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Interim Ep. 3: Bridging Fissures


Charlie Cole

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[This takes place simultaneously with Marking the Trail]

What had happened was a sleepless night for Charlie, facing the fact that he couldn't contact Jason to warn him off and hoping that this didn't end with Liam in the morgue. Also, how Lona was holding up, if she was going to report it, or if not, would someone else in the group? After some thought, he concluded that he should back up his words from earlier. If nobody else did, he would talk to the Sheriff tomorrow.

Come the morning, and hearing the news from checking in with the others, it became clear that yes, someone did tell the Sheriff, and Liam had been hospitalized by an unknown attacker. Now, there was no hard evidence it was Jason, but it totally was Jason. Charlie knew it, even if he wasn't planning on saying so to the authorities. Jason, he did want to have words with, but truth be told, Charlie wasn't feeling up to confronting his scary friend at the moment.

But this left him with some other thoughts. With all that had happened, he hadn't really thought about Marissa before. Previously, he'd filed everything under complete freak power thing, the strangulation accident. But in hindsight, that wasn't a good set of words to use, and seeing Lona traumatized had forced him to consider how Marissa felt. Mari the Mantis. A frightened teen girl - this was still not an image one associated with Shelly's Queen Bee.

But now Charlie had to, and he really needed to make up for it. So he tapped out a text for Marissa.

Free to meet up t-day? Would like to talk.

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"Devin!?"  Marissa shouted through the house.  "Deej!"  She called again as she hopped down the steps with a bounce the men of Shelly would have paid money to see.

She rounded the corner into the kitchen in her weekend finest leggings and sweater combo that slid off one shoulder.  She sighed as Tawny leaned against the counter, eating a bowl cereal.  "Where's my idiot other half?"

"Mmhmm."  The attractive blonde shrugged.  "He was gone when I woke up.  Slipped right past me."

"Out of your desperate grasp, you mean," she looked at Tawny side eyed.  "Why are you still here, then?"

"Better cereal here than at home," she shrugged with a mouthful of cocoa krispies.

"You know him and Lona Wilson are talking, right?"  She knew her brother wouldn't say anything until the last minute.  "Probably not a good idea for you to be cuddled up next to him in the wee hours.  If it's going to crash and burn, I'd prefer it not be because of you.  I have to associate with these people, mind you, and they have enough drama all their own."

"We're just friends, besides, she doesn't need to know.  If they hook up, I'll back off, but until then, I don't see any rings on his finger."  She raised her digits and wiggled them at Marissa.

The slender brunette only shook her head and shrugged to the heavens.  "Why can't my brother meet normal people?  Ugh!"

The thigh pocket on her shiny leggings vibrated and she inspected her phone.  Swiftly tapping out a reply.  //Bunnee's, I need breakfast.  Only thing left to eat here is my brother's left overs, and they're going stale.  20 minutes.//

"Eat and scoot, hanger-on.  I'm leaving in a few minutes," she walked off to go upstairs shouting down a moment later.  "And stop borrowing my clothes!"

She could be heard or seen, but Tawny made a pouty face.  "But they're so comfy..."

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//See you there.//

Charlie had no issue leaving, as once again, Lucius was out at work. Possibly due to Charlie's immediate brushoff the moment he'd come home. At Bunnee's, Charlie secured a booth for two and was waiting when Marissa arrived.

"Figured I'd wait for you to be here before ordering." Charlie said. Glasses of water were out already, and he took a sip. "All right. We moved past this, or that's what I thought. But after last night, I didn't realize how genuinely scared you were. When I... we... hands."

"You mean you got excited by choking me." Marissa commented with a hint of the Bitch Queen smirk.

"That was Sara's worst way of explanation, ever." Charlie groaned. "Look, just because I was pissed off at you didn't mean I had any real intention of hurting you. If the line was that stupidly fragile, someone would have done it long ago and there would be literally too many suspects. Seriously, even when you guys are trying to mend fences and be friends, you just make it so freaking difficult."

