I Prefer the Mind Control Rewrite - Chapter 19
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“So are you really leaving?” Preston asked me. He sat slumped on his bed, head in hands. He didn’t even want to fucking see me; why did he look so depressed?
“Yeah, I am,” I said. I leaned against the wall on my own bed. The mattress was bare now, because I wasn’t coming back. All my stuff was packed up, in various boxes and bags. I hoped Xan’s fancy car would have enough room for everything.
I wanted to bridge this stupid divide between me and Preston before I left. I knew that wasn’t gonna happen, though, not in any real way.
“You hardly know Xan. Dylan, you shouldn’t move to another state for him, let alone another planet. Not even if you’re gonna drop out of school, anyway,” Preston muttered. He lifted his head to fix me with a strange, pained stare.
I couldn’t get up my grades, not with everything else that was going on, and the dean took pity on me. She let me withdraw even though it was absurdly late into the semester.
“I fucking know all that, logically,” I sighed. “But this -- I can’t not do it.” I avoided Preston’s eyes, but I could feel them bore into me.
“There’s no way I can convince you not to go, is there?” he asked, his voice strained.
Okay, the confusion was getting to be too much. I ran my hands through my hair. “Preston, why do you even care? You don’t want me in the same fucking room with you half the time. Which I get. So I don’t get this.”
Author, do you have an explanation? You don’t? I’m desperate here, and you won’t take pity on me and help? You suck.
“I don’t want to see you get hurt” he said, putting his head in his hands again.
My chest felt oddly tight. “I can take care of myself,” I said. And why did he care if I got hurt or not?
“Can you, really?” Preston muttered. “There hasn’t even been a human delegation to Zimara in years, and you’re just gonna go? You have no idea what you’re doing.”
“You know, Preston? You haven’t really answered my question. Why do you care if I get hurt?” I asked. I shifted uncomfortably on my bed and pulled my knees up to my chest.
“Because I care about you!” he cried. Fucking tears shone in his eyes.
“Why?” I whispered. My chest still hurt. I wished Preston would stop caring so I wouldn’t feel bad about leaving.
Preston shook his head. “I -- just do. Still...”
I raised an eyebrow. “Still what?”
“Still wish things could have worked out between us,” he whispered, hanging his head.
That fucking punched me in the gut. I couldn’t say anything; my throat closed up when I tried to speak. How could he still want me? Worse, how could I still wish it would have worked? That would have spared us so much pain. Happiness wasn’t so fucking easy to get, was it?
I sighed, “Xan -- he’s coming over soon. We’ve gotta leave so we get to my parents’ on time.” I unfolded my legs and got off the bed. “I’m all packed and everything.”
“I know,” Preston mumbled. He got off his bed and threw his arms around me.
“What are you doing?” I asked, feeling immobilized by the hug. What was I supposed to fucking do now?
Preston’s body shook against mine. Was he crying? “I -- I -- just be safe, okay? St-stay in touch. I’m -- still your f-friend,” he sobbed.
I hugged him back, stiffly and awkwardly, and let him cry into my shoulder. If he decided we could be friends, I didn’t want to fuck that up. “I’ll be safe,” I whispered. I managed to refrain from saying “Xan will take care of me,” since that sounded all kinds of inappropriate.
My phone beeped; I had a text. I let go of Preston and pulled it out of my pocket to see that Xan had arrived in the parking lot. Now I realized a huge fucking problem; I had way more stuff than could easily be carried on my own. Xan would have to help me, which meant he would have to come into the dorm room.
Hey, author, do you think you could grant me the oh-so-convenient power of telekinesis so I could just levitate my shit? No? That would make me too much of a Mary Sue? You say I’m enough of one what with being hot enough countless people want to have sex with me, including a gorgeous alien Prince? But I have a lot of stuff to carry, dammit.
I looked at Preston with what I hoped was an apologetic look on my face. “Uh, Preston? I -- kind of have a lot of stuff. Xan -- he’s gonna need to help me with it. If you wanna, like, clear out for a bit so you don’t have to see him, you should go now.”
Preston shook his head. “I -- I can handle it, if he’s here. I have something to say to him, anyway.”
