Chapter Twenty-Eight: "Busted!"
THE CHINESE at the little restaurant was horrible.
The chicken was cold, the noodles raw, and the vegetables uncooked. Needless to say, Carly was never going to suggest another restaurant to eat at that was in the darker sides of town.
"Come on, guys, how was I supposed to know that their food was going to taste like the smell of Atticus' hockey bag?!" Carly whines for the hundredth time since we left that awful place twenty minutes ago.
"Hey! My hockey bag doesn't smell that bad." Atticus protests. "I only made two guys pass out during practice last week."
"Congratulations!" She replies sarcastically.
"Back to the awful food matter, I'm going to say the only way to find out if the food was poisonous or not would be to check out the rates the restaurant has online!" Nathan says to Carly, who in return slaps his arm.
"You, shut the fuck up!" She hisses. "It wasn't my fault and that's that!"
We arrive at the movie theatre with minutes to spare before children's eyes are blinded and adults are left either flustered, or extremely disturbed. Carly waves over to the worker who let us in last night, in which he winks back at her and we go and find our seats.
"Please tell me you guys taped your penises to the side of your leg so we don't have to scar ourselves seeing that." Becca announces in a whisper once we situate ourselves.
I have to admit, the girl has a point, because not only will they be. . . aroused, but they'll also have to deal and handle with said-arousal and I don't think us four girls need to be around when they need to do that.
"Awe, you're so caring for us, Bec." Jackson coos, rubbing her cheek teasingly, in which she slaps his hand away and rolls her eyes at him.
"I didn't even bother to think about that," Atticus admits, shrugging. "It was a good suggestion, though."
"Yeah, I didn't either. Good thinking, Becs." Nathan replies.
"It kinda makes sense why you guys didn't, though. . ." I trail.
The three whip their heads in my direction and I shrink down under their gaze.
"What do you mean?" Jackson asks in curiosity.
"IâI mean. . ." I stammer. "Never mind."
"No, no, tell us!" Nathan whines. "I hate when women do that. So annoying."
"IâI was just thinking that, you know, if they did tape them, then it would kind of be suspicious if they were the only ones who didn't get boners through the film though, right?"
I didn't even know what I was thinking when I said that. I swear it was in my head, but I guess not, and this is just embarrassing me in all the worst ways possible, that at the moment, I want to ditch this prank and go hide.
"Good point, Sweetheart." Atticus says, tilting his head to the side.
"It's a good point, but there could be some guys who simply just won't have the effect on them." Bella shrugs.
"And that's why I should have kept my God damn mouth shut." I curse myself, sighing and sitting at the top of the theatre steps, Atticus taking my right side, Bella on my left with her sister on her left, and Jackson beside Becca and Nathan beside Atticus.
We all engage in our own little conversations, me with Atticus and Nathan about the upcoming huge science project that's worth 15% of our final grade.
"So what are you and Carly planning on doing?" Atticus asks Nathan.
He shrugs in response. "I don't know. Maybe just your typical volcano. Who knows."
"The assignment is due in a month, man," Atticus laughs. "It'll take you a while to build it."
"Eh, we got it handled." He shrugs. "What about you two? Got anything planned?"
I shake my head no, as does Atticus. I've never thought about what we were going to do for our project, but now that I think about it, we really need to start working on it.
"Look who's procrastinating now, eh?" He laughs, and Atticus just slaps his arm.
Before we can make up a snarky remark, the lights in the theatre dim and the trailers for other movies begin. We made sure that the original introductions play, except when the movie's start, it'll change docks and play the porno we got.
"Please refrain from trying to engage in sexual activities with me after this, guys." Carly says, gesturing towards the boys around her.
"No promises," Nathan replies, and Jackson chuckles.
"Easy for you to say, Nathan. We think you're secretly gay. You'll love this."
"What?" Nathan gasps, shooting his head over to Jackson who is smirking at his friend. "I'm not gay! I'm the straightest person in this room, thank you very much."
"Um, you're in second to me, buddy." I interfere.
Atticus laughs. "No, I think you've tested the waters, Sweetheart."
"Well you thought wrong," I mumble. "Never have I ever."
"I second that," he chortles.
I slap his arm, but before anyone can reply, the introduction is on.
The intro credits start, and by looking around, everyone seems oblivious that they're in for the shock of their lives. I look at the group, and see Bella nervously looking at the screen with a disgusted look, even though nothing has started yet.
"You know you can just leave the theatre, right?" I whisper to her.
Her head snaps toward me and she shrugs. "I didn't sneak into a movie theatre and risk getting arrested to not watch the reaction of what I pulled. I'm staying." She argues, and I nod in surrender.
I look over her, and see the her sister and Jackson with straight faces, and turn my head the other way to see Atticus and Nathan looking at the screen with excited eyes.
"Y'all are nasty, you know that?" I say with a scrunched up face.
"That's one of the qualifications of being a man, Sweetheart. If you can't be dirty, you can't be a man." Atticus says with a smirk, and I roll my eyes.
