R i d e | a dialogue story

[11] In which Kati Lopéz meets Auburn Seabren

⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING! Certain scenes may be unsuitable for audiences ⚠️
Kati | Itallics
Auburn | Bold-Itallics
Together | Bold-Itallics-Underlined

Kati tousled her jet-black hair, a black band in her mouth. She was in a white crop top and an apricot skirt, scanning the huge mall for a glimpse of someone who might look like an Auburn.

I don't have her number... How does she expect me to contact her??

Zzt! [One new text from Unknown]

Kats.

Auburn??

Yeah. Are you the girl with the green bag?

Nope.

Purple sweater?

Nope.

Orange skirt?

Yes! I think I see you!

Kati broke into a run. The girl walking to her was tall. Like, men's size 13 nikes tall. She had auburn hair, freckles lining her cheeks, over black coloured lips. Auburn turned right, adjusting her black jacket. Her style was nice. Black ripped-jeans, plain-white shirt, hair loosely draped to a side, showing the piercings she had on her ears.

"Kats." She gave a half-smile.

"Auburn! Nice to meet you..." Kati reached her hand out.

"Please. Don't. Handshakes are awkward." Auburn smirked, a twinkle in her hazel eyes. Kati chuckled. "Come on, I know an amazing place for coffee."

♥︎

They did end up going to the cafe... after 3 hours of shopping.
"How do I look in this?!" Kati struck a pose, cheekily. Auburn doubled over in laughter, grabbing the nearest panther-patterned dress and ran into the changing room. Kati giggled.
Drawing the curtains over her, a second later, Auburn was out. "Hell yes! I look Am-Az-Ing!"

"HAHAHA! Okay, okay, wait. Here!" Kati passed her a purple crop-top, neon-green jacket, and hot pink shorts.

"Oh my GOD! Only if you match with me." Auburn scrunched her nose at the terrible colour coordination, running over to the aisle Kati found the outfit, forcing her to try on the same one.
Kati laughed, changing as fast as she possibly could. "You ready, Aubs?"

"We have to come out together at the same time, okay?? 1..."

"2..."

"3!"

At the same time, both girls burst out in laughter.

"You look AMAZING!"

◆

"Holy shit, I look like SUCH an idiot. Wait, oh my god, delete that." Kati laughed as she swiped through pictures of Auburn in a disgustingly pink polka dotted onesie.
"If we ever have a sleepover, you should TOTALLY buy this and wear it... Oh my god, no! Do NOT post that one!! I look like a drag queen, Aubs!" Auburn tilted her head up, laughing.
"Check out this one of us with the terrible colour coordinated outfits!"  Kati giggled.
"We look SO TERRIBLE."

♣︎

"You look amazing, Kats. I promise." Auburn smiled at the raven-haired girl stepping out of the changing room in an adorable turquoise dress.
"You sure?? The lady over there kept staring at me!!" She laughed, smirking at Kati.

"Absolutely, Kats my girl. You should wear that to prom."
"Well... I wouldn't mind. Too bad I have no one to go with."

♠︎

Auburn and Kati stumbled to the cafe 3 hours later, eyes wet from laughing. Auburn crashed into a chair, still giggling.
"Joaquin! Hi~" She winked at the waiter. "Usual for me, and a pumpkin spice latte with a cream puff for the lovely lady in front of me."
Kati rolled her eyes. "Hey. I'm not basic."
Auburn pointed an accusatory finger at her. "Do you not like pumpkin spice lattes, KittyKati?"
"Fine... you got me. I love pumpkin spice."

Auburn's smile turned upside down.
"Aubs, are you okay?"
She sighed. "Kati, I didn't call you out here today just to have fun. Today was great, Kats, and I enjoyed that. But it's not the real reason why I called you here today." Kati raised her eyebrows, curious.
"My brother... let's call him Neil first, since he doesn't want you to know his name. Neil has clinical depression. Our parents got divorced two years ago. He spiralled into darkness. It started out alright at first. He stopped smiling as much. Stopped eating as much. But it got worse with every nagging thought in his head. Our parents still fought even after the divorce. And mother would often come home drunk. It got really bad last year. He started cutting himself."

//flashback//

The woman spoke with a slurred tone. Her eyelids droopy and heavy. Her dress was ripped, a look of wistfulness draping across her scarlet face.
"Mother? Why are you here?" A boy, thin as a stick, stepped out of a room, concern etched on his face. His sister was miles away in the woman's house, blissfully unaware of what was going to happen to her dear brother.
"Y-ya can't do... anythiggin righ. Y-ya made ya father h-hate me."
The boy stared. "What are you talking about?"
"He-he told me. Y-ya a troubil kid. Ifyat af been good. M-maybe your daddy might still l-love meh... You know what? You're useless. You're absolutely useless."
It had all been the alcohol talking. Until the end. The woman's eyes seemed to have sobered. Meaning every bit of the last sentence she had just said.
The boy stood up to his mother, a single tear running down his pale cheek. Years of physical abuse couldn't compare with the words he'd just heard his childhood idol say. "I hate you." The words shot out like venom from his mother's lips, hatred burning in his mother's eyes. A loud smack rang around the living room.
The boy held his cheek, tears welling up in his eyes. A belt was drawn from her purse. "I hate you." It went down. The boy screamed in agony, crumbling to the floor.
"I hate you." It went down again. The boy pleaded, his eyes begging for mercy.
"I hate you." It went down a third time, a gash opening in the boy's skin, blood oozing out of the fresh wound. The boy cried broken sobs as the belt kept coming down on him, screams of bloody murder erupting. He tried to run, tried to hide from his mother, but no one knows a child's mind better than the one who gave birth to him. The blood was starting to drip onto the floor as the boy tried to run.
"I should never have given birth to you." The woman seemed to be sober as she said this. Her eyes piercing directly into the boy's soul. She lifted her hand to her head, in it clasped a gun. The boy tried to reach out to her, scream for her to stop, but she had already pulled the trigger. She collapsed, the weight of the world upon her shoulders, falling onto a glass bottle full of alcohol. Blood had splatter onto the boy's face and body, a scream of terror and pain escaping from his lips.
The woman's blood mixed with the wine, her eyes glassy. Lifeless. The boy began to cry, a lost child crying mournfully for his mother, his blood mixing in with hers. Broken sobs erupting from his lips, a scared 13 year old unable to do anything to save his mother from the end. What could a child do but try to follow his mother when he thought he'd lost her?
The police arrived a half hour later, along with the boy's father and the boy's sister. They found him unconscious, lying in a pool of his blood. Next to him was a knife, slits and cuts made on his arms.
The boy was never the same again. He had tried to kill himself that day. He had seen far too many things a 13 year old should never have seen.

"You should've let me die, Auburn."

//end flashback//