Dreamer - Chapter 34

Rev led me back to his truck, holding the door open as I climbed on in. I watched from the passengers seat as he circled around to the driver's side before hopping inside the truck himself.

"Is the field not good enough for you anymore?" I chuckled.

"Seatbelt."

"Since when did you ever care about my safety?"

He snapped his finger at me, "Seatbelt. Now."

"Fine." I yanked the seatbelt just enough for it to come out before pulling it over my chest and buckling it into the slot. When I looked back at Rev, he was already concentrating on the road ahead of us. "I never thought I'd ever get a chance to see you have a change in heart," I joked, "I must be really special."

"You still believe that you aren't the final key?"

"I know that I'm not."

"That's why I changed my plans."

"So you're going to let me get back to school.. because I probably already missed most of it by now."

"If it was up to me, you wouldn't step foot back in that place ever again."

"If I'm really as pure as you claim, wouldn't you actually want me to be at school?"

"Nobody from my circle goes to school."

That was definitely not true. "I have classes with that one girl, Rev."

"Which girl?"

"The girl with the lime green hair.. Mars.. Marie.. honestly, I don't know what name she goes by, but she is definitely in my class and she most definitely knows you."

"Mars," He growled out, "is a different story."

"Why?"

"Why did you say you watched your mother get killed?" I'm pretty positive he only asked me that to change the subject. "Did you mother get murdered while you witnessed it?" He asked.

"No." I answered briefly, "We were in a car crash." Why was I opening myself up to him like this? "Her name was Maria. I was still pretty young when she died, but from what I could remember she was one of the prettiest women I have ever known." I couldn't help but smile at the thought of my mother, "She always used to spend her Fridays baking apple pies. Not because she needed to, but just because she just felt like baking an apple pie. Sometimes when I close my eyes, I can still smell the sweet stench of each pie as they filled the house every Friday afternoon; I used to come home from school salivating for a slice of pie. I'll never forget how mad she would get whenever I tried to sneak a slice before she was ready to serve them." I let off a chuckle, "I just wish I never forgot the way she laughed."

"We all have those small details about our parents we wish we could have again."

"You probably don't." I said to him, "You probably smile at the memory of killing your parents in cold blood."

"Is that seriously how you think of me?" He sounded hurt.

"Is that not your best memory?" Wow. I guess I was wrong. Rev isn't actually a natural-born serial killer.. he actually has feelings.

"For my dad, it was." He responded, "For my mom, I have an even better memory." His voice drifted off and I nudged his arm only for him to shoot me a look in return.

"C'mon Rev," I elbowed him, "Tell me. I promise to never tell a single soul that I managed to break down your walls." I pretended to cross my heart with my finger. This conversation would probably be nonexistent by tomorrow, so I might as well try and get as much information out of him as possible.

"It's nothing."

"I told you something about my mom," I told him, "so.. you owe me."

"Fine," He answered. It shocked me how excited I got to hear more about Rev. Never would I expect to want to hear more about him but here I am.. begging him to tell me some story that I shouldn't care too much about. "Her name was Meg," He began, "She was insanely beautiful. Kind of similar to how you said about your mother, I've never met anyone just as beautiful as my mom." I noticed a smile form across his face as soon as he mentioned his mother. "I remember being a kid and questioning how someone as beautiful and kind as her would ever fall for the asshole that was my father. I never met anyone just as nice, just as sweet. I swear, she didn't have a single mean bone in her body. I'd watch as my father yelled nonsense at her, or beat her till she was bloody, or even watch as he threw her across the room.." He paused, "I used to try and ignore his actions. I used to think that he'll stop after that time, but the next time he'd hit her even more. It got to the point that any time I saw him go to grab her.. god, it makes my blood boil even now, to this very day."

He clenched his fist around the steering wheel and I reached out to grab ahold of it, "Rev. You can stop now. I'm sorry I even brought it up."

"He thought that just because he was the man of the goddamn house, he could treat her like fucking garbage." He slammed his fist against the wheel, "So as soon as I gathered up the courage to do it, I showed him exactly what happens to men who want to hurt women." His smile suddenly disappeared, "But of course, my mother wasn't so thankful of my actions. She wanted to send me away. She was prepared to just discard me like trash. Apparently, you aren't supposed to give people a taste of their own medicine, even if they're meant to rot in hell for all that they have done. I, apparently, wasn't what she wanted for a son. You'd think I didn't do what I had done to keep her safe. No. If I had just sat around and done nothing, like she expected me to do, she'd just keep getting beat by him. Hell. She'd probably still be dead, today. The second she found my father, she called the cops so I had to.. I had to give her the same surprise I gave my father-"

"You're insane."

"I know." He let off a smile.

It suddenly hit me that I was alone in the car with him.. with this.. monster. My heart began to race and everything had suddenly gone blurry all around me. My head felt as if it had been spinning. The colors began to fade and all I was able to see were the black and white images of nothingness. My hand tried to grab the car handle, but I couldn't find it. "Stop the car."

"Are you okay?"