What could Preston have to say to Xan? Feeling kinda worried, I headed out to Parking Lot C. Xan was there, leaning against his car and smiling. My heart skipped a beat to see him. In fact, my heart outright fluttered as I made my way over.
Without saying anything, Xan pulled me into a kiss. I eagerly returned it, feeling my body flush with warmth. When he pressed his tongue forward, I quivered and met it with my own. I didn’t know how long we kissed, only that it felt perfect.
Finally, Xan broke the kiss. He chuckled softly. “We should get your stuff. My bodyguards can help,” he murmured. He put his arm around my waist, and we headed back to the dorm.
While I was nervous, I had to admit it felt so fucking right to have Xan here. Still, I was super worried about what Preston would say to him. When we got to my room, I said, “Xan, it might be best if you’re not, like, all over me. Because, y’know, Preston. He’s kind of here.”
“It’s hard not to be all over you,” Xan murmured, but he let go of me with a little sigh.
I opened the door, to find Preston standing right there with a dead fucking serious expression on his face. He looked Xan right in the eye, his own gray eyes hard. “You better not hurt Dylan,” he muttered.
Wait, what?
Xan was as confused as I was, judging by the look on his face. “Ex-excuse me?” he said.
“You better not hurt Dylan,” Preston repeated, crossing his arms over his chest.
Care to explain what’s gotten into my roommate, author? Right, of course you don’t care to explain. I hope he starts making some sense soon.
Xan looked kind of hurt himself. “I -- I won’t. I would never want to hurt him.”
“You already did, once,” Preston muttered, narrowing his eyes.
Xan winced. “I know,” he sighed. “And I am deeply sorry for that.”
I jumped backwards; my stuff -- it was floating and disappearing. Preston’s eyes widened, and he let his arms fall to his sides as my items either levitated, vanished, or both. Xan remained perfectly calm, even leaning against a wall. Some of the bigger items floated, but anything smaller turned invisible. That should not have been fucking possible -- I guessed Zimaran tech really was fancy as shit.
A box of various odds and ends floated right by my head, and I had to bend slightly to stay out of its way. Vaguely I wondered if Syra was one of the invisible people carrying my stuff. It wasn’t telekinesis, but invisible bodyguards? They would do.
Preston shook himself, like he was trying to clear out of a trance. He glared at Xan. “I don’t care how fancy your technology is, you better be good to Dylan.” Preston paused, his eyes shining with tears. “I -- I want him to be happy, okay?”
Now my eyes stung. “P-preston,” I choked out. “Y-you -- you don’t have to -- to say that.”
“Yeah, I kind of do,” he whispered, his eyes downcast. “It wouldn’t be right if I just -- let you go without saying anything.”
Time became strangely distorted, listening to Preston. He wanted me to be fucking happy? He wasn’t, like, wishing for me to die a fiery, painful death for breaking his heart?
Xan put his arm around my waist again. I startled slightly. Only then did I notice my side of the room was completely bare. “I’ll -- do my best to deserve him,” Xan murmured. He let me go. “I’ll let you say goodbye to Preston, if you want.”
“Thanks,” I said as Xan left the room.
Slowly, I turned to Preston. What was I supposed to do? Though it felt awkward as hell, I hugged him; he deserved at least that much. “I’ll -- miss you, man,” I muttered. My throat tried to close up. “I -- guess this is goodbye, huh?”
“I guess so,” Preston choked out. “I’m gonna miss you, Dylan. A -- a lot.”
I let him go. When I put my handle on the doorknob, I turned around to look at my now-former roommate one last time. Tears flowed freely down his face, and I felt like shit. I did that to him, made him feel that way. Offering the best smile I could, I murmured, “See you later, Preston.”
“I -- I love you, Dylan,” he said, his voice cracking as the tears kept on coming.
What could I even say to that? Though my chest felt like someone were fucking stabbing it, I looked Preston directly in the eye. “I’m sorry, man. Sorry I -- couldn’t be better for you. Good luck -- with everything.”
I turned around and left, unable to bear the pain of looking at him any longer.