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"Wow, just... gonna jump right in?"  She spun her finger about the area of the table.  "Not even had my coffee yet, groovy.  Not even a hair pull?  A slap on my ass?  Ooookay... here we go."

He steepled her hands and smiled at him.  "Charlie, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.  Friendships require work and frankly, you guys don't have a great benefits plan, so far.  I can what?  Get fat on cheetos and pretend I'm some magic guy in a loser kingdom of loserdom once a week?  No thanks, I hope to lose my virginity at some point, not tie it up in the basement of my psyche and kick it down the stairs everytime a pretty girl tries to help it escape."

She was cut short by Max smiling at them.  "Coffee?  You two need a minute?"

"Yes, please, coffee."  Marissa slid her empty mug towards the pot in the busty waitresses hand.  As she smiled and finished up, Marissa continued.  "Look, maybe this has totally shot over that bouffant of yours, which totes went out with Twilight,  by the way, but I'm a bitch.  Now, I'd like to point out that my bitchiness could almost qualify me for sainthood in comparison to the delinquents, sociopaths, lunatics and Cade you call friends."

"I'm not easy to get along with, if I were easy I'd be Courtney,"  she slowed a moment and regained her focus.  "Charlie, lame name, by the way, you should go with something else.  Look, you freaked me out that day.  That's all.  I was shocked and it was sudden, but... well, I was never really mad at you.  Just weirded out."

She cupped her hands on her coffee mug.  "Ugh, I need food.  Buy me breakfast and I'll smile like I'm enjoying your company."

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"Deal." Charlie agreed, waving Max over. "Ok, Max. Please gimme eggs and corned beef hash. Marissa?"

"Waffles, strawberries, whipped cream, orange juice." Marissa ordered, teeth flashing. Charlie sighed. "I suppose I would take advantage of that if I were in your place." Fortunately, Lucius Cole had gotten the idea he could buy back Charlie's respect, much less love with a greater allowance.

"For the record, I have lost my virginity." Charlie added, raising a finger when Marissa opened her mouth to call bull. "Emily Florence, last year. We are actors. People who deals in deep tales full of passion and emotion. Anyway, we decided it was a one time thing and better off staying professional about it. D&D didn't get in the way of that. But ok, it's not your thing. What do you do for fun?"

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"'Staying professional'," she mocked him with a raised brow and a half smile.  "You realize you're in High School, right?  Charlie, you're not actors, you're aspiring to be them one day, sure, but you are far from an actor.  Why do you think I laughed so hard at your suggestion for les miserables?  It's a high school play... we don't have the budget, time, and definently not the talent for that.  You think big, and it's admirable, just not practical."

She sat back folding her arms narrowing her eyes at him.  "Why do you care what I do for fun?"

"Why do you care if I know?" Charlie slyly countered.

Her maroon lips curled into a grin as she gave him a 'well played' nod.  "I do nothing, Charles.  I don't have fun.  This town sucks, the people in it suck.  I've recently taken up a hobby of running for my life from mutant vag-beasts from alternate worlds."

"What did she see in you?"  Marissa flipped the script back to Charlie.  "Like, did you pay her?  Because Emily is really cute.  Was it like... a pity thing?  She owe you money?"

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"A decent personality goes a long way." Charlie observed. "People like partners that aren't going to tear off their heads after sex. Anyway, so you resent living here, recent that you had to come here than whatever glorious California beaches you used to live on. And you think making the best of this situation is ruling the school with an iron hand and making people miserable. Including yourself."

It sounded somewhat like a modern version of Beauty and the Beast, but Marissa was Belle only skin-deep.

He cocked his head at Marissa. "Why did your family come here?"

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"I am far from miserable," she chuckled.  "But I do hate it here.  It's so drab, and boring and the snow?  Oh my gawd, I hate snow."

