|
|
Post by raven on Aug 19, 2011 23:35:46 GMT -5
Raven burst through the front door of the Duane Street lodging house, soaking wet. It had been raining when she left Brooklyn, running. She didn't actually feel the rain though, she just had to get the hell out of there. Had to go somewhere, anywhere and she just ended up here.
Boys stared up at her, gawking, since her clothes were sopping wet. Her hair stuck to her face, chest heaving, out of breath.
"Racetrack," She blurted. One boy pointed to the parlor. Raven quickly tossed Kloppman a coin and walked into the parlor.
"Race?" She questioned softly.
|
|
|
|
Post by Racetrack on Aug 19, 2011 23:48:38 GMT -5
He was on the couch, playing Solitaire. He'd been keeping to himself more than usual lately.
"Rae?" He gaped at her and jumped up, abandoning the cards. "What are you--what happened?" She was soaking wet and looked utterly desperate.
((Blargh, to bed with me, I fear. But starting on Sunday, I can post during the day again! JOY!))
|
|
|
|
Post by raven on Aug 19, 2011 23:54:38 GMT -5
"Race..." She managed to blurt and then just started sobbing, her whole body shaking, the tears coming on so fast she couldn't even stop them if she tried. She immediately covered her face with her hands, embarrassed by how quickly it had happened.
|
|
|
|
Post by Racetrack on Aug 20, 2011 8:02:43 GMT -5
Race pulled himself together, because this was bad and it tore at his heart to see it happen, but it wasn't exactly surprising.
"C'mere," he said, and led her to the couch, pushing the cards aside. There was a blanket tossed over the back of the couch, and he wrapped it around Rae's shoulders to keep her from freezing to death, then found a handkerchief in his pocket that smelled like cigars and offered it to her, then just held her hands between his to warm them up. "Is it something new or just...all of it?"
|
|
|
|
Post by raven on Aug 20, 2011 11:29:03 GMT -5
"Everything she managed to say," between her tears. She took a big sniffling breath and looked across at him. "Everything, Race...I can't sleep, I...I feel so...I don't even know how I feel half the time."
|
|
|
|
Post by Racetrack on Aug 20, 2011 17:01:13 GMT -5
He gave her hands a squeeze. "No one can blame you for that. Have you talked to Spot about all of it, or...?" Or did that make things worse? was the unspoken question. He knew Spot loved Rae, but he had no idea how Spot, or anyone, would handle what she'd been through.
|
|
|
|
Post by raven on Aug 20, 2011 17:39:56 GMT -5
"I...I've tried but I can't really tell him all of it. It never comes out right, I don't want to burden him with it all, he's already guilty enough." Raven blew her nose in the handkerchief. "You got a smoke?" She asked, tears still fell from her eyes, but the sobbing subsided.
|
|
|
|
Post by Racetrack on Aug 20, 2011 19:30:26 GMT -5
"Always." He pulled out a cigar and lit it before handing it to her. "So talk to me instead. It won't be a burden, I swear...it's good just to have you here," he said, betraying for a quick moment just how worried he'd been since he left Brooklyn. Then he noticed the dripping and shivering again. "But first, want me to run up to the girls' room and see if I can get you some dry clothes?"
|
|
|
|
Post by raven on Aug 20, 2011 20:10:38 GMT -5
"Yea...I'm freezin my ass off," she said. She shivered and waited for him to come back with dry clothes. "Don't peek, or I'll smack ya," Raven quickly changed into the dry clothing and then sat back down, her back resting on the arm of the sofa.
She couldn't look Race in the eye. "I dream about it...about the way he smelled, how harsh it was...when he cut my face. When I look in the mirror, I remember." She finally looked at him. "Everytime I see my own face I'll remember..."
|
|
|
|
Post by Racetrack on Aug 20, 2011 20:40:04 GMT -5
Race wished he could bring the guy back to life just to kill him again. Four or five hundred times might do it.
"I wish I could tell you when it'll stop," he said softly. "I wish I knew. But it will stop, Rae. He'll be dead forever, and your life'll go on, and good things will happen...amazing things...and I know you can never forget, and I fucking hate him for that, but I know he won't always haunt you like this. And as long as he does, I'm here if you need anything. Even if it's just one of those weird teas Kloppman makes that's supposed to give you dreamless sleep." He wrinkled his nose--he was half Irish, he knew what tea was supposed to taste like, and those beverages were downright unholy.
He was actually startled at what she said about her face, and he had to do a double-take. Oh, right. That. "I know this doesn't really help, but...I don't see your scar. I mean, I see it, obviously, but it doesn't really register when I look at you. I just see...I mean, you're still just...just Raven." He knew that wouldn't help. She couldn't help focusing on it, and other people probably did, too. But for Race, it really did disappear, swallowed up by her familiar, gorgeous, Ravenly face.
|
|
|
|
Post by raven on Aug 20, 2011 20:46:29 GMT -5
Raven smiled sadly and wiped and her crying eyes. "It doesn't feel like that right now..." she whispered. She wiped at her eyes again and sighed. "And...and...my baby, Race. I was so...I had so many mixed feelings about it and then...then I was getting excited and was gonna tell him and now," she started sobbing, "its gone."
|
|
|
|
Post by Racetrack on Aug 20, 2011 20:53:16 GMT -5
"I know," he said softly, and just wrapped his arms around her and held her, without even hesitating. So much easier, more instinctive, than holding Sapphy. But it lacked all of that painful intensity, too. Holding Raven was just like comforting a sister.
"I know," he whispered again. "I'm so sorry, Rae."
|
|
|
|
Post by raven on Aug 20, 2011 20:58:49 GMT -5
Raven curled up against him and just cried. She completely let herself go and sobbed in Race's arms. If it was anyone else her guard still would have been up, but for some reason with Race she could let herself be completely vulnerable.
((I seriously love their friendship))
|
|
|
|
Post by Racetrack on Aug 20, 2011 21:06:19 GMT -5
((ME TOO. I loved it from their first thread together.  ) Race just held her and stroked her hair, keeping it from doing that gross thing where it sticks to your teary face and makes you look like you just crawled out of your grave. He was absurdly glad she could cry. It meant she hadn't gone numb inside, not totally. He'd been almost afraid that had happened to him, until Sapphy had made it okay for him to cry. |
|
|
|
Post by raven on Aug 20, 2011 21:12:09 GMT -5
Still crying Raven looked up at him. "The worst thing is," her voice cracked. "I tried to...I tried to sleep with Spot and all I did was cry the entire time. Race, it was terrible and now...now it's all fucked up. We're a mess. I love him, but it's all ruined now. We're falling apart, Race."
((hehe...I want to know the story of Rae falling asleep in the spaghetti...I'm thinking that had to be an amazing night out))
|
|
)