Déjà vu
Script Writer
All over again.
Posts: 106
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Post by Déjà vu on Feb 13, 2011 21:20:15 GMT -5
“What’s the exit, Aus?” Wes asked his friend as they drove down the interstate. “Austin!”
“Oh, uh, 48B,” Austin said, coming out of his reverie. He pulled his earbuds out of his ears, knowing that Wes would be asking him where to turn a lot more often, since they were coming to the town. He was in the back of the car, since Meredith had called the front, but his photographic memory made him the permanent navigator for the group. He’d be driving, but Wes didn’t trust him with the car.
“I can’t believe we’re making this much of a detour,” Meredith complained.
“Come on, Mer, be a good sport. That was the deal,” said Cameron, shutting the Psychology book he'd been trying to concentrate on and tossing a hacky sack her way.
“Hey!” Meredith said, but her annoyance quickly turned to laughter, and she threw the hacky sack, and a second one, back at him. Still giggling, she said, “Fine, I know, Riverside, then straight to New York.”
“Guys, I doubt I’ll get away with leaving without at least having dinner with them. Austin, which way?”
“Left on Beaumont, then a right turn on Hickory after 1.5 miles.”
“Alright, thanks.”
“Goodness, there are no cars out here.
The car continued to work its way into the heart of Riverside, chatter and laughter growing louder and an increasing number of hacky sacks flying around in the small space. “Next turn?”
“Wes, why do you want to go to college in New York?"
“Meredith, stop hounding him. Take a right on Parnell, we’re almost there.”
“We can get out and play some soccer or some Frisbee in a few, right? My legs are cramping up.”
“Wes, did you hear me? Wesley!” Meredith threw a hacky sack at Wes, forgetting that he was driving, or, perhaps, negating the fact. Unfortunately, he couldn’t block it properly and swerved from his lane, trying to slam on his brakes, but still ramming into another car – probably the only other car on the road. “Damn it,” he said. He turned to glare at Meredith as the airbags deployed, probably unnecessary in such a low-impact crash, but still performing their intended function. “If this car is screwed up, and we can’t get to New York, it’s not my fault,” said Wes, beating the airbag down and unbuckling his seatbelt. Why do I want to go to New York? Sure, the school he’d decided on had a great architecture program, but there were plenty of colleges like that. Could he possibly still be hanging on to the idea that being only twenty-five minutes from Julliard by car might actually matter? He didn’t think himself naive enough to think that she would still care.
As Wes climbed down from the driver’s seat and shut the door, he caught sight of the car he’d hit, a car he recognized. Oh, great. Damn. This is just so great. He’d been gone for months, and in most of the spare moments he’d been unable to fill, he’d thought of what he might possibly say to her if and when he saw her again. He’d thought of many situations, but this was not one of them. Here she was, right in front of him, and he couldn’t say what he wanted to. He wouldn’t be saying, “I’ve missed you.” Not “How have you been,” or “You look beautiful,” or “I bet you really hate me.” He wouldn’t be saying, “I love you,” or “I’m glad you’re alive after the hurricane.” As pitiful as it was, the first thing Wes would be saying to Alegrah after over six months was simply, “I’m sorry.”
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Post by Kelli-wa on Feb 13, 2011 21:45:28 GMT -5
Alegrah had been on her way to dance class, the only place besides school that she actually still left the house for. Her mother tried to make her do things more often, but in all honesty, it just seemed stupid. Why waste time trying to make it in a new town when you would be leaving in just a year anyway. She was lost in her thoughts, the way people often are when they drive a route often and it becomes second nature when the other car swerved into her lane. She let out a yelp and then it was over, it wasn't that big of an impact, she'd probably be sore, but she was really alright. She shook her head lightly and ran a hand through her hair, trying to make sense of the situation. She let out a sigh and pulled the key out of her ignition, the radio turning off as she got out of her car to asses the damage. She didn't even notice who it was that had hit her, but the person who spoke was the last person she would have ever expected it to be.
As she glanced over with piercing eyes she shook her head lightly, she couldn't process what was happening. A thousand thoughts were running through her brain, a million words that she wanted to say to him, maybe shout at him. Her lips were frozen, she looked like she'd seen a ghost. She looked at her car and then back to the boy standing in front of her, the boy she thought was gone forever and she had to step back. "What are you doing here? Why are you here? You aren't supposed to be back. I'm supposed to get over this whole thing, why are you back?" What she really meant was, "Why did you leave me? Where did you go? How have you been? I missed you. Please stay, I love you," but those were the words that she could let him hear.