"Just stop the damn car!" I raised my voice. The car came to a complete stop before I jumped out and ran, slipping down into a nearby ditch off the side of the road. "Why am I doing this?" I leaned myself up against the grassy edge of the ditch and let the rest of my body fall into the muddy sludge forming around me, "Why didn't I just stay home?"

"You were the one who wanted to know my past."

"Shut up."

"I wasn't going to tell you but-"

I stood up, my hands covered completely in mud as they picked up my body out of the sludge, looking directly into Rev's eyes, "I told you to shut the hell up."

"I wouldn't talk to me like that." He patted his pant leg.

"No sane person would ever kill their parents and describe it in such detail without feeling a bit of guilt."

"When did I ever say I was sane?"

"When did I ever give you the right to own me or claim me as your purity?"

"Did you not want me to finish my story?" He asked me, "Because you could've just told me that instead of demanding I stop my vehicle and making a break for it."

"I should have never gone back in the car with you."

"Lex."

"I should have never let myself go back to you after that first night." Rev went to grab ahold of my shoulders but I shoved him away. "You were going to attack me, Rev."

"I wasn't in the right frame of-"

"You're just like him." I cut him off, "You are exactly like Tex."

"Who's Tex?"

I paused. Shit. Did I not tell Rev his name before? Everything just happened so fast, I couldn't keep up with myself.

"Lex," He picked my chin up, "is Tex the name of that asshole you mentioned earlier?"

I didn't know what to say next.

"You know he's history, right?"

"Not exactly."

He looked back at me with a confused expression spread across his face.

"He was at school."

"He goes to school with you, as well?"

"No," I took a step back, "He doesn't go to school. He's twenty eight years old for god's sake. He just came to the school. I still don't know what his reasoning was.. it was after I saw you. I was-"

"He was there when I was there?"

"I've only been to school once since moving here, Rev." I looked towards him, "Thanks to you." I somehow found the courage to get back into the truck with him and he got himself back onto the road. Rev didn't say a single word since he started to drive again, but the area around begun to look familiar once again; unlike before.

"Where are we heading now?" I asked him. He stayed silent. The truck picked up speed as he pulled into a parking lot. School.

"Rev?" I noticed him pulling his gun out before slamming the door shut and walking towards the front entrance. Shit. Jumping out and slamming the door behind me, I sprinted towards him and yanked the back of his leather jacket. "Have you lost your damn mind?"

He didn't respond.

"Rev. Hey. Rev," Using my hand, I pushed his head so that he focused on just me, "Breathe. Just breathe." I looked my eyes onto his, "You don't want to do this."

"You said he had been here."

"Yeah," I let out a sigh, "I also said he was twenty eight years old. He doesn't go to school. The guy just tracked me down and found me. That's all. I have no idea where he went and I don't ever want to see him again. Hell.. I didn't even want to see him yesterday." I grabbed his hand, "Let's just get out of here." I really did not want any of the teachers here to see me on school property.. considering I skipped, and they pretty much already had a bad first impression of me to start off with.

"I could make sure you never get to see him ag-" He said when I cut him off.

"I'd much rather just forget of his existence.. or that he ever tried to track me down." I pulled him back towards his truck when I noticed the lime green haired girl leaning up against it. Shit. Shit. Shit.

"Look what the cat dragged in," She said to Rev as he got closer to her.

"Get the fuck off my truck." He sounded pissed. I probably shouldn't even bother to intervene.. not that either one of these two would ever let me.

"Or what?" She asked him, "You gonna shoot me?"

"I might."

"Oh please." She scoffed, "You're too much of a damn sissy to do anything that'll hurt me."

"Get the hell off my truck, Mars." His tone grew harsher each time he spoke.

"Rev," I went to step in only for Mars to shove me back.

"You can't even fight your own battles, Rev," She mocked, "and it's Marie, not Mars. You know that."

He slammed her up against his truck, "Wanna fucking bet, Mars?"

She spit in his face, "You can't fucking scare me anymore."

"That's right," He smirked, "That's a job for Ace."

"Ace isn't even here."

"That's true. Although his girl is," He motioned over towards me before looking back at her, "and you just gave her quite the shove."

"Lex?" A familiar sounding voice came up from behind. I turned to notice Jess standing there; her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail with a long pink ribbon tied in a pretty loose bow.

"Oh my god," I smiled, "Jess!"

"I haven't seen you in class." She laughed, "Skipping, already?"

"You could say that."

"I never thought you'd be someone who could hang out with this squad." She whispered to me.

I glanced back at Mars and Rev behind me, who had now just leaned against the truck watching us, before turning back to her, "I never saw myself hanging with them, either."

"She's more badass than you'll ever expect." Rev smirked, throwing his arm around my shoulder.

"Plus.. Jess," Mars shoved Rev's arm off my shoulder to replace the spot with her own, "unlike some people, Lex wouldn't just abandon us the second things went south." Wait, what?

"Leave her alone." I shoved her arm off me, "I'm allowed to make other friends."

"Lex, it's alright. I have to get back to class anyway.. don't want to get caught out here." Jess waved bye before walking back towards inside the school.

