Runaway Bride, chapter 3
At that point, I would have agreed to anything. "Stay here? Yeah. Sure. What the hell was in that candy bar?" My voice was muffled, as I was bent over, digging through all the crap on the floor of the van. "Aha!" I held up the wrapper in triumph. My eyes quickly scanned the ingredients. "Oh, shit."
"What?" Tre asked, his eyes full of concern.
"There are pistachios in this."
"Is that...bad?"
I looked at him. "I'm ALLERGIC to pistachios."
"Oh, Cassandra, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. Of all the damn candy bars I could have picked...."
"Hey, that's okay. But I'm exhausted. Why don't you see if you can get us a room here?"
Tre nodded, and got out of the van. He walked to a room with a sign above it that read "Office." I sat and waited, trying not to throw up again. Tre returned about ten minutes later. He grinned at me and held up a key.
"Thank God." I sighed gratefully and got out of the van.
"Room number twenty-three!" Tre smiled. There were a bunch of doors facing the street, and we searched until we found number twenty-three. Tre opened the door, and we entered. It wasn't much, just a bed, a small table, a TV, and a small bathroom.
I yawned, and Tre smiled at me. I couldn't help but melt at his smile; it was adorable.
"Uh..." I felt really awkward for some reason. "Did I mention I was tired?"
"Yeah." Tre matched my yawn. He slowly slipped off his shirt and pants, until he was left only in his boxers. He climbed under the covers and shut his eyes. He waited a second, then opened them again.
"What are you waiting for? Get in here."
"Uh...what am I supposed to wear?"
"What are you wearing under your dress?"
I thought about my white panties and strapless bra. "Not enough."
Tre looked kind of hurt, but he got out of bed, opened the door, and went out into the night. He came back a few minutes later with something.
"Here." he grunted, and handed me a huge, ratty Ramones T-shirt.
"Thanks." I smiled gratefully at him, but he didn't reply. I slipped off my dress, put the shirt on and climbed into bed.
I rolled over on my stomach and shut my eyes. It wasn't long before I felt Tre's hand slide slowly up the back of my shirt. I felt his breath on my neck before I felt his lips. He left a trail of kisses up my neck, across my face, before resting on my lips. He slipped his tongue in my mouth, and gently caressed my tongue with his. I pulled away and kissed his bare chest as he drew his fingertips along the back of my neck and my shoulders. He returned for one last long, deep kiss on the mouth before I finally pulled away.
"I really need to go to sleep." I told him. Tre nodded, smiling. He pulled me to him, and I lay down in his arms. It didn't take me long to fall asleep.
I woke up what felt like a few minutes later to the sound of Tre sitting up sharply.
"What is it?" I asked distractedly. I was watching the way the covers fell around Tre and made him look almost godlike.
"Do you smell that?" he asked quickly.
"What?" Why was he asking me....then I really could smell it. It was...
"Smoke." Tre finished my thought. "We have to get out of here."
My brain stopped working, and I couldn't hear a word Tre was saying. "Smoke? You mean the building is on FIRE? What do we do?"
He was getting up and pulling on his clothes as I rambled. That was when I saw the flames. They came out of the bathroom and were beginning to lick the ceiling and creep across the wall. I couldn't control myself; I screamed.
Tre grabbed my arm roughly and dragged me towards the door. I was still staring at the fire as he led me, running, out the door and through the damp grass back to the van. He pushed me into the passenger seat, slammed the door, and ran around to the driver's side. He got in, and I noticed that his hands were shaking as he started the car and drove off.
I was terrified now. "Tre? What the hell did you just do? Shouldn't we have stayed to see if anyone else was hurt, if we could have helped?" He didn't answer me, and his silence scared me even more. "Tre?!" I almost screeched frantically.
"Shut up!" Tre's yell quieted me. "The police were going to show up. They would have asked questions. I'm sure there's some missing persons report or something for you, they have to be looking all over." He paused and attempted to calm down. "They would have locked me up for kidnapping or something." He paused again, and I saw something that looked distinctly like a tear in his eye. "They would have taken you away." he finished quietly. I hadn't even thought of all that, and he had come up with it in a matter of seconds, and under the pressure of being in a burning building. And again, he had done it all for me. I was beginning to wonder if I deserved to be with Tre Cool.
"I'm sorry, Tre." I whispered. He nodded, obviously not trusting himself to speak. He concentrated on driving, and neither of us said anything for a long time. Amazingly, the excitement of the fire was quick to wear off, and my lack of sleep began to catch up with me. I rubbed at my eyes, but something told me that I couldn't fall asleep. I ignored this and shut my eyes. I hadn't realized I was asleep until a ray of sunlight fell across my face and woke me up. I looked over at Tre. He was still driving, but he looked exhausted. As I watched him, his eyes slowly shut, but he shook his head and opened them again. His eyes shut for the second time, and this time they didn't open.
All my thought stopped again, and I waited for Tre to wake up. He didn't, and his hands slowly slipped off the wheel. The car started to veer toward the right, and I screamed. Tre woke up with a jolt, and tried to regain control of the car. He only succeeded in worsening the car's position, and the car shot across the road, a huge tree getting closer and closer, as if in slow motion. The van plowed into it with a sound louder than anything I had ever heard. That was the last thing I remember.