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Déjà vu
Script Writer
All over again.
Posts: 106
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Post by Déjà vu on Feb 13, 2011 22:07:26 GMT -5
"I'm sorry," Wes said again. "I'm sorry, I-I'll pay for the vehicle damage, okay?" He watched Alegrah step back from him and that was all it took to make him mad at himself rather than just the situation. I'm such an ass. He looked away as he ran his hand through his hair like he always did when he was uneasy, but then made himself look at Alegrah as she spoke to him. What are you doing here? He winced with her first words, wanting to stop her right there, wanting to prove whatever she was thinking about him wrong, if her thoughts were going to make him feel like this. He couldn't, though. Wes felt powerless as she continued her string of questions, but when she was quiet long enough for him to respond, he spoke.
"I'm not. I'm just...dropping off boxes for Donia. I'm not here, I promise. I'll go. You want me to go, so I'll go." If I did this to you, I'm sorry. "I'm not back and if you want to talk to somebody else, or...I can just give you an address to which you can send the bill." He glanced back at his friends, who were sitting in the dented car, unaware that Wes knew the girl he had just hit. "Alegrah, I...I always told you I could respect your wishes and leave if you ever wanted me to go, so I'm gone." Wes took a deep breath and turned, going to the car to get someone else to give her the car's tag number and his address. He kept his eyes anywhere but his friends' faces as he started walking back to the car.
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Post by Kelli-wa on Feb 13, 2011 22:28:03 GMT -5
As he spoke again she wanted to make him stop, tell him to leave, but she couldn’t. She wanted to hear his voice still. She missed it. She wished he wouldn’t run away so easily. She wished that he would fight a little bit harder, just a little. She wished he acted like he still cared, but she knew that he wouldn’t, she was the fighter, after all. So after he finished his speech and turned around to walk to the car she shook her head, “No… Wait. I… I don’t want to talk to them. I…” She shook her head lightly, she just couldn’t figure out what she was going to say after that. She didn’t care about the car, she was sure they would fix it soon enough, it wasn’t on her top priorities. “I’m sorry, I just…. You were gone for a really long time, Wes.” The name felt almost wrong coming off her tongue now, but almost too perfect at the same time. “I didn’t know what happened and then you didn’t come back with Lorelai and Donia, I just assumed I wasn’t ever going to see you again…”
She licked her lips and glanced at the car, only seeing the girl in the front seat, ignoring that there were two other people in the vehicle. She watched that girl for a moment, wishing she’d have known, wishing that it wasn’t the reason he’d run away, wishing that she wasn’t the reason. She felt a knot start in her throat and she licked her lips, swallowing, “Uhm, so I guess we should trade information, huh? Are we supposed to call the police for an accident report or something?” She stepped back to the door of her car and reached through into the glove box for a small notebook that she kept in it, so they could write down their addresses.
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Déjà vu
Script Writer
All over again.
Posts: 106
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Post by Déjà vu on Feb 14, 2011 0:01:48 GMT -5
Wes turned around when she told him to wait, and started studying her face, trying to figure out what she really wanted. He watched her shake her head, fighting the ridiculous urge to put his hand in that sleek, gorgeous hair of hers and hold her head still so that he could look into her amber eyes and understand. Wes didn't have the right to touch her when he pleased, though, not anymore. She wanted him gone, she'd just said that. She was just trying to make him feel better, wasn't she?
"You can't be sorry. I'm sorry. I knew I was going to miss you, but I guess...I guess I just didn't expect you to miss me." Even that seemed wrong. God. Why did he have to screw everything up? "I mean...that's not what I mean." How could he explain to her that he'd left because he was part of a team, because Lorelai and Lila were getting the one thing he wanted -- time with their father -- and he wasn't going to mess with that. How could he explain that one more year being around to be Leo's big brother had suddenly become important to him? "Listen, Alegrah, if you want, we can just get this over with, and you can just get back to your life. I'm not here to interfere."
Wes nodded when she suggested that they trade information. "Can we just not call them? All they're going to do is give me a ticket, and I already told you I'd pay for whatever damage I did. As Alegrah ducked her head into his car, he checked her out automatically; she was just as fine and fit as he remembered her being. Wes averted his eyes before she turned around, slightly ashamed but not so much that he'd actually deny doing it. "Here, let me write everything down for you," he said, holding out his hand for the notebook.
"What's going on?" Meredith asked no one in particular. "Is there some reason nobody has called the cops? Or some reason it's taking Wes so long to exchange information with that girl?"
