from him gently, sitting up on the couch as well. Everything always happens all at once with him.

"I feel like you didn't tell me the whole truth last night," Kate said from the kitchen, causing me to jump so hard I kicked Arthur in the shin with my cast. We both recoiled in pain.

"Sorry!" I yelped, "Kate! You scared me!"

"You didn't answer my question," she responded, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows.

Arthur had sprawled himself out over the couch, "We did tell you the whole truth, or, what was the whole truth at the time,"

"But there may have been some, new truths, since last night," I continued.

Kate gasped, "Did you-"

"IM STILL A VIRGIN!" Arthur screeched,

"Wow, ok bud," I said, patting him on the back gently.

Kate burst out laughing, hunching herself over the kitchen counter.

"You two are both a mess yet made for each other,"

~~

"I think it's time we went back to work, Thomas," Kate said, hoisting her bag over her shoulder, "My excuses for us have been pretty weak and theres so much we need to catch up on,"

"But-" Arthur started to interject, rinsing both his and my breakfast plates in the sink.

"No, I think she's right, we still have lives and it might even be safer there than here, and people will start to get suspicious if we don't go back soon,"

"Fine, let me get my bag,"

You could smell the anxiety in the car, even without mind reading abilities. Kate and Arthur glanced over their shoulders every three seconds, and Arthur never really zoned into the conversation, he was too focused on scanning the thoughts in the cars around us, I think. Kate parked and Arthur helped me carry my things in to Kate's office.

"Thomas!" A voice shouted from behind me, "Where have you been? What did you do to your leg?"

"Hi Abby," I said, "I- Uh- I fell off my roommates motorcycle," wow, nice cover up, and it only took you five years to come up with it!

"Of course you did," She rolled her eyes.

"Bro, you missed out on the coolest story, a building collapsed upstate and they found the whole ground covered in blood, there was only one body tho!" Another young man came up and threw his arm around Abby. I exchanged a glance with Arthur and then responded,

"Wow, Jonah, That probably went over really well, do you know who covered it?" Abby opened her mouth to respond, remembered something, and wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"Well, they wanted you, they were specifically looking for you to go out but you didn't check in that day," she growled, obviously jealous. "So I think Callie took the job instead," Do they all really hate me that much?

"Well that's great for her," I growled, limping away from them and towards Kate's office.

We got stopped once again, this time by an older man with a bushy gray mustache. Great.

"Ah, you're back," he said gruffly, ignoring my beat up face and crutches, like the jerk he is, "A new case report just came in and it seems like its right up you're alley, cover that for us today will you?" He shoved the case file in my direction. I fumbled it, trying not to drop my crutches, and Kate swooped in and caught it for me. She turned to snap something at  the tall man, but he had already swept away down the hall. Good riddance, I hope he gives Abby and Jonah so much paperwork they don't know what to do with themselves.