Memory Lane

Chapter 25: Dating Start!

(Mentioned songs: Lollipop by MIKA, Chapter titled after Dating Start! by Toby Fox)

Violet rapped on the door of the house. She looked at the piece of paper in her hand that she had crumpled repeatedly, before looking back at the door and knocking again.

Her hands were clenched, relaxing and tightening with every breath she took.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Jared asked, a little lost.

"Positive," Violet said, raising her hand to knock again. Jared put his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels.

She did not have to bother, the door opened and revealed a scruffy looking guy that bore a striking resemblance to the person Rachel was kissing one day.

Violet lowered her fist, raising her eyebrows at the dude. She was even scrawnier than she expected, she almost laughed in his face.

"Is this the home of... the douchebag?" she asked, tiptoeing as if to look over his shoulder.

His voice was slurred, confused, thick and hazy. Ah, the voice of someone who had a hangover.

"What?" he asked.

Violet curled her hand into a fist and socked him in the face. She drew her foot back and kicked him where the sun did not shine.

His knees buckled as he howled in pain and she slammed the door in his face, trotting confidently down the stairs and pocketing the paper to Jared, who only whistled lowly.

"Wow... I do not want to be that guy."

"I do not recommend it," Violet assured him as they casually strolled down the road to the bus stop.

They kept walking, Jared looking around with Violet trying to search for topics off of the top of her head.

"How'd you find his location?" Jared asked, presumably to break the awkward silence.

"Rex."

"Ah, that would explain the specificity and the accuracy," Jared mused, pausing slightly. "But why have you asked me to come with you?"

Violet had no answer for that, only shrugging her shoulders in response. "I just... needed someone nearby. Aftee the whole thing with Rachel... I just want some casual company."

Jared looked behind, then looked at her. "That was far from casual."

"He deserved it. He had it long coming..." Violet paused as the bus stop came into view. "I want to see Rachel, but she's off busy with legal matters..."

Jared looked uncomfortable with that. "She's 17."

"She'll find her own place next year. I know. But she's still studying..." Violet trailed off. "I... sorry. I just want to be a normal teenager."

"You should know that if you hang out with mentally ill people your life is more than not normal."

"Okay. Not that kind of normal, but... y'know, the kind of normal that people, mentally ill or not, do. Like go out, take out, have dinner somewhere, hang out, have fun."

Jared tilted his head to the side. "In what way?"

"I mean... you just have fun. With friends... did Falcon, like, not tell you?"

"I mean, I have experienced a lot of firsts... hearing this is a first."

"Hm? What about pizza?" Violet asked.

"I have... no experience in this. I really have no experience," Jared sighed. "Lead on."

"You... don't?" Violet was surprised. "C'mon, let's get some food and have some fun."