She stirred her water with her straw.  With a tilt of her head she decided whether or not to tell Charlie, or simply brush him off.  Hell, he was buying breakfast... certain rules of decorum did apply.  At the very least a few answers in return for his courtesy.  "Deej and I were thirteen.  Mom amd Dad just said we're moving, and now we're here.  Our dad was an investment banker in the Malibu area, apparently he's like, super smart with money.  Our mom had just opened her behavioral therapy practice... then, poof.  We're here with no warning."  She leaned back in her seat and folded her arms while crossing her legs beneath the table.  A classic postured of one wanting to protect themselves when feeling threatened socially.  "We didn't have it all, but we had enough to be happy.  Our parents actually loved each other, we had good times.  Now?  When the last time you saw my dad?"

"Uh," Charlie was caught off guard by the sudden question.  "To be honest?  I think maybe last year?  Dropping you two off before you had your licenses.  Like, maybe once?"  He guessed honestly.

"Exactly."  She huffed.  "He's never home, and when he is he's drunk and passed out as far away from our mom and us as possible.  Our mom?  She hates him and us.  She's only making it through the day because she's on more prescription medication and cocaine the Leonardo DiCaprio in Wolf of Wallstreet."

She leaned in and unfolded her arms, tapping the table with a glossy maroon fingernail.  "This town is a life suck.  It's where souls come to fade away.  It's gloomy, dreary, nothing ever happens, and all people do is meander about pretending and lying about how fucked up they really are."  She motioned her hands in circles then tightened into fists close to her her heart.  "This place is cursed, Peck!"

"Oh, speaking of cocaine, I thought of a school play for you,"  she smiled.  You're welcome.  I'll tell you while eat.  Until then, c'mon..."  she motioned to him to come forward, but they were at the table.  What she meant was for him give up something, now that she'd spilled something about herself.  "Out with it.  What's your malfunction?  Besides your style.  Your grades took a dive last year, you quit being the life of the hallways between classes with your lame Shakespeare readings and occasional poetry."

"You noticed all that?"  Charlie asked with a chuckle.

"It's my school.  I notice everything,"  Max slid past them, dropping off a small platter of toast slices with a smile moved on once she dropped off their coffees too.  Marissa's eyes looked the server, obviously not appreciating the interruption, but said nothing until she left.  "So, what gives?  People actually liked your little poetry sessions, why take them away?

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It was surprising to think Marissa cared that much, at least in the sense that she was willing to pay attention to what was going on. And he was reminded that he and Lona weren't the only ones with home troubles. Eye-opening enough that home troubles was a phrase related to the Jauntsens, but then it did explain a bit. A bit. He hadn't turned into a Charliesaurus Rex biting everyone's heads off.

"I'm surprised you didn't notice why." Suddenly Charlie responded in a perfect mimicry of Marissa's voice. "We didn't have it all, but we had enough to be happy.  Our parents actually loved each other, we had good times." Then he resumed his normal voice. "The difference in my case, is that his vice turned out to be a blond bimbo decades younger with big boobs and booty. My mom is the one out of the house, staying at a friend's while the divorce goes through and he is planning on marrying the tramp while trying to get custody despite the fact that he should go die in a fire."

"And that," Charlie summarized, putting strawberry jelly and butter on his toast, "drained away much of the energy I had until I was able to accept, unfortunately this is going to be my life for some time, leaving aside the worst case scenario, and worked out how to adapt. I was considering bringing back the poetry, but then, Shine, Dark and Spooks happened."

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"I don't sound like that," she crinkled her nose and shook her head, despite it being a perfect impression.

"Oh, I knew," she said honestly in reference as to why he changed.  "The whole town knows.  I wanted to hear it from you.  You're an authority on your life, you don't need me rehashing your business.  It's also the polite thing to do, that was your option to tell me you didn't want to talk about it,"  she swept her hands wide.  "But here we are, in a conversation.  Funny how that works."

"Friendly advice?"  She didn't wait for him to accept or decline, she just moved on as people generally do when telling one their business.  "You're in a place where you have the opportunity to keep being a good guy.  We can't fix other people.  We can't fix who they love, or who they don't.  You're angry, and rightfully so, but your anger keeps you from excelling.  Instead of you controlling the situation, you've allowed the situation to control you.  Your grades, your mirth, performance on stage..."

"There is nothing wrong with my performance," Charlie defended himself unit Marissa snorted a laugh.