"That's not true." I argue. "You don't need to be dirty to be a man."
"Most times, yes." He grins. "Now shh, they're about to get hot and heavy!"
As if he's psychic, the hot playboy meets up with the hot playgirl and they start making out. Fifteen seconds later, and they're sixty-nine-ing.
The crowd gasps, and some even scream. I look at Bella, whose eyes are wider than Kim K's legs, and try my best not to laugh at the scene in front of me. Screaming and shouting comes from around the theatre outside, and I smirk in victory. I turn around to the projector booth, and see the controls-man fiddling around with the player in panic, but I can also sense some reluctance.
Ew, gross.
"Just think, Sweetheart," Atticus whispers to me, getting my attention. He has a smug and knowing look on his face, and I gulp at what he may say next. The boy is unpredictable when it comes to his words. "You'll be doing that in the future."
I choke on air, and punch his arm. "You're so gross, Atticus!" I exclaim, my cheeks turning a deep red.
"No idea what you said, but I hope it goes along the lines of, 'I hope it's with you, Atticus!' Don't you think?"
"Of course not!" I say in protest.
He puts a hand over his heart. "You hurt my feelings, May."
"Good. I hope this movie hurts your dick."
"Oh believe me, it is. But you're hurting it more."
"You're a pig."
"Don't be such a bully, May, some people are really sensitive."
Before I can fight with him more, I see security coming around, scanning what's left of the crowd. My eyes widen and I nudge Atticus, who immediately goes tense.
"Think they're clearing out everyone, or looking for the suspects?" I ask in slight panic.
"By the look on his face, I'd say the latter." He gulps. "We need to go."
He begins to stand up, but I place my hand on his chest, pushing him back down into his seat. He tenses under my hold and I can't help but feel the warmth that came with touching him.
"Don't," I whisper, "as long as we don't look suspicious, then they have nothing against us."
"Carly!" He hisses over my shoulder to his cousin. She looks back at him nervously. Am I the only one who's playing this cool? "Your buddy, he didn't happen to forget to turn off surveillance, did he?"
Her eyes widen only microscopically, and a blush forms on her cheeks. "Maybe?" She says innocently, and now is the time when my eyes widen.
We could have been caught on camera.
"Okay, you're right." I whisper to Atticus. "We need to go."
I can't get in trouble with the law again, not if I can help it. There was a reason why I was the way I was and that in the end just kept backfiring and backfiring and backfiring. I did good keeping under the radar when I was in the gang but now it's like I'm clueless; stupid and unobservant.
We all stand up swiftly and head to the exit. Carly leads everyone out while I trail behind last because Atticus and Nathan went around the other way.
"Hey, you!" An unfamiliar voice shouts through the moans on the screen, and I turn around, seeing the security officer meeting my eyes directly. I shrink under his gaze that looks so cold and determined.
I curse, and move faster, but people are piling out too slowly. "Run, Carly, run!" I shout through the crowd. I jump up to try and overlook the people, but it's hectic. "Shit!" I mutter and jump over the seats, heading towards the exit that's behind the screen.
Unluckily for me, the security guard follows.
Guess the surveillance was working after all. I mentally groan, knowing I should have made sure that cameras came before everything else, or to at least wear masks or something.
I push open the door, and run through the hallways. "Excuse me, pardon me, move!" I say to people as I pass them, even shoving those who don't oblige. I rush towards the main door exit, and look around frantically for signs of any of my friends.
I cuss again when I see that where their cars used to be is now nothing.
They left me.
Panicking, I look around and see the security officer running towards me. He doesn't look tired at all, which I guess is good for him because I'm going to be running a while. "You, stop right there!"
"Catch me if you can big man!" I shout in Spanish, and start running down the road.
Hopefully he doesn't chase me far, because I have no idea where everything is other than this road. I run down the road for what seems like seconds, turning and ducking through obstacles. I glance back behind me, and still see the officer running towards me. He's close, and I know that if I run any further, I'll lose this.
Taking a quick breath, I run faster and turn down an alleyway. There's a dumpster at the end, so I throw open the dumpster top, and make sure to let it smash down loud enough before running the opposite direction.
I turn the corner, crouching down, and watch the security officer look around for me before running further down the road. I slump down the wall in a heap of pain, my chest tightening and legs aching. I've ran from him for a good twenty minutes nonstop, and now I wish I had a bottle of water to chug down.
After taking a few minutes to rest and catch my breath, I turn around, walking back in the direction I came, only to forget which direction that direction was.
Damn it.
I pull out my phone and ring Carly first. I get her voicemail, but don't leave one.
Then I call Atticus.
Then Nathan.
Then the twins.
Jackson.
Nobody answers and I let out a frustrated groan. I have no idea were I am, my friends aren't answering the phone, and it's ten at night and the pharmacy closes at eleven.
Not to mention, that my phone is now at 6%.
