When You're Strange

Chapter 2

I roll my eyes with a laugh.

"That didn't sound creepy at all." I  sarcastically say to him with a smirk on my face, earning a laugh from Marko and a smirk from David and Dwayne.

"What Paul means to say, it's not very safe out. I'm not sure if you've heard, but Santa Carla-" David starts, but I beat him.

"Is the murder capital of the world?" I shrug, completely unbothered.

I notice Dwayne's eyebrow raise, intrigued by my reaction.

"You aren't afraid?" David asks, just as intrigued.

"Nah. I have no reason to be." I answer vaguely, now really piquing their interest.

"Why's that?" Paul asks, with a smirk.

"Cos I can take care of myself." I answer simply and all the guys but Dwayne laugh at the idea of me, a 5'6, 120 pound woman defending herself.

"Ha! She can take care of herself!" Paul repeats laughing harder and I question why he ever was one of my favorites to begin with.

"What're you doing in Santa Carla....?" David asks, trailing off for me to reveal my name.

"Y/n. And I just wanna have fun I guess. Heard this was a cool place." I answer simply.

"Yeah? How would you like a ride around?" He suggests and I hide the elation I feel although I'm sure they can hear my heart beating fast.

"Not sure. I don't ride with strangers." I shrug prompting David to tell me everyone's name as though I didn't know already.

"Okay, I'm in. Who am I riding with?" I ask, knowing it'd have to be Paul or Marko since Laddie was with Dwayne and Star would later ride with David.

Knowing that I wouldn't be able to ride with Dwayne, I feel a wave of disappointment but quickly mask it with a smile before joining Marko on his bike. He kisses my knuckles as he helps me onto his bike and I wrap my arms around Marko's waist as he rides off with the others. Soon we find Star with Michael as we slow to a stop.

"Where ya goin Star?" David asks almost threateningly.

"For a ride. This is Michael." She responds and only then does she notice me with Marko and looks at me questioningly and I shrug.

"Let's go." Michael says reaching for Star and she almost takes his hand but stops short when David calls her name and gives her a meaningful look.

The guys snicker as Star gets onto David's bike.

"You know where Hudson's Bluff is, over looking the point?" David asks, nonchalantly.

"I can't beat your bike." Michael retorts.

"You don't have to beat me Michael, you just have to try to keep up." David replies, revving his engine.

"Let's go for a ride." Dwayne tells Laddie with a lazy smile just as Marko tells me to hold on tight.

Soon we ride down the stairs leading to the beach and race off into the night. It's only then that I realize how weird it is to experience this iconic scene, without hearing the song Lost in the Shadows, but the sound of the boys hollering and feeling the wind in my locs. I could do without the sand in my face but besides that, I enjoy the ride even as it starts to get colder and foggier, signaling that we're getting closer to the bluff. Soon Dwayne is the first to slow down, then Marko and Paul soon after. David, Star and Michael race on and I remember that this is the part when David almost tricks Michael into riding off the cliff. We closely follow and I see Michael dramatically brake, right at the end of the cliff. 

"What the hell are you doing, huh?" Michael roars as he races over to David and punches him in the face.

Meanwhile, Star screams stop and then I remember why I didn't like her character so much. She was so subservient to David that she didn't even bother telling Michael to brake but then again, I guess I could have too. But the difference was that I know what would happen and she did not know if he'd stop.

The boys race over to Michael and David and Dwayne is the first to push Michael away. Michael pushes the guys back and yells that he wants to fight just David. Meanwhile I roll my eyes and see if Laddie's okay with the cold, since he's shivering even in his little jacket. He tries to act tough, like he can handle it but I shrug out of my jacket and kneel down to wrap it around him.

"But you'll be cold." He says, with teeth chattering.

I mentally say a basic warming spell for myself before responding, "I'll be fine. I have superpowers and I never feel cold," before winking at him.

He smiles and asks, "Like Supergirl?"

"Ha! Yeah like Supergirl." I grin, and then notice Dwayne looking at me with a small smile, noticing me and Laddie's exchange.
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Soon we enter the infamous cave and David starts to explain the story of how the cave came to be as Laddie hands Paul the boombox and orders Marko to get food.

"That's what I like about this place. You ask, and then you get." David says as Paul hands him a blunt he just lit.

David then hands it to me and I take one good hit before handing it over to Michael. I notice Star looking at us but still not saying anything and Paul and Dwayne are preoccupied with Laddie.

As I take a seat at the fountain, Laddie races over to me and hands me back my jacket.

"Thanks, Y/n." He says, grinning shyly and races back over to Paul and Dwayne.

I smile and take a sip from my flask, feeling calm after the hit and then my whiskey.

"Whatcha drinkin'." Dwayne asks, coming out of nowhere and speaking to me for the first time.

"Oh he speaks!" I tease, and he shakes his head with a small smile.

"Didn't realize you were waiting for me to talk to you." He shrugs, immediately playing it cool again.

"Well I'll never complain about cute men talking to me." I smile flirtatiously.