"I don't know, Mer," said Cameron. "It's probably no big deal, alright?"
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Post by Kelli-wa on Feb 14, 2011 0:14:54 GMT -5
Alegrah watched him as he spoke and crossed her arms, glancing back at the car and then to him. She shrugged lightly, “I doesn’t really look like you missed me too much,” she said softly before she licked her lips and handed him the notebook she’d gotten out of her car. She shrugged as he said they could get over this. She couldn’t help her eyes from venturing back to the girl who was in the front seat of his car. She nodded, “Yeah, alright, if that’s what you want…”
She sighed lightly, “They won’t give you a ticket, Wes,” she argued, agitated now, she wasn’t really sure what had made her switch from the verge of tears to anger so quickly, but there must have been a trigger. “I won’t call them, just write down your address and I’ll send you whatever I have to send you.” She was furious at this point, for reasons she couldn’t comprehend. It had something to do with that girl that she didn’t know in his front seat, but she would never admit it. She wouldn’t admit to jealousy, not in a million years. She was better than that, in her own opinion.
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Déjà vu
Script Writer
All over again.
Posts: 106
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Post by Déjà vu on Feb 14, 2011 0:34:38 GMT -5
Wes tried to follow her eyes and her train of thought, but he wasn't getting it. "Alegrah, I don't understand. Am I supposed to be sorry that my old friends still wanted to hang out with me when I showed up again, or that they're still fun to be around, even though they're not you? Listen, I've missed you like heck, but those three people have always been my best friends. Austin? Austin was there when my mom died, the only person that didn't treat me differently after it happened, and we've been friends since. Meredith? Meredith was -- God, I don't know why I'm even trying to explain this. I get it, I'm dirt. I'm lower than dirt, okay? Does that make you happy?" Wes ran a hand through his hair again, wishing they could both just calm down, or better yet, that he could just go back to this morning so they wouldn't have to run into each other again in the first place.
"Okay," Wes said, "I will." He took the pen and wrote his address and Donia's, as well as his car's tag number, his driver's license number, and his own cell phone number, because he'd broken two since he'd last given her his number. "That should do it, I guess." He didn't want to leave yet. He wanted to ask her to at least eat with them, or something, but was pretty sure she wouldn't care to do so.
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Post by Kelli-wa on Feb 14, 2011 0:50:04 GMT -5
“Oh, that’s Meredith? Alright, so I’m glad that once you went back to Atlanta you forgot all about me! Don’t I even deserve a call, Wes? Huh?” she asked sharply. “You couldn’t have just sent an email? I mean, come on, after all we’ve been through and that’s all I get. This is how I find out you have another girlfriend? Or wait, I’m sorry, you probably don’t have the balls to officially ask her out either. ” She shook her head, her eyes were full of tears that she refused to shed. She shook her head, glaring into his eyes. “You aren’t dirt, Wes, God, did I even say that?”
She was too angry to move from her position, arms crossed over her chest, jaw locked, legs straight and her eyes pointed directly at his tire. She didn’t want to leave it like this. She didn’t want to take that notebook from him because he would leave. She didn’t want this to be the way they dealt with it. She didn’t want their last moments to be spent fighting, that just made her sad. She let a hand run through her hair and turned her face away from him as a tear fell from her eye. “Alright, I guess we’re just done here, then?”
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Déjà vu
Script Writer
All over again.
Posts: 106
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Post by Déjà vu on Feb 14, 2011 1:17:36 GMT -5
Those in the car noticed that the discussion was heating up, and Meredith was clearly dying to get out of her seat, but Austin said he'd handle it. "I'll give him two more minutes, and then I'm going out there," he said.
"What would I say?" asked Wes. "I'm sorry, but I'm thousands of miles away from you and I don't intend to change that anytime soon, because, I dunno, I promised Leo I'd teach him to ride a bike, or I promised Cameron I'd make sure that he passes calculus this year, or because I can't change schools again, especially when I'm dealing with college transcripts, or because I'm pretty sure you're better off without me anyhow? That's not the kind of thing I can just say to you over the phone and not start falling apart, Alegrah. And I can't just bet on one person. If I bet on one person, and I lose, I lose everything, so I'm sorry I couldn't freaking bet on you. And what the hell do you mean I have another girlfriend? I'm not going to say I haven't looked, but it's kind of hard to find somebody I'm interested in when I keep comparing them to you all the time. Nobody's like you."
