TROUVAILLE ... l.danes (REWRITE)

chapter fifty-one; the past

HE WISHES HE COULD DISAPPEAR WITH HER

nineteen-eighty-three

"I CANNOT believe you!"

Liz Danes rolls her eyes as she leans against the hard wood of the bleachers she and her best friend were hiding beneath. She crosses her arms over her chest and mouths along to her brother's speech – you shouldn't smoke weed, you shouldn't smoke anything, you're being a bad influence on Sookie, you have to do more with your life–

"Are you copying me?"

"You're a hypocrite, Lucas."

Lucas grumbles something under his breath and turns to Shelley. They had both stormed over here at the same time and tugged their trouble-making younger family members away to rant and rave. Shelley stands with her hands on her hips, chewing out Sookie, the Spring wind blowing at her hair.

"You stink! They'll all smell it. Your parents. My parents. And who's fault will it be, Sooks? Not yours!" Sookie rolls her eyes. "No. Don't. I can't have you going back there smelling like this. I'll be grounded for weeks and I simply don't have time for that. Here."

She pulls a small bottle of perfume out of her purse and hands it over to her cousin, who spritzes herself over and over and over until Shelley decides she's masked the smell enough. Now, all Lucas can smell is oranges. Thankfully, she hands the bottle over to Liz. Lucas pulls his pack of gum from his pocket. He offers some to Liz and, when she's taken two pieces, hands over the packet to Sookie to do the same.

The two eldest children of the families stand with their arms crossed, staring down their younger counterparts. They both look, somehow, more adult like this. Scowling. Eyebrows furrowed. They're pissed. While Liz is used to it, Sookie is not, and despite her rolling eyes and huffs, she is merely seconds away from bursting into tears and trying to get Shelley to help her get out of this mess.

Liz, on the other hand, reaches for the joint on the grassy floor.

Lucas grinds his boot down onto the joint and it disappears, forever, never to be smoked again.

"Do you know how much that cost?"

"Yeah, actually I do. There's only one person who sells this shit."

"You're a dick."

"Trust me, Liz, you're not the first girl to call me that."

Shelley scoffs. It sounds almost like a laugh that she tries, desperately, to hide behind a cough. Lucas tries not to let pride beam through him. He bites his tongue and stares down his sister, expecting her to argue back.

Instead, she says "let's go, Sookie," and takes her best friend by the arm. They storm past their brother and cousin and disappear into the crowd of revelers behind them. The annual Spring Equinox fayre is in full-swing and it is easy to lose anyone in a crowd so big.

Shelley lets out a long sigh.

She's tired. Lucas can see it clear as day on her face. The dark circles pulling at her pretty eyes. The unusual paleness to her cheeks. The way she almost seems to curl into herself as soon as the two other girls disappear from sight. She wraps her arms around her waist and tucks her chin into her neck, as if to keep some warmth into her body. The air is chilly, he'll give her that. But this is something else.

He wishes he could reach for her, tuck her into his body, let her collapse against him so he can be the comfort she clearly needs.

Instead, she throws a smile at him over her shoulder.

"Family, huh?"

And then, she disappears, and he wishes he could disappear with her.