Toxicity ~ A Party Poison Story

Eight - Farewell, For Now

"I hate you." Tox rubbed sleep out of her eye as she met the boys in the kitchen, similarly to yesterday morning.

"Good morning to you too, Sunshine." Gerard chuckled as he handed her a mug of... coffee? 

"Where the hell did you get coffee from?" She asked dumbfounded, yet excited as she accepted the mug. She took a sip and it tasted like heaven.

"There's a good reason we set up base in a diner. Food and coffee." Laughed Frank, sipping from his own mug. 

"Oh god I'll stay here forever if you give me coffee every morning." She joked into her mug, staking another long gulp.

Then it's all yours, Gerard thought to himself. He pushed the thought out of his head as he drank his coffee. 

"What's gonna be the next excuse to stay with us longer than you intended?" Ray asked jokingly seeing every time she goes to leave she's pulled back to stay.

"I'm afraid nothing, boys. I think this is where I take my leave." She smiled, finishing the rest of her steamy drink. Placing the mug in the sink, she grabbed her keys from her jacket pocket and swirled them around her fingers.

Tox walked outside with the boys on her tail. Frank and Tox never actually tested how it drives, only how it started and stays on. So there's a chance she could die but... eh worse could kill her. 

The girl hopped on her bike, inserted her keys, and listened to the engine roar. She revved it a couple times, possibly just to show off. She chuckled to herself as she looked at the boys.

"Till next time, boys." She waved, kicking up her kickstand.

"Till destiny pulls us together again." Gerard laughed, shoving his hands into his back pockets. 

"Farewell, motherfuckers!" Tox kicked her bike into gear and tore off down the sand.

"Yeah, for now." Frank laughed as he walked back inside. The others followed him in, curious as to what he meant. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Asked Mikey as the gathered in the kitchen.

"Oh please," Frank started, "We all know that Gee is gonna find a way to see her again. He's got "helpless puppy in love" written all over him when he's with her." 

Gerard scoffed, "I do not!" 

""Till destiney pulls us together again"? Oh come on man even I wanted to throw up when you said that. And I wasn't even the one it was directed at!" He continued to tease his friend. Gerard scowled as he put his mug in the sink next to Tox's.

"I am not a helpless puppy in love. And you're one to talk! Spending all day with her yesterday and hitting it off so well." Gerard raised an eyebrow at Frank, "And purposefully getting her name wrong." 

"Are you seriously getting jealous right now?" Ray asked, not believing what he's hearing.

"Not at all! I'm just curious." He defended himself.

"Gee, we were fixing her motorcycle so she could go home. And it's not my fault we hit it off. It was completely platonic if that's what you're worried about. No one is after your girl." Frank patted his shoulder with a smile as he left the room.

"She's not-! Ugh." Gerard groaned as he went into his room. He plopped onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. Was he falling for her? There was no way in hell he could be. He can't fall in love with a girl he just met and knows nothing about. He respects her, that's it. They have attractive similarities. They both love music, wanted to/is in a band, dominant/leader characteristics. Sure she's beautiful but that's no reason to be falling in love with her. He respects and admires her platonically and that's it. Nothing more, and nothing less.

As Tox finally closed in on her base after what felt like ages of riding, the homesickness finally hit her. She didn't even realize how much she missed her base until she walked into it. The old run down yet cleaned up gas station was the only place that has felt like home to her in years.

She was able to steal a cot from an abandoned hospital on the outskirts of the city. It didn't take long for Tox to start renovating this place to make it a bit more homey. She was blessed with electricity and water (something that's rarely found in the zones), making it ten times easier to adjust.

All in all it wasn't a terrible place to stay in, but the boys' diner just seemed so much nicer. Maybe it was the fact that there were multiple people living there? The four of them have such a nice bond and obvious chemistry that made their atmosphere feel so... comforting. 

The fact that she felt at ease around them made her angry, not at them but at herself. How could she be letting herself let her guard down so easily around them? That's nothing like the girl she's built herself up to be for years. 

"I need to stay the hell away from those boys. They're gonna tear me down." Tox told herself as she laid down in her room with an arm draped over her forehead. If she's gonna maintain herself, she needs to stay alone.