Once she was gone, I slapped Rev's arm, "Don't you dare put your arm around me again."

"Good luck getting him to listen to you," Mars laughed, "Now you both should most definitely get out of here. Lunch is about to start and soon enough, we won't be the only ones outside."

Rev opened his door, "Let's go." Without hesitation, I hopped into the truck. I've already seen Rev's dark side today.. I was in no way bringing it back out by arguing.

"You. Join us." He pointed towards Mars.

"I have class."

"I have class." He mocked, "You know exactly how I feel about people from our type of group going to school. Get in the damn truck."

"Did you not hear me when I said before that you no longer scare me?"

"Why can't you be like Lex?" He went to grab her arm but she shoved him away.

"I'm not a fucking follower, Rev!" She yelled out, "I'm independent as fuck and I don't need you telling me what to do." She looked into his eyes before choosing her next few words, "At least not anymore."

"You're still apart of this, bitch." He growled.

"I never wanted to be a part of this in the first place!" She cried out.

"You agreed to it." Rev yanked her arm so that she was pulled against his body, "The circle is just as part of you as it is to any one of us."

"And if I wanted out?"

"You know the best of anyone that nobody can just get out." He opened the door for her, "Now get in."

"I said no!" She pulled herself free from his grip before walking away, holding up her middle finger as she spoke her last words of the conversation, "Go drive off a goddamn cliff and fuck yourself, Rev!"

Rev threw up his middle finger in response, "You too!" He got back in the truck and revved the engine.

"Wow." I stated, "Here I was thinking nobody could ever hate you more than me."

"Our relationship is, how should I put it," Rev paused for a second, "complicated."

As he drove off campus, I couldn't help but process the conversation he just had with Mars seconds before. "What did she mean by never wanting to be apart of the circle in the first place?" I asked him. I knew it may have been a mistake to bring this back up but curiosity somehow got the better of me. "Or that once you're in.. you can't ever get back out?"

"You ask a lot of questions." He headed back onto the open road.

"You avoid a lot of questions." I said back to him. He had one hand on the wheel while his other rested on his thigh, inches away from where he motioned his gun had been moments earlier. "Is she your ex-girlfriend?" I regretted the question the moment the words left my lips.

"What?" He chuckled.

"It's just," I sighed, "the way the two of you bickered.. the way you both talk to each other.. something just seemed as if you had something more with her." I shrugged, "It was a lame question."

"For someone who claims to hate me as much as you do, you seem to be very interested in my life." He rubbed his jaw before placing his other hand on the wheel.

"You don't have to answer."

"We've been together in the past, yes." He answered, "It's over now. It's long over."

"You actually were in a relationship with someone?" I fake gasped, "Wow."

"And it had been hard after," He responded to me, "you still think Ace is a good idea?"

"I should have never told you what I felt about Ace." I told him, "I never said I'd go ahead and date Ace. For God's sake, we just met. Besides, you're probably the one who should be stressing about everything."

"I'm not involved with anyone."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"What are y-" He locked eyes with mine, "Nothing happened between us. Understand?"

"So that's how you're going to play this." I said, "You'll just pretend like what happened between us just didn't happen and it'll all magically go away?"

"Yes," He brought his eyes back towards the road ahead, "because nothing happened."

"So you just want to go about your day while Ace hasn't a clue about what happened between us?" I have no idea why him ignoring what occurred before bothered me so much but somehow, something just felt off about ignoring what was started by him. "Did you happen to forget that it was YOU who kissed ME?" I felt the truck come to a sudden stop the second the words left my mouth.

Rev faced me, "Why are you obsessing over this?"

"Why are you so deadset on ignoring this?"

"You constantly have claimed to hate me, so you shouldn't have a problem with just forgetting about that and moving on." He picked my chin up, "We wouldn't even be having this argument right now."

"I just cannot stand the idea of brushing it away like it was nothing."

"Do you like me?" His fingers brushed against my lips as they guided their way up to my cheek, "Mars definitely wouldn't mind if you do."

"I don't like you." I pushed his hand off, "Really, I don't."

"Really?" He leaned his body closer to mine, "So this does nothing for you?"

"Can we just get back to where you were going?"

He placed his hand on my inner thigh, slowly moving inward, "How about this?"

"Stop." I backed far enough before my back hit the door, "Seriously Rev. Just stop it!" I shoved his hand away before he could sit back in his own seat.

"Sorry."

Sorry? Did I just hear that right? "Sorry?" I questioned him.

"Did that bring up any bad memories for you," He started the car back up, "from the guy you mentioned before?"

"You have got to be kidding me." I stated, "I can tell you to stop without needing a reason as to why I do it." I shifted my eyes back towards the driver's seat where he sat as the car began to pick up speed once again. "I can ask for you to stop just to ask for you to stop, alright?" My voice sounded a lot calmer than it did just before.

"Yes ma'am." He jokingly threw his hands up in the air before placing them back on the wheel, "I did stop, didn't I?"

"Let's just get to wherever you're going quietly." I leaned my head against the window and watched as the empty road and trees disappeared, slowly turning into buildings and other cars.