"Yeah, never heard a guy say that before,"  she said with a smile.  "You're letting what your dad did, control you as person.  His actions don't define you, Charlie.  You can't undo what he did.  Be there for your mother, lover her, and be the man of the house your dad decided not to be whether she is there or not. Instead of letting the situation bring you you down, take control of it.  Own it.  Sometimes parents teach us how to be our best us showing exactly how *not* to do something.  Like Quaaludes and Adderall.  Be the best you, Charlie.  You can't fix other people, but you can inspire them, and you did.  Just saying."

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"I did work that out you know." Charlie responded, but with a smile and no edge to his words. "But yes, it is excellent advice all the same. Thank you. Perhaps it might help to apply it to yourself? Because let's face it, you have been letting your situation control you and Devin for a long time. And I'll admit it, you and Devin have been working on it, but on a certain level it hasn't still sunk in."

"I think I've been doing just fine." Marissa replied, but Charlie shook his head.

"Actions, maybe but not words. I know what Jason said, but here's a lesson I've learned from the stage. Words are a form of action. They can be meaningless, or that they can carry far more force than a single punch. You know it's true. You didn't master the art of cutting people down verbally for no reason. But I think you can heal and inspire people too."

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"Oh, you worked it out huh?"  She looked at him with puzzled expression.  "My neck would argue differently, Mr. Repressed Anger Issues."

"And," she turned her mug of coffee about so the handle was where she preferred it before raising it for a sip.  It didn't surprise Charlie that she took her coffee bitter and black, like her soul.  "I am this way by choice, Charles.  I'm aware of how messed up my home life is, and how I treat people.  I possess one skill that my bother and I took a very long time master: self-awareness."

"People everyday want to mess up everyone's life with lies.  See, if you want to really fuck with them?  Tell them the truth and watch them lose their ever loving mind.  I do inspire, Charlie.  Simply because you and your little band of social deviants and sociopaths can't see it, doesn't make it less true.  I'm was not trying to be friends with all of you, my brother was.  I've spent the last several weeks tagging along on your little adventures and I have realized that between the self-righteous foot stomping, constant drama, and murderous intent... you guys add absolutely nothing of value to my life.  Why would I want to be friends with people who behave and carry on like you do?  You're trouble, and it would only be a matter of time before you got me in trouble, and I don't want that.  I have plans for my life.  I don't need you guys with your spy-fucking, assault, and your autoerotic asphyxiation fetishes screwing up my good vibes."

"This is me, Charlie.  I'm mean, I'm pretty, and I crush goals like a fucking beast.  That's all you see, it's all you'll know."  Marissa smiled politely and sincerely.  "Asking me to not be who I am is like asking you not be in drama.  You were born to act.  You're a rock star at it.  We can't change people, Charles.  We can only accept them as they are and watch them evolve into their potential.  If I liked you idiots, I might treat you differently, but I don't,  so I don't.  It's no big mystery to be solved, Chuck."

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Max delivered their food, and Charlie began cutting up the eggs. "I'd worked it out with my father. You, I guess I hadn't yet gotten it all worked out. But since you're so self-aware, if you would please answer a question. Why are you still hanging around with us then, if we're so toxic in value and worth nothing?"

"The Dark." Marissa responded. "It's bigger than all our problems and we need a unified front."

"Mhmm." Charlie nodded and took a bite of corned beef hash, chewing thoughtfully before he swallowed. "Then what does Jason see in you?"

"Ask Jason." Marissa replied, as if the question was completely meaningless to her.

"Did you see how he reacted to the neck thing? He was thinking about going all... Liam. Clearly he must think of you very highly."

"Jason protects his friends." Marissa retorted. "He almost killed Liam for hurting Lona. He's dangerous and I don't think it's safe to associate with him anymore. However, The Dark is a threat and he's a very effective weapon, so, I'll make do in his company for now."

"So you're his friend?" Charlie picked up on the wording in the first sentence.

"I was. What he did to Liam is frightening. He could do it to anyone of you next. I suggest you keep your distance. He's abusive and violent and men like that can't be trusted to not harm friends and loved ones." Marissa ground out.