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written for 500themes prompt #195 - "Somewhere"
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“So are you really leaving?” Preston asked me. He sat slumped on his bed, head in hands. He didn’t even want to fucking see me; why did he look so depressed?
“Yeah, I am,” I said. I leaned against the wall on my own bed. The mattress was bare now, because I wasn’t coming back. All my stuff was packed up, in various boxes and bags. I hoped Xan’s fancy car would have enough room for everything.
I wanted to bridge this stupid divide between me and Preston before I left. I knew that wasn’t gonna happen, though, not in any real way.
“You hardly know Xan. Dylan, you shouldn’t move to another state for him, let alone another planet. Not even if you’re gonna drop out of school, anyway,” Preston muttered. He lifted his head to fix me with a strange, pained stare.
I couldn’t get up my grades, not with everything else that was going on, and the dean took pity on me. She let me withdraw even though it was absurdly late into the semester.
“I fucking know all that, logically,” I sighed. “But this -- I can’t not do it.” I avoided Preston’s eyes, but I could feel them bore into me.
“There’s no way I can convince you not to go, is there?” he asked, his voice strained.
Okay, the confusion was getting to be too much. I ran my hands through my hair. “Preston, why do you even care? You don’t want me in the same fucking room with you half the time. Which I get. So I don’t get this.”
Author, do you have an explanation? You don’t? I’m desperate here, and you won’t take pity on me and help? You suck.
“I don’t want to see you get hurt” he said, putting his head in his hands again.
My chest felt oddly tight. “I can take care of myself,” I said. And why did he care if I got hurt or not?
“Can you, really?” Preston muttered. “There hasn’t even been a human delegation to Zimara in years, and you’re just gonna go? You have no idea what you’re doing.”
“You know, Preston? You haven’t really answered my question. Why do you care if I get hurt?” I asked. I shifted uncomfortably on my bed and pulled my knees up to my chest.
“Because I care about you!” he cried. Fucking tears shone in his eyes.
“Why?” I whispered. My chest still hurt. I wished Preston would stop caring so I wouldn’t feel bad about leaving.
Preston shook his head. “I -- just do. Still...”
I raised an eyebrow. “Still what?”
“Still wish things could have worked out between us,” he whispered, hanging his head.
That fucking punched me in the gut. I couldn’t say anything; my throat closed up when I tried to speak. How could he still want me? Worse, how could I still wish it would have worked? That would have spared us so much pain. Happiness wasn’t so fucking easy to get, was it?
I sighed, “Xan -- he’s coming over soon. We’ve gotta leave so we get to my parents’ on time.” I unfolded my legs and got off the bed. “I’m all packed and everything.”
“I know,” Preston mumbled. He got off his bed and threw his arms around me.
“What are you doing?” I asked, feeling immobilized by the hug. What was I supposed to fucking do now?
Preston’s body shook against mine. Was he crying? “I -- I -- just be safe, okay? St-stay in touch. I’m -- still your f-friend,” he sobbed.
I hugged him back, stiffly and awkwardly, and let him cry into my shoulder. If he decided we could be friends, I didn’t want to fuck that up. “I’ll be safe,” I whispered. I managed to refrain from saying “Xan will take care of me,” since that sounded all kinds of inappropriate.
My phone beeped; I had a text. I let go of Preston and pulled it out of my pocket to see that Xan had arrived in the parking lot. Now I realized a huge fucking problem; I had way more stuff than could easily be carried on my own. Xan would have to help me, which meant he would have to come into the dorm room.
Hey, author, do you think you could grant me the oh-so-convenient power of telekinesis so I could just levitate my shit? No? That would make me too much of a Mary Sue? You say I’m enough of one what with being hot enough countless people want to have sex with me, including a gorgeous alien Prince? But I have a lot of stuff to carry, dammit.
I looked at Preston with what I hoped was an apologetic look on my face. “Uh, Preston? I -- kind of have a lot of stuff. Xan -- he’s gonna need to help me with it. If you wanna, like, clear out for a bit so you don’t have to see him, you should go now.”
Preston shook his head. “I -- I can handle it, if he’s here. I have something to say to him, anyway.”