Wes pressed his hands to his face, trying to calm down, but it simply wasn't working. He lowered his hands, and spoke more slowly, but his voice still had a serious edge. "No, but my goodness, are you implying it. You can't just tell me how awful I am in one breath and then just change your mind." As he waited for her to take the notebook, he felt his heart pounding in his chest, knew there was no way to stop it, no way to take back what they'd said. He didn't see her cry, but it did hurt that she turned her face away from him. He was trying to let every detail of her appearance sink into his mind so that he could never forget, and she wasn't even looking in his direction. "Yeah, I guess so." He sighed. "Are you still planning on Julliard?" he asked impulsively.
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Post by Kelli-wa on Feb 14, 2011 1:50:34 GMT -5
Alegrah turned back and stared at him as he started up again. She shook her head, "I don't want you to bet on me, I just wanted something to tell me what you intended to do. Why you were leaving me alone, maybe. I just wanted something, maybe just something saying, "Hey we're doing great in Atlanta." I can't just go from knowing that you're safe to not knowing anything about what you're doing or how you are or if you're even happy!" She'd let a few tears fall during that and she turned her face away from him now. "I don't understand why you couldn't tell me anything, it's not like I've never seen you fall apart before. Shit, Wes, you cried the first night I met you!" There was no hiding the tears now, "Do I not deserve anything?" At his girlfriend question her hand shot up to gesture to Meredith, "You're obviously with her now. I mean, it was bound to happen, you talked about her enough. It's okay, Wes you don't have to act like you care, alright? I think I've got the point. We were living a lie, you loved her the whole fucking time, I was just a filler away from Atlanta."
She took a deep breath, taking his example and shook her head lightly. "You aren't awful, I just can't figure out why you wouldn't just tell me. I would have been okay with all of this if you wouldn't have just left without so much as a word." She wiped her face of tears, although it didn't help her much, it just made her want to cry more. She let out a huge, shaky breath before answering his question, "Yeah. I have to. Dancing's all I have now. I don't even have Daniel anymore. Everything is fucking gone, so I hope you're happy, because you ruined my car too." She still didn't understand why she was so angry with him. Used to she couldn't stay angry for more than five seconds, but then if they got angry they could just kiss and everything would be alright. Now they didn't even have that.
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Déjà vu
Script Writer
All over again.
Posts: 106
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Post by Déjà vu on Feb 14, 2011 18:31:46 GMT -5
I don't even know if I'm freaking happy. "I said I'm sorry, and I'm still sorry. You know what, though? If you really wanted to know how I was, you could have been the one to call. It's not like I'd just ignore your phone calls if you cared enough to make them." Wes sighed and shook his head. "You may have seen me fall apart a lot," he said, more quietly, "but that doesn't exactly make it easier each subsequent time."
Wes hated to see tears on her face, but he listened to her rant, biting his lip to try to keep his own facade intact. Clearly, you deserve better than me. When Wes figured out what she was talking about, he let out a short bark of laughter, though he tried to conceal it with a cough. "Are you joking me? We're not -- I don't like Meredith like that, okay?" I like you, I miss you, I love you. "Listen, even if I did, I'm pretty sure my friend Cameron has a thing for her, and I wouldn't screw with that."
She looked like she needed a little bit of support, and Wes wished more than anything that he could make her stop crying. Wes reached out with his arms and put his hands around her shoulders, though he expected to be shoved off immediately. He wondered how many times he could say he was sorry, and expected that after a while, it wouldn't have any effect. Those two words were weak, anyway, as words go. "Alegrah --"
"Wes Everdeen, what is going on," Austin asked, having climbed down from the car a minute ago. He put his hand just above Wes's pectoral muscle as he spoke, forcing Wes to look Austin in the eye.
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Post by Kelli-wa on Feb 14, 2011 20:12:58 GMT -5
Alegrah watched him as he spoke. She understood what he meant; it was never easy to be disappointed, especially when you were disappointing someone you loved. She sighed and shook her head, “I know,” she said, looking straight into his eyes. “I did try to call you, though. It said the number didn’t exist and then the last time that I tried a guy named Andrew answered.” She shook her head, “I figured you broke your phone again.”
She furrowed her brow as he asked if she was joking. Of course she wasn’t joking. Why would she joke about that? “You don’t? You sure seemed to talk about her a lot,” she said bitterly, crossing her arms over her chest again. She sighed, though as his arms came around her shoulders. She knew she should have shoved him away, they were arguing, but it felt so good to he in his arms again that she didn’t make a move except to put her face in the crease of his neck.