On the one hand, it sounded convincing. On the other... "I'll admit it's a bit of a shock. But I've known him for far longer than you have. So I'll take the risk. One more thing. You were a friend. So you did get some value out it." Charlie observed.

 

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"That's more for me to decide, isn't it?"  She popped a fork full of waffles into her mouth and rolled her eyes back in delight.  "Ugh, so good.  Total carb load, but so worth it.  Guilty not guilty.  Your theory is cute, in a friendship is magic kinda way, got a pony name picked out?"

She finished her first fork full and changed the subject.  "Oh, so, I decided on your production."

"More Dora?"  Charlie mused and largely uninterested considering how much help she was before.  "Can't wait to hear it."

"Very funny Flutter Fuckwit," she shot him an annoyed expression has he mocked her.  "You ever hear of Labyrinth?  It's an old musical from the-"

"Yes, Marissa, trust me, I've heard of it."

"Well, there you go.  Le Miserables, sorry to burst your bubble, was a dumb idea.  Do you think the people of Shelly even give a shit about that level of culture?  Dude, no way.  We need to cater to the audience, Charles, not you.  Labyrinth is a fun production, all the costumes are easy to make, the songs are short and easy to learn.  And at the goblin fight at the end we can get some of the elementary kids to dress up and run around and have fun.  It will involve our connected buildings, every parent will love the idea of involving the younger students, and it's cheap and easy to produce.  I already downloaded the score, with and without the lyrics.  You're welcome."

She smiled and by this time had most finished her waffles before getting through all that.  "And, you can get Nerd Herd to help.  I've seen the drama club, you're not a group of lookers... you'll need an attractive brunette for the lead."

"Will we now?"  He smiled.  "And where would we find one of those?  He glared at her, an attractive brunette. 

"Me?"  She raised her hands.  "Hoooo, no.  Uh uh.  I don't do performances on stages.  A little public speaking, but I don't sing, dance, none of that.  Honestly, I was thinking Lilly.  No one quite fills that 'it's not fair' self-entitlement niche quite like she does.  Oh, Sara can be Ludo and Cade and Cora can be rocks.  Jason can be Jerith, he seems to love showing his bulge off.  You're obviously a Hoggle.  See?  I solved your crisis."  She smiled.  She genuinely seemed happy and 'normal' for only a moment and in that small window she was positively lovely.

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"I'll run it by the theater department,"  Charlie said with a chuckle at the prospect of being Hoggle.  "I like the idea of getting the other grades involved.  That would make for a lot of costumes, though."

"Halloween is coming.  Afterwards everything will be like, a dollar.  Snatch them all up, mix and match, add some, take away some, resize, and there you go."  She countered.  "Just think about it, okay?  I think you'd do great at it."

"Wait, you do?  Marissa Jauntsen, was that a compliment?"  Charlie leaned in his head to the side cracking an inquisitive smile.

Marissa's cheeks rarely flushed, but then again, she rarely made social faux paws either.  She conceded a single, momentary smile to clarify her statement.  "And what is so surprising?  Just because I believe you all to be incompetent at everything else, doesn't mean you can't be good at one thing.  I wouldn't say Lilly is terrible at football, just everything else.  Same with you, you don't suck at theater.  Just everything else."

"By all means," Charlie shook his head laughing.  "Shower me with praise."

She made a playful face at him, somewhere between sticking her tongue out and trying to look mean.  "You'll get over it, I'm sure.  You're young, you have time."  She checked her phone and tucked it into her handbag.  "Look, I need to get going.  I have a lot to take care of today before Jason's little get together."  She fumbled in her bag for a moment and set a ten on the table.  "I'll cover the tip."

"That's generous," her breakfast date noticed.  "It's only a twenty dollar check."

"Just because I give Max a hard time, doesn't mean I don't like her, Charles.  She's a hard worker and good person.  She deserves it."  She slid out of the booth and stood up.  "Thank you for breakfast, it was nice to get out of the house for a bit.  I'll see you around."

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