“It’s a coffee pot not the 8th wonder of the world.” She snorted at the thought of a coffee pots growing on trees are something. “So I shouldn’t like put milk it instead of water and record the reaction cause that’ll get us kicked out right? Is that what I’m here?” And now she really wanted to do that. “Is he cute?”
“I think that would ruin the coffee maker…” She shrugged. The question of Keegan’s attractiveness had her pausing. “Objectively? I guess so. I mean there was a while I was confused about my feelings for him. So yeah I guess he’s cute. The guy who was supposed to meet me tonight was cute.” She pouted a bit. “And he liked art. Fuck I need to get wasted.”
That was far more information that he was expecting to get. He took in the sight of her scars, “It seems like your father has poor impulse control. Does that mean you are on a long journey home?” It was only fair to be tit for tat. Holding up his hand, palm side up, Kealen used his other hand to trace the small scars on the tip of his hand. “My parents thought I was a danger to my younger sister and had me institutionalized until I was 15. Despite what they thought she was not and will never be in any danger from me.
So I suppose I am, like many others, the black sheep of my family. Always looking in from the outside. My sister does not see it that way and tries to include me but even know I can see the hesitance in the set of my parents posture and lines around their eyes.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m heading home…more a long the lines of wandering forever. I don’t know if I have a home-” She paused. Keegan was home, in a non-romantic way, but she didn’t know how to articulate that to a stranger. His confession about his parents left her humming a bit and nodding.
“Parents are hard. They get stuck on things…” She stopped walking, and tugged at his arm so he would stop as well. “For what it’s worth, which i imagine isn’t much seeing as I’m a stranger, I don’t think you’d be dangerous to your sister.” She figured if he loved his sister half as much as scotty loved her he’d go to the ends of the earth for her.
“It’s gonna be hard no matter where we go.” He felt like he owed her the warning. Moving wasn’t a problem but he didn’t want Effy thinking it would be a cure all. “Could try to find a place with some land. Might take me a few weeks to get the funds together.” Keegan had been building his funds back up, taking cash only jobs and so on. He had enough saved up for the first 6 months for a larger apartment. Moving out of state means they would need a bit more in the bank.
“I know it’ll be hard Kee…I just want to be away from Scotty and mom and the looks they give me. I don’t even know if they know they’re giving them to me…” She swallowed back some tears and looked up a Keegan, trying to force a smile. She wanted him to understand that she was trying, but being here was hard. “I love them, but I can’t be near them right now.”
“Screams a great movie. Fuckin’ classic. All of ‘em are good. The third one’s the weakest of the bunch but overall not bad. Have you seen the show and heard any of the theories behind it?” He had all of the Scream movies and love watching them from time to time. “Wanna watch one of ‘em?” Psychological horrors tended to be a hit or miss for him. It more depended on what they were about than anything.
“The first one! It’s so good!! Or we could marathon them?” She bounced a little at the idea. A Huge grin spread over her face. “I haven’e heard any theories…I don’t think I get as into things as you do.” She stuck out her tongue, teasing him in a light-hearted way.
as much as travis fought to stave off an eye roll , it happened anyway , and a sigh escaped him . again ? how many times was scott going to fight for something that was clearly deemed inevitable ? who could blame him , though ? it seemed to be his thing .
“ what was it this time ? — or should i say , who ? ”
She did her best not to deflate even more at his initial response. A sigh slipped through her lips, and her eyes fixed themselves on the ground. She worried she was annoying him.
“He got all pissy when I said I was coming over here. He still doesn’t like me hanging around you and Theo…”
She took a hit before reaching to pass it over to him. “Kee, I really don’t want to have to go back home. I want to just wonder around…things were bad when I left…I was in a bad place and I don’t think I could face Scotty and mom again…” She reached for a drink, unsure why she was telling him all this.
Frowning Keegan paused before taking his own drink. “What happened?” He didn’t like the way that was sounding. “Your mom’s probably worried about you. She knows you’re alright, right?” Was it really his place to even ask this anymore? Shit. Keegan took a bigger drink.
“I let her and Scotty a note. I told them I was going to travel for a while. Dad moved back to Beacon Hills. I couldn’t stand being so close to him. Plus Stiles started dating Lydia, and they were over at the house a lot.” She shrugged, taking a large drink from her beverage. She didn’t want to talk about home. It had too many memories and she held some resentment towards him for leaving.
Travis was quick to sit up, hands folding in his lap as eyes landed on the hardwood. If he hadn’t been so engulfed in the show they were watching, he would’ve noticed sooner that something was off with Effy. Chemosignals weren’t hard to focus on.
“Yo, what’s wrong?”
She blinked as Travis shifted, watching him. She let his words weigh on her mind for a moment. She knew there was no reason to lie to him; he’d be able to tell if she tried anyway. Letting out a heavy sigh she pushed her hand through her hair. She needed to say this without sounding too whiny or repetitive.
“I fought with Scott over my choice in friends…again.”
“And you’re sure he won’t mind?” It sounded a little sketchy in a way. Showing up at someone’s places without any warning. “Do you have a key?” Was she really considering this? Yes, yes she was. “Do you think we could get him to cook for us because I’m still finding it hard to believe anyone not on TV cooks that well.”
“He usually cooks when I’m drunk, or at the very least he grumpily makes breakfast the next morning. DO NOT touch his coffee maker. He is a snob about it sometimes and alwyas complains when I make it.” She giggled and tugged the girls hand. “He won’t mind. He loves me, so I get away with a lot. He’s basically family.”
He considered the options. Sitting would make it easier to judge the weight of the words but it wasn’t necessary. “There are more pieces to see. It would be a waste not to see the whole exhibit.”
She nodded, and thought carefully. She weighed her words. “I, like a great deal of alternative girls, have some parental issues. Father cheated, I’m the love child. Birth mother’s from the UK and she wasn’t very…motherly? I partied hard, lost control, attempted to end it all..” she tugged up her sleeve to show him the scars. “I was hospitalized, and shortly after I got out my first love died in my arms. It was pretty fucked up. Moved back to the US, lived with my brother and my dad’s ex-wife. Dad’s still low key abusive when he drinks.” She shrugged, tugging her sleeve back down as she spoke. “Lost at sea, that’s how I’d describe myself…and you?”