As she heard his friend’s voice she did shove him away like she’d meant to in the first place. She dried her tears and took the notebook from his hand, walking back over to her car. She tossed it in the passenger seat and stood by the open door, running her hand through her hair, cursing herself for giving in so easily.
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Déjà vu
Script Writer
All over again.
Posts: 106
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Post by Déjà vu on Feb 14, 2011 20:59:18 GMT -5
Cameron climbed into the front seat to try to back Wesley's car away from the one they'd hit, but he couldn't get it to work. It seemed as though the car was stuck where it was, and they were stuck in this town for a few days, until they could get the car fixed.
Wes bit his lip. "Right. Twice. My phone was intact for a while, though, before." He raked a hand through his hair again. "Sorry," he whispered.
"No, I don't. Alegrah, she's my friend. We jumped in leaf piles and played hide and seek and stuff together when we were, like, five. She's been there a long time, but she's kind of like the sister I've never had, until recently, alright?" Meredith would disagree with the sentiment if she heard it, but Wes was too thick-skulled to understand that.
Wes breathed a silent sigh of relief as Alegrah laid her head against his chest in her weak moment. He kept his hands roughly where they were, but stroked her back slightly for a moment as he started to speak. When Austin interrupted and Alegrah all but shot away, his facial expression turned to anger. "Thanks a lot, Aus," he muttered, but he knew that nothing was Austin's fault. "I'll explain later, okay? Let's just get out of here," Wes said, but he didn't turn back towards his car. His eyes were still on Alegrah, standing by the car that he'd ruined, just like he'd ruined everything else.
"Guys," Cameron called out the window, "this car is shot. We're not getting to New York today." Meredith said something to Cameron, who proceeded to suggest that they go ahead and call Donia. They were almost to her house, but they couldn't abandon the car, and they didn't know the number of a local tow company.
Wes took slow steps toward Alegrah, trying to give her the chance for a quick getaway if she wanted one. "We'll -- I'll be over on Millberry Lane for a few days if you want to talk," he said, not that he expected her to want to. "My car's dysfunctional. Anyway, if not..." You've got my number again. "um, look me up when you get to New York, alright? You can't stay mad at me forever." I hope.
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Post by Kelli-wa on Feb 14, 2011 22:14:03 GMT -5
Alegrah sighed and shook her head, “Yeah, maybe it’s that way to you, Wes, but I mean, look at her. She likes you, Wes.” She looked back to the girl in the car. “I mean, she looks like she wants to ring my neck…” She sighed softly and shook her head, looking back to him, turning from her car. She smiled weakly at him, “I’m sorry I can’t be perfect, but I’m jealous.” She looked over to his friend then back to him as he started talking to her again. She nodded as he explained where he would be. “Alright, I’ve got the address…” She sighed softly and nodded, he was right, she was already starting to calm down, simply from the hug he’d given her. She licked her lips, “I’m not even mad anymore…” She looked at him, tears still lining her eyes, “I’ve got to figure out a way to get to dance… Will you… promise me something? Don’t leave again before tomorrow?” she asked, looking up to his eyes. “I’ll call you tomorrow morning, alright?”
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Déjà vu
Script Writer
All over again.
Posts: 106
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Post by Déjà vu on Feb 14, 2011 23:22:33 GMT -5
Wesley didn't know what to say to that. He glanced back at Meredith in the car, but all he saw was the same girl he always saw, with a typical Meredith expression that seemed to say, "Let's get out of here; we've wasted enough time." I'm sorry I can't be perfect, but I'm jealous, Alegrah said, and he still didn't really understand it, but figured it had to do with the fact that his other friends had gotten to spend time with him lately and she hadn't.
Wes nodded, glad she was at least considering his offer to come talk to him. Thank god you're not mad, he thought, but another part of him was sure that Alegrah was just saying that. "Do they have taxis around here? If your car won't start, I can pay for your cab. I'm sorry that you'll probably be late." Anything, thought Wes, when she asked him to promise something, though he wouldn't, for example, iron his toes or jump off a cliff. "Alright," he said. "I'll be around, Alegrah. I'm not leaving yet, and I'll keep my phone on loud." That reminded him that he needed to call Donia and make her aware of the situation, so he punched in the number, but as he waited for it to ring, Wes didn't take his eyes off of Alegrah.
Cameron and Meredith got out, finally, and the two started throwing a Frisbee around with Austin on the grassy median while they waited. It occurred to Cameron that they should push the car off the road, or at least farther to the side, but it didn't look like it was really in the way, considering what light traffic there was.
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