What could Preston have to say to Xan? Feeling kinda worried, I headed out to Parking Lot C. Xan was there, leaning against his car and smiling. My heart skipped a beat to see him. In fact, my heart outright fluttered as I made my way over.
Without saying anything, Xan pulled me into a kiss. I eagerly returned it, feeling my body flush with warmth. When he pressed his tongue forward, I quivered and met it with my own. I didn’t know how long we kissed, only that it felt perfect.
Finally, Xan broke the kiss. He chuckled softly. “We should get your stuff. My bodyguards can help,” he murmured. He put his arm around my waist, and we headed back to the dorm.
While I was nervous, I had to admit it felt so fucking right to have Xan here. Still, I was super worried about what Preston would say to him. When we got to my room, I said, “Xan, it might be best if you’re not, like, all over me. Because, y’know, Preston. He’s kind of here.”
“It’s hard not to be all over you,” Xan murmured, but he let go of me with a little sigh.
I opened the door, to find Preston standing right there with a dead fucking serious expression on his face. He looked Xan right in the eye, his own gray eyes hard. “You better not hurt Dylan,” he muttered.
Wait, what?
Xan was as confused as I was, judging by the look on his face. “Ex-excuse me?” he said.
“You better not hurt Dylan,” Preston repeated, crossing his arms over his chest.
Care to explain what’s gotten into my roommate, author? Right, of course you don’t care to explain. I hope he starts making some sense soon.
Xan looked kind of hurt himself. “I -- I won’t. I would never want to hurt him.”
“You already did, once,” Preston muttered, narrowing his eyes.
Xan winced. “I know,” he sighed. “And I am deeply sorry for that.”
I jumped backwards; my stuff -- it was floating and disappearing. Preston’s eyes widened, and he let his arms fall to his sides as my items either levitated, vanished, or both. Xan remained perfectly calm, even leaning against a wall. Some of the bigger items floated, but anything smaller turned invisible. That should not have been fucking possible -- I guessed Zimaran tech really was fancy as shit.
A box of various odds and ends floated right by my head, and I had to bend slightly to stay out of its way. Vaguely I wondered if Syra was one of the invisible people carrying my stuff. It wasn’t telekinesis, but invisible bodyguards? They would do.
Preston shook himself, like he was trying to clear out of a trance. He glared at Xan. “I don’t care how fancy your technology is, you better be good to Dylan.” Preston paused, his eyes shining with tears. “I -- I want him to be happy, okay?”
Now my eyes stung. “P-preston,” I choked out. “Y-you -- you don’t have to -- to say that.”
“Yeah, I kind of do,” he whispered, his eyes downcast. “It wouldn’t be right if I just -- let you go without saying anything.”
Time became strangely distorted, listening to Preston. He wanted me to be fucking happy? He wasn’t, like, wishing for me to die a fiery, painful death for breaking his heart?
Xan put his arm around my waist again. I startled slightly. Only then did I notice my side of the room was completely bare. “I’ll -- do my best to deserve him,” Xan murmured. He let me go. “I’ll let you say goodbye to Preston, if you want.”
“Thanks,” I said as Xan left the room.
Slowly, I turned to Preston. What was I supposed to do? Though it felt awkward as hell, I hugged him; he deserved at least that much. “I’ll -- miss you, man,” I muttered. My throat tried to close up. “I -- guess this is goodbye, huh?”
“I guess so,” Preston choked out. “I’m gonna miss you, Dylan. A -- a lot.”
I let him go. When I put my handle on the doorknob, I turned around to look at my now-former roommate one last time. Tears flowed freely down his face, and I felt like shit. I did that to him, made him feel that way. Offering the best smile I could, I murmured, “See you later, Preston.”
“I -- I love you, Dylan,” he said, his voice cracking as the tears kept on coming.
What could I even say to that? Though my chest felt like someone were fucking stabbing it, I looked Preston directly in the eye. “I’m sorry, man. Sorry I -- couldn’t be better for you. Good luck -- with everything.”
I turned around and left, unable to bear the pain of looking at him any longer.
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written for 500themes prompt #195 - "Somewhere"
next chapter