I woke up on the rocky ground, with no sense of how much time had passed. I looked around, terrified. I saw the van, completely ruined, the front wrapped around the tree. I didn't see Tre anywhere. "Tre?" I called cautiously. "Tre?" Still no answer. I tried to get up, but found that I couldn't. "Tre?!! TRE??! TRE!!!"
"What?" Tre asked, his eyes full of concern.
"There are pistachios in this."
"Is that...bad?"
I looked at him. "I'm ALLERGIC to pistachios."
"Oh, Cassandra, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. Of all the damn candy bars I could have picked...."
"Hey, that's okay. But I'm exhausted. Why don't you see if you can get us a room here?"
Tre nodded, and got out of the van. He walked to a room with a sign above it that read "Office." I sat and waited, trying not to throw up again. Tre returned about ten minutes later. He grinned at me and held up a key.
"Thank God." I sighed gratefully and got out of the van.
"Room number twenty-three!" Tre smiled. There were a bunch of doors facing the street, and we searched until we found number twenty-three. Tre opened the door, and we entered. It wasn't much, just a bed, a small table, a TV, and a small bathroom.
I yawned, and Tre smiled at me. I couldn't help but melt at his smile; it was adorable.
"Uh..." I felt really awkward for some reason. "Did I mention I was tired?"
"Yeah." Tre matched my yawn. He slowly slipped off his shirt and pants, until he was left only in his boxers. He climbed under the covers and shut his eyes. He waited a second, then opened them again.
"What are you waiting for? Get in here."
"Uh...what am I supposed to wear?"
"What are you wearing under your dress?"
I thought about my white panties and strapless bra. "Not enough."
Tre looked kind of hurt, but he got out of bed, opened the door, and went out into the night. He came back a few minutes later with something.
"Here." he grunted, and handed me a huge, ratty Ramones T-shirt.
"Thanks." I smiled gratefully at him, but he didn't reply. I slipped off my dress, put the shirt on and climbed into bed.
I rolled over on my stomach and shut my eyes. It wasn't long before I felt Tre's hand slide slowly up the back of my shirt. I felt his breath on my neck before I felt his lips. He left a trail of kisses up my neck, across my face, before resting on my lips. He slipped his tongue in my mouth, and gently caressed my tongue with his. I pulled away and kissed his bare chest as he drew his fingertips along the back of my neck and my shoulders. He returned for one last long, deep kiss on the mouth before I finally pulled away.
"I really need to go to sleep." I told him. Tre nodded, smiling. He pulled me to him, and I lay down in his arms. It didn't take me long to fall asleep.
I woke up what felt like a few minutes later to the sound of Tre sitting up sharply.
"What is it?" I asked distractedly. I was watching the way the covers fell around Tre and made him look almost godlike.
"Do you smell that?" he asked quickly.
"What?" Why was he asking me....then I really could smell it. It was...
"Smoke." Tre finished my thought. "We have to get out of here."
My brain stopped working, and I couldn't hear a word Tre was saying. "Smoke? You mean the building is on FIRE? What do we do?"
He was getting up and pulling on his clothes as I rambled. That was when I saw the flames. They came out of the bathroom and were beginning to lick the ceiling and creep across the wall. I couldn't control myself; I screamed.
Tre grabbed my arm roughly and dragged me towards the door. I was still staring at the fire as he led me, running, out the door and through the damp grass back to the van. He pushed me into the passenger seat, slammed the door, and ran around to the driver's side. He got in, and I noticed that his hands were shaking as he started the car and drove off.
I was terrified now. "Tre? What the hell did you just do? Shouldn't we have stayed to see if anyone else was hurt, if we could have helped?" He didn't answer me, and his silence scared me even more. "Tre?!" I almost screeched frantically.
"Shut up!" Tre's yell quieted me. "The police were going to show up. They would have asked questions. I'm sure there's some missing persons report or something for you, they have to be looking all over." He paused and attempted to calm down. "They would have locked me up for kidnapping or something." He paused again, and I saw something that looked distinctly like a tear in his eye. "They would have taken you away." he finished quietly. I hadn't even thought of all that, and he had come up with it in a matter of seconds, and under the pressure of being in a burning building. And again, he had done it all for me. I was beginning to wonder if I deserved to be with Tre Cool.
"I'm sorry, Tre." I whispered. He nodded, obviously not trusting himself to speak. He concentrated on driving, and neither of us said anything for a long time. Amazingly, the excitement of the fire was quick to wear off, and my lack of sleep began to catch up with me. I rubbed at my eyes, but something told me that I couldn't fall asleep. I ignored this and shut my eyes. I hadn't realized I was asleep until a ray of sunlight fell across my face and woke me up. I looked over at Tre. He was still driving, but he looked exhausted. As I watched him, his eyes slowly shut, but he shook his head and opened them again. His eyes shut for the second time, and this time they didn't open.
All my thought stopped again, and I waited for Tre to wake up. He didn't, and his hands slowly slipped off the wheel. The car started to veer toward the right, and I screamed. Tre woke up with a jolt, and tried to regain control of the car. He only succeeded in worsening the car's position, and the car shot across the road, a huge tree getting closer and closer, as if in slow motion. The van plowed into it with a sound louder than anything I had ever heard. That was the last thing I remember.
I woke up on the rocky ground, with no sense of how much time had passed. I looked around, terrified. I saw the van, completely ruined, the front wrapped around the tree. I didn't see Tre anywhere. "Tre?" I called cautiously. "Tre?" Still no answer. I tried to get up, but found that I couldn't. "Tre?!! TRE??! TRE!!!"