Feeling angered, I pull up my phone app for one final call. It's not a call I want to make, but they know the situationâto an extentâand I need that ride to the pharmacy.
It rings twice before getting picked up. "Hello?"
I sigh. "Hi."
"I thought you were at the movies?"
"I was. Had to leave early." I explain.
"Are you okay?" Landon asks worriedly.
"Physically, yes. But listen, my phone's going to die and I need you to come and get me."
"Sure."
"No, Landon, I'm not at the theatre anymore. I don't know where I am and I got separated from the group."
"Okay," he says, "okay. Where do you think you are?"
"Um, I don't know. I just came from an alley. There's a variety store down the road."
"Which one?"
"Mac's."
"Can you give me the main street name?"
I walk a few feet to the post and read the street name off it for him. "Shit, Blue, that's quite a ways from the theatre, what happened?"
"I'll. . . I'll tell you when you come pick me up. My phone's dead."
"I'm on my way. Don't move, and don't talk to anyone. That part of town isn't the friendliest."
I nod, but then realize he can't hear me and say, "Okay."
I hang up, and see my phone is now at 2%. I groan, needing to get a new phone because this ones battery is full of trash, and start the walk to the store. It took me fifteen minutes, and I see a black SUV pull up into the parking lot. I silently sit in the corner and watch the hooded figure walk out of his car. He looks at me for the longest moment before walking into the store.
I shiver, not just from the cold, and wait cautiously for my housemate. Five minutes later, the guy emerges from the store slowly, watching me. I keep my eyes on him, watching in case anything happens, but pull my eyes away when a white pickup pulls up a few spots from the SUV.
Landon emerges from the pickup, and his eyes lock on the hoodied man. His posture stiffens and he bulks up a little, walking over to me and swinging an arm protectively around my waist. Immediately I'm warmed up under the heat of his body, and he opens the passenger door for me then closes it, walking to the other side.
He revs the engine and pulls out of the lot. "So, why aren't you with your friends?" He asks after a few moments. He turns left, the opposite way of where he came.
"We got separated." I tell him, looking out the window.
"How?"
"The movie wasn't the movie it was supposed to be."
"Really?" He asks amusedly. "And what played instead?"
"A very, very hardcore porno." I laugh.
He laughs along with me, before his laughs fade into chuckles. "That's eventful."
"It was," I grin. "Everyone was screaming and everything. Very amusing, and totally worth it."
"You stayed?" He asks, his tone even mored amused. I nod. "I didn't peg you as kinky."
"I didn't peg you for being nice." I reply. "Besides, it's late on a weekend. Why are you here picking me up and not at a party hammered and surrounded by girls grinding on your every surface?"
"I don't go to parties unless I know they'll be good. I'm not wasting a horrible day from a horrible party."
"Good point." I agree. I couldn't say the same because I'd go to any party.
"So, tell me, how did you end up down this part of town?"
"Because of the movie." I answer.
"You ended up down here because of sex?" He questions, and I shrug. "You know you can tell me, right? I mean, I know we're not close or anything, but it's not like you need to hide anything from me."
"It seems no matter what I do, you find out anyway." I retort, hinting that I know he's the one who stole my antidepressants and probably my appetite suppressants too.
"I've been meaning to talk to youâ"
"Don't," I interfere. "I understand why you did it. And to answer your question, I didn't end up down here because of the film. The truth is, I was behind the porn."
"You played a sex film in a theatre?" He laughs.
"Not just one," I tell him. "We put in the same disc for all of the screen rooms. Everyone in that building watched."
"That's pretty hilarious," he says. "I'm impressed."
"Honestly, it wasn't my idea. And frankly, I can do better. If I planned it out, I wouldn't be in an area I don't know and calling my roommate for a ride."
"So a mistake on your friends end lead you to here?"
"Kind of," I explain, "we had it all figured out, but I guess someone forgot about the biggest part of the plan."
"Being caught," Landon finishes, and I nod.
"She forgot to cut surveillance for when we got in."
"Tsk," he clicks his tongue, "so what happened after?"
"Security went through the rooms. Spotted us, we dispersed, and I had to take another way out because I was the last one behind and the officer was closer to me. Needless to say, he chased me for almost a half hour down here."
"Really? Wow."
"Hey, wait!" I say suddenly, suddenly knowing where I am. He's in the turning lane, and the pharmacy is the other way.
"What, what is it?" He asks confusedly.
"I need to go to the pharmacy." I say. "Take me there please."
"Why?" He asks.
"Cast problems." I brush off.
"Liar."
"Believe me, don't believe me, I don't care. Just please take me there." I argue. He's silent, nodding as he cuts around and heads toward the drug store.
He pulls into a spot and I quickly bounce out. I stroll up to the counter, give the man from last time my information, and he hands me a bag. "Don't forget, Miss May."
"Therapy, yeah, yeah, whatever." I grumble, walking out of the store. I jump into the passenger seat, buckling up as Landon drives away.